Luk 22:1 | KingComments | STEP | It has now become Thursday of the last week of the Lord’s life on earth before His death. The events of the previous chapter took place on Tuesday. Of Wednesday we hear nothing. Thursday is the eve of the Passover that will take place the next day, Friday. According to the Jewish calendar, Friday starts on Thursday evening at six o’clock. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is here identified with the Passover, although it follows the Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts seven days, is a picture of the whole life of the believer. Leaven is a picture of sin, which may no longer have a place in the life of the believer. It may be rightly called a ‘feast’ to be allowed to live like this. The foundation is the Passover, the sacrifice on the basis of which the people were delivered from Egypt. However, the Passover was not only a testimony to the deliverance from Egypt, but also an example of the great sacrifice that was yet to come. It points ahead to it. This sacrifice will soon be brought in the Person of the Lamb of God, for the Passover “was approaching”. During the Passover there may not be any leaven in the houses ( ). The Passover is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan ( ). The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins a day later. Because leaven is already not allowed to be present during the Passover, the two feasts are very much interwoven by the Jews. While the people are preparing for the feast, the religious leaders are making plans to kill Christ. Here we see how the wickedness of man and the counsel of God coincide. God uses man’s wickedness to fulfill His plans without taking anything away from man’s responsibility. Satan sees his chance and takes possession of Judas, of whom it is mentioned that he is also called “Iscariot”. This is to avoid confusion with the other Judas. The most tragic mention is that he “belonged to the number of the twelve”. He accompanied the Lord Jesus for three years and now makes himself available as an instrument of satan to commit the greatest crime ever. The contrast is incomprehensible. Judas is the proof that someone can be in the closest relationship to Christ and yet reveal himself as His adversary because he has no new life. He goes away to offer himself to the leaders and to discuss with them how he might betray Him to them. Judas, who has seen so many acts of the Lord’s grace, has himself remained cold to it. Deliberately he wants to hand over the greatest Benefit ever given to people into the hands of murderers to earn some money. When he comes to the leaders and offers himself, they are filled with devilish joy. They all agree that they like to use the services of Judas and they want to pay him for that. Here, two parties find each other, each acting out of their own interest. Judas knows their murderousness and they know his greed. The Christ of God is the stake. He brings out the worst in every person who does not surrender to Him in His light. Judas agrees with the amount they offer him. With the money in his pocket ( ) he begins a search for an opportunity to hand over the Lord to them. This must be done without causing much of a stir, because care must be taken to ensure that there is no popular uprising. After all, the people are still very much on this Benefactor’s side.

‏ Luke 22:1

The Plan to Kill the Lord Jesus

It has now become Thursday of the last week of the Lord’s life on earth before His death. The events of the previous chapter took place on Tuesday. Of Wednesday we hear nothing. Thursday is the eve of the Passover that will take place the next day, Friday. According to the Jewish calendar, Friday starts on Thursday evening at six o’clock.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is here identified with the Passover, although it follows the Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts seven days, is a picture of the whole life of the believer. Leaven is a picture of sin, which may no longer have a place in the life of the believer. It may be rightly called a ‘feast’ to be allowed to live like this.

The foundation is the Passover, the sacrifice on the basis of which the people were delivered from Egypt. However, the Passover was not only a testimony to the deliverance from Egypt, but also an example of the great sacrifice that was yet to come. It points ahead to it. This sacrifice will soon be brought in the Person of the Lamb of God, for the Passover “was approaching”.

During the Passover there may not be any leaven in the houses (Exo 12:8 ; 15). The Passover is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (Lev 23:5). The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins a day later. Because leaven is already not allowed to be present during the Passover, the two feasts are very much interwoven by the Jews.

While the people are preparing for the feast, the religious leaders are making plans to kill Christ. Here we see how the wickedness of man and the counsel of God coincide. God uses man’s wickedness to fulfill His plans without taking anything away from man’s responsibility. Satan sees his chance and takes possession of Judas, of whom it is mentioned that he is also called “Iscariot”. This is to avoid confusion with the other Judas.

The most tragic mention is that he “belonged to the number of the twelve”. He accompanied the Lord Jesus for three years and now makes himself available as an instrument of satan to commit the greatest crime ever. The contrast is incomprehensible. Judas is the proof that someone can be in the closest relationship to Christ and yet reveal himself as His adversary because he has no new life.

He goes away to offer himself to the leaders and to discuss with them how he might betray Him to them. Judas, who has seen so many acts of the Lord’s grace, has himself remained cold to it. Deliberately he wants to hand over the greatest Benefit ever given to people into the hands of murderers to earn some money.

When he comes to the leaders and offers himself, they are filled with devilish joy. They all agree that they like to use the services of Judas and they want to pay him for that. Here, two parties find each other, each acting out of their own interest. Judas knows their murderousness and they know his greed. The Christ of God is the stake. He brings out the worst in every person who does not surrender to Him in His light.

Judas agrees with the amount they offer him. With the money in his pocket (Mt 26:15) he begins a search for an opportunity to hand over the Lord to them. This must be done without causing much of a stir, because care must be taken to ensure that there is no popular uprising. After all, the people are still very much on this Benefactor’s side.