Luke 22:19–30

Bible Studies for Life 
Associate Professor of Religion, Samford University

Being Served or Serving?

Luke 22:19–30
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem culminates in a cross, but on the night before His death He takes a last opportunity to eat with His disciples and teach them once again about the ethics of the kingdom of God. Their shared meal gives the model for the central act of Christian worship and calls all disciples to follow Jesus’ example of being in the world as “one who serves” (v. 27).

Remember Jesus’ Example (19–23)
Luke’s order of events differs from Matthew’s and Mark’s telling, both of which announce Judas’ betrayal and exit before the supper. Only Luke keeps Judas at the table for the common meal. The effect is chilling and yet oddly in keeping with the themes of the gospel expressed elsewhere (15:1–2). In Luke, the table of the Lord is open to all.

As Jesus announces to His disciples that His body is broken and His blood poured out “for you,” the reader is left to imagine Judas squirming at the table, his eyes failing to meet those of his master. By juxtaposing the proclamation of the new covenant with the betrayal of Judas, Luke reminds all disciples who take the bread and drink the cup they too must come to terms with their own failings to follow Jesus.

Why did Judas betray Jesus? Earlier we are told that Satan “entered into” Judas prior to his meeting with the chief priests and temple police (22:3). Here Jesus indicates that His death is “as it has been determined,” presumably by God as part of the divine plan for human redemption, yet in the same breath woe is pronounced on the one who betrays Him. 

The history of Christian theology is marked by attempts at carefully parsing the precise relationship between divine providence and human will. What is notable here is that Luke does not attempt to resolve the tension one way or another for his readers. Indeed he does not even note it, a fact that may well be instructive in and of itself. He simply lets the paradox stand: Jesus will die as part of God’s plan, and Judas is responsible for the role he plays in it.

Avoid Worldly Perspectives (24–27)
Luke’s placement of the teaching about greatness and service once again makes him unique among the Gospel writers. Matthew and Mark each locate it earlier in their narratives (Matt. 20:24–28; Mark 10:41–45). By including the story immediately after Jesus’ prediction of His betrayal, Luke encourages the reader to see the disciples’ argument in parallel with Judas’ failure. Both indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission.

Power in Jesus’ day (as in our own) often meant financial power. The patronage system in the Roman world included benefactors whose “generosity” to their subordinates came with many strings attached, not the least of which was the expectation of excessive flattery and expressions of gratitude. Notably Jesus does not overturn the system — He admits the greatest is still the “one at the table” — but He calls His followers to subvert the power structure by seeking to be “one who serves.” Whatever else power means in the kingdom of God, it is not coercive.

Adopt Kingdom Perspectives (28–30)
Jesus follows His rebuke of the disciples with praise. Only Luke records the description of His disciples as “those who have stood by Me in My trials.” The words are jarring enough given what just occurred that the reader is justified in wondering whether Jesus was being ironic. Indeed, in the hours that follow, the disciples will sleep when Jesus needs support in prayer (22:46), Peter will more than once deny even knowing Jesus (22:57–60) and His “acquaintances” (which may include His disciples) watch His death “at a distance” (23:49).

But instead of irony in Jesus’ words, perhaps we should hear grace, the same grace that undergirds the bread and the cup just proclaimed, the grace of second chances. In this light Jesus’ final description of His closest followers — those who had failed Him and would fail Him — is all the more beautiful given their brokenness.