Jesus was healing his enemy

JESUS WAS HEALING HIS ENEMY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 22:49-5149WhenJesus' followerssaw what
was going to happen, they said, "LORD, should we
strike with our swords?"50And one of them struck
the servantof the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he
touched the man's ear and healedhim.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(51) Suffer ye thus far.—The words and the incident are peculiar to St. Luke.
We are. not told to whom the words were spoken. If to the disciples, they were
a command to be patient, and to let things take their course. If, as is possible,
to the servants and officers, they were a plea for His disciples—“Donot visit
them with punishment for this one act.” The immediate healing of the earis in
favour of the latter view, as tending to conciliation.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

22:47-53 Nothing can be a greateraffront or grief to the Lord Jesus, than to
be betrayed by those who profess to be his followers, and saythat they love
him. Many instances there are, of Christ's being betrayed by those who, under
the form of godliness, fight againstthe power of it. Jesus here gave an
illustrious example of his own rule of doing goodto those that hate us, as
afterwards he did of praying for those that despitefully use us. Corrupt nature
warps our conduct to extremes; we should seek forthe Lord's direction before
we act in difficult circumstances. Christwas willing to wait for his triumphs
till his warfare was accomplished, and we must be so too. But the hour and the
powerof darkness were short, and such the triumphs of the wickedalways
will be.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Betrayestthou the Son of man with a kiss? - By the "Sonof man" was
evidently meant "the Messiah."Judas had had the most satisfactoryevidence
of that, and did not doubt it. A kiss was the sign of affection. By that slight
artifice Judas thought to concealhis base purpose. Jesus with severity
reproaches him for it. Every word is emphatic. "Betrayest" thou - dostthou
violate all thy obligations of fidelity, and deliver thy Masterup to death?
Betrayest"thou" - thou, so long with him, so much favored, so sure that this is
the Messiah?Betrayestthou "the Son of man" - the Messiah, the hope of the
nations, the desire of all people, the world's Redeemer? Betrayestthou the
Son of man "with a kiss" - the sign of friendship and affection employed in a
base and wickedpurpose, intending to add deceit, disguise, and the
prostitution of a mark of affectionto the "crime of treason?"Every word of
this must have gone to the very soulof Judas. Perhaps few reproofs of crime
more resemble the awful searchings of the souls of the wickedin the day of
judgment.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Lu 22:47-54. BetrayalandApprehension of Jesus—FlightofHis Disciples.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 22:49"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And Jesus answeredand said,.... Notto the question of the disciples, but either
to Peter, who had done this rashaction; and so the Persic and Ethiopic
versions add, "to him"; or else to the multitude,
suffer ye thus far; or to them both, to Peterto stop his hand, to proceedno
further, but put up his sword;and so the Arabic versionreads, "refrain
thyself"; and to the multitude to be easy, and not revenge the affront that was
given them: and in order to pacify them, "he went to the wounded man", as
the Persic versioninserts,
and he touched his earand healed him; which shows, that though the human
nature of Christ was in a very low condition, yet he still retained the power of
doing miracles; and also his greathumanity, by which example be confirmed
his preceptof doing goodto enemies;and likewise hereby gave full proof of
his willingness to be apprehended by them; for otherwise, he that wrought
such a miracle as this, could easilyhave delivered himself out of their hands;
and one would have thought this would have put a stop to them, and have
convinced them of the truth of his being a divine person, and the Messiah.
Geneva Study Bible
And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and
healed him.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 22:51. ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου:an elliptical colloquialphrase, whose meaning
might be made clearby intonation or gesture. It might be spokeneither to the
captors = leave me free until I have healed the wounded man, or to the
disciples = let them apprehend me, or: no more use of weapons. Forthe
various interpretations put upon the words, vide Hahn. Perhaps the most

likely rendering is: “cease, itis enough,” desinite, satis est, as if it had stood,
ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου ἱκανόνἐστι, the disciples being addressed.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
51. Suffer ye thus far] Probably addressedto the captors, and meaning Excuse
thus much resistance;or ‘Allow me liberty thus far’—free my arms a moment
that I may heal this wounded man. These snatches ofdialogue—oftenof
uncertain interpretation from their fragmentary character(e.g. Mark 9:23;
Matthew 26:50; John 8:25), are inimitable marks of genuineness. Itwas
probably during this pause that ‘all His disciples’—evenPeter, evenJohn—
‘forsook Him and fled.’
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 22:51. Εἶπεν, said) to Peterand all the others, Matthew 26:52 [“Then
said Jesus unto him (Peter), Put up again thy sword into his place;for all they
that take the sword shall perish with the sword”].—ἐᾶτε, sufferye) So Acts
5:38 [ἐᾶτε αὐτοὺς, let them alone].—ἓως τούτου,thus far) Do not go any
further. So 1Ma 2:33, ἓως τοῦ νῦν; Leviticus 26:18, ‫דע‬ ‫,הלא‬ ἓως τούτου.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 51. - Suffer ye thus far. The exactmeaning of these words has been
much debated. They probably were addressed to the company of armed men,
and containeda plea for the mistaken zealof his disciple Peter. "Excuse this
resistance." And he touched his ear, and healed him. This miraculous cure of
the wound inflicted by the zealous disciple is related by the physician Luke.
Vincent's Word Studies
Suffer ye thus far
This is variously interpreted. I think the text requires that the words should
be addressedto the disciples, and taken as the answerto the question, shall we
smite, etc. The meaning then is, permit them to go so far as to seize me. The
expressionthus corresponds with Matthew 26:52,

Ear (ὠτίου)
This time Luke uses the diminutive. Wyc., little ear.
Healed
Only Luke records the healing.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
Suffer ye thus far - Or, Suffer me to go thus far. As they had now a firm hold
of Christ, Matthew 26:50, he wished them to permit him to go as far as
Malchus, whose earwas cut off, that he might heal it. See the objections
brought againstthis interpretation answeredby Kypke; and see the examples
he produces. However, the words may be understood as an address to his
disciples:Let them proceed;make no resistance;for in this way only are the
Scriptures to be fulfilled.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.

Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/luke-
22.html. 1832.
Return to Jump List return to 'Jump List'
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
But Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye them thus far. And he touched his ear,
and healedhim.
The servant who lost his earwas Malchus (John 18:10);and Luke, with a
physician's characteristic observance,notedthat it was his right ear.
Suffer ye them thus far ... The word THEM is not in the Greek, and some
question exists as to the exact meaning. Geldenhuys understoodit as "Let
events take their course, even to my arrest,"[33]thus seeing the remark as
addressedto the Lord's disciples with the meaning that they should not
interfere any further with the arrest.
And healedhim ... Like all of the miracles of Jesus, this one had definite and
necessaryutility. One great purpose of the Lord in the arrest was to procure
the exemption of the apostles from custody, as particularly evident in John;
but, with Peter's rash act, such would have been far more difficult except for
the timely healing of the excisedear.
ENDNOTE:

[33] NorvelGeldenhuys, op. cit., p. 582.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/luke-22.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And Jesus answeredand said,.... Notto the question of the disciples, but either
to Peter, who had done this rashaction; and so the Persic and Ethiopic
versions add, "to him"; or else to the multitude,
suffer ye thus far; or to them both, to Peterto stop his hand, to proceedno
further, but put up his sword;and so the Arabic versionreads, "refrain
thyself"; and to the multitude to be easy, and not revenge the affront that was
given them: and in order to pacify them, "he went to the wounded man", as
the Persic versioninserts,
and he touched his earand healed him; which shows, that though the human
nature of Christ was in a very low condition, yet he still retained the power of
doing miracles; and also his greathumanity, by which example be confirmed

his preceptof doing goodto enemies;and likewise hereby gave full proof of
his willingness to be apprehended by them; for otherwise, he that wrought
such a miracle as this, could easilyhave delivered himself out of their hands;
and one would have thought this would have put a stop to them, and have
convinced them of the truth of his being a divine person, and the Messiah.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "The New JohnGill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/luke-
22.html. 1999.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
Suffer us thus far (εατε εως τουτου — eāte heōs toutou). Presentactive
imperative of εαω — eaō to allow. But the meaning is not clear. If addressed
to Peterand the other disciples it means that they are to suffer this much of
violence againstJesus. This is probably the idea. If it is addressedto the
crowd, it means that they are to excuse Peterfor his rash act.
He touched his ear and healed him (απσαμενος του οτιου ιασατο αυτον —
hapsamenos tou otiou iasato auton). Whether Jesus pickedup the piece of the

ear and put it back is not said. He could have healed the wound without that.
This miracle of surgery is given alone by Luke.
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's WordPictures of the New Testament. Copyright �
Broadman Press 1932,33,Renewal1960. All rights reserved. Used by
permission of Broadman Press (Southern BaptistSunday SchoolBoard)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Robertson's WordPictures
of the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/luke-22.html. Broadman
Press 1932,33. Renewal1960.
Vincent's Word Studies
Suffer ye thus far
This is variously interpreted. I think the text requires that the words should
be addressedto the disciples, and taken as the answerto the question, shall we
smite, etc. The meaning then is, permit them to go so far as to seize me. The
expressionthus corresponds with Matthew 26:52,
Ear ( ὠτίου )
This time Luke uses the diminutive. Wyc., little ear.

Healed
Only Luke records the healing.
Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.
Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentaryon Luke 22:51". "Vincent's Word
Studies in the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/luke-22.html. Charles
Schribner's Sons. New York, USA. 1887.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and
healed him.
Suffer me at leastto have my hands at liberty thus far, while I do one more
act of mercy.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.

Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "JohnWesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/luke-22.html. 1765.
The Fourfold Gospel
But Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye [them] thus far1. And he touched his
ear, and healed him.
Suffer ye [them] thus far. Some think that Jesus spoke these words to those
who held him, asking them to loose him sufficiently to enable him to touch the
ear of Malchus. But the Revisioncommittee, by inserting "them" make Jesus
address his disciples, commanding them not to interfere with those who were
arresting him, making it a generalstatementof the idea which the Lord
addressedspecificallyto Peterin the next sentence (Matthew 26:52).
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website. These files
were made available by Mr. Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at
The RestorationMovementPages.
Bibliography
J. W. McGarveyand Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentaryon Luke 22:51".
"The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/luke-22.html. Standard
Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
Luke 22:51.And having touched his ear, he healed him. By his foolish zeal
Peterhad brought grievous reproachon his Masterand his doctrine; and
there can be no doubt, that this was a contrivance by which Satanattempted
to involve the Gospelin eternal disgrace, as if Christ had kept company with
assassins andseditious persons for revolutionary purposes. This, I think, was
the reasonwhy Christ healedthe wound which Peterhad inflicted. But a
fearful and amazing stupidity must have seizedhis adversaries, who were not
at all affectedby having seensucha miracle. And yet there is the less reason
to wonder that they did not see the power of Christ displayed in the personof
another, when, after having themselves been laid prostrate by his voice, they
still continued to rage, (John 18:6.) Such is the spirit of giddiness by which
Satanmaddens the reprobate, when the Lord has given them over to
blindness. Above all, in the person himself who was healed, there is a striking
instance of ingratitude; for neither did the divine power of Christ subdue him
to repentance for his hardness, nor was he overcome by kindness so as to be
changedfrom an enemy into a disciple. For it is a foolish imagination of the
monks that he was also healedin his soul, that the work of Christ might not be
left incomplete; as if the goodnessofGod were not every day poured out on
those who are unworthy.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Calvin's Commentary on the
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/luke-22.html.
1840-57.

John Trapp Complete Commentary
51 And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear,
and healedhim.
Ver. 51. And he touched his ear, &c.] After he had laid them flat on the
ground. So he tried them both ways; but nothing would do.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/luke-
22.html. 1865-1868.
Sermon Bible Commentary
Luke 22:51
I. By one act, in a moment, Christ made Himself the repairer of the breach.
The evil which His followerhad done was cancelled;and through the kind
interposition of a specialact, the injured man was none the worse, but rather
the better; and the harm, of which a Christian had been the occasion, was

neutralised by his Master. Ill would it be for any of us, if there were not that
refuge of thought to fall back upon, from all the foolish things and all the
wrong things said and done, which we have afterwards so much regretted. It
would be tremendous to think of all the trail of harm which we were dragging
after us, if there were not a Christ—a Cancellerand a Rectifier.
II. There is a great difference betweenthose troubles which come straight
from God, and those which pass to us from the hand of man. There are a
dignity and sacredness aboutthe one and an almost defilement about the
other. But it would, be a mistake to infer that any one kind of trial comes
more under the remedial power of the Lord Jesus Christthan another. It does
not matter where the root and spring of the trouble lie, as soonas they are
brought to Him they are all alike. Take it, in all its breadth, whatever the
wound be, and whoever was the wounder—equally Christ is the Healer.
III. Malchus, as we have seen, had been one of the foremostagainstChrist. In
his oppositionto Christ he got his hurt. Christ cures the hurt which was the
consequence ofoppositionto Himself. The worsthurts we getin life are those
which we incur by taking the side againstlight, againstconviction, against
truth, i.e. againstGod. We all of us have borne, and perhaps some of us are
bearing now, some of those hurts. Our only remedy lies with Him, whom we
were, at that moment, in the act of making our enemy, when we got that hurt.
And the marvel is, how He heals us; not a word of reproach, not a shadow of
retaliation; it is enough we are wounded, and we cannot do without Him—
therefore He does it. There is no healer of wounds but the Lord Jesus Christ.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 4th series, p. 239.

References:Luke 22:51.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. viii., p. 143;T. Birkett
Dover, The Ministry of Mercy, p. 209. Luke 22:54-61.—A. B. Bruce, The
Training of the Twelve, p. 469.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicoll, William R. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "SermonBible
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/sbc/luke-
22.html.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Luke 22:51. Suffer ye thus far.— The sense which has been affixed to this
passageis various. Some have understood it as a request from Jesus, that the
persons who had apprehended him, would oblige him so far as to let him go to
the wounded man; and the context seems to countenance this opinion,
representing him as immediately touching the ear, and healing it. Others, and
among them the Syriac, suppose it to be spokento the disciples, and to contain
a prohibition againsttheir offering any more violence;in which sense they
paraphrase the words, "It is enough that you have opposedtheir violence so
far; go no farther, but stophere." The circumstance of our Lord's healing
Malchus's earby touching it, seems to imply, that he createda new part in the
room of that which was cut off; or if he performed the cure any other way, he
equally demonstratedboth his goodness andpower. No wound or distemper
whateverwas incurable in the hand of Jesus, neitherwas any injury so great
that he could not forgive it; and as this was an actof greatcompassionand

forgiveness, so likewisewas it an act of singular wisdom; for it would
effectually prevent those reflections and censures on Jesus, whichthe rashness
of Peter's attack might otherwise have occasioned. See the Inferences on Mark
14.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentaryon Luke 22:51". Thomas Coke Commentary
on the Holy Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/luke-
22.html. 1801-1803.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
51.]ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου I understand as addressed, not to the disciples, but to the
multitude, or rather to those who were holding Him;—His hands were held,—
and He says, Suffer, permit me, thus far: i.e. to touch the ear of the wounded
person. If this interpretation be correct, it furnishes an additional tokenof the
truthfulness of our narrative—for the previous laying hold of Jesus has not
been mentioned here, but in Matthew (Matthew 26:50)and Mark (Mark
14:46).
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". Greek TestamentCritical
Exegetical Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/luke-22.html. 1863-1878.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
Luke 22:51. εἶπεν, said) to Peterand all the others, Matthew 26:52 [“Then
said Jesus unto him (Peter), Put up again thy sword into his place;for all they
that take the sword shall perish with the sword”].— ἐᾶτε, suffer ye) So Acts
5:38 [ ἐᾶτε αὐτοὺς, let them alone].— ἓως τούτου, thus far) Do not go any
further. So 1 Maccabees2:33, ἓως τοῦ νῦν; Leviticus 26:18, ‫דע‬ ‫,הלא‬ ἓως
τούτου.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, JohannAlbrecht. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". Johann Albrecht
Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/luke-22.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible

See Poole on"Luke 22:49"
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Luke 22:51". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/luke-22.html. 1685.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Suffer ye thus far; addressedto the guard who had seizedhim immediately
upon the kiss of Judas. Matthew 26:48;Mark 14:45-46. The probable
meaning is, Allow me thus far; that is, give me liberty so far as to touch this
man’s ear. Some, however, suppose him to mean, Suffer the zeal of my
disciples to have proceededthus far in defending me.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Family Bible New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/luke-
22.html. American TractSociety. 1851.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
51. ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου. The meaning is uncertain. If addressedto the disciples it
meant, Let them even bind and lead me away. Possiblyhoweverit was
addressedto the captors, and meant, Excuse thus much resistance;or ‘Allow
me liberty thus far’—free my arms a moment that I may heal this wounded
man. These snatchesofdialogue—oftenof uncertain interpretation from their
fragmentary character(e.g. Mark 9:23; Matthew 26:50; John 8:25), are
inimitable marks of genuineness. It was probably during this pause that ‘all
His disciples’—evenPeter, evenJohn—‘forsookHim and fled.’
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
"Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools
and Colleges".https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/luke-
22.html. 1896.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

51. Suffer ye thus far—Addressedto the soldiers in regardto healing
Malchus. Being fettered, he requests them to permit him to do that much.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Whedon's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/luke-22.html.
1874-1909.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘But Jesus answeredandsaid, “Allow them to go thus far.” And he touched
his ear, and healedhim.’
But Jesus steppedin on the side of the law and commanded that there be no
interference with His arrest. It was after all something that they had a right to
do if only they had gone about it in the correctmanner. This far they must be
allowedto go. And He reachedout and touched the man’s ear, which was
probably hanging there limply, possibly on a sliver of flesh. The result was
complete healing. This would ease the situation as the sight of a wounded and
bleeding man must probably have causedthe Romanchiliarch to take more
widespreadactionif he had seenit when he came up. It would have made the
situation appear more immediately serious.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "PeterPett's Commentaryon the
Bible ". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/luke-22.html.
2013.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Jesus rebukedPeter"s aggressive defensive measure. This is more probable
than that He spoke to the soldiers and requested permissionto heal the
servant. [Note: Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 1:649.]Another
improbable interpretation is that Jesus meantthat the disciples should let the
soldiers have their way with Him. [Note: Creed, p274;Marshall, The Gospel.
. ., p837; and Morris, p313.]Jesus then reversedthe damage done by healing
the servant. He did what He had previously told the disciples to do, namely, do
goodto their enemies rather than evil. Again Luke noted Jesus" compassion
even for those who soughtto kill Him. Jesus did not rely on the swordnor did
He base His kingdom on the use of physical force.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentaryon Luke 22:51". "ExpositoryNotes of
Dr. Thomas Constable".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/luke-22.html. 2012.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Luke 22:51. Suffer ye thus far. Probably addressedto the disciples:Let them
go on and fulfil this their design of taking me. Ft is a mild reproof of the hasty
use of the sword, and thus agrees with Matthew 26:52;John 18:11. Were the
sense:Let them go thus far (and no further), we would find a different
expressionhere. Others suppose the soldiers were addressed, andthat the
sense is: Let me go, until I have healedthis man, or Let me go as far as this
man. This is grammatically probable, but opposedby the phrase ‘answered.’
Touchedhis ear, etc. Luke, the physician, alone mentions this. The passage
does not clearlyindicate how the healing took place: Whether at our Lord’s
touch the earwas wholly restored, or merely the wound healed, or whether
the piece cut off was takenup and restoredto its place in the body. The last is
leastlikely, as the passagecontains no hint of picking up. The first seems more
in keeping with the occasion, representing ourLord as making goodthe loss
occasionedby the hasty zeal of Peter.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "Schaff's Popular
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/luke-22.html. 1879-90.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 22:51. ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου:an elliptical colloquialphrase, whose meaning
might be made clearby intonation or gesture. It might be spokeneither to the
captors = leave me free until I have healed the wounded man, or to the
disciples = let them apprehend me, or: no more use of weapons. Forthe
various interpretations put upon the words, vide Hahn. Perhaps the most
likely rendering is: “cease, itis enough,” desinite, satis est, as if it had stood,
ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου ἱκανόνἐστι, the disciples being addressed.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicol, W. Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". The
Expositor's Greek Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/egt/luke-22.html. 1897-1910.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
healed him. Added by Luke. See on Luke 6:17.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Luke 22:51". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/luke-22.html. 1909-1922.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(51) Suffer ye thus far.—The words and the incident are peculiar to St. Luke.
We are. not told to whom the words were spoken. If to the disciples, they were
a command to be patient, and to let things take their course. If, as is possible,
to the servants and officers, they were a plea for His disciples—“Donot visit
them with punishment for this one act.” The immediate healing of the earis in
favour of the latter view, as tending to conciliation.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCEHURT MD

