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- Luke Chapter 22
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
Read Chapter 22 before reading my notes. They’ll make more sense.
Access previous notes on Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
Three more chapters of Luke!
On Saturday, I’ll be flying to Cuba for nine days on an investigative trip to see how the Lord will use us when we move there in November.
I’m going to do my best to get through Luke Chapter 22 before then. It’s the 2nd longest chapter and contains 71 verses, so that might be ambitious.
Here’s the deal. When I started sharing my notes, I promised myself I wouldn’t rush. If I didn’t understand something, I wouldn’t move on until I did. I stick with that promise.
The plan is to take a short break after Luke before I dive into the Book of Acts. Once I start the Book of Acts, I’ll archive Luke and send it to a publisher. It will eventually be available on Kindle and in print.
Also, a few people have asked how I do my research. I was thinking about doing a Zoom meeting so I can share my process and answer any questions about overseas missions. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in and if you want an invite.
Lastly, this is a quick list of everyone who checked in. If you don’t see your state or country, let me know where you are in the world!
The United States:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Illinois
Kansas
Missouri
Montana
New York
The Countries of:
Costa Rica
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa
England, United Kingdom
Guatemala
Netherlands, Holland
Nigeria
Ontario Canada
Perth Australia
Zimbabwe
We have a lot to cover, let’s go!
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are related but separate events. Passover celebrates the Israelites' freedom from slavery in Egypt. The Feast of Unleavened Bread starts right after Passover and lasts for seven days.
During this time, Jews don’t eat leavened bread to remember how quickly the Israelites had to leave Egypt; there was no time to wait for the bread to rise.
You can read an extended introductory study of the Passover that I wrote here:
Jesus’ death is just a few hours away.
The Passover and the Feast were approaching fast. This is the most significant time of the year for Jews, and instead of focusing on remembering God's grace and freedom from slavery, the chief priests and scribes were plotting a murder.
I don’t know why I never noticed verse 3 before, or maybe I did and just ignored it.
Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.
Satan
Entered
Judas
How does that happen? Where was God?
Judas wasn’t innocent when Satan entered him.
In the Gospel of John Chapter 12, Judas criticizes Mary for emptying her jar of oil to anoint Jesus’ feet.
“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Judas walked with Jesus for three years.
He watched Him perform miracles.
He listened to His teaching at the temple.
But Judas didn't love Jesus. He loved money.
We can surround ourselves with the best Christians, we can have multiple versions of the Bible, we can sit in the front row, but if we don’t love Jesus, we are dead.
Judas was surrounded by true believers who had given their lives for the Lord; He was in the presence of God Himself, and yet...
As Christians, we are still susceptible to temptation, but Satan cannot enter our being.
In the Garden of Eden, Satan planted an idea in the mind of Eve, he tempted her, and then she had a choice.
It was the same with Judas. Satan knew the power of money and its temptation, so he used it—and he still does today.
"Money isn't evil... it's the loooooooove of money that's evil..."
That's true. But we have to be careful not to use that saying or that scripture to let our desires run wild.
Satan didn't enter Judas and make him betray Jesus. Like Eve, Satan planted an idea.
This is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible, and I reference it often.
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
And when we're filled with the Holy Spirit of God, Satan cannot enter.
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
When I read that Satan entered Judas, I wondered...
Where
Was
God?
This is what I found:
It was fixed.
It was prophesied.
God saw and did not prevent it.
He knew it would happen.
"Let not those rejoice over me
who are wrongfully my foes,
and let not those wink the eye
who hate me without cause."
"More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?"
"The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Jesus foretold His Apostles,
"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise."
He knew He would be betrayed.
He knew He would be mocked.
He knew He would be spit on.
He knew He would be flogged.
And He knew He would die.
Hearing is not enough.
Studying is not enough.
It must change us from the inside out.
The love and compassion coming directly from the heart and lips of Jesus couldn't penetrate Judas' heart.
As humans, born as sinners, it's hard to follow Jesus.
For
All
of
Us
Jesus made it clear.
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Love God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
That's it.
And we fail at it… all... day... long.
What can we do?
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
I'm telling you, the only way is… to BELIEVE.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
You can fake it the entire way… until you die.
So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
It’s Passover and Jerusalem is packed!
Roman leaders, including Herod, were there to keep the peace. The Jewish religious leaders, whose power was granted by the Romans, didn't want to create any disturbances, which is why they chose to deal with Jesus, “in the absence of a crowd.”
From the start, Passover symbolized something bigger. Just as the blood on the doorposts saved the Israelites, Jesus's blood saves us from sin and death. During this Passover meal, Jesus would reveal what the ancient memorial foreshadowed: that He's the sacrificial lamb, offering His blood for everyone's salvation.
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
I read many commentaries,
I watched multiple sermons,
But I couldn’t find a consensus on what Jesus meant.
This is what I believe.
As He shares that last Passover meal, it is signifying that His earthly ministry is done. That it has been fulfilled. Completed.
He’s telling His disciples that He will not eat it (again) until it (the Passover) is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.
The Passover is not complete.
To understand this, we need to go back to the original Passover, specifically the preparations for Passover just before they escaped Egyptian slavery.
“Your lamb shall be without blemish,”
"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it."
"The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt."
When Jesus died on the cross and His blood was shed, preparations for the final Passover began.
When we come to faith,
when we believe that Jesus was the Lamb without blemish,
when we believe that He is the Son of God,
when we believe that He is God,
Christ’s blood covers us.
When judgment day comes, and it will, we will be passed over and have eternal life.
Blood was spilled, but it needs to be spread across hearts, and it will only be complete when the Kingdom comes.
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
The Old Covenant was established between God and the people of Israel through Moses. It included the Ten Commandments and instructions on worship, sacrifices, and how to act. The Old Covenant focused on following rules and sacrificing animals for the forgiveness of sins.
The New Covenant was established through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Covenant is for anyone who looks to Jesus, takes His blood, puts it over the doorposts of their life, and says,
He is my hope.
I don’t have hope in power,
I don't have hope in money,
I don't have hope in worldly acclaim,
I don’t have hope in my retirement account,
I don't have hope in human approval,
I don’t have hope in this world.
Jesus is my hope.
Anyone who says that and believes it shall be passed over on judgment day.
He didn’t just die on the cross for our sins. His blood is what we use to cover the doorframes of everyone we meet.
I want to encourage you to read John’s narrative of the Last Supper in chapters 13-16 for a more detailed description. I don’t want to go as far as begging but I can’t think of a word just short of that. It’s so good!
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros serves as a full-time missionary in Guatemala. He is the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 25 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family will be expanding to Cuba in 2024.