Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 22: This Cup Is the New Testament in My Blood
Luke 22 enters the shadow of the cross. The rulers plot, Satan enters Judas, and the betrayal is set in motion for thirty pieces of silver. Yet in the upper room the Lord keeps the Passover with longing, 'With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer,' and transforms it into the memorial of His own sacrifice: 'This is my body which is given for you... This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.' Even as the traitor's hand rests on the table, the disciples fall to disputing who is greatest, and Jesus teaches that greatness is service, 'I am among you as he that serveth.' He warns Peter that Satan would sift him, yet prays, 'that thy faith fail not.' Then in Gethsemane He prays in agony, 'Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,' His sweat as great drops of blood, an angel strengthening Him. He is betrayed with a kiss and arrested in 'the power of darkness,' and Peter, following afar off, denies Him thrice, until 'the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter,' and Peter 'went out, and wept bitterly.' Before the council He confesses, 'Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.' The chapter shows us the Lamb going willingly to the slaughter, the covenant sealed in His blood, and the love that prays for failing disciples.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 22. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus keeps the Last Supper and institutes the new covenant in His blood, teaches greatness through service, prays in agony in Gethsemane, is betrayed and arrested, and is denied by Peter and mocked before the council. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Given for You
The Passover fulfilled: His body and blood, the new covenant.
As He That Serveth
The greatest is the servant; the Lord Himself serves.
Not My Will, but Thine
In agony He drinks the cup in perfect submission to the Father.
The Lord Looked Upon Peter
Peter denies, the Lord looks, and Peter weeps bitterly.
This Cup Is the New Testament in My Blood (Luke 22:1-20)
As betrayal is plotted, Jesus keeps the Passover and gives His body and blood as the memorial of the new covenant.
This Is My Body Which Is Given for You
"Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Word Study
"testament," Greek diatheke (διαθήκη). The word means a covenant, a solemn disposition or arrangement, and is the very word for God's covenants with His people; it can also mean a will or testament that takes effect through death. "This cup is the new testament in my blood," Jesus says, that is, the new covenant sealed and ratified by His own blood. The old covenant was sealed with the blood of sacrifices; the new covenant, long promised through Jeremiah, is sealed with the blood of Christ Himself, poured out for the remission of sins. As a testament comes into force by the death of the one who made it, so this covenant is established by the death of the Lord. To drink the cup is to lay hold of the new covenant, all its promises purchased and guaranteed by His shed blood.
Explanation
As Satan enters Judas and the plot is sealed for silver, Jesus prepares the Passover with deep longing -- "with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you" -- and transforms it into the memorial of His death. "This is my body which is given for you... this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." The lamb of the exodus gives way to the true Lamb, and His poured-out blood inaugurates the new covenant Jeremiah foretold. The supper He institutes is grace held out to men who will fail Him that very night -- the very shape of the atonement it proclaims.
Gospel Focus
The chapter opens with dark and bright threads woven together. On the one hand, the rulers plot murder, and "Satan entered into Judas," one of the twelve, who sells his Lord for money, the deepest treachery, betrayal from within the inner circle. On the other hand, Jesus moves through it all with sovereign calm, arranging the Passover down to the man with the pitcher of water, for He is not a victim swept along but the Lamb going willingly to the appointed hour. In the upper room He opens His heart: "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." He had longed for this hour, not shrinking from the cross but pressing toward it in love. The Passover, which for centuries had commemorated Israel's deliverance from Egypt by the blood of the lamb, now finds its true meaning, for the true Passover Lamb is about to be slain. Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it, saying, "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." The broken bread is the sign of His body given up to death for us, and He institutes a memorial His people would keep until He comes. Then the cup: "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Here is the heart of the gospel. His blood seals a new covenant, the covenant of grace promised by the prophets, in which sins are remitted and God writes His law on the heart. The blood "shed for you" is the ransom price, the atonement, the ground of all our salvation. The Passover meal becomes the Lord's Supper, and every time His people take the bread and the cup they proclaim His death and lay hold afresh of the covenant bought by His blood. Even as the traitor sits at the table, the Lord gives Himself for sinners, His body given, His blood shed, the new covenant established forever in the blood of the Lamb.
