Luke 22

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was getting close.

1Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

NotePassover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two observances run together. Passover was a single day, with the lamb killed in the afternoon and eaten that night; the seven days of Unleavened Bread followed, during which no yeast was used or even kept in the house. By this period people commonly used either name for the whole stretch, which is why Luke can say the one "is called" the other.

2The chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for a way to kill Jesus, because they were afraid of the people.

2And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.

NoteThe "chief priests" were the senior priestly families who controlled the temple and its revenues, headed by the high priest. The "scribes" were the trained experts in the Law of Moses, men who copied, interpreted and taught it. Their fear of the people had a practical cause: at Passover the city filled with pilgrims, and a crowd that size could turn into a riot.

3Then Satan entered Judas, who was called Iscariot. He was one of the twelve apostles.

3Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

NoteThe meaning of "Iscariot" is uncertain. It is usually taken as "man of Kerioth," a town in southern Judea, which would make Judas the only one of the twelve who was not a Galilean. Others connect it to an Aramaic word for a hired dagger man, or to a word meaning one who hands another over.

4Judas went and talked with the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard about how he could hand Jesus over to them.

4And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.

NoteKJV "captains" refers to the officers of the temple's own police force, made up of Levites. They kept order in the temple courts and had authority to make arrests. They were not Roman soldiers.

5They were glad, and they agreed to give him money.

5And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.

NoteLuke records no sum. The thirty pieces of silver come from Matthew's account; Luke says only that money was agreed.

6Judas said yes, and he began looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was around.

6And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

7Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover lamb had to be killed.

7Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.

NotePassover lambs were killed in the temple courts on the afternoon before the meal, and each household or group then roasted and ate the animal after sunset. So "the day when the passover must be killed" names one specific afternoon on the calendar.

8Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and get the Passover meal ready for us to eat."

8And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.

9They asked him, "Where do you want us to get it ready?"

9And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?

10He said to them, "Listen. When you go into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.

10And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.

NoteA man carrying a water jar was a conspicuous sight, because fetching water was ordinarily the work of women. The instruction works as a recognition signal precisely because such a figure would be easy to pick out in a crowded city.

11Then say to the owner of that house, 'The Teacher asks you: Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'

11And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

NoteKJV "goodman of the house" is old English for the master or owner of the house. "The Master" in the message is a different word entirely: it translates the ordinary term for a teacher, the word a pupil used of his rabbi, and says nothing about ownership.

12He will show you a large upstairs room, already set up. Get the meal ready there."

12And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

NoteHouses of any size had a room on the upper floor or flat roof, reached by an outside stair, which was the usual place to host guests. "Furnished" means already fitted out with the low couches and rugs a formal meal required.

13They went and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they got the Passover meal ready.

13And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

14When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the twelve apostles sat with him.

14And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

NoteKJV "he sat down" softens the picture. At a formal meal diners lay on their left side on low couches arranged around a table, propped on one elbow, eating with the right hand. Reclining at Passover was itself significant, since lying down to eat was the posture of free men rather than slaves.

15He said to them, "I have wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer.

15And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Note"With desire I have desired" reproduces a Hebrew way of intensifying a verb by doubling it. It means something like "I have longed with all my heart."

16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

17He took a cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and share it among yourselves.

17And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

NoteThe Passover meal was structured around several cups of wine, each with a set blessing spoken over it. Luke mentions a cup here, before the bread, and another after the food in verse 20.

18For I tell you, from now on I will not drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

Note"The fruit of the vine" is the fixed wording of the Jewish blessing said over wine, and simply means wine.

19Then he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."

19And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

NotePassover bread was unleavened: flat, hard and brittle. Breaking it rather than cutting it was the ordinary way to divide it, and the breaking was part of the household ritual, done with a blessing.

20In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

NoteIn 1611 English, "testament" and "covenant" were both used for the same underlying word. A covenant was a formal, binding agreement that set the terms of a relationship between two parties, often sealed with a sacrifice. Calling it "new" takes up the language of Jeremiah 31, which promised a new covenant to replace the one made at Sinai.

21But look, the hand of the man who is betraying me is here on the table with mine.

21But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

NoteSharing a table in this culture created an obligation of loyalty between the people eating. That is what makes the image pointed: the betrayer's hand is on the same table as his host's.

22The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been decided. But how terrible it will be for the man who hands him over."

22And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

Note"Son of man" is the expression Jesus regularly uses of himself in the Gospels. In everyday Aramaic it could mean simply "a human being," or serve as a modest way of saying "I," and it also recalls the figure in Daniel 7 who comes on the clouds and is given lasting authority. The phrase carries both possibilities at once, and translators leave it standing rather than choosing. "Woe unto that man" is not a curse pronounced on him but an exclamation of grief and warning: how terrible for him.

23They began asking each other which one of them was going to do this.

23And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.

24They also argued among themselves about which of them should be counted the greatest.

