Arrest of a King Luke 22 Vs 47-53

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Faith Bible Church. If you would turn in your bulletin to the second inside page, this announcement, you see that prayer meeting is tonight at 6 p .m. If you'd like to come out and join us in prayer.

And the next Bible study is this Wednesday at 5 .30 in the Fellowship Hall. You can also join in on YouTube. Missionary of the Month is Jim and Joan Hansen. Jim and Joan Hansen serve with biblical ministries worldwide, serving the deaf and blind in Los Angeles.

And October 27th, Jim will visit us to discuss his ministry. Praise and worship night. We see we have a praise and worship night at 6 p .m. on October 31st. That's a Thursday in the Fellowship Hall to celebrate the reformation of the gospel.

Dear Father, thank you so much for this opportunity. To worship you. And learn from you. Pray that you'd bless the pastor as he gives the sermon. And everyone here involved in this service. We give you this time.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, good morning. And I wanted to put in a quick little plug for ladies. Tea is the first Saturday of December. It's early in the month, but I think the ladies want to focus their hearts on the real meaning of the season and why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

So I think it will be a blessed time. So ladies, mark your calendars. First Saturday of the month. Well, our first song this morning is The Power of the Cross. And it really paints a picture of what the cross means to us.

It begins with Christ on his journey to the cross. And then it ends painting us into that picture of his redemption story. So it begins focused on him. And then we are incorporated into the song. So remember that.

Let's stand together.

Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day. There is a redeemer.

This is sort of like a thank you note to our heavenly father for Jesus, his son. There is a redeemer.

15 through 20. Again, that's Acts 1, 15 through 20. In those days, Peter stood up among the brothers. The company of persons was in all about 120. And he said, brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in the ministry. Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness. And falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language, Akildama. That is, field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms. May his camp become desolate and let there be no one to dwell in it.

And let another take his office. We thank the Lord for his word.

Our next song is In Christ Alone. And as believers, as followers of Christ, it begins and ends at the cross with Christ. And so let's stand together as we sing, In Christ Alone My Hope is Found.

It's great to be worshiping with you all. Please turn with me to Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22, verses 47 through 53. Luke chapter 22, verses 47 through 53. And while he was still speaking, behold a multitude.

And he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? When those around him saw what was going to happen, they said to him, Lord, shall we strike with a sword?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, Permit even this. And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to him, Have you come out as against a robber with a sword and clubs?

When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize me, but this is your hour and the power of darkness. This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Father, we are grateful that despite the darkness that Jesus is in charge, even in his darkest moment, we know that he was fully in control.

Help us to trust this king, even during our darkest moments, knowing that he's still in control, reigning from above. Help us to love him, be grateful of him, and to appreciate him. Help us to long for his return, knowing that he always keeps his promises.

In his name we pray. So this passage is really the start of a new section. All the things that Jesus has predicted are coming to pass. It's almost like the first domino of the whole setup. Just as Jesus predicted that he would be betrayed by one of the twelve, it's happening.

And as this is happening, that means so will his death on the cross and the resurrection. This passage is uniquely structured. It is actually structured with three questions. Jesus asks the first and the third, and then the disciples ask the second question, and what's really striking is none of the questions are answered.

Yet, these questions show, ironically, the one who is getting arrested is the most in control. When you see someone getting arrested, control and authority are the last on your mind. They are flailing.

They may be cursing. They might be crouched over in shame. And consider even some of the most powerful men getting arrested. In my lifetime, it was Saddam Hussein. In 2003, there was a lot of media portrayal of the dictator of Iraq getting caught.

And for many of you, you've lived through Saddam Hussein's reign, decades of reign. And you could consider how great he looked, nice he looked, and controlled he looked when he wasn't fleeing the U .S. Army.

He was basically king of Iraq. But when he was finally caught, he was found in a hole in a farm, and his beard all shaggy, unshaven, his hair unruly. Control and authority would be the last thing on your mind to describe the arrest of Saddam Hussein.

He looked nothing like the president of Iraq. Today, we see an arrest. We do see an arrest of a king. He's the king of the universe. He's God incarnate. And the scene that we see is nothing like any arrest there has been.

Jesus is composed. Jesus is completely in control. He's the one asking the questions. In fact, those around him seem helplessly out of control compared to how calm and collected he is. And that's the king we worship.

