Reading Luke and Acts in 2020
Week 22 | Luke 22
Luke 22 Reflections and Questions
By Rev. Allen Hoskyn
A little more than a year after watching my dad die unexpectedly from a heart attack, I sat in the Dekalb County Jail counting the seconds. From that hospital emergency room to that holding cell felt like a thirteen-month night with no end in sight. Twenty-two years later, I look back on that period of my life and see more than grief, pain, confusion, and self-destruction. I see a Passover.
Luke 22 in literary terms falls in that blink-of-an-eye between the plot’s last leaps of rising action and its show-stopping climax. The chapter is full of high drama, unexpected twists and turns, and truths that will stand the test of time. At the center of the action stands a meal the pivotal point of the chapter and ultimately the larger story Jesus is both enacting and fulfilling.
Like much in our lives the present is best understood by the past and Luke 22 is no different. As we read of Judas’ betrayal, the last supper, Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives, Peter’s denial, and Jesus’ arrest, the story of the Exodus and the first Passover should be roaring in our ears like a rushing river. You may recall from Exodus 11-13 after 430 years of slavery and bondage in Egypt the Hebrews were on the cusp of becoming God’s chosen people destined for a land of promise, but one obstacle remained -- the night of Passover. Standing between slavery and freedom, bondage and liberation, oppression and promise was a night of utter darkness, uncertainty, and loss when the blood of a lamb would be the difference between life and death.
Luke 22 is an invitation to step towards the darkness of Passover. To move towards the darkness that so easily betrays, seeks power, lashes out in violence, denies, mocks, and falsely accuses. It is an invitation to step towards the darkness of our own making that will consume and destroy us separating us from all that is true, dear, and eternal. But above all, Luke 22 is an invitation to approach the darkness of Passover in order to discover the lamb who willing shed his blood and laid down his life so that we might experience the sunrise of freedom and the dawn of liberation.
Four years after I sat in utter darkness, uncertainty, and loss in that holding cell, I walked into a worship service at Mount Pisgah UMC and began to meet the lamb who continues to guide me towards the full light of dawn. Whether a county jail twenty-two years ago or a global pandemic today, standing between slavery and freedom, bondage and liberation, oppression and promise is a Passover. Over the next week as we journey through Luke 22, I pray we will have the courage to step into the darkness and to once again discover the lamb whose blood is the difference between life and death.
As the Rev. Dr. Quincy Brown directed us previously, before you read each day’s passage begin by taking a few deep breaths to center yourself. Sit for a few moments with your eyes closed preparing yourself to encounter the story. Read the passage more than once silently before reading it out loud.
Wednesday – Final Preparations
Read Luke 22:1-13
As you read circle or underline any words that connect with you. When you finish reading, choose one of the words you have circled and write it and what you think Jesus is saying to you about it in a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer. End your time with prayer. Ask God for the opportunity to share your “one word” with someone today.
Thursday – The Passover Meal
Read Luke 22:14-23
As you read circle or underline any words that connect with you. When you finish reading, choose one of the words you have circled and write it and what you think Jesus is saying to you about it in a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer. End your time with prayer. Ask God for the opportunity to share your “one word” with someone today.
Friday – Parting Words
Read Luke 22:24-38
As you read circle or underline any words that connect with you. When you finish reading, choose one of the words you have circled and write it and what you think Jesus is saying to you about it in a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer. End your time with prayer. Ask God for the opportunity to share your “one word” with someone today.
Saturday – Prayer
Read Luke 22:39-46
As you read, circle, underline or highlight at least “one sentence” that “jumps out” to you. In a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer, jot down that verse and write what you sense God is saying to you. End your time with prayer. Look for opportunities throughout your day to share this insight or “one sentence” from the Holy Spirit with someone.
Sunday – Arrested
Read Luke 22:47-53
As you read, circle, underline or highlight at least “one sentence” that “jumps out” to you. In a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer, jot down that verse and write what you sense God is saying to you. End your time with prayer. Look for opportunities throughout your day to share this insight or “one sentence” from the Holy Spirit with someone.
Monday – Peter’s Denial
Read Luke 22:54-62
As you read, circle, underline or highlight at least “one sentence” that “jumps out” to you. In a notebook, smartphone, tablet or computer, jot down that verse and write what you sense God is saying to you. End your time with prayer. Look for opportunities throughout your day to share this insight or “one sentence” from the Holy Spirit with someone.
Tuesday – Before the Council
Read Luke 22:63-71
After you have read the passage, review the “one words” and “one sentences” you have highlighted over the week. In a notebook, smartphone, tablet, or computer respond to the following questions: What have you learned about God over the last week? What have you learned about people or yourself over the last week? Is there an action you need to take over the next 48 hours in response to what you have learned? Is there a person for whom you need to share what you have learned over the last week? End your time with prayer.
Rev. Allen Hoskyn is a Missional Strategist for the North Georgia Conference. |
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