Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him. 

 

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." 

 

- Luke 22:39–53 

 

On Saturday we read that the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

  Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  My study Bible comments that Christ's agony was the product of His human nature.  In asking that the cup be taken away, Christ reveals His human will.  By submitting His human will to that of God the Father, my study Bible explains, He reveals His divine will is one with the Father's.  Moreover, it teaches us that this is the goal of each person in our own crossroads and choices (Luke 11:2).  Christ willingly takes in Himself the voice of weak humanity, and thereby conquers weakness.  My study Bible quotes from Pope St. Gregory the Great:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  My study Bible tells us that this healing is recorded only by St. Luke the physician.  It's an indication of the way in which we're to treat our enemies.  In patristic commentary, it's understood to have a spiritual meaning, in that it is Christ who gives all of us the capacity to hear the truth, and thereby come to salvation (see Luke 8:8, 14:35). 

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."  Regarding darkness, see John 3:19-21, 13:30.

Hidden in today's text, there are hints of meaning in the loss of human capacity for perceiving the things of God.  First, there is the healing of the ear of the servant of the high priest.  As my study Bible notes, in patristic sources this is given a spiritual significance, in that it is Christ who enables our true spiritual hearing, our capacity to hear the truth as given by God.  It is not coincidence that, opening today's reading, we receive the passage that teaches us about Christ's agony in the garden of Gethsemane, in which He prayed His very human desire that this cup be passed from Him.  That is, the cup of the Crucifixion to come, as He knows He will be betrayed and arrested this night by those who will hand Him to the Gentiles to be killed.  Let's observe this great conflict between Christ's naturally human will to avoid death, and His desire to follow the divine will of God the Father.  He has prophesied several times what will happen to Him, and so He knows that "the Son of Man goes as it has been determined" (Luke 22:22), but we can see clearly His human response to what is before Him.  With this, Jesus puts everything before God the Father, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Perhaps this is a good model for all of us, for the times when we are tried with a sorely difficult choice, and we, too, have struggles that are difficult in seeing our way through them.  Christ's impulse is to "hear" God the Father, but He also knows that He is heard, and puts everything before God in so doing.  This is a powerful scene about truth as it is heard and known, for He speaks the truth of His human desire, and hears the truth of the Father's will and lives it.  Then something significant for all of us happens:  an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  Again, it is an assurance of a process that happens also for us, for the angels are present to us to help to strengthen our own capacities for hearing, knowing, doing, for faith.  Jesus' response is to do what is most helpful at such a time:  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  His physical human response described here teaches us about the depth of His agony and the fervor of His prayer.  Next we're given the response of the disciples to their great sorrow:  they sleep.  Sleep is a time when we neither hear nor see what is happening around us, symbolic of cutting ourselves off from spiritual sight and hearing of the truth.  Jesus tells them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation," giving us to understand prayer as the way to rekindle our capacity for hearing and seeing, being awake and alert to the things God has in mind for us, wants us to apprehend.  Finally, Jesus puts His finger on the inability to see and hear spiritually, perhaps our unwillingness to do so, either in the face of challenges such as facing terrible difficulties, or deep sorrow, or other temptations.  He also describes the betrayal of Judas and the hypocrisy of these religious leaders who now arrest Him and plot to have Him killed.  All of this He sums up in His description of their hour:  the power of darkness.  Darkness, of course, obscures the light, and in particular, our sight.  So spiritual seeing and hearing -- and the lack of them both -- becomes a powerful component hidden in the scenes of today's reading, and something we have to consider at all times.  For Christ's time of agony is not an isolated event, but one that might come to each one of us, especially as we struggle with our faith.  The world can present us with alternatives we'd rather not face, hostility from those whom we love, even betrayal.  It can impose a kind of response of sorrow from friends who seem to abandon us and sleep when we need them.  Fortunately, Jesus gives us the true sword with which to meet such times of evil and the power of darkness, and that is the power of prayer and its fullness.  We see His fervent and deep prayers, letting God know all, and accepting God's word to Him in His great struggle.  He tells the disciples, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  Sleeping is something we try to do in darkness, and it is the power of darkness at work in the arrest of Jesus by those who have shut out spiritual light and sound so as to follow their own desires only, under cover of night, even violating their own laws in the night trial of Jesus that will follow.  When life seems dark, take up the sword of Christ's truth, and the power of the prayers He so deeply prays.  Don't sleep, but follow His teaching to rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation. 

 

 

If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go

 

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crowed, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God." 

 

- Luke 22:54-69 

 

Yesterday we read that, coming out from the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

 

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  My study Bible comments here that a girl being the first to test Peter is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  It notes that our fallen state is overcome in Christ when women are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).

But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crowed, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  My study Bible remarks that Peter is so overcome with fear that neither Christ's prediction at the Last Supper ('I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me" - Luke 22:34), nor the crowing of the rooster, calls him to repentance.  Only the Lord's gaze causes him to weep bitterly.   My study Bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan, who comments that nonetheless, "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.   St. Cyril of Alexandria remarks upon the patience of Christ, on display in these verses in Luke.  To be mocked and beaten means the One who is above all endures the worst of the corruption of the world, showing that "human things fall as far below the divine excellencies as our nature is inferior to His."  Christ's patience and endurance shows a marked difference between His nature (and is one of the fruits of the Spirit) and our own, which so easily responds savagely to anything that disturbs us.  St. Cyril writes, "He who tries hearts and minds and is the giver of all prophecy, how could He not know who hit him? As Christ said, 'Darkness has blinded their eyes, and their minds are blinded.'"  See Isaiah 6:8-10, John 12:40. 

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go."  My study Bible comments that Jesus asked many questions of the Jewish leaders which they refused to answer because doing so would have meant confessing Him as the Christ (Luke 20:4-7; Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 3:4). 

