Lots of questions:
1. how did Luke know that an angel came and comforted Jesus? How did he know that Jesus was sweating profusely in prayer? The disciples were sleeping when this happened.
2. Judas betrayed Jesus because satan entered into him. He was a disciple who became an enemy. I suppose the same is true today. Are there people locally who once believed and are now methodically and intentionally trying to destroy the ministry?
3. When Jesus told the disciples to follow the man carrying a jug of water, how did he know that? How did he know a Passover table was set up? This sounds incredible, and yet we never hear anything more about it. I think miracles were so common around Jesus that they almost became commonplace.
4. In vs. 16 Jesus says he won’t eat the Passover again until it’s meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom. Since he didn’t remain on earth until Passover the following year, that must mean we will celebrate something like Passover in heaven.
5. I’m certain that in the 40 days following his resurrection Jesus had wine, therefore the Kingdom of God has already come (begun). But as we know from the Passover comment there is more to be fulfilled later.
6. The cup of wine shared after the meal is the one that signified the New Covenant. I need to refresh my memory on what that cup stood for in the Passover celebration.
7. Vs 22: the disciples begin to discuss who would betray Jesus, but the conversation soon devolves into an argument about which of them is the greatest. If I were Jesus I think I would have been sick to my stomach, and wanted all of them to leave. Jesus however models unlimited patience with them, and uses the moment to teach them. The disciples at this point had much experience with Christ, but He clearly was not living inside them. I suspect that today we have the opposite situation…we have Christ living inside us, but we have a very limited experience with Him. Either way leads to a lack of power.
8. Praying through the night was meant to keep the disciples strong in the face of temptation, it was never going to change any of the events that were pre-planned. I think we often pray long or hard hoping to either avoid or change events. I’m sure that’s possible to do, since we have evidence of it in Scripture, but that isn’t always the reason for prayer.
9. Peter had to repent because he had “walked away” from Christ. And yet Jesus said his faith would not fail, and that he would be restored after he had repented. There is apparently a difference between sinning and losing your faith. It would appear Peter’s sin was intentional, but Jesus forgave him. Jesus would have forgven Judas, had he asked. Jesus always forgives. And, when we sin; whether it’s intentional or unintentional, it always diminishes our connection to Christ, and it always requires forgiveness.
10. vs 35: the lesson taught earlier was that “God supplies our needs”. I think Jesus is driving that point home, and telling them that the time has now come when they will be rejected. God will still supply their needs, but it won’t be like it was before. From now on, they will experience first hand the same hatred and resistance that was directed at Christ. Up until this point he was the object of derision, now it will be them. They needed to remember that God provides needs.
more later