As I was reading through the Lenten reading, one particular verse struck me from Luke 22:48-53. It’s Luke 22:53 which Jesus says these stinging words to an unsaved crowd:
When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay your hands on Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
This is a dreadful thought. Jesus had revealed that even His arrest was perfectly laid out. The words “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” can reveal God’s sovereignty, even over the forces of darkness.
Jesus’ arrest can be read in Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-50, Luke 22:47-43 and John 18:1-10. In John 18:11, Jesus tells Peter:
Put your sword inot its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?
The event happened after Peter struck Malchus, a servant of the high priest. Jesus healed the ear of the person who was harmed. Isn’t it amazing that the hardness of the hearts is there? Jesus just restored the ear of a wicked man. However, the Pharisees, instead of being grateful, proceeded with the arrest anyway. I can’t be sure which event came first. Did Jesus first declare the cup that His Father had given to Him to drink or was it Jesus declaring that the time has come. Either way, we know that Jesus was in full compliance with the Father.
In Mark 14:36 and Luke 22:42, Jesus’ prayer has Him declaring that if it’s possible, remove the cup from Him, but not by His will but by His will. Jesus would soon deliver the fact that it was His Father’s will, not His will be done. In an old hymn “How Marvelous, How Wonderful”, a line describes how “For me, it was in the garden/That He said not My will but Thine/He had no tears for His own grief/But sweat-drops of blood for Mine”. Jesus declared His obedience to the Father and them to the apostles. Jesus was really willing to be spared only if the Father said yes. Instead, I believe that these words recorded were to show that the Father could do so. However, the Father was right on schedule. Now, the cup was getting received.
It might’ve shocked them when Jesus told them, “But this is your hour.” It declares that God had allowed this despicable deed to happen. The time was drawing near and Jesus was right on schedule. These wicked men don’t have the slightest idea that they’re fulfilling prophecy at that very moment. When the powers of darkness are mentioned, the nighttime is a very perfect fit to show the evilness of their deeds and hatred for the light. It really showed the dreadful darkness of those who came to arrest Jesus. The Pharisees sought to kill Jesus after the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11).
In John 10:18, Jesus said that no one takes His life from me, but He lays it at His own accord. This is the charge that Jesus had from His Father. God the Father had given Jesus control of His life and death. At this point, Jesus had already prepared Himself to die for the sins of the world. Jesus revealed the shattering revelation that even His arrest was divinely ordained. That never did anything to soften that wicked crowd. Malchus’ healed ear still made him do his job anyway. One can really see that even the hardness of the hearts of those who came to arrest Jesus, was all because the Father allowed it all to happen. Satan’s activities are limited by what God allows. Satan can attack believers but he must have God’s permission first.
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