"Yet consider that the hand of the one who has me arrested is here with mine at the table. For indeed, the Servant of Humanity will depart as ordained, but woe to that man by whom he is handed over." (Luke 22:21-22 Lost Gospels)
Is Jesus referring to Judas?
Here Jesus is speaking of Judas, as he addresses his disciples at the last supper. There are two critical differences in this particular verse - from The Lost Gospels of Jesus translation.The first difference is the translation of the Greek phrase, υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huios tou anthrōpos) to "Servant of Humanity" instead of "Son of Man."
Secondly, most versions translate the Greek word παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) to "betrayed" instead of "arrested" and "handed over" as it is here. Why is that?
Well, first, the primary definition of the Greek word is "to give into the hands of another." This is precisely what Judas was going to do - to have Jesus arrested - to hand him over to the guards of the chief priest.
But didn't Judas betray Jesus?
As to whether this is betrayal - this depends upon whether Jesus instructed Judas to go to the high priest.Regardless, betrayal is not the word that Jesus is using here. He is speaking of his being handed over here.
Yes, Judas went to the high priest and arranged the arrest. He told them where Jesus was going to be.
And certainly, assuming Jesus did not instruct Judas to do it, this would be an act of betrayal.
There are several questions in this regard, however.
The first is why, if Jesus knew ahead of time - which this statement indicates - did Jesus not evade arrest? Why didn't he relocate himself so the guards of the chief priest couldn't find him?
In other words, why, if Jesus knew ahead of time that Judas was going to have him arrested, did Jesus allow himself to be arrested?
In fact, we find that Jesus also knew precisely where he was going to be arrested. He went up onto the hill with some of his disciples and prayed, and waited there. He knew that Judas was going to lead the guards right to where he was waiting. Why did he wait there?
Furthermore, we find in other Gospels that Jesus actually embarked Judas to go and have him arrested. According to the Book of John - which provides the most information about this situation - Jesus told Judas:
"What you are about to do, do quickly." (John 13:37)Why would Jesus actually embark Judas to go and arrange to have him arrested?
Consider these points:
1) Jesus knew he was going to be arrested.
2) Jesus instructed Judas to go and arrange to have him arrested.
3) Jesus waited right at the spot he knew he was going to be arrested.
4) Jesus did not resist or evade arrest. He also asked his disciples not to resist.
These points clearly indicate that Jesus didn't simply predict what was going to happen. He was an active participant. If he wanted to evade arrest, he could have not only gone somewhere else. He could have left the area completely. But he decided not simply to stay - despite knowing what was going to happen. He also decided to have things come to a head.
All that said, we also know that Judas accepted 30 pieces of silver in return for arranging Jesus' arrest. Jesus certainly didn't authorize Judas to do this. So this act (of receiving the silver) was truly an act of betrayal.
But why couldn't Jesus stop the force of "Satan" from having him arrested? We find numerous instances where Jesus drove out demons from people. Jesus also resisted "Satan" during his 40-day sojourn through the desert. Why would Jesus now become subject to "Satan's" wishes now? Is he now succumbing to "Satan"?
So what is really going on here, and just who is this "Satan" anyway?
The reality is that Jesus was aware that he would be arrested by the Jewish hierarchy led by the chief priest. And he knew that this would lead to him being persecuted by the Romans. He knew it because they had been threatening this ever since he began teaching in contrast to the teachings of the Temple teachers.
Did 'Satan' have Jesus arrested?
Interpreters have stated that it was actually "Satan" that entered Judas and made him do this. Yes, it actually states this in the Book of John.But why couldn't Jesus stop the force of "Satan" from having him arrested? We find numerous instances where Jesus drove out demons from people. Jesus also resisted "Satan" during his 40-day sojourn through the desert. Why would Jesus now become subject to "Satan's" wishes now? Is he now succumbing to "Satan"?
So what is really going on here, and just who is this "Satan" anyway?
The reality is that Jesus was aware that he would be arrested by the Jewish hierarchy led by the chief priest. And he knew that this would lead to him being persecuted by the Romans. He knew it because they had been threatening this ever since he began teaching in contrast to the teachings of the Temple teachers.
The aspect of "satan" here is the greed element. Judas acted in his own self-interest when he received 30 pieces of silver in return for arranging Jesus' arrest. "Satan" is a metaphor for greed. Acting in one's self-interest and taking advantage of someone else is a 'devilish' activity.
Jesus certainly took on the role as a Jewish teacher, indicated by the fact that people called him "rabbi" and that he primarily taught in the Jewish temple grounds. When they came to arrest Jesus, he told the guards:
Yet at the same time he spoke against the Pharisees and the chief priests and scribes of the Temple:
Why? Because while they claimed to be the representatives of God, and representatives of the prophets such as Moses, they were not teaching Moses' two most important teachings:
The point is that Jesus knew he was going to be arrested. It was just a matter of time. And his going through the Temple grounds in Jerusalem overturning tables and kicking out the merchants - along with his recent sermons - created a ripe opportunity for the Jewish council to execute their intentions.
Jesus knew this was going to happen. So he could have prevented it if he wanted to. He could have also left Jerusalem and evaded capture. But he didn't. He stuck around and waited for them to arrest him.
Just before his arrest he even prayed to God:
Jesus wasn't succumbing to "Satan" at all. Jesus was making a choice to do the will of the Supreme Being.
This is dramatically different. Yes, wickedness - symbolized by "Satan" - was involved in Jesus' arrest. Judas took silver coins in return for arranging Jesus' arrest. This is what wickedness does - it makes one trade in one's trust in God for the glitter of temporary materialism.
But the reason for this is critical. The reason is because Jesus was making a statement. Yes, he was allowing God's will to be done. But he was also taking a stand. He had broadcast his teachings on behalf of God and they were persecuting him because of those teachings.