And when you worship such a king, when things are out of control in your life, you can be assured that there is someone who is in control, who reigns from above, who is king even during the darkest times.

The main point of this text is that Jesus is compassionately and completely in control even over suffering. Jesus is compassionately and completely in control even over suffering. First, despite the bitter betrayal, Jesus sovereignly submits to God's plan of redemption.

Despite the bitter betrayal, Jesus sovereignly submits to God's plan of redemption. Verse 47 sets the context. And while he was still speaking, behold, a multitude. And he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him.

There's a huge shift here. And when the narrator writes, behold, it's another way of bolding and highlighting the text. As Jesus is speaking, Judas approaches him. The camera focuses on these two gentlemen.

Luke describes that Judas is one of the twelve, one of the twelve chosen apostles of God. And this is not because Luke assumes we've forgotten because we haven't really talked about Judas for a chapter, but it is to emphasize the action that will unfold.

It is none other than one of the twelve who approaches Jesus to kiss him. That's the shock. It is not the captain of the guard who approaches Jesus first. It is not the chief priest. It is none other than one of the twelve who feasted with him, who journeyed with him, who loved him.

First, the word here for kiss actually means love. This is because a kiss is an outward expression of love that you have for another. Everywhere else in scripture, kiss is actually a show of affection.

Whether you commit to this literally, greet each other with a holy kiss. In this culture, make sure you ask first. The ironic part here is that the very gesture of affection will be used to identify Jesus so that he may be handed over to be killed.

And last time Jesus was kissed in the gospel according to Luke is Luke chapter 7, when a sinful woman continuously kissed Jesus out of gratitude and appreciation for her forgiveness. Here, Judas' kiss is filled with hypocrisy and it's the reversal of that.

This well-known outward gesture of love only conceals the inward hatred and selfish motives toward Jesus. This kiss is to objectify Jesus as a way of gaining money. It's a kiss of betrayal. Second, Jesus needed to be identified with a kiss because it was dark.

And even with the torches, it is hard to identify which one of them is Christ. And the chief priests and the leaders did not want to risk losing Jesus by approaching with a large mouth first. So they sent Judas ahead of them so that he would identify the right one so they may arrest the right one.

Now, how does Jesus respond? Verse 48, but Jesus said to him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? The Son of Man is the figure from Daniel 7. He is the divine figure who comes in the clouds and he receives all the nations from the Ancient of Days, the Lord God himself.

Now, what's wicked here is that Judas has betrayed this divine Son of Man with a kiss. Contrary to the religious leader's calculation, Jesus boldly faced the betrayal head on. He is not the one to flee.

He doesn't even attempt to run away because he knew what was coming and he understood the trial he had to face. And in order to obey God's will, he embraced the betrayal without any cowardice, without flame.

He placed God's will before his own life. He submitted to God's sovereign plan to redeem the world from sin through his death on the cross. He did not take cover. He knew this was necessary to save his people from sin.

He knew that he had to be betrayed to be killed. He knew he had to be crucified. He knew he had to take on the sin of this world and face the wrath that we all deserved. And he knew that there was no other way.

And knowing that, and knowing God's faithful plan of redemption, he faced the betrayal confidently. He faced the betrayal head on. Now, how do those around Jesus respond? While everyone around Jesus struggles for control, Jesus compassionately is in control over every part.

While everyone around Jesus struggles for control, Jesus is compassionately in control over every part. First, we see the disciples' response in the next two verses. When those around him saw what was going to happen, they said to him, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?

Remember they had two swords during Jesus' discussion a couple weeks back. Well, the disciples think this would be the fitting time to use it for ministry. The disciples have realized that the mob has come to arrest Jesus.

And despite Jesus' prediction of his arrest in the past, seeing the mob is what jolts them into action. Do you want us to fight back? What do you want us to do? The irony exists here as well. Jesus has been telling that this must all take place in order to fulfill God's salvific plan.

And if the disciples had paid attention, they would not have asked such a question. In fact, the use of the sword would be highly inappropriate in this context when this event must take place. He must be arrested and he must suffer in the hands of the Gentiles.

