Luke 22 Round Two: How to Fall Apart... And Not

Chaos can flood a room fast—especially when fear, pride, and pressure collide. We open Luke 22 and watch a community wobble: Judas bargains in secret, friends bicker over status, swords flash in the dark, and a rooster outs a disciple’s bravado. Through it all, Jesus stays steady—reframing Passover as a new covenant, redefining leadership as service, and choosing surrender over spectacle in Gethsemane.

We walk scene by scene: the table where bread and cup become a living promise, the garden where honest anguish meets obedience, the arrest where power heals instead of harms, and the courtyard where Peter’s courage crumbles. Along the way, we slow down for the details—the cultural weight of Passover, why two swords were “enough,” the physiology behind sweating blood, and the tender strength in Jesus’ prayer for Peter. What emerges is a map for resilience: formation at the table, surrender in prayer, and truthful witness before pressure. These practices don’t erase the storm; they teach us how to stand in it.

If failure has ever named you, Peter’s restoration arc will give you oxygen. If conflict pulls you toward reflex and rage, the healed ear will reset your instincts. And if you’re longing for a deeper center, the new covenant will draw you back to a love that holds when your grip slips. Listen for the through-line of humble power, trace the contrasts between chaos and calm, and take away simple, workable steps to live anchored in a shaken world.

If this conversation strengthens you, share it with a friend, hit follow, and leave a quick review so more people can find the Bible Breakdown. What moment from Luke 22 changed how you see Jesus today?

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome, Community, And Setup
• 1:45 Luke 22: Betrayal And The Theme
• 2:44 Judas, Money, And Motives
• 4:26 Passover Prepared And Meaning Reframed
• 6:02 Bread, Cup, And The New Covenant
• 7:10 Greatness Redefined As Service
• 8:46 Peter’s Warning And Two Swords
• 10:35 Gethsemane: Agony And Resolve
• 12:27 Arrest, Ear Cut, Mercy Given
• 14:13 Peter’s Denials And Bitter Tears
• 15:35 Mocking, Council, And Confession
• 17:30 Takeaways: Steady In Chaos

