Predicting Suffering: Luke 22:14-20

As Luke’s gospel transitions into telling us about the Last Supper Jesus ate with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, Luke’s gospel includes an interesting detail that I had somehow missed every other time I have read this passage.

Luke begins talking about Jesus’ Last Supper event by saying: “When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles. He said to them, ‘I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer!’” (v. 14-15)

In this introduction to this meal, Luke’s gospel includes a detail that the disciples probably missed or discounted at first and this detail says that Jesus’ suffering was about to begin. While Judas Iscariot already had made a deal with the religious leaders to sell Jesus to them, the other disciples appeared to be oblivious to the hints that Jesus was sharing with them about what was about to take place.

I wonder in my mind if Jesus held back saying everything at this point because it might have changed what actually happened. Perhaps if Jesus came out and said that He would be dying on a cross less than 24 hours later, Judas Iscariot might have realized that his betrayal would actually result in Jesus’ death and chosen not to go through with it. Also, if Jesus had clearly said what would happen the following day, it is possible that many of the disciples – Peter included – would have fought to the death when the mob was arresting Jesus.

While the disciples scatter, part of me wonders if this is because they didn’t realize that Jesus would ultimately be crucified as a result. If they realized in the moment of Jesus’ arrest that it meant Jesus would be dead 24 hours later, they might have fought and died with Him rather than scattering.

Several of the gospels describe Peter getting violent when the mob came, and I wonder if he would have been joined by other disciples if Jesus had shared that His death was right around the corner.

Instead, Jesus speaks of suffering, and this is significant for us. In many ways, Jesus’ suffering for us is more powerful than His death. There were many opportunities and ways Jesus could have died earlier on in His ministry. He could have been stoned, thrown off of a cliff, or drowned at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee just to name a few. None of these deaths would have shown us how much God loves us.

However, the cross, which was torture in itself, and all the torture and abuse leading up to the cross was Jesus’ choice. While it would have been easier to die a different way, Jesus knew the path to the cross would best show God’s love for us, and that is what Jesus came to help us see.

At the start of the Last Supper, even though the disciples missed the significance of Jesus’ opening words, at least some of them remembered later on to share with Luke as he was writing. In our own lives, even if we miss the significance of an event, a challenge, a problem, or a promise in the moment, we can trust that God has something significant in mind that He will explain to us in the future.