24And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

25Jesus said to them, "The kings of the other nations rule over their people, and the men who hold power over them are called 'benefactors,' meaning people who do good.

25And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

Note"Gentiles" means the nations other than Israel. "Benefactors" translates a real honorary title, Euergetes in Greek, which several Hellenistic kings attached to their names and which grateful cities voted to rulers and wealthy patrons. The KJV wording "are called benefactors" can mean either that others call them this or that they take the title for themselves.

26But you must not be like that. The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads should be like the one who serves.

26But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

NoteIn a household the youngest member had the least standing and did the fetching and carrying, so "the younger" is shorthand for the person at the bottom of the order rather than a comment about age.

27Who is greater: the one sitting at the table, or the one serving the food? Isn't it the one sitting at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

27For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

NoteKJV "sitteth at meat" means reclining at the table as a guest at dinner. The contrast is between the person being waited on and the person carrying the dishes, a division of rank that in most households was the line between free and enslaved.

28You are the ones who have stayed with me through my trials.

28Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.

NoteKJV "temptations" here means trials or testings: hard pressure of any kind, not enticement to do wrong. The related word in verses 40 and 46 leans toward a test one might fail, which is why the rendering uses "temptation" there and "trials" here.

29And I give you a kingdom, just as my Father has given one to me,

29And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

NoteThe verb behind "appoint" is the one used for drawing up a will or making a covenant. It carries the sense of formally assigning something to someone, not merely nominating them.

30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

30That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

NoteThe twelve tribes were the traditional divisions of Israel, descended from Jacob's twelve sons. "Judging" in Israelite usage meant governing and putting things right, the work of the leaders in the book of Judges, rather than only hearing court cases.

31The Lord said, "Simon, Simon, listen. Satan has asked to have all of you, so he can sift you like wheat.

31And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

NoteSifting is a violent image, not a delicate one. Threshed grain was shaken hard in a sieve or tossed into the wind so the chaff and dirt were driven off. The "you" in "Satan hath desired to have you" is plural in Greek: the request covers all the disciples, though what follows in verse 32 is addressed to Simon alone.

32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, make your brothers strong."

32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

NoteKJV "when thou art converted" uses "converted" in its plain older sense of turning back or turning around. It is not a technical term for a religious experience. Note also the shift in pronouns: verse 31 is plural, verse 32 is singular, spoken to Simon by himself.

33Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and even to death."

33And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

34Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today before you have said three times that you do not know me."

34And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

NoteA rooster crowing was a standard way of marking the hours just before dawn, roughly the last night watch. "Thrice" means three times.

35Then he said to them, "When I sent you out with no money bag, no travel bag, and no sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing."

35And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

Note"Scrip" is an old English word for a traveler's bag, carried over the shoulder for food and belongings. Jesus is recalling the instructions he gave when he sent the disciples out earlier (Luke 9 and 10) with no supplies, on the assumption that people would take them in.

36He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money bag should take it, and a travel bag too. And whoever has no sword should sell his coat and buy one.

36Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

NoteThe outer garment was also a man's blanket at night, so basic that the Law forbade holding one overnight as security for a loan. Telling a man to sell it to buy a sword measures how completely the situation has changed since the earlier missions.

37For I tell you, what is written must still come true in me: 'He was counted among the lawbreakers.' Yes, what is written about me is reaching its end."

37For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.

NoteThe quoted line is from Isaiah 53:12. "Transgressors" means lawbreakers, and the word could be used of common criminals. "The things concerning me have an end" does not mean they are stopping; "end" here means completion or fulfillment, the point they were heading toward.

38They said, "Look, Lord, here are two swords." He said to them, "That is enough."

38And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Note"It is enough" is as abrupt in Greek as in English and has been read two ways: either two swords are sufficient, or the conversation has gone far enough and should stop. The wording does not settle it.

39Jesus went out and walked to the Mount of Olives, as he usually did, and his disciples followed him.

39And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

NoteThe Mount of Olives is the ridge immediately east of Jerusalem, separated from the temple by the Kidron valley and reached by a walk of about a mile. "As he was wont" means as he regularly did.

40When he reached the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not enter into temptation."

40And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41He moved away from them about as far as a person can throw a stone. There he knelt down and prayed,

41And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

NoteA stone's cast is a rough, everyday measure of distance, on the order of twenty to thirty yards: far enough for privacy, close enough to remain in sight.

42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Still, do not do what I want. Do what you want."

42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

NoteIn the Hebrew scriptures a "cup" is a common image for the portion handed to a person by God, most often a cup of suffering or of judgment that one is given to drink. Asking for the cup to be removed draws on that usage rather than referring to a cup on the table.

43An angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.

43And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

NoteVerses 43 and 44 are absent from several of the oldest surviving Greek manuscripts of Luke and present in many others, and some early copies mark them as doubtful. Most modern Bibles print them with a note about the uncertainty.

44He was in agony, and he prayed even harder. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.