Luke 22:51 But Jesus answeredand said, "Stop! No more of this." And He
touched his ear and healedhim.
KJV Luke 22:51 And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he
touched his ear, and healedhim.
NET Luke 22:51 But Jesus said, "Enoughof this!" And he touched the man's
ear and healed him.
Stop! No more of this. John 17:12;18:8,9
He touched his ear and healed him Romans 12:21; 2 Cor 10:1; 1 Peter2:21-
23
Luke 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
ExcellentDiagram/Mapof Jesus'Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion
JESUS SHOWS COMPASSION
TO HIS ENEMIES
ParallelPassages:Words in bold not in Luke's version.
Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus saidto him, “Put your sword back into its place;
for all those who take up the swordshall perish by the sword. 53 “Or do you
think that I cannot appealto My Father, and He will at once put at My
disposalmore than twelve legions of angels? 54 “How then will the Scriptures
be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

John 18:11 So Jesus saidto Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup
which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (See NOTE ON Lk 22:42
FOR COMMENTSON "CUP")
But Jesus answeredand said, "Stop!No more of this" - Jesus commands
Peterto stop this violence immediately. In Matthew's accountJesus explains
why Peter's actionwas absurd and unnecessary. FirstJesus explains "for all
those who take up the swordshall perish by the sword." (Mt 26:53) Jesus was
in effecttelling Peterif he took a life with his sword, he would suffer just
punishment for his murder! Then He asks a rhetoricalquestion (expecting an
affirmative reply) “Or do you think that I cannot appealto My Father, and
He will at once put at My disposalmore than twelve legions ofangels? (72,000
ANGELS - LOOK WHAT A SINGLE ANGEL DID TO THE ASSYRIANS
IN 2 Ki 19:35!)" (Mt 26:53)So Jesus could have calledfor the "angelic
cavalry" had He wanted to be defended. He goes on to explain why Peter's
actions were to ceaseand why He did not cry for help, stating that these things
must happen this way in order to fulfill the Scriptures (Mt 26:54, cf Mk
14:49), both Old and New Testamentpredictions (Here are a few - OT = Ps
41:9, Ps 55:12-14, Isa 53:2-12+, etal; NT = Mt 16:21; Mt 17:22-23;Mt 20:18-
19, Mt 12:40;Mt 17:9, 12).
Blum writes that "Peter's blind loyalty was touching, but it missedGod's
plan. Zeal without knowledge in religion often leads men astray(cf. Ro 10:2)."
Stein - As in Lk 22:38 they did not understand Jesus’teachings.Theydid not
pray (Lk 22:40, 46), and thus they neither knew nor were able to act correctly
in this time of trial.

Stop is a command (present imperative) and is in the plural, which would be
directed not just at Peterbut all the other 10 disciples (at leastone of whom
also had a knife!).
Stop (present imperative)(1439)(eao)means to allow someone to do
something, to let or to permit (Mt 24:43;Lk 4:41 = "He would not allow them
to speak", Acts 14:16;Acts 23:32;Acts 27:32, 28:2 1 Cor 10:13), Of leaving
the anchors in the sea (Acts 27:40).
Eao - 11xin 11vin the NAS - allow (2), allowed(2), leaving(1), left(1), let(2),
permit(1), permitted(1), stop(1). Uses in NAS = Mt. 24:43; Lk. 4:41; Lk.
22:51;Acts 14:16; Acts 16:7; Acts 19:30;Acts 23:32; Acts 27:32;Acts 27:40;
Acts 28:4; 1 Co. 10:13. The Textus Receptus has two additional uses not found
in the more modern Greek transcripts - Acts 5:38KJV = "let them alone" and
Rev 2:20NKJV = "you allow that woman Jezebel".
Matthew 24:43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known
at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the
alert and would not have allowedhis house to be broken into.
Luke 4:41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son
of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, becausethey
knew Him to be the Christ.
Luke 22:51 But Jesus answeredand said, “Stop!No more of this.” And He
touched his ear and healedhim.
Acts 14:16 “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go
their own ways;
Acts 16:7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia,
and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Acts 19:30 And when Paul wantedto go into the assembly, the disciples
would not let him.
Acts 23:32 But the next day, leaving the horsemento go on with him, they
returned to the barracks.
Acts 27:32 Then the soldiers cut awaythe ropes of the ship’s boat and let it
fall away.
Acts 27:40 And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the
same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the
foresailto the wind, they were heading for the beach.
Acts 28:4; When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they
begansaying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and
though he has been savedfrom the sea, justice has not allowedhim to live.”
Eao - 28xin 28vin the Septuagint -
Gen. 38:16;Exod. 32:10;Deut. 9:14; Jos. 19:47;Jdg. 11:37; 2 Sam. 15:34; Est.
3:8; Job 7:19; Job9:18; Job 9:28; Job 10:20; Job31:34; Dan. 2:44; Dan. 4:15;
Dan. 4:23; Dan. 4:26
He touched his ear and healed him - Only Luke the physician describes the
supernatural healing, Jesus'lastrecordedmiracle before He was crucified.
Imagine the thoughts that must have coursedthrough those who had come to
seize Jesus whenthey witnessedthis miraculous healing! This is surely an act
of grace and mercy not just to Malchus but also to all who witnessedthis
miracle. It provided another opportunity for His enemies to considerHis
claim that He was the Messiah, thatHe was God in the flesh even as He healed
flesh! Whether any of those who witnessedJesus'miracle repented and
believed, the Scripture does not say. We will have to wait until we get to

heaven to learn whether anyone responded to His clearmanifestation of His
divinity!
J C Ryle on the healing of the ear - There are severalremarkable things about
this miracle. It is the only instance in the Gospels ofour Lord healing a fresh
wound causedby external violence. It is a striking instance of a miracle
workedon an enemy, unaskedfor, without faith in the personhealed, and
without any apparent thankfulness for the cure. It is an extraordinary proof
of the wickednessandhardness of our Lord's enemies, that so wonderful a
miracle as this could be wrought without any effectbeing produced on them.
Some think that in the darkness the miracle was not seenby anyone except
those immediately around Malchus.
Touched(having touched)(681)(hapto/haptomai)means to grasp, to lay hold
of with the basic meaning of touching for the purpose of manipulating. Hapto
conveys the sense handling of an objectas to exert a modifying influence upon
it. The majority of the 39 uses are in the Gospels and are associatedwith Jesus
touching someone (or someone touching Him) usually with a beneficial effect.
The first NT use is of Jesus healing a leper (Lk 5:13) and the lastrecorded
touch of healing healing the slave's hear. For other uses of touch in healing see
Lk 7:14+ and Lk 8:43–47+.
Healed (2390)(iaomai)means to cure, to heal, to restore. Iaomairefers
primarily to physical healing in the NT (although clearly there is overlap
because some ofthese instances involved demonic oppression - Lk 9:42), and
much less commonly to spiritual healing or healing (saving) from "moral
illnesses" andthe consequences ofsin. Mostof the NT uses in the Gospels
refer to physical healing by Jesus (excepting the physical healing that resulted
by release from demonic oppression). Howeverin the OT (Lxx) uses iaomai
refers primarily to spiritual healing by the Messiah(Isa 53:5+, Isa 61:1, et al).

Hendriksen - We once more see Jesus as the Great Sympathizer and Healer,
the Savior, and this not only for the soul (in the case ofall who place their
trust in him) but even for the body. See Matt. 4:23; Luke 4:40; 7:21; Acts
2:22; 10:38....Fromthese passagesit becomes clearthat when Jesus extended
his hand to touch and heal the ear of Malchus, this was the last service he
rendered with his hand before he was bound. Therefore, the last action of that
hand, while it was still free, was one of love, one of rendering service to men.
How it reminds us of His other similar deeds! Again and againhe had placed
His hand on people to heal and to bless them. He had even takenthe little ones
into His arm to bless them. Here, again, what a lessonfor us all!
And lo, thy touch brought life and health,
Gave speechand strength and sight;
Lo, youth renewed and frenzy calmed,
Owned thee, the Lord of light.
And now, O Lord, be near to bless,
Almighty as of yore,
In crowdedstreets, by restless couch,
As by Gennesareth's shore.
--From "Thine Arm, O Lord" by E. H. Plumptre
Lawrence Richards - At the very beginning of Jesus’ministry He had said,
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
Now, about to go to the cross, He took love a step further. Even as your
enemies seek to destroy you, make them whole.

