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This week we continue our discussion of chapter 22 of Luke’s Gospel. Please read verses 41-53 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 22:52-53 (New King James Version – NKJV)
‘Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?
“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.”’
Recently, a film was released with the title of ‘Darkest Hour’. It won several Oscars including best actor for Gary Oldman. While the film was based on actual events during the Second World War, many have commented on the historical inaccuracy. The film is set at a time when the German army is threatening to invade the British Isles and therefore these were the ‘darkest hours’ of the war. This just means that at this point in history, the threat to the United Kingdom was at its greatest and unless victory was won, the island would succumb to invasion and therefore German rule. Life as we know it would never have happened.
The phrase ‘Darkest hour’ was never used by Winston Churchill, but the meaning of it is obvious. There is another well-known phrase ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn’, and while this is probably not strictly true, the meaning is that darkness is prevalent but there is hope of light that will come. There is something quite disturbing about those early morning hours and they are used by burglars to take advantage of tiredness and reduced visibility.
Jesus’ response to the chief priests is quite clear and gives us an insight into what is really going on here. He’s accusing them of being totally disproportionate in their approach.: “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?” This shows that Jesus is telling them that they did need to do any of this. They had the opportunity to arrest Jesus on many, many occasions but they did not. Why was this the case? It’s not really a difficult question to answer although it’s probably impossible to give a completely accurate one.
Firstly, we know that Jesus had actually been the subject of attack and yet He always managed to evade them. ‘He slipped away’ was one description of how Jesus escaped. Jesus’ comments here refer specifically to the last few days when He had been teaching every day in the temple. The priests had seen Him the entire time and yet not once did they try to arrest Him. They were afraid of the crowds and so were very reluctant to do so.
The other aspect of course is that they had no control whatsoever in when the arrest was to be made. Jesus was orchestrating every move and it is His timing that has precedent. At this particular moment in time, Jesus says that “This is your hour and the power of darkness”. He is choosing to give control over to Satan and to all the powers of darkness. The priests may have thought that they were doing exactly what they wanted to do, but they were only being allowed that privilege because Jesus said so. The hours of darkness to come would be great. The disciples would be scattered, pain, hurt, rejection and death would be coming. However, there was always the assurance that the dawn was coming.
Whatever ‘Darkest Hour’ you’re experiencing right now, I want you to know for sure that in it all, God is in control. He’s there with you every step of the way and remember that ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn’. The Son will rise and so be confident in His protection and provision.
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