I Am Among You as He That Serveth (Luke 22:21-38)
Jesus points out the betrayer, teaches that greatness is service, and warns Peter of his fall while praying for his faith.
When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren
"But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough."
Word Study
"serveth," Greek diakoneo (διακονέω). The word means to serve, to wait upon, to minister to another's needs, as one who waits at table; from it comes our word "deacon." Jesus overturns the world's whole notion of greatness: "he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve... I am among you as he that serveth." The Lord of glory takes the place of the table-servant, and in John's account He literally washes their feet. True greatness in the kingdom is not lordship but lowly service, measured by how much one gives and serves, not how much one is served. And it is grounded in Christ Himself, who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Explanation
Even at the table, with the betrayer's hand beside His own, the disciples fall to arguing who is greatest -- and Jesus overturns worldly rank: "he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger... I am among you as he that serveth." He foretells Peter's threefold denial yet adds a word of grace: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." The Lord who knows Peter will fall has already secured his restoration by intercession. Greatness in the kingdom is the towel and the basin, and even our failures are held within the prayers of Christ.
Gospel Focus
Jesus announces that His betrayer is at the very table: "the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table." He goes to the cross "as it was determined," according to God's sovereign plan, yet this in no way excuses the traitor: "woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!" Divine purpose and human guilt stand together; God overrules evil for salvation, but the evildoer answers for his sin. Astonishingly, at this most solemn hour the disciples fall to arguing "which of them should be accounted the greatest." So Jesus teaches the kingdom's reversal of values. The world's rulers "exercise lordship" and grasp for titles, "but ye shall not be so." Greatness in His kingdom is the opposite of domination: "he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve." And He points to Himself as the pattern: though He is Lord, "I am among you as he that serveth." Then He honours their perseverance, "ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations," and promises them a share in His kingdom and thrones. But honour does not mean they will not stumble. He turns to Peter with tender urgency: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." The enemy sought to shake Peter to pieces. Yet Jesus says, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Here is the intercession of Christ for His own: He knew Peter would fail, yet prayed not that Peter would be spared the sifting but that his faith would not utterly collapse, and He already looked past the fall to the restoration, when the humbled Peter would strengthen others. Peter, self-confident, protests he is ready for prison and death, but Jesus foretells the threefold denial before the cock crows. Finally, Jesus prepares them for the hostile days ahead. Where once they went out provided for, now they must count on opposition, "he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one", a vivid picture of the coming conflict, for He was about to be "reckoned among the transgressors," numbered with criminals in fulfillment of Isaiah. When the disciples produce two swords, He says, "It is enough", not sanctioning armed revolt, as the next section makes plain when He heals the wounded servant, but closing a conversation they had taken too literally. The Lord who serves goes to be numbered with transgressors, and He prays for the very disciples who will fail Him.
Not My Will, but Thine, Be Done (Luke 22:39-53)
In Gethsemane Jesus wrestles in prayer and submits to the Father's will, then is betrayed with a kiss and arrested.
His Sweat Was as It Were Great Drops of Blood
"And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? 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."
Word Study
"agony," Greek agonia (ἀγωνία). The word means a struggle, a wrestling, the anguish of a contest as before a great combat; from it comes our word "agony." Luke, the physician, alone records that "being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood." This was no ordinary fear but the crushing weight of what He was about to bear, the sin of the world and the cup of divine wrath, pressing upon His holy soul until His sweat fell as blood. The agony reveals both the true humanity of the Saviour, who felt the full horror of the cross, and the depth of His love, who yet chose to drink the cup. In the garden the battle was won by prayer and submission before it was ever won at Calvary.
Explanation
In Gethsemane the incarnate Lord prays in real human anguish -- "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" -- His genuine human will bowing to the divine purpose, while an angel strengthens Him and His sweat falls "as it were great drops of blood." This is no divine person negotiating with another but the true humanity of God-in-flesh enduring the horror of the cup He is about to drink. He rises from prayer to meet the mob, healing even the servant's severed ear, submitting to "the power of darkness." The victory of the cross is first won on His knees, in the strength of surrendered prayer.