Jesus'non-retaliatoryresponse to those who sought to kill Him gives a
challenging example for every disciple of every age when we are unfairly
treated, etc! Clearly Jesus practicedwhat He preachedin Luke 6:27-29+ (cp
Lk 6:35-36)...
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do goodto those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “Whoeverhits
you on the cheek, offerhim the other also;and whoevertakes awayyour coat,
do not withhold your shirt from him either."
Note that there are 4 commands, all in the present imperative, calling for this
to be a disciple's lifestyle! Just try to accomplishthis by relying on fleshly
power! It is impossible. Recallthat Jesus was fully Man and as such He was
giving us an example of how disciples should and could live. What was His
"secret?" Jesus was continuallyfilled with and empoweredby the Holy Spirit
(cf Acts 10:38, Lk 4:1-2, 14+), the same Holy Spirit to Whom you and I have
daily access!(Eph 5:18+, Gal 5:16+) Are you availing yourself of the gift of the
Spirit Who lives in you to enable you to do supernaturally that which you
absolutely cannotdo naturally?
ILLUSTRATION - In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist
pastor during the American Revolution, PeterMiller, who lived in Ephrata,
Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata
also lived MichaelWittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to
oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day MichaelWittman was arrestedfor
treasonand sentencedto die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to
Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor. "No, Peter," General
Washingtonsaid. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend." "My friend!"
exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the bitterest enemy I have." "What?" cried
Washington. "You've walkedseventymiles to save the life of an enemy? That
puts the matter in different light. I'll grant your pardon," and he did. Peter
Miller took MichaelWittman back home to Ephrata—no longeran enemy but
a friend. (Treasures from Luke)

ILLUSTRATION - RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL - A SalvationArmy
officer tells of an old Maoriwoman who had won the name of "Warrior
Brown" by her fighting qualities when drunk or enraged. She was converted,
and gave her testimony at an open air meeting, whereupon some foolish
person hit her with a nasty blow with a potato. A week before, the cowardly
insulter would have needed to make himself scarce forhis trouble; but what a
change!"Warrior" pickedup the potato without a word and put it in her
pocket. No more was heard of the incident until the harvest festival came
around, and then "Warrior" brought a little sack ofpotatoes and explained
that she had cut up and planted the insulting potato, and was now presenting
to the Lord its increase. (Mattoon's Treasures)
WILLIAM BARCLAY
There were four different parties involved in this arrest, and their actions and
reactions are very significant.
(i) There was Judas the traitor. He was the man who had abandoned God and
entered into a league with Satan. It is only when a man has put God out of his
life and taken Satanin, that he can sink to selling Christ.
(ii) There were the Jews who had come to arrestJesus. Theywere the men
who were blind to God. When God incarnate came to this earth, all that they
could think of was how to hustle him to a cross. Theyhad so long chosentheir
own way and shut their ears to the voice of God and their eyes to his guidance
that in the end they could not recognise him when he came. It is a terrible
thing to be blind and deaf to God. As Mrs. Browning wrote,

"I too have strength--
Strength to behold him and not worship him,
Strength to fall from him and not to cry to him."
God save us from a strength like that!
(iii) There were the disciples. They were the men who for the moment had
forgottenGod. Their world had fallen in and they were sure the end had
come. The lastthing they remembered at that moment was God; the only
thing they thought of was the terrible situation into which they had come. Two
things happen to the man who forgets Godand leaves him out of the situation.
He becomes utterly terrified and completely disorganized. He loses the power
to face life and to cope with it. In the time of trial, life is unlivable without
God.
(iv) There was Jesus. And Jesus was the one personin the whole scene who
remembered God. The amazing thing about him in the last days was his
absolute serenity once Gethsemane was over. In those days, even at his arrest,
it was he who seemedto be in control; and even at his trial, it was he who was
the judge. The man who walks with God can cope with any situation and look
any foe in the eyes, unbowed and unafraid. It is he, and he alone, who can
ultimately say,
"In the fell clutch of circumstance,

I have not wincednor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbow'd.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How chargedwith punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."
It is only when a man has bowed to God that he can talk and act like a
conqueror.
GENE BROOKS
Luke 22:49-50 - In a brief attempt to defend Jesus, one ofthe disciples
(identified as Peterby John 18:10)strikes the servant of the high priest with a
swordand cuts off his ear. Jesus, completelyin control and in his last miracle
of healing of his earthly ministry, heals the man’s ear (found only in Luke),

and stops further resistance.Unresisting and simply majestic, Jesus askswhy
they bring this armed rabble with them, and He rebukes the leaders for
treating him like a rebel when they could have openly arrested him at any
time of day in the Temple courts. But Jesus knows the answerto His question:
They were afraid of the people (Luke 22:2). Darkness is a fitting time for their
diabolicalact.
HENRY BURTON
He offers no resistance;but when Peter’s quick sword flashes from its
scabbard, and takes offthe right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high
priest, and so one of the leaders in the arrest, Jesus asks forthe use of His
manacledhand-for so we read the "Suffer ye thus far"-and touching the ear,
heals it at once. He Himself is willing to be wounded even unto death, but His
alone must be the wounds. His enemies must not share His pain, nor must His
disciples pass with Him into this temple of His sufferings; and He even stays to
ask for them a free parole: "Let these go their way."
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 51
Jesus rebukedPeter"s aggressive defensive measure. This is more probable
than that He spoke to the soldiers and requested permissionto heal the
servant. [Note: Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 1:649.]Another
improbable interpretation is that Jesus meantthat the disciples should let the
soldiers have their way with Him. [Note: Creed, p274;Marshall, The Gospel.
. ., p837; and Morris, p313.]Jesus then reversedthe damage done by healing
the servant. He did what He had previously told the disciples to do, namely, do

goodto their enemies rather than evil. Again Luke noted Jesus" compassion
even for those who soughtto kill Him. Jesus did not rely on the swordnor did
He base His kingdom on the use of physical force.
Rev. Bruce Goettsche
49 When Jesus’followers saw whatwas going to happen, they said, “Lord,
should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of
the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
Peterthought He was defending the Lord. We don’t know whether he aimed
for the ear or just swung and got the ear. John tells us that the man who lost
his earwas the servant of the High Priestnamed Malchus. I believe John gives
the servant’s name so his readercould verify his story.
This actof aggressioncould have starteda massacre. Jesus quicklydiffused
what could have been terrible.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and
healed him.
At this act everyone stopped. They had witnessedthe miracle of Jesus first
hand. A bleeding ear was suddenly back to normal. A man screaming in pain
suddenly felt fine. Anger was replacedwith confusion. What kind of battle is
this? Who brings immediate healing to their enemies?

MATTHEW HENRY
Luke here tells us, 1. How Christ excusedthe blow: Suffer ye thus far, Luke
22:51. Dr. Whitby thinks he said this to his enemies who came to take him, to
pacify them, that they might not be provoked by it to fall upon the disciples,
whom he had undertaken the preservationof: "Pass by this injury and affront
it was without warrant from me, and there shall not be another blow struck."
Though Christ had power to have struck them down, and struck them dead,
yet he speaks them fair, and, as it were, begs their pardon for an assaultmade
upon them by one of his followers, to teachus to give goodwords even to our
enemies. 2. How he cured the wound, which was more than amends sufficient
for the injury: He touched his ear, and healedhim fastenedhis earon again,
that he might not so much as go awaystigmatized, though he well deservedit.
Christ hereby gave them a proof, (1.) Of his power. He that could heal could
destroy if he pleased, which should have obliged them in interest to submit to
him. Had they returned the blow upon Peter, he would immediately have
healed him and what could not a small regiment do that had such a surgeonto
it, immediately to help the sick and wounded? (2.) Of his mercy and goodness.
Christ here gave an illustrious example to his own rule of doing goodto them
that hate us, as afterwards he did of praying for them that despitefully use us.
Those who render goodfor evil do as Christ did. One would have thought that
this generous piece ofkindness should have overcome them, that such coals,
heaped on their heads, should have melted them, that they could not have
bound him as a malefactorwho had approved himself such a benefactorbut
their hearts were hardened.
ALEXANDER MACLAREN
The rash resistance ofthe disciple is recordedchiefly for the sake ofChrist’s
words and acts. The anonymous swordsmanwas Peter, and the anonymous
victim was Malchus, as John tells us. No doubt he had brought one of the two

swords from the upper room, and, in a sudden burst of angerand rashness,
struck at the man nearesthim, not considering the fatal consequencesfor
them all that might follow. Petercould manage nets better than swords, and
missed the head, in his flurry and in the darkness, only managing to shear off
a poor slave’s ear. When the Church takes swordin hand, it usually shows
that it does not know how to wield it, and as often as not has struck the wrong
man. Christ tells Peterand us, in His word here, what His servants’ true
weapons are, and rebukes all armed resistance ofevil. ‘Suffer ye thus far’ is a
command to oppose violence only by meek endurance, which wins in the long
run, as surely as the patient sunshine melts the thick ice, which is ice still,
when pounded with a hammer.
If ‘thus far’ as to His own seizure and crucifying was to be ‘suffered,’ where
can the breaking-point of patience and non-resistance be fixed? Surely every
other instance of violence and wrong lies far on this side of that one. The
prisoner heals the wound. Wonderful testimony that not inability to deliver
Himself, but willingness to be taken, gave Him into the hands of His captors!
Blessedproofthat He lavishes benefits on His foes, and that His delight is to
heal all wounds and stanch every bleeding heart!
The lastincident here is Christ’s piercing rebuke, addressed, not to the poor,
ignorant tools, but to the prime movers of the conspiracy, who had come to
gloatover its success. He asserts His own innocence, and hints at the
preposterous inadequacyof ‘swords and staves’to take Him. He is no
‘robber,’ and their weapons are powerless, unless He wills. He recalls His
uninterrupted teaching in the Temple, as if to convictthem of cowardice,and
perchance to bring to remembrance His words there. And then, with that
same sublime and strange majesty of calm submission which marks all His
last hours, He unveils to these furious persecutors the true characterof their
deed. The sufferings of Jesus were the meeting-point of three worlds—earth,
hell, and heaven. ‘This is your hour.’ But it was also Satan’s hour, and it was
Christ’s ‘hour,’ and God’s. Man’s passions, inflamed from beneath, were used

