Luke 22:24-46

22:24-30 | Just hours before Jesus’ arrest, the disciples started arguing about who among them was the greatest. He patiently reminded His men (not for the first time) that He had called them to serve, not to establish a pecking order (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:13-14; Phil. 2:7).

22:31-32 | Luke alone describes this exchange between Peter and Jesus. The Lord references the disciple’s old name, Simon, to indicate that he would soon fall back to his old ways.

22:31 | Jesus knew that Satan would test the disciples, but Christ told Peter that He had prayed specifically for him. Even today this pattern holds true; Jesus prays for His people (Rom. 8:26).

22:33-34 | Instead of heeding Jesus’ warning about the coming temptations, Peter boasted (Matt. 26:33-35). Because he was overconfident, he failed to pray, even though Jesus asked him to three times. Believers should heed Peter’s mistakes here.

22:35-38 | Conditions had changed radically since the Lord instructed His disciples not to take anything with them (9:3). Now Jesus wanted His men to be prepared for His absence. In their coming ministry, they would need all the things He listed, including swords (a common precaution against robbers planning to attack travelers).

22:39-42 | God does not ask for absolute perfection from His people, only a desire and determination to do His will.

22:43 | Luke often mentions the ministries of angels in his Gospel, especially at crucial times. Jesus was human as well as divine, and He needed every resource available to Him in order to resist Satan.

22:44 | Luke the physician is the only writer to mention that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood. Using the word like suggests that the sweat looked like blood as it fell. But hematidrosis is a condition in which tiny blood vessels in the sweat glands rupture under great emotional duress and produce a mixture of sweat and blood. In either case, Jesus experienced tremendous stress in this moment (John 12:27; Heb. 5:7).