Gospel Focus
Jesus goes to the mount of Olives, and first thinks of His disciples: "Pray that ye enter not into temptation." Then He withdraws to pray alone, and we are given a glimpse into the deepest suffering of His soul. "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me." The cup is the suffering of the cross and, above all, the bearing of God's wrath against sin; His holy nature recoiled from being made sin for us. Yet in the same breath comes the perfect surrender: "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Here is the obedience of the Son to the Father's will, the very heart of our redemption, that He chose the Father's purpose over the natural shrinking of His flesh. So real is the struggle that "an angel from heaven" comes "strengthening him," and "being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood." The weight of the world's sin pressed upon Him until blood mingled with His sweat; He felt the full horror of what He came to bear, and still He went forward. Meanwhile the disciples, overwhelmed, sleep "for sorrow," and Jesus rouses them, "Why sleep ye? rise and pray." Then the betrayer comes, and with the most twisted of signs, a kiss, the token of love and friendship, marks out his Lord for arrest. "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?", the sorrow in the question cuts deeper than any rebuke. When a disciple strikes off the servant's ear, Jesus stops the violence, "Suffer ye thus far," and heals His enemy's ear, a last miracle of mercy even to those come to seize Him, and a rebuke to fighting the cross with the sword. To the arresting crowd He exposes their cowardice: they never dared touch Him openly in the temple, but come by night "as against a thief." Yet He names the deeper truth: "this is your hour, and the power of darkness." For a permitted season, evil seems to triumph; the powers of darkness have their hour. But it is only an hour, and even now it serves the Father's saving plan. The Lamb who prayed "not my will, but thine" now yields Himself into the hands of sinners, that the cup might be drunk and the world redeemed.
The Lord Turned, and Looked Upon Peter (Luke 22:54-71)
Peter denies his Lord three times, is broken by a single look, and Jesus, mocked and tried, confesses His glory before the council.
Hereafter Shall the Son of Man Sit on the Right Hand of the Power of God
"Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth."
Word Study
"looked upon," Greek emblepo (ἐμβλέπω). The word means to look intently at, to gaze upon, to fix one's eyes on someone. "And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter." In the middle of His own trial and abuse, Jesus turned and fixed His gaze on the disciple who had just denied Him three times. It was not a look of scorn but of sorrowful love, and it pierced Peter's heart deeper than any word; he "remembered," and "went out, and wept bitterly." That look broke Peter and led him to repentance, the very opposite of Judas' despair. The gaze of Christ upon a failing disciple is not condemnation but the wounded love that calls him back; and the tears it draws are the tears of true repentance that lead to restoration.
Explanation
Peter follows "afar off," warms himself at the enemy's fire, and denies his Lord three times -- and then "the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter," and he goes out and weeps bitterly. That look of grief and grace, not condemnation, breaks him toward repentance. Meanwhile Jesus, mocked and beaten, is asked before the council, "Art thou then the Son of God?" and answers, "Ye say that I am" -- affirming the truth that seals His death. The confession that condemns Him in that court is the very truth that will save the world: He is the Son of God, God manifest in flesh.
Gospel Focus
Peter "followed afar off", already the picture of a wavering heart, near enough to watch but too far to stand with his Lord. Warming himself at the enemies' fire, he is recognized three times, and three times he denies: "Woman, I know him not"; "Man, I am not"; "Man, I know not what thou sayest." The bold apostle who swore he would die with Jesus cannot face the questions of a servant girl and bystanders. Then, "immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew," exactly as Jesus foretold. And in that moment comes one of the most piercing scenes in all the Gospels: "the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter." Amid His own suffering, Jesus looked at the man who denied Him, and that look of sorrowful love broke him. Peter "remembered the word of the Lord," and "went out, and wept bitterly." His bitter tears were the fruit of genuine repentance, not the despair that destroyed Judas but the godly sorrow that leads back to Christ, and Jesus had already prayed that his faith would not fail. Meanwhile the Lord Himself endures shameful abuse: the men who held Him "mocked him, and smote him," blindfolded Him and struck Him, jeering, "Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?" The Creator submits to the cruel game of His creatures. When day comes, He is dragged before the council, who demand, "Art thou the Christ?" Jesus knows they will not believe, yet He will not deny the truth. He points beyond His humiliation to His coming glory: "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." The bound and beaten prisoner declares that He will be exalted to the throne of God, seated at the place of supreme power. When they press, "Art thou then the Son of God?", He answers, "Ye say that I am", an affirmation, and they seize on His own confession as grounds to condemn Him. So the section holds together the failure of a disciple restored by love and the majesty of the Lord confessed in the depths of His humiliation. The same Jesus mocked and struck is the Son of man who will sit at the right hand of the power of God; and the same Jesus prayed for Peter and looked on him in love. He is the Lord who saves failing sinners even as He goes, unresisting, to the cross.
