Luke 22:53 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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 power of darkness."

NIV: Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."

NASB: While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.'

CSB: Every day while I was with you in the temple, you never laid a hand on me. But this is your hour —and the dominion of darkness."

NLT: Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.'

KJV: When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

NKJV: When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

A mob has come to arrest Jesus. Peter tries to stop them by attacking with his sword, but he only manages to cut off one ear before Jesus stops him. Now, Jesus challenges the priests, temple guards, and elders of the city: "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?" (Luke 22:52).

Jesus asks the obvious question: if He has committed a crime so egregious it deserves imprisonment, why didn't they take Him in the temple? Why have they let Him teach multitudes of people in the temple Court? Why didn't they warn the people that Jesus was a false teacher? Why wait to sneak up on Him in the dark?

The question is rhetorical. The chief priests, Pharisees, and elders desperately want to destroy Jesus. They even want to eliminate evidence of Jesus' power (John 11:45–57; 12:9–11). They haven't acted yet because they fear the people (Luke 19:47–48; 22:2). The masses love Him too much. That's why they were so excited that Judas came forward and promised to lead them to Jesus in a place and time where the people wouldn't see (Luke 22:3–6).

In addition, the religious leaders couldn't arrest Jesus for false teaching. They know His teaching isn't false. He fits the qualifications for the Messiah given in the Old Testament prophecies. He matches Moses' promise of the prophet greater than himself (Deuteronomy 18:15). But He's so unmanageable that they can't let Him take His rightful place in Jewish history.

Finally, emboldened and empowered by the power of darkness, the Jewish religious and civil leaders can destroy the man who stands between them and the security of their power.

Luke 22:47–53 records Jesus' betrayal by Judas and arrest by members of the Sanhedrin. After spending years trying to destroy Jesus, the religious leaders have found an ally in one of His disciples. Judas leads soldiers and servants to where Jesus spends His nights. The arrest will be in the dark, away from the crowds. Peter, quick to prove his loyalty, cuts off a servant's ear. Jesus heals it and allows Himself to be taken. Jesus' arrest is also recorded in Matthew 26:47–56, Mark 14:43–50, and John 18:2–12.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.