Now, not waiting for Jesus to answer and also not remembering what Jesus had predicted, one of them acts on his own. Verse 50, And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

This account is precisely recorded. There's no question about it. Not just any ear, it's the right ear. And the gospel according to John tells us that it's none other than the apostle Peter who slashed the ear off.

Now, Peter's action is unhelpful in a couple of ways. First, Jesus precisely told the disciples that he must be betrayed, arrested, and killed. These events must happen. It was not their place to step in.

And that's kind of helpful for all of us. Just because you think it's the right action, if it opposes God's will, it is the wrong action. We don't get to follow our hearts to do what's right. We follow God's will to do what's right.

Second, there's a mob surrounding them. And some of them are militarily trained. The disciples have no chance against the crowd, especially if Jesus is not going to step in to rescue them. Moreover, this act could easily escalate the situation.

Peter just fired the first shot. Now, there's all the more reason not only to arrest Jesus, but also the disciples. They came for Jesus alone, but now they could take the other 11. Third, this act solidified the religious leader's lie that Jesus is a dangerous revolutionary.

Consider how they will spin this story. Look at what Jesus ordered Peter to do. He got one of his thugs to cut off one of our servants here off. These are rebels against not only Rome, but against the temple.

They're against God. And all must be squashed. Peter just gave them the bullet they needed to carry this through. Not only was Jesus in danger, Peter just placed all the followers of Christ in danger.

Now, how does Jesus respond? But Jesus answered and said, Permit even this, and he touched his ear and healed him. Permit even this means leave it alone. Let them do this. Don't jump in. Jesus does not need the apostles to defend him.

He will suffer willingly. Even when he is about to be tied down, Jesus is fully sovereign. When powerful people get arrested, it is a pathetic sight. There's really no remnant, no remembrance of their former glory.

As I mentioned, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, Mussolini, whenever they lost their power, they looked helpless, vulnerable. And of course, they will resist until their last breath. We do not see that in King Jesus.

He does not struggle. He is not shocked. He is not caught off guard. He's in charge. After saying this, Jesus calmly restores the severed ear. And this is the last miracle before the crucifixion. What's shocking is that he willingly and compassionately restores his enemy's ear, even during his arrest.

He places the need of his enemy before his own. His last act of miracle before the resurrection is a restorative healing for none other than his own enemy. And that really defines what kind of person and ministry Jesus had.

He's merciful.

If Jesus had a business card, it would say compassionate. By doing this, Jesus not only loves his enemy, but he also saves the disciples from being arrested with him. I think I was talking to Carol about this like a couple of weeks ago.

As Jesus restored the severed ear, Jesus reversed how his followers would be portrayed. Sure, his followers are going to be persecuted. Many of them will be killed, but not for this, but for the testimony of Christ, which cannot be stopped.

As the ear healed, Jesus showed that his followers are not thugs. Peter was wrong in doing this. That's not how Christians minister. Now Jesus turns toward the perpetrators in verse 52. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to him, we found out here who's truly behind this mob in the middle of the night.

They're the religious and political leaders of Israel. And Jesus questions the very people who needed to welcome the Messiah. Wouldn't you think that the chief priests and also the elders, in fact, would be and the captains of the temple would be the first ones to welcome the Messiah from God?

Well, they have their own way of welcoming, and it's with clubs and swords. And Jesus asked them, have you come out as against the robber with swords and clubs? Translation, what's the point of having an armed mob here?

It would be like sending a SWAT team to arrest an unarmed, unresisting civilian. It's an overkill. At no point, Jesus resisted them. In fact, he opposed any resistance, even from his side. He reversed the resistance from his side.

And he points out their hypocrisy. When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize me. But this is your hour in the power of darkness. They had every opportunity to take him during the day.

After all, Jesus had been teaching in the temple when he got to Jerusalem. It was their territory. Yet they needed to do this covertly because they belong to the dark side. Here, the outward environment, the darkness in the night, represents and reflects their internal status.

They're wicked.

They have to do this hidden. They have to do it secretly. The enemies of Christ thrive in the dark. And here, Jesus points out their hypocrisy. They know that they have no right to take Jesus justly. They know they're not allowed to take Jesus openly in the light.

They know what they're doing is wicked. They have no answer to Jesus' question. And at another level, God sovereignly allowed this wicked act to take place. Yes, they are guilty. Yes, they are accountable.