Chapter 22 in Review
Luke 22 carries us into the passion. As the rulers plot and Satan enters Judas, Jesus keeps the Passover with longing and makes it the memorial of His sacrifice: "This is my body which is given for you... This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." He rebukes the disciples' strife over greatness by His own example, "I am among you as he that serveth," warns Peter that Satan would sift him yet prays "that thy faith fail not," and in Gethsemane submits in agony, "not my will, but thine, be done," His sweat as great drops of blood. Betrayed with a kiss and arrested in "the power of darkness," He heals His captor's ear and yields Himself up. Peter denies Him thrice, is broken when "the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter," and weeps bitterly; and before the council the beaten prisoner confesses, "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter is the gospel in the shadow of the cross. The Passover Lamb is the Lord Himself, His body given and His blood shed to seal the new covenant promised by the prophets, the covenant of grace in which sins are remitted and God writes His law on the heart; every time we take the bread and the cup we proclaim His death and lay hold of that covenant. He goes to the cross not as a helpless victim but as the sovereign Lamb who longed for the hour, arranged its every detail, and chose the Father's will over the anguish of His flesh, the perfect obedience that is the ground of our redemption. And through it all shines His love for failing disciples: He knew Peter would deny Him, prayed for him, and by a single look of wounded love drew him to the tears of repentance, showing the difference between the godly sorrow that restores and the despair of Judas that destroys. Behold your Saviour in Gethsemane, sweating blood that you might be saved, numbered with transgressors, mocked and struck, yet the Son of man who will sit at the right hand of the power of God. Serve as He served, keep the memorial He gave, and when you fall, remember that He has prayed for you and turns to look on you in love.
- The Passover is fulfilled in Christ; His body given and blood shed seal the new covenant (22:19-20).
- Greatness in the kingdom is service: "I am among you as he that serveth" (22:26-27).
- Christ intercedes for failing disciples: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (22:32).
- In Gethsemane He submits perfectly: "not my will, but thine, be done" (22:42).
- His agony and bloody sweat reveal the cost He bore for our salvation (22:44).
- The Lord's look of love breaks Peter to repentance, not despair (22:61-62).
Questions for Reflection
- When you take the bread and the cup, do you lay hold of the covenant sealed in His blood?
- Do you seek greatness by serving, as your Lord served?
- Can you pray with Him, "not my will, but thine, be done"?
- When you fail, do you turn to the Christ who prayed for you and looks on you in love?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The Passover and the Lamb of God: Exodus 12; 1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29. The new covenant in His blood: Jeremiah 31:31-34; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Hebrews 9:11-22. Greatness through service: Mark 10:42-45; John 13:1-17; Philippians 2:5-8. Christ's intercession: Luke 22:32; John 17; Hebrews 7:25. The agony in the garden: Matthew 26:36-46; Hebrews 5:7-8; Isaiah 53:10-12. Reckoned among transgressors: Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:28. The Son of man at God's right hand: Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14; Acts 7:55-56. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The plot, the Passover, and the Supper: Luke 22:1-20; Exodus 12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
- Greatness, the betrayer, and Peter warned: Luke 22:21-38; Mark 10:42-45; Isaiah 53:12.
- The agony in the garden and the arrest: Luke 22:39-53; Matthew 26:36-46; Hebrews 5:7-8.
- Peter's denial and the council: Luke 22:54-71; Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14.