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Every day, we take one chapter of the Bible, dig deeper, and discover that the more we dig, the more we find. You can find out more at the BibleBreakdown.com. Now let's grow in God's Word together. Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast, where we are just working through God's Word one chapter at a time. And man, the more we dig, the more we find. And we are so excited about going through God's Word together. I want to say thank you to everybody who has been liking this new podcast and sharing it to everybody. And I just want to encourage you to please do that. Please subscribe to our podcast. If you're looking at this on YouTube, make sure you are liking the video, you are sharing it. We just want to create a community of people who are just reading God's Word every day. Because the more we dig, the more we find, and the more we read, the more God will reveal Himself to us. And so I just love that so much. So thank you for being part of this community. And we're going to jump into God's Word today because there's so much to cover. There's like 70-something verses in this chapter, and we are covering a lot of ground. And so if you got your New Living Translation Bible open, get the picture in my head that you and I are sitting across a coffee table from one another. Got our Bibles open, got our Bible journals out, and we're just going to read through this. So remember who's writing this. God inspired the uh the wonderful physician, turn historian, Luke. He's sent on assignment by a guy named Theopolis into the Judean countryside to investigate the claims that have been made about Jesus. And he's kind of the first century version of an investigative reporter. And he's coming back and he's saying, Look, this is what I found. This truly is the Messiah. And so it's awesome. And as we get ready to jump into this, I want you to think about two things. If I were to give an overall summary, like a guiding principle of this chapter, it would be this this is how to completely fall apart and how not to. Notice what happens about everybody that's around Jesus, but then notice Jesus. Everybody around Jesus over the course of this chapter slowly descends into chaos. Like it's crazy what people end up doing over the course of this chapter. But also notice that Jesus never does. And so it's amazing to see one side, this is how to descend into chaos, and then the other, this is how not to. So we're going to jump right into this and we'll stop along the way and kind of point out some things as we just enjoy God's word together. So here we go. Luke chapter 22, verse 1 says this. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priest and the captain of the temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to portray Jesus so that they could arrest him when the crowds weren't around. Now, pause. That's an interesting person, this Judas Iscaria. Now, from the book of John, we know that Judas was already a thief before this time, that Jesus had put him in charge of the finances, and that often he would steal money from Jesus. And so there seems to be this problem with greed and a need to possess money that isn't his, that's already there. Now I've known people who have struggled with stuff like this before, and maybe you have too. And a lot of times it there is sometimes it's greed, but sometimes it is a source of insecurity where they need more because their value is in what they can acquire. Now we don't really know if that's exactly what happened, but what we do know is there must have been some compulsion to get money, but then once he got the money and he noticed that Jesus was going to be condemned to death, he actually tried to give the money back, but they wouldn't take the money back from him. And so there's this interesting dynamic of he wants this money, but then once he gets it, he realizes what a bad thing he has done. And so the poor Judas ends up being so convicted by what he did, and instead of turning to Jesus, he goes into full chaos mode and he ends up committing suicide. But now he's committed. At this moment, he is committed to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Now let's finish up. Now the festival of unleavened bread had arrived when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead, saying, Go and prepare the Passover meal so we can eat it together. Where do you want us to prepare it? They asked. He replied, As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him, and at the house he enters, say to the owner, The teacher asks, Where the guest room, where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples? He will then take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal. They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there. When the time came, Jesus and his apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won't eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Then he took the cup of wine, gave thanks to God for it, and then he said, Take this and share it among yourselves, for I will not drink wine again until the kingdom of God has come. Then he took the bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it into pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. After supper he took another cup of wine and said, This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. But here at this table, sitting among you, of sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him? The disciples began to ask each other which would ever do such a thing. Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, In this world the kings and great men lord it over other people, yet they are called friends of the people. But among you it will be different. Those who are greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course, but not here. For I am among you as one who serves. You have stayed with me in my entire time of trial. Just as my father has granted me a kingdom, now I grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you sit on thrones, and you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. So what is happening in this moment is that the disciples have sat with Jesus and they have sat for the Passover meal. Now in the Jewish culture, this was one of the highest meals of the year. They were required by law to go to Jerusalem for a few times a year to celebrate festivals, and the Passover festival was the greatest. This was the one where they celebrate their liberation from Egyptian bondage all the way back in the book of Exodus. And what they're doing is they're celebrating this meal, and they would sit around a big table. And they didn't sit around tables the way we do now, but they actually would recline. They would sit on these in these chairs that were more like recliners. And the recliners would be around the table, and it would actually be facing away from the table. And what they would do is they would turn around and get food and then sit and then eat and talk amongst themselves. And it's while they are there doing this that Jesus begins to use the bread and the wine as symbols for what is about to come. Now, what's interesting is Jesus is telling them, I'm going to suffer, I'm going to do all these different things, but they don't understand. And some of that is because Jesus often spoke in riddles and you know parables, and so they're not entirely sure if he means literally or if he means figuratively, but also their idea of the coming king, the Messiah, they thought Jesus was going to be a conquering hero that was going to you know get them out of Roman bondage. They didn't realize he wasn't interested in just setting the people alive at the moment free, but he was interested in creating freedom for all time, for all people. And so there's just this confusion that's going on, but yet Jesus is still instructing and teaching them along the way. And then he's also telling them that the kingdom of God is so much bigger than what they can imagine. Alright, verse 31, Jesus says this Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed, I pleaded in prayer for you. Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turn to me again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said, Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison, even to die with you. But Jesus said, Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. And then Jesus said, uh asked them, When I sent you to preach the good news, and you did not have any money or a traveler's bag or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything? No, they replied. But now, he said, Take your money and your traveler's bag. And if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled. He was counted among the rebels. Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true. Look, Lord, they replied, we have two swords among us. That is enough, he said. Now, first of all, what I love about this is that Jesus says he prayed for Peter. But notice what he said. He didn't pray that Peter would not be tempted. He prayed for Peter's strength to prevail. That when he fail, he would turn back to the Lord. Isn't it amazing that Jesus doesn't always keep us from trouble? But he prays for us that we will always turn back to him, and that in turning back to him, he will strengthen us, so that then we can strengthen others. I love that idea. And then you can see how this chaos is starting to form and all these different people, but yet Jesus is continuing to lead. And he tells them, Hey, bad times are coming. So therefore now take two swords with you. Not so you can go on the attack, but so that you can defend yourselves properly. All right, here's the next thing. The Bible says that then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, Pray that you will not give in to temptation. He walked away about a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him, and he prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. And at last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. Why are you sleeping? He asked them. Get up and pray that you will not give in to temptation. Now there's a moment here where the Bible says that Jesus was praying with such agony that his sweat became as great drops of blood. Did you know actually there's a lot of scientific evidence that actually says that this very much can happen? There's a condition that can happen that when you're under such stress and such strain that it can actually burst some of the capillaries in your body and it can actually cause you in your sweat glands to actually excrete blood because of it uh getting out into that because of the way that happens. But it's only in extreme cases where you're under such duress and such stress that it causes your body to react in this way. So it is a showing us that Jesus wasn't just having a bad day, he was having the bad day of all bad days. And what I love about this is even in this anguish, he never stopped, he kept moving forward. Verse 47 says this. But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. And Jesus said, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And the other disciples saw what was about to happen, and they exclaimed, Lord, should we fight? We brought the two swords. And one of them struck at the high priest's slave, slashing off his right ear. But Jesus said, No more of this. And he touched the man's ear and he healed him. And Jesus spoke to the leading priests and captains of the temple guard and the elders who had come with him. Am I some dangerous revolutionary? He asked, that you had come with at me with clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest me in the temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment and the time when the power of darkness reigns. Now pause, because what we know here from the other gospels is that it wasn't just anybody, but it was Peter that took out his sword and he slashed at one of the priest's servants whose name was Malchus and he cut off his ear. Now here's the thing: was he aiming at his ear or did he miss? Now these guys were professional fishermen, they were not professional swordsmen. So it's entirely possible that Peter wasn't real good at this whole fighting thing. And so it's entirely possible that he wasn't such a wonderful swordsman that he was aiming at his ear. He was aiming at his head, and he missed. That's how serious this moment was. But I love how Jesus told him to stop, he leaned down, and he picked up this guy's ear and he put it back on his head. Notice how now everybody around Jesus has come in chaos. You've got on one side, you've got Judas, and you've got all the soldiers and the and the priests who have come to take Jesus. You've got the disciples who are panicking and are trying to kill people, and right in the middle of it, you have Jesus. Verse 54, the Bible says, So they arrested him and led him to the high priest's home, and Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. And the servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, This man was one of Jesus' followers. But Peter denied it. Woman, I don't even know him. And while someone else looked at him and said, You must be one of them. No, man, I'm not, Peter retorted. And then about an hour later, someone else said, This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean too. And then Peter said, Man, I don't know what you are talking about. And immediately while he was speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly the Lord's words flashed through Peter's mind. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. And Peter left the courtyard and wept bitterly. And the guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said, Prophesy to us, who hit you this time? And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults against them. So pause for a moment before we finish up this chapter. Notice how the Bible says that Peter is sitting around this fire, and three different times people come up and say, You must be one of them. So he was close enough where Jesus was able to look at him, but yet he was far enough where he was removed from the situation. And when the time came, when the guy who said, I'll never leave you, if I have to die with you, I will do that, but I'm never going to leave you, when the moment came, he gave in. And when I you want to talk about a moment. Imagine when you have just denied your Savior, and Jesus hears the rooster crow and he turns around and you meet eyes in that moment. You know what I think of when I think of that is remember, Jesus already knew this was going to happen. And so when Jesus looked at him, I don't think he looked at him with anger. I don't think he looked at him with shame. I think he looked at him, and just in my own mind's eye, I think he smiled and he winked at him to say, Peter, it's okay. It's alright, I told you it was gonna happen. Just don't give up. And I think how many times does that happen to us? When we tell God, God, I'll never fall, I'll never sin, I'll never, I'll never turn my back on you. And then the wrong moment, the wrong situation, the wrong circumstance, we turn our backs on Jesus. But you know what's amazing though? Is that Jesus never turns his back on us. If nothing else, he pauses and he looks at us and he smiles. He says, Okay, just don't stay far away. Come back to me. Let's finish up this chapter. Verse 66 says, At daybreak, all of the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, Tell us, are you the Messiah? But Jesus replied, If I tell you, you won't believe me. And if I ask you this question, you won't answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated in a place of power at the right, at God's right hand. And they all shouted, So you are claiming to be the Son of God. And he said, You say that I am. Why do we need any other witnesses? They said, We ourselves heard him say it. And so they before the council, they ask him plainly, and he answers them. And then they have what they need. They're about to, from there, go to Pilate, and they're going to condemn him to death. I'm curious for you, what did you get out of this chapter? Did you notice how everything around Jesus is slowly descending into chaos? But Jesus is never moved from that confident assurance that he knows who he is, he knows what he's been sent for, and he knows what God is doing. I want to ask you this question. Is it possible for you in a world filled with chaos to never be moved from that confident assurance that you know who you are in Christ? I think so. And so as you today go and you soap through this, I'm curious as to what is going to stand out to you. I want you to write down that scripture. I want you to write down the O for soap, you know, S O observation, A for application, and then the prayer. And allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your life today. Let me pray for you and we'll be done. Father, thank you so much for your love for us. Thank you, God, that like in that moment with Peter, when we sometimes turn our back on you, Jesus, that you don't look on us with shame, but you smile on us and you remind us that you've already prayed for us and that our goal is not always to get it right, our goal is to always turn back to you. I pray that we will never stop turning back to you in everything that we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I love you guys so much. Hope you have a great day. I will see you tomorrow for Luke chapter 23.