But at another level, it is none other than Christ who allows them to arrest him. Yes, they've just betrayed an innocent man, and they're about to arrest the king of the Jews. But at another level, God sovereignly planned all that to happen.

Every atom that will hold the ropes or whatever they bound Jesus with, every atom in that instrument will be held together by none other than God himself. I think sometime last week, I had a student ask me how I don't have an existential crisis.

And that's a bizarre question to be asked by a high school student. How come you don't have an existential crisis? And I had to make sure, do you understand what existential crisis means? It means that I'm having a crisis over the meaning and purpose of life.

Christians ought to be the last people to have an existential crisis when they have a God who gives purpose to life. And really, through Jesus Christ, we all have a reason to live because Jesus is the reason to live.

He gave us the purpose to wake up in the morning to serve him and to love him. Well, he clarified. He mentioned that, you know, there are all these powerful people, politicians, globalists, elites, organizations, and they all actively and even secretly do wicked things to innocent people who are powerless.

And they get away with it, right? We're not going to see all these wicked people, whether in Hollywood or politicians or elsewhere, very, very highly unlikely that these people will be arrested for their crimes.

We probably won't even know most of them were involved, right? Because they do it in the darkness. And they said, and the student said, then how can we have hope living in this world when we see that they're just getting away with it?

They'll get away with it, right? It's a show. And he asked, why not just despair? What's the point? And the best answer to that is seen in Christ's sovereignty even through his own suffering. In these verses, there's only one man clearly in charge.

It's not Judas who fulfilled his mission to betray his master. That was the only thing on his checklist, and he did it. But he's not in charge. It is not Peter who sliced off a person's ear, ruled by his emotions.

That was his goal, and he did it. Look how brave he looks. He's the most committed one out of all the apostles. But he's not in charge. Also are not the religious leaders who are surrounded by the trained soldiers, well-guarded and highly respected, and their reputation unharmed because this is happening in the dark.

Yet they're not in charge. The only person who is sovereignly in control is the one who was seized unjustly. The only person who stood firmly in God's sovereign plan was the one whom the ancient Swat team captured.

Despite the actions done against him and to him, he remained in control. At no point was Jesus ever not in control, and this is why he could compassionately restore a sliced-off ear. The creator of all ears had no trouble fully healing one that's been sliced off.

He's not just in control. He's compassionately in control. He's not just ruthlessly or cold-heartedly, calculatingly in control. He's in control to restore. He's sovereignly redemptive, or he's redemptively sovereign.

You can't take both out. And despite the darkness that surrounded him, both physical and spiritual, Jesus was submitting to God's plan of salvation. He saved us from our sin because he was arrested, and he delivered us from the coming judgment because he was crucified.

If God could redeem the world despite such evil act done against himself, how much more is he in charge when these wicked actors attempt to rule even in our days? After all, Jesus is not bound anymore.

He's free. There's nothing holding Jesus Christ back. He's seated on his throne. If Christ was in charge when he was chained, how much more is he in charge when he reigns from above? If Christ was sovereign when he was betrayed, how much more will these evil people pay when he comes back?

And if he compassionately healed a severed ear of his enemy, how much more will he heal the broken hearts and even broken bodies of his followers? If you're in Christ, there is no meaningless suffering.

If you're in Christ, your trials are not accidents. If you're in Christ, your trials and suffering, your tears, will lead to greater purpose. If you're in Christ, he is sovereign over even your suffering.

And that's the only way in which Christians will face persecution and trials that are coming. Not with our swords, but with our trust in the sovereign king who faced the suffering. And despite that, was in charge.

Despite all of it, he was fully in control. And how much more so is he in control when he reigns from above? And we wait for that day. We wait for the judgment day. Because that's when he will make all things right.

And there is no one who will get away from the unsleeping eye of Christ. Who has the full record. But those who belong to him, you will be fully redeemed. You will be restored. More so than the sliced off ear.

Let us pray. Father, we are grateful that Jesus is in control. And that is the only hope that we have. When we see the wickedness surrounding our lives. And all the evil that go against your church. Help us to submit and surrender to the bridegroom who is coming.

Help us to long for his return. May that be our daily hope. That today might be the day.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Thank the Lord that he's always in control. We're just going to close today, like Iljin said, with doxology. So if I could have everybody stand.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.