Luke 22

How was the carnal mind shown to be enmity

against Grod in the rejection of Ohiist! Wickedness

was summed up and brought out in all — people, priests,

rulers. If a friend, he is a traitor; if disciples, they

either fled when danger approached or denied Him

when near. The religious chiefs who ought to have

owned the Messiah took Him to the infidel power of

the world. He who was in the place of judgment

washed his hands, owning His innocence, huf gives

Him up to man’s will and rage. Thus man’s evil was

brought into complete juxtaposition with that which

was perfect, and this in putting Him to death. It is

no use to look for good in man. Not that thre are

no amiable traits of nature, but God has no place at

all if man is put to the test Along with this is the

picture of the Lord’s perfect patience through it all.

Not man only, but Satan was there in temptation. It

was the power of darkness, as well as man’s hour.

And the Lord Jesus passes through this scene of men’s

wickedness and Satan’s power; His heart melted like

wax, but the effect always being the manifestation of

perfectness. An angel strengthens Him; for He

was really man, but perfect man, enduring all that

could try Him, and nothing brought out but perfect

grace and perfect obedience. Whenever there was

sorrow, His love surmounts the suffering to help and

comfort others,

Vers. 3 — 6. It is a solemn thought that the nearer to JesoSy if there is not spiiitaal life, the more a man resistB God, and the more sore and sad an instnunent of the enemy he becomes. If trath has been presented and not reoeiyed, no where has Satan so much power.* Coretonsness was the means used; but though they plotted to betray and crucify Him in a comer, this ceuld not be: they were obliged to accomplish it according to Cknl’s purposes. Then the light from, behind the scene (vers. 8 — 13) makes a passage. It is the Lord; and no matter what He suffers, or what is before Him, yet we find the divine knowledge and power. There is the chamber! What calm and peaceful dignity! It is no effort, nothing to display a character. All yields before the unwitnessed authority of this rejected Saviour — all but that to which it had been most manifested, the unrenewed heart of man. To the householder, unknown it seems to every eye but one, it was enough to hear, “The Master saith to thee.”

Ver. 14, &c. How blessed to see such perfect human affections combined with His divine knowledge of all things. ‘’With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer’ — like one leaving his family and first desiring a farewell meeting. When we see the divine glory in the person of Christy we find the human affections shining out. (Comp. Matt, xvii. 27). It is this which gives Him a power and charm which no object else has; so that God can

* This is a sample of Luke’s manner as to dates. The entrance of Satan into Judas was what was morally necessary to present here; not so the particulars. Strictly, he put it into Judas* heart then, and entered after the sop was received.

delight in man and man can delight in God. The Ixprd breaks every link with the old thing. (Ver. 16.) It is not setting up the kingdom here, but setting up man with God when the old connexion was impossible. He was taking a new place where flesh and blood could not enter. His death and resurrection introduce a new relation with God.

The Lord distinguishes here between the paschal lamb and the wine, and both from the institution of His Supper. He entered in the fullest way into all the feelings of Israel — the Israel of God, into the interests of the people as such, till His rejection put them on other ground, and divine favour passed into another scene by the resurrection, becoming Himself the Substitute, the true paschal Lamb. His disciples held the foremost rank as to this fellowship, as we have Hushai the king’s Mend. With them He desired the last testimony of parting and love. But while thus expressing His affection to them. He assumes manifestly (verse 18,) the Nazarite character, which was always His morally, but now externally and painfully: “I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of Gk)d coma” He postpones His joy with them as in the common enjoyment of the kingdom, till then.

Then (verses 19, 20,) He institutes the memorial of His better redemption, of His self-sacrificing dying love. If He separated Himself now to God in His joy, it was not want of love to His disciples, but its fullest display. It was to be done “in remembrance” of Him. We remember Him suffering, dead, absent; ire JcTuyu) Him as a present living Saviour. The new covenant is established in His blood. We cannot, in all the joy of fellowship with Christ above, forget what brought us into it. On one side, it is a body broken and blood shed; on the other, it is Himself and all the perfectness of love in djdng for us. We are united to Him as a risen Christ, but He calls us to remember Him as a dead Christ. The blessedness of this last is in the work He did alonej by virtue of which I am put in imion with Himself, alive again for evermore. As to man’s part in it, (vers. 21, 23,) it was treachery and wickedness.

The Lord then distinctly sets forth this calling to

walk in His own lowliness and not as the world.

Earthly grandeur was recognized among the Jews, but

now it was sitenced, like all their system, as the

rudiments of the world. All other greatness, though

under the form of being benefactors, was worldly.

He was one that served. The grace of His heart sets

them right without a reproach. He lets them know

that whatever high place they soughb, He took a low

one. He might have said, lothiug wiil break down

this horrid selfishness; yet says He, “Ye are they

which have continued with me in my temptations.”

And He is the same now. What we should seek is to

have as much of the burden of the Church as we can.

Suffering thus with Him, His heart goes on with us.