to work out God’s purpose; and the Cross is at once the product of human
unbelief, of devilish hate, and of divine mercy. His sufferings were ‘the power
of darkness.’
Mark in that expressionChrist’s consciousnessthat He is the light, and
enmity to Him darkness. Mark, too, His meek submission, as bowing His head
to let the black flood flow over Him. Note that Christ brands enmity to Him as
the high-watermark of sin, the crucialinstance of man’s darkness, the worst
thing ever done. Mark the assurance thatanimated Him, that the eclipse was
but for an ‘hour.’ The victory of the darkness was brief, and it led to the
eternal triumph of the Light. By dying He is the death of death. This Jonah
inflicts deadly wounds on the monster in whose maw He lay for three days.
The powerof darkness was shivered to atoms in the moment of its proudest
triumph, like a wave which is beaten into spray as it rises in a towering crest
and flings itself againstthe rock.
RICH CATHERS
49 When they which were about him saw what would follow, they saidunto
him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
shall we smite – patasso – to strike gently: as a part or a member of the body;
to stroke, smite: with the sword, to afflict, to visit with evils, etc. as with a
deadly disease;to smite down, cut down, to kill, slay
the sword– machaira – a large knife, used for killing animals and cutting up
flesh; a small sword, as distinguished from a large sword
Keep in mind, Jesus had just told the guys that they needed to take a sword
with them.

(Luke 22:36-38 KJV) Then saidhe unto them, But now, he that hath a purse,
let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell
his garment, and buy one. {37} For I sayunto you, that this that is written
must yet be accomplishedin me, And he was reckonedamong the
transgressors:for the things concerning me have an end. {38} And they said,
Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
:50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right
ear.
smote – patasso – to strike gently: as a part or a member of the body; to
stroke, smite: with the sword, to afflict, to visit with evils, etc. as with a deadly
disease;to smite down, cut down, to kill, slay
cut off – aphaireo – to take from, take away, remove, carry off; to cut off
one of them – Luke is being nice and withholding the name of the swordsman
and the victim. John isn’t so nice:
(John 18:10-11 KJV) Then Simon Peterhaving a sworddrew it, and smote
the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was
Malchus. {11} Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy swordinto the sheath:
the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
I wonder if Peterisn’t trying to prove himself. When Jesus had warned Peter
that Peterwould deny Jesus, Peterrespondedby saying,
(Luke 22:33 KJV) And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee,
both into prison, and to death.
Note: Peterdidn’t waitfor Jesus to answerthe question. He just jumps out
and starts swinging his sword.
Lesson
Self-confidence
The road to denying Jesus starts with self-confidence.
Illustration

Testat Duke
This was takenout of Duke University’s Staff newsletter.
At Duke University, there were four sophomores taking Organic Chemistry.
They did so well on all the quizzes, midterms and labs, etc., that eachhad an
“A” so far for the semester. Thesefour friends were so confident that the
weekendbefore finals, they decided to go up to University of Virginia and
party with some friends up there. They had a greattime. However, after all
the partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn’t make it back to Duke until
early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find
their professorafterthe final and explain to him why they missed it. They
explained that they had gone to UVA for the weekendwith the plan to come to
study, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the wayback, didn’t have a
spare, and couldn’t gethelp for a long time. As a result, they missedthe final.
The Professorthought it over and then agreedthey could make up the final
the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night
and went in the next day at the time the professorhad told them. He placed
them in separate rooms and handed eachof them a test booklet, and told them
to begin. They lookedat the first problem, worth 5 points. It was something
simple about free radicalformation. “Cool,”they thought at the same time,
eachone in his separate room, “this is going to be easy.” Eachfinished the
problem and then turned the page. On the secondpage was written: (For 95
points): Which tire?
I think that one of the tests of self-confidence is found in how I look at others
that are struggling.
When I get mad at others who are stumbling and think that I, myself, could
never do such a thing, I’m in danger.
Matthew records Petersaying to Jesus,

(Mat 26:33 KJV) Peteransweredand saidunto him, Though all men shall be
offended because ofthee, yet will I never be offended.
:51 And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear,
and healedhim.
Suffer – eao – to allow, permit, let; to allow one to do as he wishes, not to
restrain, to let alone
he touched – haptomai – to fastenone’s selfto, adhere to, cling to; to touch
healed – iaomai– to cure, heal; to make whole
Note: The lastmiracle we have recordedof Jesus before His resurrection is to
correcta blunder from one of His disciples.
Luke: Betrayal
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on September11, 2011
Luke 22:47-53
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The Lord’s Day Morning

September 11, 2011
“Betrayal”
Luke 22:47-53
The ReverendDr. J. Ligon Duncan III
If you have your Bibles, I’d invite you to open them with me to Luke chapter
22
as we continue our waythrough the gospelof Luke.
The lasttime we were with the Lord Jesus in Luke we were with Him as He
prayed in the Gardenof Gethsemane and today we are going to see some of
the
effects of those prayers, those prayers which God graciouslyanswers as He
prepares to face this hour of trial.
And the trial that’s recordedfor us in Luke 22 verses 47 to 53, the trial of
Jesus as He is captured in the garden by the ambush of His enemies, shows us
three scenes, andI’d like you to be on the lookoutfor these scenes as we read

through the passage.In verses 47
and 48 we see Him betrayed with a kiss.
In verses 49 to 51 we see one of His assailants healedby His hand.
And then in verses 52 and 53 we see the whole mob, the whole crowd,
rebuked with a word, Jesus’wordof rebuke.
So be on the lookoutfor those things as we read God’s Word.
Let’s pray and ask for His help in the hearing of His Word.
Heavenly Father, this is Your Word.
It is powerful; it is effective;it is sharper than any two-edgedsword.
It pierces deep down into places of our soul which are invisible and it
is true. You mean it for our good
because not only is it inspired, it is profitable.
We ask that You would open our eyes to behold wonderful things in it.
We pray that by Your Spirit that we would see our sin and we would see
the Saviorand that we would trust in Him and run to Him.
And we ask that You would be glorified even in our hearing of this Word,
that we would hear it as if our lives depend upon it, because they do.
In Jesus’name, amen.
This is the Word of God. Hear it:

“While He was still
speaking, there came a crowd, and the man calledJudas, one of the twelve,
was
leading them. He drew near to Jesus
to kiss Him, but Jesus saidto him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Sonof Man
with
a kiss?’And when those who were
around Him saw what would follow, they said, ‘Lord, shall we strike with the
sword?’And one of them struck the
servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’
And He touched his ear and healed him.
Then Jesus saidto the chief priests and officers of the temple and
elders, who had come out againstHim, ‘Have you come out as againsta
robber,
with swords and clubs? When I was
with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me.
But this is your hour, and the powerof darkness.’”
Amen, and thus ends this reading of God’s holy, inspired, and inerrant Word.
May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts.
Have you ever been so stunned that you can’t speak?
Have you ever been so shockedthat you don’t know what to move?

Not only do you not know what to do, you can’t even move!
Has something ever so blindsided you that you were temporarily
immobilized? I know what that’s
like, and what strikes me as I look at this passage is how unsurprised the
Savior is, how unshockedand stunned the Savior is by the ambush of these
assailants andhow utterly prepared He is not only to respond to them but to
assume the position of the person who is in charge and to serve as a physician
of souls, to serve who is the one who is in complete control and who is in
complete trust of His sovereignheavenly Father.
And I’d like to look with you for a few moments today as to how we see
that.
BETRAYED WITH A KISS
First I want you to see this scene in verses 47 and 48.
If you look at the parallelpassage in John 18 and you combine it with
the details that Luke tells us here and the other synoptic gospelauthors tell
us, the scene is this: Jesus and His
elevendisciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane.
You remember, He had gone into the garden to pray, eight of the disciples
had stayedperhaps close to the entrance to stand watch, three of the disciples
had come in closerto Him, but He had moved a stone’s throw from them.

He had prayed, He had come back, He had found them all sleeping, He had
encouragedthem to rise and pray to prepare for the trial that was coming,
and
“evenas He was speaking,”we are told in verse 47, that a crowd came.
Now, it’s interesting that Luke calls
them a crowd or a mob, because among these people are temple guards, we’re
told
that here, but also members of the Roman cohort.
John tells us that. Now a
Roman cohortwas a disciplined military group of about six hundred men.
It was unlikely that the Roman leader would have dispensed that many men
to go on this particular errand, but perhaps a significant number of a Roman
cohort is going along with these temple guards.
Why? Well, because you
remember the last time that Jesus encounteredthe temple guards — you’ll
find
that story in John 7 — the temple guard’s job was to go getHim and bring
Him
back to the chief priests and leaders of the Sanhedrin and they didn’t come
back
with Him. They came back
empty-handed. Jesus so
impressed them in His engagementwith them that they came back empty-
handed.

