BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 61

Dark Night of the Soul

Luke 22:39-53

There is a phrase that has been around since the sixteenth century. It was in a poem by St. John of the Cross. It first had to do with the struggle one goes through in his search for salvation. It now can mean any kind of situation that produces anguish for the one going through it. There have been two periods in my life that brought about great turmoil that did not seem would ever end. One of those instances had to do with a job situation. The company for whom I was working decided to let me go but kept me on for about six months. I even trained my successor and was moved to a different position in the organization which eventually led me into a job in Purchasing. At the time I was waiting almost daily for the axe to fall I was diligently praying for a something to come my way which would allow me to support my family. It seemed that the job market for people in purchasing and materials handling were none existent. The stress I felt was almost unbearable. I prayed to God to provide any kind of job and I would do it. It was as if God had stop listening to my pleas. What I could not know was their would be a position at the Foreign Mission Board opening up in a few months. While I did not think God was listening there were events taking place that would finally lead me to the FMB. I can tell you those were a long six months. God does not desert His children she just allows them to go through trials that will strengthen their faith. I give God all of the credit for the way He worked out the details when I could see beyond my hopeless situation.

Churches sometimes must go though a time of testing. It is often painful to see the people with whom you have worshipped and studied drift apart over differences of opinion. When the church begins to come apart at the seams one begins to wonder if God is working in the hearts of the people. People who have been friends for years no long speak to each other and many even leave the church with bitterness in their souls. God does not seem to be with the church because we become so focused on our own agenda that we do cannot see the direction God intended for the body to take. The struggle can do one of two things. The church can be completely destroyed or becomes stronger through adversity. Sadly, sometimes for a church to survive and grow there has to be a purifying process which means that it will have to take on a different look than it had prior to the work that God does in its midst to make it a viable dynamic fellowship again.

Luke 22:39-40

For a more detailed description of the last night of Jesus’ life read John 13-18. As was His custom Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives after the Lord’s supper. That action showed that He was not attempting to hide from the officials or Judas. He knew that Judas was familiar with His pattern and would know where to lead the Sanhedrin’s representatives. The disciples minus Judas followed Him there. Only Jesus knew what was about to happen shortly. He had one more command for them which again they could not understand at that moment. They were to be careful not to succumb to the challenges that were to face them in the next few days and lose faith or to act in a way that would reflect badly on Jesus in any way. It would have been so easy considering the pressures that were to come to turn their back on Jesus and His teachings.

1. Why did Jesus return to the Mount of Olives? (It was His custom to do so each night. Judas would also know of the place.)

2. Why did the disciples follow Him? (They were accustomed to following Him everywhere.)

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2. What did Jesus mean by commanding that they not allow themselves to fall into temptation?

   (The things they were about to face could easily turn them away from Jesus.)

3. What are some of the things that have tested your faith?

4. How have you handled them?

5. Why is it important to pray when faced with the challenges this world throws at you?

6. Why is it important to obey the commands of Jesus found in God’s word.)

7. What would have been the easiest thing for Jesus to have done? (Instead of going to the Mount of Olives just to head north back to Galilee.)

8. What lesson can we learn from His actions?

Luke 22:41-44

Luke leaves out the command for the disciples to stay put, keep watch and pray. Having left the other disciples He had Peter, James and John go with Him further into the Garden of Gethsemane. In His greatest of testing He wanted those closest to Him to be with Him for encouragement. He then left the three and went even further. The testing that was at hand had to be met head on alone. His words were not ones of disobedience. No man looks forward to the kind of mental and spiritual agony and the pain of death that Jesus was about to face. His cry to His Father was not to escape but to explore the possibility of accomplishing the purpose for which He had come. Knowing that there was only one way Jesus accepted His role in the redemption of man. That night was a time of deep anguish. His prayers were so fervent that He need the ministry of the angels to strengthen Him. He felt so deeply that He actually began to sweat drops of blood. This is a rare condition called Hematidrosis.

1. What did Jesus command the disciples to stay alert? (One reason would have been for their own protection when the soldiers came.)

2. Why did He choose Peter, James and John to go with Him?

3. What does the prayer of Jesus say to you? (Even for Jesus it was difficult to face the horrible things that were going to happen to Him. Not many people would willingly face the pain and suffering that He was going to experience?

4. What does the phrase “Not my will but yours” say to you?

5. When have you willingly submitted to God’s will even though it meant suffering for you?

6. Has there ever been a time when you have agonized over an issue in your life? When was the occasion?

7. What encouragement do you see in the account of the Garden of Gethsemane? (The angels came to minister to Jesus in His hour of need. He would need all the strength that He had to go through the events of the next day.)

Luke 22:45-46

Luke only mentioned one occasion when Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. In Matthew when He came to them the first time He spoke specifically to Peter. Peter had been the one who had boldly pronounced his total allegiance to Jesus. He had stated that he was willing to die with and for Him. Jesus words had to cut to the very soul of Peter. He was asked, “So you men could not keep watch with Me one hour?” In Luke Jesus said to them on the final trip back to them, “Why are you sleeping?” He then repeated the admonish for them to, “Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

1. Why does Luke only mention Jesus returning to the disciples one time while Matthew and Mark

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speak of three occasions? (Luke gave a summary of the Garden experience. The last visit was

the one that led up to the arrest of Jesus.)

