Reading 1, Luke 22:1-34
Luke 22
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called
Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill
Him, for they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among
the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and
captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the
absence of the multitude.
Jesus and His Disciples Prepare the Passover
7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be [j]killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover
for us, that we may eat.”
9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”
10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man
will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which
he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to
you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My
disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make
ready.”
13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they
prepared the Passover.
Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper
14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the [k]twelve apostles
with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to
eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled
in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and
divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, [l]I will
not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to
them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance
of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This
cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the
table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined,
but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was
who would do this thing.
Study note: For some background information on 30 pieces of silver for
which Jesus was betrayed, check out the following link: https://www.grandrapidscoins.com/blogs/entry/how-much-were-judas-iscariot-s-30-pieces-of-silver-worth
Question: Why was a betrayer needed for the religious leaders to have
Jesus crucified?
The Disciples Argue About Greatness
24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should
be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship
over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called
‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest
among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he
who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you
as the One who serves.
Question: How should we think and act if we want to be great in the kingdom
of heaven?
28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon
Me,30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
31 [m]And the
Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as
wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and
when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to
prison and to death.”
34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this
day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”
Reading 2, Luke 22:35-71
Supplies for the Road
35 And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack,
and sandals, did you lack anything?”
So they said, “Nothing.”
36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him
take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell
his garment and buy one. 37 For I say to you that this which is written must still be [n]accomplished in
Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me
have an end.”
38 So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”
And He said to them, “It is enough.”
Study note: The money bag, knapsack, and sword were minimum items one
would need to flee from one place to another. The sword would be for
protection from bandits. Christ their shepherd would be smitten and his
disciples scattered and flee (see also Matthew 26:31).
The Prayer in the Garden
39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed,
and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not
enter into temptation.”
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt
down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from
Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 [o]Then an
angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became
like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He
found them sleeping from sorrow. 46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you
enter into temptation.”
Question: How do you think prayer can help us to not enter into, or fail in
temptation?
What do you
see in the Lord’s prayer that would help you not enter into temptation
(see Matthew 6:9-15)?
Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane
47 And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who
was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to
kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man
with a kiss?”
49 When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to
Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off
his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his
ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and
the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with
swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize
Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly
54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the
high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and
sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire,
looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”
57 But he denied [p]Him,
saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of
them.”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed,
saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”
Immediately, while he was still speaking, [q]the rooster
crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster [r]crows,
you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
Jesus Mocked and Beaten
63 Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. 64 [s]And having
blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy!
Who is the one who struck You?” 65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin
66 As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests
and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.”
But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. 68 And if I [t]also ask you, you
will by no means answer [u]Me or
let Me go.69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of
God.”
70 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”
So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”
71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have
heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
Reading 3: Luke 23: 1-43
Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate
Luke 23
Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting [v]the nation,
and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
3 Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”
4 So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault
in this Man.”
5 But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the
people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”
Jesus Faces Herod
6 When Pilate heard [w]of Galilee,
he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he
sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had
desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things
about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered
him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused
Him. 11 Then Herod, with his [x]men of
war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous
robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for
previously they had been at enmity with each other.
Taking the Place of Barabbas
13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers,
and the people, 14 said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads
the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have
found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; 15 no, neither did Herod, for [y]I sent
you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by
Him. 16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” 17 (for[z] it was
necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).
18 And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and
release to us Barabbas”— 19 who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the
city, and for murder.
20 Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to
them. 21 But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
22 Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I
have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”
23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be
crucified. And the voices of these men [aa]and of
the chief priests prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. 25 And he released [ab]to
them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into
prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
King Jesus on the Cross
26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon
a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the
cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who
also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not
weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the
barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to
the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in
the dry?”
32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to
death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on
the left. 34 [ac]Then Jesus
said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them
sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ,
the chosen of God.”
36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38 And an inscription also was [ad]written over
Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:
THIS IS
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, [ae]“If
You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even
fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds;
but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said [af]to
Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be
with Me in Paradise.”
Reading 4: Luke 23:44- 24:27
Jesus Dies on the Cross
44 Now it [ag]was about
the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was [ah]darkened,
and the veil of the temple was torn in [ai]two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He
said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ”Having said this, He
breathed His last.
47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God,
saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”
48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what
had been done, beat their breasts and returned. 49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from
Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Question: What does the veil of the temple being torn in two have to do
with what Jesus did for us on the Cross (see Hebrews 10:19-23)?
Question: Christians often talk about us having forgiveness because
Christ died for us. However, some will say that it does not matter what
we do, because we are forgiven. What do these two scriptures reveal about
the purpose of Christ’s suffering regarding forgiveness and living right before
God in 1 Peter 2:24-25 and 1 John 3:4-9?
Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb
50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member,
a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from
Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who[aj] himself
was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that
was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.
55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after,
and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they
rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
He Is Risen
Luke 24
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
they, [ak]and
certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices
which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were [al]greatly perplexed
about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the
earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He
was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the
eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and
the other women with them, who told these things to the
apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like [am]idle tales,
and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the
linen cloths [an]lying by
themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
The Road to Emmaus
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was [ao]seven miles
from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself
drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that
you have with one another as you [ap]walk and
are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are
You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which
happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be
condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.
Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb
early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had
also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and
found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe
in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter
into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He [aq]expounded to
them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Reading 5: Luke 24:28-53
The Disciples’ Eyes Opened
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He [ar]indicated that
He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward
evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took
bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from
their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us
while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to
us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found
the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the
road, and how He was [as]known to
them in the breaking of bread.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of
them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had
seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise
in your hearts?39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and
see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
40 [at]When He
had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said
to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish [au]and
some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
The Scriptures Opened
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were
written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms
concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the
Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, [av]and thus it
was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the
city [aw]of Jerusalem
until you are endued with power from on high.”
Question: What was the message
Jesus said should be preached in His name to all nations?
What do we need to do the
works of Jesus and carry His message wherever we go?
How can we grow in being an
instrument for the Holy Spirit to use to do the works of the Father and tell
the good news?
The Ascension
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands
and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from
them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple [ax]praising and
blessing God. [ay]Amen.