And perhaps now the leaders say, “We’d better send some Romans along to
make sure that the temple guards do what we saythis time.”
But along with the temple guard and part of that Roman cohort were also
members
of the Sanhedrin itself — some of the chief priests, some of the elders, they
were there too. But here’s the
shocking thing. Leading the way, and
did you catch that language in verse 47?
Leading them was who? One of
Jesus’owndisciples. Judas was
leading this motley horde towards Jesus.
It’s a stunning betrayal. And
as he approaches Jesus, he identifies Jesus to His assailants andcaptors by
kissing Him. This was an expression
of love and reverence that sometimes was showedto a rabbi by his disciples.
In the same way, some of you canthink back right now, there have been
ministers, campus ministers, youth workers who ministered to you in
profound
ways in the course of your life, and perhaps they were with you in significant
stages in your life as a believer.
Maybe they were there at the baptism of a child, maybe they were there for
your

professionof faith, maybe they were there for your marriage, maybe they
were
there for a funeral when death touched your family in a profound way, and
your
heart has been knitted with them and when you’ve been apart from them a
long
time and you see them again, you want to throw your arms around them
because
that personhas had a profound effectand ministered Christ into your life.
And
so it’s that kind of an act of affectiontowards Jesus.
But Judas is using it as his sign to identify their prey.
It is a display of false affectionas a cloak fordeep wickedness.
And J.C. Ryle says this about it:
“To betray Christ at any time is the very height of wickedness, but to
betray Him with a kiss proves a man to have become a very child of hell.”
And yet, and yet, do you see Jesus’response to this?
Look at verse 48. After Judas
has done this, Jesus’response is not affront.
“How dare you! How dare you
betray Me!How dare you do this!”
Jesus’response is to immediately assume the posture of a surgeonof
souls and begin to speak words to Judas that are designedto make Judas
realize

his ownwickedness andthe terrible danger of what he is doing and to produce
in
him repentance and to turn him back to God.
Look at Jesus’words. “Judas,
would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
In other words, He’s saying, “ReallyJudas, really — you’re going to do
this this way? You’re going to
betray Me with a kiss? Don’t you
realize the danger of this to your soul?
Don’t you realize what you’re doing?
You think that I’m on trail here.
You think that I’m the one that’s undergoing the temptation.
No, Judas, you’re the one who’s undergoing the temptation.
You are walking down a path towards hell and I am here saying to you —“
just like Jesus had just a few hours before when He washedJudas’ feet.
Do you remember that? And
explained to the disciples that if they were not washedby Him, forgiven
through
the cleansing that only His blood canprovide, they have no forgiveness, they
have no hope, and He has washedJudas’ feetopening the gate of repentance
to
him. And again, He’s speaking words
to Judas again, designed to getJudas to open his eyes and realize what he’s
doing. But Judas does not heed

Jesus.
Do you remember what Billy just read in Hebrews 12 verse 25?
Do you remember those words, what he just read?
“Do not reject His voice” because those who rejectHis voice even when He
was on earth, they did not escape.
Jesus, in response to Judas’treachery, assumes the posture of a surgeonof
souls, diagnoses his heart sin, opens it up to show it to him, and Judas rejects
Him. My friends, on the lastday,
should Judas stand before God and say, “But I didn’t understand,” God
Almighty
will sayfrom the throne, “My loving and merciful Son, the very last words He
spoke to you, were designedto wake you up to the dangerof your soul and
you
closedyour heart to Him.” This is a
warning for us all my friends. This
is a warning for us all, because the only thing standing betweenthe love and
mercy of Jesus and Judas is not Jesus’willingness.
When He had every right to thunder condemnation on Judas, He was thinking
only of his soul, but Judas’hard heart rejectedthe Savior.
I want to say, because Italk to so many parents who long for their children to
trust the Lord and they long to find the words to tell their children so that

their children will trust the Lord and they have perhaps for years and years
and
years shared the Gospelwith their children and their children have not
accepted
the Lord, I want to remind you that even the Savior spoke words of love and
mercy and from some found rejection.
There is no magic word that we cansay.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a human being to
break the darkness, to break the hardness, to open the eyes up to see sin, to
turn from sin to run to God. You
see, Judas thought that in doing what he was doing, he was going to find the
satisfactionthat he was looking for, but Jesus knew that the road paved
before
Him was paved to destruction. And in
His kindness He said, “Judas, do you have any idea what you’re doing?
Really, you’re going to betray Me with a kiss?
Don’t do this Judas, because I’m not the one on trial here, you are.”
HEALED BY HIS HAND
Secondly, immediately after this remarkable scene, a fight breaks out.
The disciples recognize what’s about to happen.

Remember, they’d already had a conversationaboutcarrying swords, and so
they say, “Lord, this time are You ready for us to fight for You?”
And before Jesus cananswer, Petersprings into action and he takes out
his swordand he cuts off the right ear of the chief priest’s chief servant.
And Jesus stops him and Jesus heals His assailant.
Now there are severalthings I want you to see in this.
The first thing I want you to see is this — the important thing that
Jesus understands at this point is not to go on the offensive and attack.
The important thing for Him to do here is to acceptthe providence of God
in this moment. And that’s actually
the important thing for the disciples.
This is not the time for them to draw the sword.
This is time for them to acceptGod’s providence.
You understand how important this is — the false charge that the Jews are
going to bring againstJesus to the Romans is that He is the leaderof a
rebellion againstRoman rule, as wellas a blasphemer claiming to be the
Messiah, the Son of God, a charge which the Romans, frankly, could not have
caredless about. But they very much
caredabout the idea of rebels leading groups of people againsttheir rule.
And so Jesus must immediately establishthat He has no intention of
fighting this Romancohort because He’s never lead anybody in violent action
before in His life. In fact, He has

ministered, and He’ll say later on, in the broad daylight saying everything
that
He said for everyone to hear who wanted to hear it. There’s nothing secretive
and sneakyabout what Jesus is doing.
He’s not fomenting a secretrebellion againstRome and so it’s very
important that He and His disciples respond in that wayso that it is seen
again, even by His accusers, that their accusations are false.
But here’s something I think that’s very important for us to recognize as well.
And I quote at length from J.C. Ryle who says this:
“We should learn from
these verses that it is much easierto fight a little for Christ than to endure
hardship and go to prison and death for His sake.
The lessonbefore us is deeply instructed.
To suffer patiently for Christ is far more difficult than to work
actively. To sit down and endure
calmly is far more hard than to stir about and take part in the battle.
Crusaders will always be found more numerous than martyrs.
Work for Christ may be done from many spurious motives — from
excitement,
from emulation, from party spirit, from love of praise — but suffering for
Christ will seldom be endured from any but one motive.

And that motive is the grace ofGod.
We shall do well to remember these things informing our estimate of the
comparative grace of professing Christians.
Some poor, unknown believer who has been lying for years on his back,
enduring pain without a murmur, may prove at last to have brought more
glory to
Christ through his patience and to have done more goodthrough his prayers
than
the public actionof others. The
grand test of grace is patient suffering.
Remember God’s words about Saul, Acts 9:16.
‘I will show Saul what greatthings he will suffer for My name.’
Peter, we may be sure did far less goodwhen he drew his swordand cut
off a man’s earthan when he stoodcalmly before the council as a prisoner
and
said, ‘I cannotbut speak the things that I have seenand heard.’”
There is a greatreminder in this about our acceptanceofthe hard
providences
of God in our lives and the role that that plays in our witness to Christ.
But here’s finally what I want you to see about this secondscene.
Do you realize that soonafter the events recordedhere, Jesus’hands
will be bound and they will remain bound until they are attachedto a cross so

that the very last act that Jesus’free hand performs is to reach out and heal
the earof one who was His assailantwho wanted to kill Him?
Jesus, notonly spoke but did deeds of love and mercy to the very end.
And it is a picture of the Gospel, isn’t it?
You know, you may be here today and because ofsome sin in your life feel
that you are beyond the love and mercy of Christ, but look friend, Jesus’final
words to Judas are words of love and mercy and His final acttowards
Malchus,
the high priest’s servant, is an act of love and mercy. No one, no one is beyond
the love and mercy of Christ.
There’s one more thing that I want to mention in passing and it’s this — you
will notice that Luke, as well as Mark and Matthew, do not say the name of
the
disciple who cut off Malchus’ear.
In fact, they don’t even give Malchus’name.
You have to turn to John 18 before you find out that it was Peterwho did
this and that it was Malchus who was the servant.
That, to me, is just one more picture of the historicity of Scripture.
Why do I say that? Because
when the first gospels were writtenand when these stories were circulated,
naming Petercould have hindered his ministry.
Should the Romans find out that it was Peterwho had done this, they

would have that much more reasonand cause to arresthim and hinder his
ministry. But John, which was
written long after this time, was safe to recordthe name of the assailantof
Malchus the high priest. It’s just another picture of the historicity of the
stories that we are reading. They
are true, even in the way they recordthem.
REBUKED WITH A WORD
One last scene. Look atverses 52
and 53. Jesus’response to the
assembledcrowd, and that’s the word that Luke uses, as Jesus speaks to the
chief priests and temple officers and elders who had come out againstHim,
Jesus’word is a word of rebuke. And
it’s a display of God’s sovereigntyeven in the face of the evil of man.
Jesus said, “Have you come out againsta robber with swords and clubs?”
You know, His point is, “I’ve been in the temple every day.
You could have arrestedMe then.
You didn’t have to come out at night with swords and clubs.”
And John in John 18 tells us torches as well.
“You could have arrested Me in the day.”
But of course, the reasonthat they didn’t is because theywere up to no

goodand they knew it, and they knew they’d get in trouble with the people.
It’s wheneverI read this passageabout“this is your hour and the power
of darkness,” the words of my mother ring in my ears.
That woman from goodeastTennessee,SouthernBaptist stock, wouldsay to
her teenage boyoften, “Nothing goodevery happened after midnight.”
Ever heard anything like that from your mother?
I think of that every time I get to this passage. And Jesus is saying to
them, “The fact that you have chosento do this now, under the coverof
darkness, shows the darkness ofyour own hearts.
It’s the power of darkness that is at work in you.”
But just picture for a secondthe ridiculousness of this.
So they have clubs and swords, so they have torches, this is the word who
was in the beginning, who spoke into being a universe that stretches 13.7
billion light years across.If He wanted,
He could have collapseda million galaxies onthem at that very moment. And
they
have swords and clubs? Fine!
He’s in complete control. He
says to them, “This is your hour.
You’ve chosenthis coverof darkness and this is the powerof darkness at
work
in you, but My Father is in control and the only reasonthat you are going to

take Me from this garden is because I have let you take Me because one word
and
you would cease to exist. One word
and twelve legions of angels would swoopdown upon you.
One word and you would be dismissed.
My Fatheris in control.”
And think of it my friends, the actions of Judas and of Malchus the chief
priest’s servant and of all of this assembledcrowd, these actions Godwould
use
for the saving of millions and millions and tens of millions of souls.
And Jesus knows that. So the
trial for them, though they think it is a trial for Him, is actually, “Who’s
side are you going to be on?” We
know that some of the Sanhedrin themselves came to understand who Jesus
was and
trusted Him. We also know that Judas
did not. And that’s the question
before us today. It may well be in
the trials of your life that this trial is pressedback on you.
Will you run to what you think your hope and satisfactionis in and
rejectJesus, orwill you run to Jesus and rejectyour sin?
That’s the trial that all the people in that garden facedthat night.
Some of them did not pass that test, and so let the words of Hebrews

