| Luke 22 | |
|---|---|
 Luke 22:44-50 on fragments a and b (recto) of the codex 0171, written about AD 300. | |
| Book | Gospel of Luke |
| Category | Gospel |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 3 |
Luke 22 is the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It commences in the days just before the Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread, and records the plot to kill Jesus Christ; the institution of the Lord's Supper; and the Arrest of Jesus and his trial before the Sanhedrin.[1]
The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition generally considers that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles.[2] This chapter initiates this gospel's passion narrative, which continues into chapter 23:[3] if the apocalyptic discourse in Luke 21 "bases all its thought upon the reality of the Kingdom", it also "leads directly into the passion narrative [which] shows how it was established".[4]
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 71 verses. It is the second longest chapter in the gospel in terms of number of verses.[5]
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
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Main article: Bargain of Judas |
Luke 22:1–6 describes the chief priests and scribes' plot to kill Jesus in collaboration with Judas Iscariot. This scene is also depicted in Mark 14:1–2, 10–11 and Matthew 26:1-5, 14–16. Henry Alford notes that Matthew's account is the more complete and refers to Luke's account as "a mere compendium of what took place".[6] Luke's wording emphasises that Judas sought to betray Jesus "when no crowd was present",[7] reflecting the chief priests' and scribes' fear that they could not openly arrest Jesus because of his popular support.[8] John 11:45-57 also records the plot to kill Jesus.
This little explanation, "called the Passover", "shows most clearly that St Luke is writing mainly for Gentiles".[10]
Scottish Free Church minister William Robertson Nicoll calls Jesus' popularity among the people to be "very embarrassing",[12] while the writer Frederic Farrar considers it "humiliating" for them.[10]
Luke alone of the synoptic writers sets the earthly events of the passion in the context of an eschatological battle with Satan.[4]
Luke 22:7–13 describes how Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare "a furnished upper room" (verse 12) for their taking of a Passover meal (which would be the Last Supper). This preparation is also depicted in Mark 14:12–16 and Matthew 26:17-25. Luke's is the only account which names the apostles (verse 8) and the only narrative in which Jesus takes the initiative in arranging the meal: in Matthew and Mark, the disciples raise the subject.[12]
Luke 22:14–38 has been described as "Jesus' farewell address", modeled after other farewell addresses in the Greco-Roman and biblical traditions.[14]
The word δώδεκα (dōdeka, meaning "twelve") does not appear in some ancient manuscripts, and some critical editors omit it. Protestant divine Heinrich Meyer suggests "it was written in the margin in agreement with the parallels", before being adopted into some texts.[16] Conversely in Luke 9:1 the word δώδεκα consistently appears, but some manuscripts also add μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ (mathētas autou, "his disciples").[17]
Jesus declares to his apostles that "with fervent desire" (Greek: επιθυμια επεθυμησα, epithumia epithumesa) he has longed to celebrate this Passover with them. Pope Gregory X used these words (Latin: Desiderio desideravi) as his text at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, in his sermon on the unity of the churches.[19] These words would have been spoken in Aramaic. The construction reflects the Hebrew infinitive absolute which intensifies a verb.[citation needed] Why Jesus had such an earnest desire for this particular Passover is an open question: for Meyer, the expression suggests that his earnest wish was that "His passion should not begin before the Passover".[16]
The word "again" is not in the Greek, but implied, and similarly in verse 18:
David Robert Palmer suggests that "some copyists apparently felt obliged to add the Greek word οὐκέτι, (ouketi) to both clarify the meaning, and also to harmonize Luke with Mark 14:25, and perhaps also with Matthew 26:29, which says, 'from now on'."[22] The Textus Receptus includes the word οὐκέτι in verse 16 but not verse 18.[23]
The words reflect Jesus' previous instructions to his disciples on how to pray (the Lord's Prayer, Luke 11:2–4), although the words "thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" do not appear in the earliest-known versions of Luke's Lord's Prayer.[24] The Pulpit Commentary suggests that "the temptation in question was the grave sin of moral cowardice into which so soon the disciples fell".[25]
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Main article: Luke 22:43–44 |
The authenticity of Luke 22:43-44 has been disputed by scholars since the second half of the 19th century. The verses are placed in double brackets in modern editions of the Greek text, and listed in a footnote in the Revised Standard Version.
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Luke adds "from sorrow", words which do not appear in the accounts of Matthew or Mark.
Luke, like John, specifically notes that it was the servant's right ear which was removed.[12] The exact meaning of Jesus' words, Suffer ye thus far, or No more of this! in the New International Version, "has been much debated".[25] Alford treats them as directed to the multitude or specifically to Jesus' captors, meaning "allow me to touch the ear of the wounded person";[6] Nicoll suggests alternatively that they could have been directed to the disciples: "let them apprehend me", or "no more use of weapons".[12]
The New King James Version adds "rightly":
Similarly, J. B. Phillips translates as:
The Pulpit Commentary describes the style here as rabbinic: "by such an answer, the one interrogated accepts as his own affirmation the question put to him in its entirety."[25]
We have heard it ourselves that he "gives Himself out to be the Messiah".[16] The chapter ends with the anticipated rejection[32] of Jesus' self-witness and his resulting condemnation.[33]