If Jesus had done that and then run off, he wouldn't be taking a stand. He wouldn't be standing behind his teachings. Instead, he stood up for his teachings, and accepted being persecuted for those teachings.
So why, one might ask, did God allow Jesus to be persecuted?
The answer is freedom. Not simply the freedom of Jesus. Yes, Jesus had the freedom to evade persecution or not. He could have escaped arrest. But Jesus made the choice to stay, out of his love for God. He wanted to continue to serve God despite the consequences.
But God certainly did not make the choice to persecute Jesus. It was the choice of the high priest and his cronies, those people who did not want to follow Jesus, and the Romans who persecuted Jesus. They made the choice - not God.
You see, love requires freedom. In order to choose to love God, everyone must have the freedom to reject Him. This also means having the freedom to persecute those who come to teach us about God.
If everyone didn't have the freedom to reject God's representative, then no one would have the freedom to make the choice to love the Supreme Being.
In other words, the Supreme Being does not take away our freedom to reject Him and persecute His representatives because He wants us to freely make the choice to love Him. If we didn't have complete freedom to reject His representative, then whatever love we might have for Him would not have come freely.
Thus, God's will wasn't that Jesus would be persecuted. God's will is that we each come to love Him freely. And this requires also giving us the choice and the opportunity to reject His representative.
So why did Jesus allow himself to be arrested and persecuted at that time? Certainly, at other times, Jesus did evade arrest. Because he had more to teach. He knew it wasn't yet the time. He knew his time would come when so many people from all over Judea would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Why?
Jesus wanted to get a crucial message across to the Jewish people - and to everyone: That loving God is that important.
Jesus certainly took on the role as a Jewish teacher, indicated by the fact that people called him "rabbi" and that he primarily taught in the Jewish temple grounds. When they came to arrest Jesus, he told the guards:
“Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me." (Matt. 26:55)This statement by Jesus indicates a couple of things. First, it shows that Jesus wasn't hiding out as he spoke his teachings. He delivered his teachings front and center: Right under the noses of the hierarchical Temple teachers: the scribes, the Pharisees, and the chief priests.
Yet at the same time he spoke against the Pharisees and the chief priests and scribes of the Temple:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matt. 23:13)And this is just a taste of the many criticisms Jesus made of the Temple teachers. Simply put, he bombasted them.
Why? Because while they claimed to be the representatives of God, and representatives of the prophets such as Moses, they were not teaching Moses' two most important teachings:
“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)
Did Jesus know he was on their hit list?
He knew, with every statement made against the Temple teachers, Jesus was putting himself in a precarious situation. He knew they were preparing to capture him. Several verses illustrate situations where it became obvious that they wanted to arrest him. For this reason, Jesus had to slip away more than once after giving lectures.The point is that Jesus knew he was going to be arrested. It was just a matter of time. And his going through the Temple grounds in Jerusalem overturning tables and kicking out the merchants - along with his recent sermons - created a ripe opportunity for the Jewish council to execute their intentions.
Jesus knew this was going to happen. So he could have prevented it if he wanted to. He could have also left Jerusalem and evaded capture. But he didn't. He stuck around and waited for them to arrest him.
Just before his arrest he even prayed to God:
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)This indicates that Jesus was allowing what he saw was the will of God. He was wanting to please God, so he was allowing God's will to be carried out - even though this meant he would suffer.
Jesus wasn't succumbing to "Satan" at all. Jesus was making a choice to do the will of the Supreme Being.
This is dramatically different. Yes, wickedness - symbolized by "Satan" - was involved in Jesus' arrest. Judas took silver coins in return for arranging Jesus' arrest. This is what wickedness does - it makes one trade in one's trust in God for the glitter of temporary materialism.
Why would Jesus instruct Judas to go to arrange his arrest?
Yes, Jesus knew this was going to happen, and we find from John that Jesus did instruct Judas to do this.But the reason for this is critical. The reason is because Jesus was making a statement. Yes, he was allowing God's will to be done. But he was also taking a stand. He had broadcast his teachings on behalf of God and they were persecuting him because of those teachings.
If Jesus had done that and then run off, he wouldn't be taking a stand. He wouldn't be standing behind his teachings. Instead, he stood up for his teachings, and accepted being persecuted for those teachings.
So why, one might ask, did God allow Jesus to be persecuted?
The answer is freedom. Not simply the freedom of Jesus. Yes, Jesus had the freedom to evade persecution or not. He could have escaped arrest. But Jesus made the choice to stay, out of his love for God. He wanted to continue to serve God despite the consequences.
But God certainly did not make the choice to persecute Jesus. It was the choice of the high priest and his cronies, those people who did not want to follow Jesus, and the Romans who persecuted Jesus. They made the choice - not God.
You see, love requires freedom. In order to choose to love God, everyone must have the freedom to reject Him. This also means having the freedom to persecute those who come to teach us about God.
If everyone didn't have the freedom to reject God's representative, then no one would have the freedom to make the choice to love the Supreme Being.
In other words, the Supreme Being does not take away our freedom to reject Him and persecute His representatives because He wants us to freely make the choice to love Him. If we didn't have complete freedom to reject His representative, then whatever love we might have for Him would not have come freely.
Thus, God's will wasn't that Jesus would be persecuted. God's will is that we each come to love Him freely. And this requires also giving us the choice and the opportunity to reject His representative.
So why did Jesus allow himself to be arrested and persecuted at that time? Certainly, at other times, Jesus did evade arrest. Because he had more to teach. He knew it wasn't yet the time. He knew his time would come when so many people from all over Judea would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Why?
Jesus wanted to get a crucial message across to the Jewish people - and to everyone: That loving God is that important.