12:25 ring in your ears — “Do not rejectHis voice.”
In a few moments we’re going to sing from hymn 568.
It’s called, “In the Hour of Trial.”
It’s about the trial of Jesus in the gardenand afterwards and then
finally on the cross. But the point
that the hymn makes is that we must cry out to Jesus for help in our hour of
trial because though this was a sore test for Jesus, the realtrial was the
trial that was going on in the hearts of those who rejectedHim in the garden.
And we want to be ready when our trials come to acceptHim and reject
sin, to run to Him and run awayfrom the vain things of this world as our
hope.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word.
We ask that You would work it deep in our hearts and that we would
response in trust in the hour of trial.
This we ask in Jesus’name, amen.
Take your hymnals now in hand and turn with me to 568.

In the hour of trial, all those who respond to Him who speaks a word of hope,
a
word of truth, a word of mercy, hear these words.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
L. M. GRANT
BETRAYED AND ARRESTED
(vs.47-53)
Only the Lord was prepared when the enemy came. Judas went ahead of the
crowd, evidently thinking that the Lord would not know that he was in any
way linked with these soldiers. How blind was his unbelief, and how grossly
deceitful, that he would kiss the Lord with the object of betraying Him! The
Lord's words to him (v.48), faithful, yet with no bitterness or anger, showed
him that his treachery had been discerned. What could he do now? Where
could he go? Forhe had proven to friends and enemies alike that he could not
be trusted. Terrible exposure!We know from Matthew 27:3-5 the tragic end
of this pathetic victim of Satan's delusion, that he hanged himself and entered
eternity lost, and destined to eternal punishment.
But the disciples were panic stricken. What could they do? They questioned
the Lord as to whether they should use their carnal weapons for defense. But
one of them (Peter) didn't wait for an answer. We too may sometimes pray,

then excitedly act without an answerfrom the Lord. No doubt he aimed for
the man's head, but only cut off his right ear. If the Lord had not been
present, this act would have likely started a violent riot, but how blessedit is
to see the calm dignity of the Son of God in true control of the situation. With
gentle words He touched the servant's ear and healed him. One may wonder if
that actwas not enough to awakensome serious exercise in the man's soul,
which would never have been awakenedby Peter's fleshly zeal. Forit is the
goodness ofGodthat leads people to repentance.
No mention is made in Luke of the divine powerby which the Lord Jesus,
speaking His Old Testamentname, "I Am", put His attackersprostrate on
their backs. Only John mentions this (John 18:6). But His calm rebuke to the
chief priests, captains and elders in verses 52 and 53 should have burned
deeply into their consciences.Theyhad come with carnal weapons, but His
daily contactwith them in the temple had shown that He never adopted such
weapons. The incongruity of their coming in this wayonly exposedtheir evil
motives. "But," He added, "this is your hour and the powerof darkness"
(v.53). They were to be allowedin their brief hour, to fully express their
hatred againstHim and againstGod, they being the willing tools of satanic
power.
HAWKER
Verses 47-54
"And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was calledJudas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
(48) But Jesus saidunto him, Judas, betrayestthou the Son of man with a
kiss? (49)When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said
unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? (50) And one of them smote

the servantof the high priest, and cut off his right ear. (51) And Jesus
answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed
him. (52) Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple,
and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as againsta thief,
with swords and staves? (53)When I was daily with you in the temple, ye
stretchedforth no hands againstme: but this is your hour, and the power of
darkness. (54)Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the
high priest's house. And Peterfollowedafar off."
We now are calledupon to another view of the Redeemer. I beg the Reader's
close attention. Every word is big with importance. And, first, Judas, with the
band coming to apprehend Christ. But what a band of such armed men to lay
hold of one poor unarmed man? Had they conceivedthat Jesus was nothing
more than man, is it likely that they would have taken so greata body? And
wherefore did Judas give such a signal for the apprehensionof Christ? And
Matthew adds to this account, that Judas, who made this the signal for the
seizing of Christ, said to the soldiers, that when he had kissedChrist, they
should hold him fast. Matthew 26:48; Wherefore were all these precautions,
but from a conviction, that Christ was more than man. Surely, in the very
moment they seizedthe Lord of life and glory, the minds of the greaterpart of
the party were struck with condemnation. Judas could not forget the miracles
of Christ. He had knownhis Masterescapefrom the hands of his enemies,
when they sought to throw him over the hill of the city. Luke 4:29-31. Hence
he chargedthem to bind him, and lead him awaysafely. Mark 14:44. Reader!
pause here to remark, how the Lord was overruling their malice to his own
glory. Christ was now accomplishing the whole predictions of the prophets.
Though the voluntary of offering of the Lord Jesus formed a most momentous
part in the greatefficacyof his sacrifice, yet the sacrifice, according to the law,
must be bound. Psalms 118:27. Hence Isaac,a type of Christ, was bound and
laid upon the altar. So that to answerboth purposes, Christ's willingness, and
their holding him fast, we have Jesus'voluntary surrender of himself, and
their binding him.

And, secondly, I beg the Readernot to overlook whatis saidof the whole
band, both of Jews and Gentiles, as engagedin this apprehensionof Christ. By
the spirit of prophecy, ages before these events came to be fulfilled, it was said,
that, the kings of the earth, and the rulers, should take counseltogether,
againstthe Lord, and againsthis anointed. Psalms 2:1-2. Here we behold the
accomplishment. And God the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of Peter, sweetly
explains the whole, and applies it. Acts 4:19-28. Compare with Ps 22 the title
of it, and Psalms 22:19 and Psalms 22:16 explain eachother.
And, thirdly, I pray the Readerto observe, that though all along, as the mock
trial which follows proves, their intention was to deliver Christ over to the
Roman power;yet to the High Priesthe shall be first led. And wherefore?
Aye! there's the point. They saw not the Lord's hand in all this; but the
sacrifice ofChrist must be bound, must be led away, as all sacrifices under the
law were, to the High Priest, and both Jew and Gentile must be engagedin the
greatwork. So that the hurrying the Lord Jesus, from the High Priest to the
Governor, and from the hall of Pilate, to the Mount of Calvary, shall be in
confirmation of that glorious scripture, He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheepbefore her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth. Isaiah 53:7.
LOWELL JOHNSON
Luke 22:47-53
When Judas left the Upper Room, he doubtlessly went straight to the house of
Caiaphas. He was now ready to earn his pay. The arrest of Jesus would have
to be done by the Temple police, since it was to be carried out under orders
from the high priest.

Probably Judas lead the soldiers to the house where Jesus had eatenthe
Passovermealin the upper room of the house. Failing to find Him there, he
surmised that Jesus would be in Gethsemane. Judas was familiar with this
place because Jesus oftenprayed there. It must have been sometime after
midnight when he and his armed band arrived at the Garden.
They arrived just as Jesus was speaking to the sleeping disciples (Luke 22:47).
Judas was in the lead. By previous arrangement he was to point out Jesus by
kissing Him. He probably kissedJesus onthe hand, since this was the
customary way for a disciple to greethis teacher. BothMatthew and Mark
say that he “kissedHim much.”
Throughout church history there have been many attempts to vindicate
Judas.
• Some say that Judas was nothing more than a victim of fickle fate.
• Others sayJudas was nothing more than just a pawn in the hand of a
sovereignGod.
• Still others saythat Judas was just a misguided followerof Jesus who was
trying to force Jesus into action.
But I tell you, all of those attempts are silly and a waste oftime. Judas was a
traitor. Judas was a devil. That's what Jesus said. Jesus saidthat “it would
have been better if Judas had never been born.” Judas had never known the
joy of being saved. He had never been born again. He never became a true
Christian. He was a traitor.

