Luke 22 (1) (7)

Pray Psalm 22.23-25.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord Is King)
All you who fear the Lord, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.

For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!

Read Luke 22,1-34; meditate on verses 7-13.

Preparation
1. What did Jesus say would happen?

2. What happened?

Meditation.
It is the evening of His arrest, the day before His crucifixion, and the last day of Jesus’ earthly life.

And He is in total control of everything. No wonder He can face what lies ahead of Him with courage, confidence, peace, and even joy (Ps. 22.21-31; Heb. 12.1-3).

Jesus controls all temporal circumstances, everything that happens in time. We see that in the arrangements made here for the “furnished upper room”. That the room was reserved, the man carrying the water would be right where the disciples would meet him, and that everything needed to prepare for the meal would be ready to hand—even the conspiring and plotting going on in the background (vv. 1-6)—all this was under Jesus’ sovereign control. Nothing surprises Jesus or catches Him off guard.

We also see that Jesus is in control of the spiritual world. He allowed Satan to enter Judas, and He would permit him to “sift” Peter (vv. 3, 31). Nothing happens in any realm that Jesus does not control. Already the angel was being prepared who would meet the women at the grave to announce the resurrection of the Lord. Was he practicing his lines? I doubt it. From the day of his creation that angel had been awaiting the moment when, according to the Word of the Lord, he would herald the new day.

We see that Jesus controls the future as well. He knew that His disciples would have many occasions to take His Supper (v. 19). He had prepared the fate of him who would betray Him (v. 22). He controlled the timing of His Kingdom gift (v. 29). He knew that Peter would return to Him after his sifting, and that he would take up the work appointed to him (v. 32: “when”, not “if”).

Jesus is Lord of all things, all people, all events, all outcomes, and all things else. He demonstrated that sovereignty by orchestrating all the events that led to the cross, and He continues exercising that total control for the building of His Church, the progress of His Kingdom, and the glory of His Father and ours.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and
to bring you into the place which I have prepared” (Ex. 23.20).

“…if it were not so, I would have told you” (Jn. 14.2).

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
(Chisholm/Runyan, 1923)

“Total Control.”

For reflection
1. Why is it important to confess Jesus not only as Savior but also as Lord?

2. Jesus does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Why should we be encouraged by this?

3. How do you expect Jesus to be sovereignly at work on your behalf today?

Those who go upon Christ’s word, need not fear disappointment. According to the orders given them, the disciples got all ready for the Passover. Jesus bids this Passover welcome. He desired it, though he knew his sufferings would follow, because it was in order to his Father’s glory and man’s redemption. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 22.7-18

Pray Psalm 22.26-28.
Thank the Lord, that He controls all things, does all things well, and works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Pray that you may have firm confidence in His sovereign care throughout the day.

Sing Psalm 22.26-28.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord Is King)
Then all the poor shall eat and praise with us the Lord.
Forever we His praise repeat and trust His Word.
Praise God above, all you who keep His vows and who His mercies love!

All nations shall repent and hasten to the Lord.
All those to whom His truth is sent shall praise His Word.
The Lord is King! His sovereign rule on high now we His people sing!

T. M. and Susie Moore 

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.