No More of This

Luke 22:47-53

Key Verse 22:51

But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.   

Today we would like to think about Jesus who shed God’s light upon many who are in darkness. In Matthew 6:23, Jesus said, “But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In the passage for today, we would like to meet people who are still in darkness and meet Jesus to see how he shed God’s light upon them. 

First, Judas Iscariot

Look at verse 47. “While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him…” This passage indicates that Judas is in great darkness. He was lucky enough that he received Jesus’ calling. He stayed in Jesus’ common life for a significant period of time. The time he stayed with Jesus was the time to learn of Jesus and see God’s light. During the time of his stay with Jesus, Jesus shed God’s light upon him, for Judas saw Jesus preaching the message of God’s kingdom. He also heard Jesus give admonitions to his disciples and the people around him on different subjects of life. He saw Jesus healing people with words and actions. 

Yet for reasons not fully known to us, he decided to leave Jesus and his ministry. Going in and out of the fellowship with Jesus he started seeing those who wanted to kill Jesus in secret. He struck a deal with them. While he was fooling around behind the scenes, Jesus continued to give him the chance to repent. There was one good chance that came for him to repent, that is, at the communion service. The Apostle Matthew describes the chance in this way, “Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus answered, ‘Yes, it is you.’” At that point Judas could have broken down and admitted his sin, but Judas kept his mouth shut; he chose not to repent. The Apostle John described Judas’s unrepentant heart and said, “Judas took the bread. Then Satan entered him.” He further writes in John 13:30, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread Judas went out. And it was night.” 

Now verse 47 says, “While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him…” This passage indicates that since Judas rejected Jesus, he fell into darkness deeper—he became the leader of those who were out to destroy Jesus. He was also coming back to tempt Jesus’ followers. 

All the while then he kept his duplicity. Most despicably, he was approaching to perfect his act of betrayal with a kiss. He could have pointed his finger at Jesus and said, “This is Jesus. Arrest him.” But rather he wanted to use a “kiss” as a means to single Jesus out. 2 Tim. 3:13 describes his condition: “[E]evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 

How did Jesus respond to him? Look at verse 48. “[B]ut Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” Here we learn from Jesus about the way to help out those who are in darkness, that is, to expose evil. Jesus could have kept his mouth shut. But he did not. It has been said, “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1Pe 4:8). But this is true only for those who truly repent and turn from sin. To those who are unrepentant, the Bible has this to say, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (Ephesians 5:3-12).    

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Jesus spoke in public. He gave the sinner’s name, that is, Judas. Jesus described the sin Judas was committing, that is, betraying the Son of Man. Jesus also specified the way in which Judas tried to cover up. Jesus uncovered the cover up.  The cover was beautiful and smooth. But when Jesus uncovered the cover, there was a creep crawled up inside. Jesus is the God of light. Truly, Jesus is the God of truth. Truly, he is the light of the world. 

Second, Jesus’ followers

Just as Judas was in darkness, so also were the followers of Jesus. Look at verse 49. “When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, ‘Lord, should we strike with our swords?’” Obviously, the followers of Jesus consisted of the 11 disciples of Jesus. They had been with Jesus for a prolonged period of time. During their stay with Jesus, he showed them God’s light. For example, from day one of the disciples’ life with Jesus, he taught them the way of God’s light. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he taught them the way of God’s children. In Luke 6:29, Jesus said, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.” 

But obviously Jesus’ followers did not accept Jesus’ words. When the crowd came with clubs and swords and were about to strike Jesus and his followers, they wanted to strike back in kind. 

Look at verse 50. “And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.” One of them did not give Jesus the chance to say yes or no. A brother I know used to be more or less like the man who cut the ear of the servant of the high priest. In his relationship with his wife, when his wife was nice to him, he was nice to his wife. But when his wife was not nice to him, like saying something negative about him, he hoarded up the matter for a long period of time, like seven years. Then at an opportune time he brings the matter up, and strikes her back saying, “You never appreciate what I do for you.” Then she talks back, “What do you mean?” The man hits back saying, “You figure it out.” Then he leaves the room. In this way the cold war continued.  

But what did Jesus say to the man who struck the servant? Look at verse 51. “But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched the man's ear and healed him.” Jesus’ response is truly amazing. “No more of this!” No more bloodshed, no more retaliation, no more mutual hatred. Not any more. The expression “no more” indicates that we’ve had enough. Enough is enough. 

Later Jesus’ disciples learned from Jesus and the Apostle Peter for example said, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 

Jesus did something more important, that is, Jesus healed the servant. He put the ear back to the place where it was. Jesus’ example shows us that it is not enough not to retaliate. If we have caused damage to anyone, we must cover the damage, putting the man in as a good condition as he was before. 

Third, the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders

There were another group of people who were in great darkness. Look at verse 52. “Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?’”

They were the ones who were in charge of the religion. So they were supposed to have God’s light. They should have worked as the source of light for the world. But they were still in darkness. Their example indicates that no matter how religious one may be, or no matter how bright, brilliant, or well versed with the word of God one may be, when he or she does not know Jesus in person, and when he does not follow Jesus closely, he or she is still in darkness. 

Look at what Jesus says in verse 53. “Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” Jesus shows us that he is the light of the world. Yet he decided to surrender himself to their hands, for Jesus had already prayed to obey God’s will to die for the sins of the world. 

The remainder of Luke’s gospel tells us that this surrender was the beginning of God’s light shining through the darkness of the night. As the whole world vented on Jesus its darkness, Jesus revealed his true identity as the Savior of the world. 

One word: no more of this  

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