In this passageofScripture, we see Judas at his lowesthour, but in the eyes of
Judas, this was his finest hour, at least for a few hours.
Let's look at this text as it unfolds.
I. The Multitude at the BetrayalLuke 22:47
The Gospelof John refers to this multitude as a “band” or a “cohort” of
soldiers. A cohortwould be 600 soldiers. These 600 soldiers were wellarmed.
Later Jesus would say they have swords and “staves”orclubs. Six hundred
fully armed soldiers come for one man.
422
But there are others with them in the multitude. In Luke 22:52, Jesus speaks
to the chief priest, the captain of the guard of the Temple and the elders. The
chief priest and the elders were members of the Sanhedrin, the religious big
shots, who claimed to know God and to teachthe people about God, and yet,
they all hate Jesus. Theyhave all been plotting for months how they canput
Him to death.
II. The Means ofBetrayal Luke 22:47

Judas “drew near unto Jesus to kiss Him.” We don't kiss as much in our
culture as they do in other
parts of the world. In other parts of the world a kiss is a sign of friendship, a
sign of affection, and a sign of honor. But I want to tell you, Judas did not love
Jesus and his kiss did not come out of a loving heart. His kiss was a kiss of
betrayal. His kiss was a sour kiss;a deceptive kiss.
When I see Judas kiss Jesus, I understand that Judas is trying to deceive
somebody or trick somebody. Maybe he is trying to deceive Jesus, but I want
to tell you, nobody can do that. You can't foolJesus.
Or maybe Judas was trying to deceive the other eleven disciples. Or maybe
Judas was trying to deceive himself. Sometimes we really do build up a
defense mechanism for our own sinfulness. Sometimes we think that which is
bad in another person's life is really not quite so bad if it's in our life. But I
want to tell you, sin is sin. A deceptive kiss was a hypocritical kiss. It was no
sign of affection, friendship, honor, or love.
It was a treacherous kiss. He was kissing for money. It was a sign of
identification. For 30 pieces of silver Judas had agreedto identify Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane with a kiss on the hand or perhaps on the cheek of
Jesus. In that day, students would kiss the hand of their teacher. It was a
custom of respectand honor.
But notice in Verse 48:Jesus rebuked Judas for it. The word “betrayest”
means “to turn your back on everything to which you had once pledged
loyalty.” It's an abandonment of belief. Everything that had been considered
holy, now Judas turns his back on. It is a deliberate, willing, intentional
abandonment.

“Judas, do you, such a blessedman, one of only eleven other chosento be one
of Christ's disciples, such a favored, honored man turn your back on Me?”
“Betrayestthe Son of God with a kiss – not just a finger pointed at Me – but a
kiss. Why a kiss – the symbol of friendship and respect?”
III. The Mistake ofPeterat the BetrayalLuke 22:49
When they which were around Jesus asked, “Lord, what do You want us to
do? Shall we smite with a sword?”
Just a few verses before we are told that they only had two swords among the
twelve. Only two swords against600 swords to stand up for the Lord. What
courage!What bravery! “Lord, do you want us to
fight for You?” These were not Baptist men! If they had been Baptist men all
you would have seenwould be the bottom of their “PF Fliers,” running away!
Before Jesus couldanswerthe question, Petersays, “Well, I'll just fight!” And
he pulls out his swordand cuts off the right earof Malchus. Why did he cut
off his ear? Well, he didn't intend to. He meant to cut off his head. He was just
a bad shot. He was a goodfisherman, but he wasn'ta very goodswordsman.
He knew how to pull the net in and how to cleanfish, but he knew nothing
about using a sword.

While we may have some admiration for Peterabout doing that, I must tell
you, it was still wrong. His attitude was wrong and he was fighting the wrong
enemy, the wrong way.
IV. The Miracle at the BetrayalLuke 22:51
This is our Lord's last miracle before going to the cross. No fanfare. Nobody
praises Him. As a matter of fact, probably very few even knew about it. Jesus
just said, “Before binding Me, let Me do an act of kindness to right the wrong
done by My hasty disciple to this poor man.”
To whom was Jesus speaking? Was He talking to the injured man? Was He
speaking to the 600 soldiers? I believe Jesus was speaking to His disciples. I
think He was saying, “Men, just coolit. You've already seenthe mess one
swordmakes. Men, just settle down, I have already surrendered to the will of
My Father. Don't pull out that other sword.”
And Jesus gets Malchus'ear, touches it, dries the blood, and places it back
where it belongs. Nobody shouts. Nobody praises. Mostof them don't even
know it happened.
One last thing.
V. His Missionat the BetrayalLuke 22:52-53

Jesus looks atthe multitude and asks, “Whatdo you guys think I'm gonna do?
All these swords. All these clubs. What did you men think I was going to do?”
That was a bit of over-kill!
If He canmake an ear grow back where it had been cut off, He could take
care of the situation.
Matthew's Gospelsaidthat He could have called12,000 angelsto rescue Him.
He says, “I was with you every day in the Temple.” “I made Myselfavailable
to you. I'm not going to resist. In complete surrender, Jesus allows Himself to
be arrestedand takenaway. He will die on the cross to pay the price for my
sins and yours.
Paul E. Kretzmann
Verses 47-53
The betrayal:
v. 47. And while He yet spake, beholda multitude, and he that was called
Judas, one of the Twelve, wentbefore them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss
Him.

v. 48. But Jesus saidunto him, Judas, betrayestthou the Son of Man with a
kiss?
v. 49 When they which were about Him saw what would follow, they said unto
Him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
v. 50. And one of them smote the servantof the high priest, and cut off his
right ear.
v. 51. And Jesus answeredand said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his
ear, and healed him.
v. 52. Then Jesus saidunto the chief priests and captains of the Temple and
the elders which were come to Him, Be ye come out, as againsta thief, with
swords and staves?
v. 53. When I was daily with you in the Temple, ye stretched forth no hands
againstMe; but this is your hour and the powerof darkness.
While Jesus was still speaking, He had probably moved down to the entrance
of the garden, there to be joined by the eight disciples whom He had left near
the road. And about at this point He met the rabble of servants of the high
priests and Temple guards and some few soldiers, with a sprinkling of
captains of the Temple and the chief priests. Judas, one of the Twelve, was
with them, as their leader. "With this name, as with a branding iron, Judas is
designatedeven unto the end. " With revolting hypocrisy he came near to
Jesus to kiss Him, and thus to betray Him to His murderers with the token of

respectand love. Jesus indicated the full contempt and disgust for this
shameful act in the reproving words, which yet seemto contain a pleading
tone, as of the Saviorthat will try even now yet to coaxthe sinner back to the
way of righteousness:With a kiss thou betrayestthe Sonof Man? About this
time, the spectacle also excitedthe disciples, especiallyPeter. They were
becoming apprehensive for the safetyof their beloved Masterand, in their
misunderstanding of His words, thought that this was a time when swords
would stand them in goodstead. No soonerhad they calledout than their
angeroverpoweredthem. One sword flashed and descended, cutting off the
right ear of the high priest's servant. That was carnalzeal; the Lord was not
in need of such defense. The weapons ofHis warfare are not carnal, but.
spiritual. Jesus therefore immediately called His disciples to order by saying:
Cease,it is enough! Let the enemies proceed; make no resistance;for only in
this way are the Scriptures to be fulfilled. And touching the ear of the servant,
He healed him: an affecting bit of kindness to the enemy at the height of a
crisis, and one which probably savedthe disciples from sudden death. But
then the Lord turned to the leaders of the crowdthat had come to apprehend
Him, the chief priests and the captains of the temple and the elders, and
censuredtheir action with words of bitter reproach. As againsta thief or
robber they had come out, with swords and clubs; and yet He had been in
their midst in the Temple every day, and not once had they extended their
hands to take Him. Their behavior savoredof a bad conscience and was
altogetherunworthy of the leaders of the people. If all had been open and
above board, they could have made an open case againstHim and takenHim
in charge in the proper way. But now was their hour, the time when the
enemies were apparently victorious; and it was the powerof darkness that
was actuating them. They were in the employ of the prince of darkness. It was
Satanthat was carrying out his murderous intention againstthe Lord. And
God permitted the wickednessofmen and of the devil to have free rein for the
present, but only for one purpose, namely, that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled.

PETER PETT
Verses 47-53
The Approach Of Judas. PhysicalSwords Are Not Enough (22:47-53).
Having finally satisfiedHimself that the wayahead was in accordancewith
His Father’s will Jesus awaitedHis fate with equanimity. The battle having
been fought and won in His mind and heart from this time on He goes
forward without a moment’s hesitation. And in all His suffering we are made
aware that He was in control. This passagedeals very briefly with what
happened in the Garden on the Mount of Olives. He was not takenby surprise
to see Judas leading a party of Temple police towards Him, accompaniedto
the rearby a Roman cohort, who had presumably been warnedof how
dangerous this man was, with His band of bloodthirsty insurrectionists, whom
they were coming to seize. The Roman cohort was therefore no doubt
surprised when Judas stepped forward and kissedHim. It would not quite tie
in with what they had almost certainly been told about this fearsome
desperado.
But the disciples must have watched, unbelievingly. They could understand
the arrival of Judas, but why with this greatcrowdof people? And then the
kiss and what followedbetrayed all. It especiallyemphasisedJudas’hardness
of heart. How many men could have carriedsuch a thing through, or even
have consideredarranging it? And most significantly it revealedto all who
saw it that Jesus reallywas no threat, and that Judas knew that Jesus would
not respond violently.

But it was different with ever impulsive Peter, and when he woke up to what
was happening, he drew his sword ready to defend his Masterwith his life. It
was a foolhardy act, for even though he was probably not yet aware of the
compositionof the approaching crowd, they only had two swords between
them. And what were they againstso many? But Peter, ever precipitate, did
not considerthe consequences, andstriking out wildly, took off the earof a
servant of the High Priest, who no doubt saw the blow coming and dodged,
but not quickly enough. Peterwas no doubt still feeling rankledabout Jesus’
warning that he would deny Him. But Jesus immediately told him to put his
swordaway, and restoredto the man his ear. He did not want the disciples
arrestedas well. Nor did He want His own case to be marred by accusationsof
violence, and ‘resisting arrest’.
Then He rebuked His opponents for their hypocrisy, and for this greatshow
which He knew was only in order to impress the Romans and convince them
that He really was a political danger. Forall knew what He was. Theyhad
seenHim daily preaching in the Temple.
a While He yet spoke, behold, a large group, and He who was calledJudas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and he drew near to Jesus to kiss Him
(Luke 22:47).
b But Jesus saidto him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?”
(Luke 22:48).
c And when those who were about Him saw what would follow, they said,
“Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” (Luke 22:49).

Jesus was healing his enemy

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