44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

NoteThe KJV keeps a comparison: the sweat was "as it were" great drops of blood, that is, like them in how it fell. The text does not state that it was blood. The Greek word behind "agony" was used for the strain and dread of an athlete before a contest.

45When he got up from praying and came to his disciples, he found them asleep, worn out from sadness.

45And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

Note"Sleeping for sorrow" means their grief had exhausted them into sleep, a recognized physical effect of prolonged distress rather than mere carelessness.

46He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, so that you will not enter into temptation."

46And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

47While he was still speaking, a crowd came. The man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them, and he came close to Jesus to kiss him.

47And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.

NoteA kiss on the cheek or hand was the normal respectful greeting between a disciple and his teacher. That ordinariness is what makes it usable as a signal to an arresting party in the dark.

48But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you handing over the Son of Man with a kiss?"

48But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?

49The men around Jesus saw what was about to happen and said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?"

49When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?

50One of them struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.

50And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

Note"Servant" here translates the word for a slave. The high priest's household staff would have included many, and this one was evidently part of the group making the arrest.

51Jesus answered, "Stop! No more of this." Then he touched the man's ear and healed him.

51And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.

Note"Suffer ye thus far" uses "suffer" in its old sense of allow or permit. The Greek phrase is compressed and genuinely ambiguous: it can mean "let them go this far" (addressed to the disciples), "permit this much" (addressed to the arresting party), or simply "stop, no more of this."

52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a robber?

52Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?

Note"Staves" are wooden clubs or staffs. KJV "thief" translates a word meaning an armed robber or bandit, someone who operated with a gang on the roads, and in this period it was also applied to armed insurgents. The complaint is about being taken as a dangerous criminal rather than as a teacher.

53I was with you in the temple every day, and you never laid a hand on me. But this is your hour, when darkness has the power."

53When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Note"Your hour" means the short span in which they are permitted to act. "The power of darkness" uses "power" in the sense of authority or jurisdiction, the same word used for an official's right to act.

54Then they seized Jesus, led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. Peter followed a long way behind.

54Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.

NoteThe high priest presided over both the temple and the ruling council. His residence would have been a substantial house built around an open central court, which is where Peter ends up in the next verse.

55They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat down among them.

55And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

NoteKJV "hall" does not mean an indoor room. It is the open courtyard at the center of the house, with the living quarters opening onto it. Spring nights in Jerusalem are cold, which is why the household and guards built a fire in it.

56A servant girl saw him sitting in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him too."

56But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

NoteKJV "maid" means a servant girl, most likely a household slave. Her word carried little legal weight, which sharpens the picture of Peter denying the charge to someone with no power over him.

57But Peter said it was not true. "Woman, I do not know him," he said.

57And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You are one of them too." Peter said, "Man, I am not."

58And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

59About an hour later, another man said firmly, "It is true. This man was with him, because he is a Galilean too."

59And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

NoteGalileans were identifiable by their accent: northern pronunciation of Aramaic differed noticeably from the way it was spoken in Judea, and Judeans are known to have mocked it. The man is not guessing from Peter's appearance but from how he talks.

60Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Right then, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

60And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will say three times that you do not know me."

61And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

NoteBecause the rooms of such a house opened onto the central courtyard, someone being held or questioned inside could be within sight of the people at the fire.

62Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

62And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

63The men who were holding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.

63And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him.

64They covered his eyes, hit him in the face, and kept asking him, "Prophesy! Who hit you?"

64And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?

NoteBlindfolding the prisoner turned the beating into a guessing game: if he could name the man who hit him without seeing, that would prove the prophetic claim. "Prophesy" is used here in the sense of telling what one could not otherwise know.

65And they said many other insulting things against him.

65And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.

NoteKJV "blasphemously" is broader than modern usage. In older English, and in the Greek word behind it, the term covers abusive and slanderous speech against anyone, not only speech against God.

66As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law met together. They brought Jesus into their council and said,

66And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,

Note"Their council" is the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court in Jerusalem. It numbered around seventy members drawn from the chief priests, the elders (heads of the leading lay families), and the scribes, and met under the high priest's presidency.

67"Are you the Christ? Tell us." He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe me.

67Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:

Note"Christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew "Messiah," meaning "anointed one." It is a title rather than a name, and in this period it commonly referred to the king from David's line whom many expected God to raise up.

68And if I ask you a question, you will not answer me or let me go.

68And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.

69From now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God."

69Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

NoteThe right hand of a king was the place of highest honor and authority beside him. "The power of God" reflects a reverent Jewish habit of naming God indirectly, so "the Power" stands in for the divine name itself. The wording draws on Psalm 110:1 and the scene in Daniel 7:13.

70Then they all said, "So you are the Son of God?" He said to them, "You say that I am."

70Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.

Note"Ye say that I am" is as slanted in Greek as it sounds in English. It neither plainly claims the title nor denies it, and can be heard as "that is your way of putting it" or as an affirmative. The council in verse 71 takes it as agreement.

71They said, "Why do we need any more witnesses? We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth."

71And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.