Jesus Eats the Passover with His Disciples

7 And the day of the unleavened food came, in which it was behoving the passover to be sacrificed, 8 and he sent Peter and John, saying, 'Having gone on, prepare to us the passover, that we may eat;' 9 and they said to him, 'Where wilt thou that we might prepare?' 10 And he said to them, 'Lo, in your entering into the city, there shall meet you a man, bearing a pitcher of water, follow him to the house where he doth go in, 11 and ye shall say to the master of the house, The Teacher saith to thee, Where is the guest-chamber where the passover with my disciples I may eat? 12 and he shall show you a large upper room furnished, there make ready;' 13 and they, having gone away, found as he hath said to them, and they made ready the passover. 14 And when the hour come, he reclined (at meat), and the twelve apostles with him, 15 and he said unto them, 'With desire I did desire to eat this passover with you before my suffering, 16 for I say to you, that no more may I eat of it till it may be fulfilled in the reign of God.' 17 And having taken a cup, having given thanks, he said, 'Take this and divide to yourselves, 18 for I say to you that I may not drink of the produce of the vine till the reign of God may come.' 19 And having taken bread, having given thanks, he brake and gave to them, saying, 'This is my body, that for you is being given, this do ye—to remembrance of me.' 20 In like manner, also, the cup after the supping, saying, 'This cup 'is' the new covenant in my blood, that for you is being poured forth.

21 'But, lo, the hand of him delivering me up 'is' with me on the table, 22 and indeed the Son of Man doth go according to what hath been determined; but wo to that man through whom he is being delivered up.' 23 And they began to reason among themselves, who then of them it may be, who is about to do this thing.

The Dispute about Greatness

24 And there happened also a strife among them—who of them is accounted to be greater. 25 And he said to them, 'The kings of the nations do exercise lordship over them, and those exercising authority upon them are called benefactors; 26 but ye 'are' not so, but he who is greater among you—let him be as the younger; and he who is leading, as he who is ministering; 27 for who is greater? he who is reclining (at meat), or he who is ministering? is it not he who is reclining (at meat)? and I—I am in your midst as he who is ministering. 28 'And ye—ye are those who have remained with me in my temptations, 29 and I appoint to you, as my Father did appoint to me, a kingdom, 30 that ye may eat and may drink at my table, in my kingdom, and may sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'

Peter's Denial Foretold

31 And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, lo, the Adversary did ask you for himself to sift as the wheat, 32 and I besought for thee, that thy faith may not fail; and thou, when thou didst turn, strengthen thy brethren.' 33 And he said to him, 'Sir, with thee I am ready both to prison and to death to go;' 34 and he said, 'I say to thee, Peter, a cock shall not crow to-day, before thrice thou mayest disown knowing me.'

Purse, Scrip, and Sword

35 And he said to them, 'When I sent you without bag, and scrip, and sandals, did ye lack anything?' and they said, 'Nothing.' 36 Then said he to them, 'But, now, he who is having a bag, let him take 'it' up, and in like manner also a scrip; and he who is not having, let him sell his garment, and buy a sword, 37 for I say to you, that yet this that hath been written it behoveth to be fulfilled in me: And with lawless ones he was reckoned, for also the things concerning me have an end.' 38 And they said, 'Sir, lo, here 'are' two swords;' and he said to them, 'It is sufficient.'

Jesus Prays in the Garden

39 And having gone forth, he went on, according to custom, to the mount of the Olives, and his disciples also followed him,

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 22:7-39

Commentary on Luke 22:7-18

(Read Luke 22:7-18)

Christ kept the ordinances of the law, particularly that of the passover, to teach us to observe his gospel institutions, and most of all that of the Lord's supper. Those who go upon Christ's word, need not fear disappointment. According to the orders given them, the disciples got all ready for the passover. Jesus bids this passover welcome. He desired it, though he knew his sufferings would follow, because it was in order to his Father's glory and man's redemption. He takes his leave of all passovers, signifying thereby his doing away all the ordinances of the ceremonial law, of which the passover was one of the earliest and chief. That type was laid aside, because now in the kingdom of God the substance was come.

Commentary on Luke 22:19-20

(Read Luke 22:19-20)

The Lord's supper is a sign or memorial of Christ already come, who by dying delivered us; his death is in special manner set before us in that ordinance, by which we are reminded of it. The breaking of Christ's body as a sacrifice for us, is therein brought to our remembrance by the breaking of bread. Nothing can be more nourishing and satisfying to the soul, than the doctrine of Christ's making atonement for sin, and the assurance of an interest in that atonement. Therefore we do this in rememberance of what He did for us, when he died for us; and for a memorial of what we do, in joining ourselves to him in an everlasting covenant. The shedding of Christ's blood, by which the atonement was made, is represented by the wine in the cup.

Commentary on Luke 22:21-38

(Read Luke 22:21-38)

How unbecoming is the worldly ambition of being the greatest, to the character of a follower of Jesus, who took upon him the form of a servant, and humbled himself to the death of the cross! In the way to eternal happiness, we must expect to be assaulted and sifted by Satan. If he cannot destroy, he will try to disgrace or distress us. Nothing more certainly forebodes a fall, in a professed follower of Christ, than self-confidence, with disregard to warnings, and contempt of danger. Unless we watch and pray always, we may be drawn in the course of the day into those sins which we were in the morning most resolved against. If believers were left to themselves, they would fall; but they are kept by the power of God, and the prayer of Christ. Our Lord gave notice of a very great change of circumstances now approaching. The disciples must not expect that their friends would be kind to them as they had been. Therefore, he that has a purse, let him take it, for he may need it. They must now expect that their enemies would be more fierce than they had been, and they would need weapons. At the time the apostles understood Christ to mean real weapons, but he spake only of the weapons of the spiritual warfare. The sword of the Spirit is the sword with which the disciples of Christ must furnish themselves.

Commentary on Luke 22:39-46

(Read Luke 22:39-46)

Every description which the evangelists give of the state of mind in which our Lord entered upon this conflict, proves the tremendous nature of the assault, and the perfect foreknowledge of its terrors possessed by the meek and lowly Jesus. Here are three things not in the other evangelists. 1. When Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. It was a part of his humiliation that he was thus strengthened by a ministering spirit. 2. Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony. 3. In this agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down. This showed the travail of his soul. We should pray also to be enabled to resist unto the shedding of our blood, striving against sin, if ever called to it. When next you dwell in imagination upon the delights of some favourite sin, think of its effects as you behold them here! See its fearful effects in the garden of Gethsemane, and desire, by the help of God, deeply to hate and to forsake that enemy, to ransom sinners from whom the Redeemer prayed, agonized, and bled.