1. In Matthew why did Jesus speak specifically to Peter? (He had made such bold claims but was not follow through. In fact in Matthew Jesus identifies the condition of mankind. “He said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41)

2. When have been occasions when you have boasted but have not followed through?

3. What does those instances say about you?

4. What do you feel for the men?

5. What do you feel for what Jesus must have felt at that moment?

Luke 22:47

The time for teaching was ended. Jesus had no sooner finished admonishing his disciples for their lack of concern for His situation when the crowd from the high priest arrived. Along with them was Judas. He knew where to find Jesus because he had been there with Him a number of times that week. As He approached Jesus he used the prearranged signal by giving Him a kiss. What was supposed to a greeting of friendship was given to betray Jesus. There was one other time in the Scripture when a kiss was used by one who meant to inflict harm to another person. In 2 Samuel Joab kissed his cousin Amasa and then murdered him. (2 Samuel 20:9) The signal would be needed to identify Jesus in the dark.

1. In what ways had Jesus’ words come to fruition? (The enemies of His ministry had come to arrest Him.)

2. How did Judas know where to find Jesus?

3. What is your reaction to a man that would be so brazen as Judas?

4. What can the rationale be for betraying someone who has your best interest at heart?

5. In what way is the actions of Judas and Joab the same? (They each acted to promote their own self interest.)

Luke 22:48

Once again Jesus reached out to Judas trying to pull him back from the destructive path he was taking. With the kiss Judas broke the final connection with Jesus and had turned his back on God. In a way Jesus wanted Judas to take a deep look within to see what had brought him to the point of betrayal. How could anything in this world be so important that he would turn his back on the Lord. At that point Judas disappear into the crowd. His work had been done. He will only be mentioned once again as he tries to return the money and then kills himself.

1. What was Jesus trying to do by asking Judas the pointed question? (Pull him back from the destructive path he was taking.)

2. What was the destructive path that he was on?

3. What happened to Judas after the infamous kiss?

4. What drives a person to turn his back on God?

5. In what ways have you allowed your own agenda to replace the calling of God on your life?

6. What have you done for those who you see drifting away from God?

7. Why are so many young people turning their backs on the church in today’s world?

Luke 22:49-50-51

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Misguided as the approached may have been the disciples suddenly came to life and wanted to protect their leader. Peter even went so far as to lash out with one of the two swords and cut off the ear of a

slave of the high priest. John gives his name. He was Malchus. Peter’s action may have been partly to save face after he had fallen to sleep and not been watchful while Jesus prayed in agony. No one can be sure what the men hoped to accomplish with one sword against an armed mob who would not be deterred from their mission to bring Jesus to the high priest. To stop the madness Jesus performed His final miracle by healing the slaves’ ear.

1. What some things that you have done on the spur of the moment that you regretted later on?

2. What did the disciples hope to accomplish?

3. What could have been the consequences of their actions? (All of them could have been killed including Jesus. That would have thwarted God’s plan for the salvation of man.)

4. What do we do that sometimes hinders God’s plan for a person’s life.?

5. What did Jesus do to stop the madness of the disciples?

Luke 22:52-53

Jesus then turned His attention to those sent to arrest Him. Although not mentioned in Luke, in all likelihood the disciples would have deserted Him by that time, just He said they would. See Matthew 26:31 and John 16:32. Their actions were also prophesied in Zechariah 13:7. The men who came to arrest Him were a very diverse group consisting of chief priests, Temple guards and elders. These were men of stature in the political system who wanted to make sure that the task was carried out successfully. Jesus asked a rhetorical question of the men. He basically was saying, why now, why such a show of force, why not when I was teaching everyday in the Temple. Of course He knew the answer. It was God’s timing for one thing. The other reason was the Jews did not have the power to execute Him and they were afraid of the people. That was the reason they came for Him at night. Looking a the circumstances from a narrow point of view their evil scheme seemed to be working. It was fitting that those fulfilling the work of the devil would do under the cover of darkness. They were afraid to carry out their plans in broad daylight because Jesus was loved by the people.

1. Why did Jesus turn His attention to those who had come out to arrest Him?

2. Where the disciples at that point?

3. Why was the contingent sent to arrest Him made up of men of some stature in the community

4. What stinging questions did Jesus have for the group of men?

5. In what way was the first question a rhetorical one? (Both He and the crowd knew the answer.)

6. What did He mean by the statement, “This hour and the power of darkness are yours?” (They were there to carry out the plans of those aligned with the devil.)

7. What does the situation look like at that moment? (The powers of darkness were winning and had achieved their goal.)

8. In your own life when has it appeared that the enemy has had the upper hand?

9. How did you react to those circumstances?

• You will face those difficult times in your life when it does not even seem that God is answering your prayers.

• Remember that even during those times that God is with you giving you the strength deal with all of life’s situations.

• If you do not already know it that no matter how close you are to someone they will inevitably fail you at some point.

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• One of the things that the Bible emphasizes is constant prayer. Remember that even in the most critical point in His life Jesus saw the need to bring everything to His Father.

• Learn how weak the body is even when the spirit is willing to serve God. Just look at the examples of the disciples on that last night.

• Use godly wisdom in making decisions. Rash choices will have devastating consequences.

The greatest enemy of the church is that which comes from within. The Bible continually warns of those who are false prophets and wolves who somehow make their way to the Body of Christ. We need to be vigilant in making sure that those individuals do not destroy the work of the Church. Examples are those who constantly criticize what is being done. Others use rumors and gospel to divide Christians. We are called to stay alert and watch for the enemy is near. Our focus is to always on Christ and His teachings. As I have said many times God’s Word is to be our guide. Recently, I have read of the fact that many young people are leaving the church because they do not see it as relevant in their lives. They are looking for positive and powerful truth from God’s word and are not finding it where they are. Let us make sure that we do not let them walk out into the darkness because of letting them sleep walk through their time in our watchcare.