Ver. 31. Peter was bold enough in the flesh to enter temptation. But it is impossible for man to stand where it is a question of good and evil. He is a sinner and cannot go through that trial. If God judges, flesh comes to nothing. There is the weakness of human nature, but, besides, Satan’s title and power over man, who had brought out his own condition in Qod’a presence, and come under death as the judgment of Grod. I WAj haye learnt in grace that the flesh is thus profitless, but it must be learnt by intercourse with the enemy, if not with God. For Simon, the Lord prayed that his faith should not faU: all his self-oonfldenoe must perish. Nor did he distrust Christ like Judas, who had no faith. What enabled him afterwards to strengthen his brethren? He discovered that there was utter badness in himself when he meant best, and that there is perfect grace in Christ even when he did worst.

Vers. 35 — 38 show an entire change of circumstances. Previously He had protected them and supplied all, as Messiah disposing of everything here. That was now gone, since the Righteous One was being more and more rejected. He had come, able to destroy Satan’s -power, but it was the Lord, and man would not have Him: that is the condition the world is in. He must be reckoned among the transgressors. What link could there be between God and man? Humanity is a condemned thing, because it refused Christ. You may find a scrupulous conscience as to putting the money in the treasury, but no conscience in betraying and crucifying Him. But it is in a rejected, dead Christ that faith delights. The Christ that man scorns, it requires faith and grace to own. But the disciples still rested on man’s strength, not on Messiah crucified in weakness, and said “Here are two swords.” The

Lord in saying “It is enough,” alludes to their words, and implies that they did not enter into E[is mind. He did not want to say more.

Yerses 39 — 46. There are siftings needed to exercise US and to judge flesh. Christ, of course, did not need this, but dealt with all in communion with His Father. To Him it was a path of obedience, a blessed opportunity of doing (rod’s wiQ: to Peter, it was Satan’s power. Christ did not speak of the wickedness of the priests, the wiQ of the people, or the injustice of Pilate, but of the cup His Father gave Him. There was positive intercourse with Crod about the trial, before the time came. And so it must ever be. It is late to put the armour on when we ought to be in the battle. A man living with God, when he gets into trial, goes through it, in his measure, as Christ did. He stands in the evil day, because he has been with God when there was no evil day. On the cross it was not a question of corn/m/wnion; in the garden Christ is in communion with the Father, as to Satan’s power, which was about to fall on Him, He felt all, but succumbed under nothing. Thus, instead of entering into temptation. He was in the highest exercise of spirituality, accomplishing the will of God in the most difficult circumstances, and the most perfect submission where it cost everything. Our Father never can lead us into sin, but He may into temptation, ie., into the place of sifting, where the flesh is exposed, when this is needftd, because hardness, or levity, or inattention to His patient warnings, has ‘n. It is the last, and often necessary, means of self-knowledge and disciplina Though it is great grace that He should take such pains, yet seeing our weakness, and the terribleness of the conflict with the enemy, it well becomes us to pray that we may not be cast into the furnace. In such times a bad conscience drives to despair. The flesh, in its undisceming carelessness, meets the trial in uncertainty, or carnal opposition, and falls. If, on the other hand, trial comes, we learn our position before God — watching, prayer, entreaty, spreading all before Him in child-like confidence, but submissive desire that His will be done.

The Lord was thoroughly mem in this, for an angel appears and ministers, strengthening Him: for the conflict of His soul was great; but it urged Him, in the realization of the trial, to pray more earnestly. The effect of this is to see more clearly the power of evil and the sorrow; and that so as to act on the very body. He was in agony Himself, but always says “Father.” He is, and speaks, in His relationship as Son: not yet the victim before God, but the sufferer in spirit, feeling all the depths of the waters He is passing through, but crying out of them to His Father. Satan tried to stop Christ with the difficulty, when he could not beguile Him with the pleasure. But He went through all with His Father. At the cross was another thing — the power of God against sin.

Verses 47 — 53. It is blessed to see these two things brought together — patience with men, and yet power to stop every thing. Having been in an agony with God, He is calm before man. When the servant’s ear was cut off, He puts forth His hand to heaL What a picture of man, what a picture of God, if we look here at Christ!

Verses 54 — ^62. When we tremble before men, it is when we have not been with God. Peter breaks down, proving the deceitfulness of the flesh. In Jesus, suffering as He was, there was nought to disable the perfect and simple action of grace at each moment required. When the cock crew. He turned and locked on Peter, who remembered His word, went out, and wept bitterly.

Verses 63 — 71. The Lord spent the nighty not before His judges, who took their ease till morning, before they judged the Lord of glory, but with the men whom they employed, the object of all injury and insult. Then, when it suited the convenience of the Jewish rulers, they brought Him to theiu council; but the Lord knew it was not Ihe time of testimony, and left them to their weakness. The presenting of Messiah to the Jews was flnished: from this the Son of Man was to be seated at the right hand of God, All was settled with God — they could go on. They /Iraw the right conclusion and He conceals nothing. He was the Son of God. They must be guilty, not of mistake, but of condemning Him because He was the Son God and owned it.