 

"Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  By this claim, my study Bible tells us, Jesus declares Himself to be equal with God.

The leaders of the Jews, assembled in the official council, demand of Jesus to know:  "If You are the Christ, tell us."  Jesus responds in the following way:  "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."   It's interesting to consider His response, for He tells us, in so many words, of the silence and forbearance He expressed during the time He was beaten and mocked in such crude ways by those with no understanding or spiritual insight.   This is the manifestation of the truth of what He said when He was seized: "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (see yesterday's reading, above).  His forbearance, His lack of speaking out or even answering their demand to know if He is the Christ (which He has already indicated many times and in many ways during His ministry) is an expression of the fact that darkness prevails not simply in this circumstance, but rather in the minds and hearts of these men.  They have all kinds of witnesses they could call. They know of His many signs He has done during His ministry.  They understand the response of the people to Christ.  And they have heard His doctrine and He has answered their questions openly, before the whole public at the feasts, the whole of the nation not only in His travels but at the feasts for all of Jerusalem and the pilgrims from everywhere in the Jewish diaspora who come to attend the festivals.  John's Gospel gives us three Passovers in which Jesus returns to Jerusalem, and other festivals as well.  But here and now what we observe is what St. Cyril comments, as we noted above, that "darkness has blinded their eyes, and their minds are blinded."  This is taken from the prophesy of Isaiah about the response to the Messiah, which Jesus quoted in the Gospels, and which was also quoted by St. Paul preaching in Rome (see Isaiah 6:9-10; Matt 13:14; Mark 4:12; John 12:40, Acts 28:26).  We have often heard Jesus say, for example after preaching the parable of the Sower, "He who has ears, let him hear!"  (Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8), and this we also understand as part of the allusions to the prophesy of Isaiah as noted.  When we have entered into a kind of darkness that is deliberate blindness, that refuses to listen and to understand, to see and to know, then we embark on a path that leads to a place where we may render ourselves incapable of repentance.  We can come to be incapable of changing our minds, of understanding, of growth.  And that is where these men are, and that is why we witness the silence and forbearance of Christ, because there is no longer any point in speaking to them.  They are beyond His salvation by virtue of their own closed minds.  He issues one more warning that judgment will come for their failures:  "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."   There is no turning back from this place for them.  And so, we enter into the subject of the power of darkness.  Earlier in Luke's Gospel, Jesus taught, "The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness" (Luke 11:34).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23).  The Gospels, and the teachings of Christ therein, are consistent on this subject of spiritual darkness.  It is the power of evil, and darkness is synonymous with the evil one.  It is the absence of light, meaning the kind of illumination that Christ's truth brings, for Christ Himself is the light (John 1:4-5).  When we read this scene, we witness that the power of darkness is at work, for Jesus no longer attempts to persuade and to save, He forbears His mocking and beating, and displays the tremendous patience of One who has accepted that speech will do no good, for understanding is not possible in people who have chosen to remain in darkness, when so much light is part of their heritage and is present in the One who stands before them, the "Light of Light, and true God of true God" (Creed).  When we experience times of great evil, when comprehension is obliterated, when people refuse to see what is before them, when darkness becomes embraced and deepened, then we understand this place, this force that is against Jesus and hates the light.  It is important that we understand that all evils feed and are symptomatic of this darkness, especially lies, and those forms of depravity and senseless violence and destruction we may see around us every day, particularly in those who, like these corrupt leaders in today's reading, cynically use violence simply for their personal ends, and cultivate lies to justify it.  Let us consider what it means to enter into the hour and power of darkness, and how many times we might experience that or witness it in our lives and in our world.  For it remains in opposition to the Light.  As our response, we can choose to bring our faith further into the world, to live His teachings more diligently, to grow in the light He gives us.  For this is our work, the job He gives us, as He teaches:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  As we now approach the celebration of the coming of that Light into the world, let us remember how important, how crucial it is, that our lives are found in His light.  Let us not deny that light, but work to help bring it into a world which so deeply and truly needs it.

 

 

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

 

- Luke 22:39-53 

 

On Saturday, Jesus was speaking to the disciples at the Last Supper, after they ate the Passover.   The Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."    My study Bible says that Christ's agony was the product of His human nature.  In asking that the cup be taken away, He reveals His human will.  By submitting His human will to the Father, Christ reveals His divine will to be one with the Father's.  Moreover, this shows that each person must submit one's own will to God's will (Luke 11:2).  My study Bible adds that Christ willingly takes in Himself the voice of weak humanity, and thereby conquers weakness.  It quotes St. Gregory the Great:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."  The healing of the ear of the servant of the high priest is recorded only by St. Luke the physician, my study Bible notes.  It says that this indicates the manner in which we are to treat our enemies.  The patristic commentaries indicate a spiritual meaning here in that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth, and thereby come to salvation (see Luke 8:8; 14:35).  Regarding the power of darkness, see John 3:19-21; 13:30.

 

Verse 44 describes Jesus' tremendous pain, His agony:  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  In a recent video made while visiting the garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, Jonathan Pageau views these elements as reminders of Christ's Crucifixion, that His blood will be spilled as is described here.  According to John's Gospel, when a sword pierces His side, blood and water will come out  (John 19:34).  But of course, Christ's very human side is responding to what He knows is coming.  It is interesting that before that, Christ prays that God's will be done:  "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  We are allowed to witness the wrestling going on within Himself, between His human and divine wills.  And then we're told, after this prayer, that then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. So as Luke invites us in to witness this extremely personal moment, we are experiencing what Christ experienced, and as He experienced it.  Note the tussle and the tug of war.  Before the prayer, Jesus told His disciples, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  So Christ's experience in the garden, begins with His warning to the disciples, an admonition that they must pray that they may not enter into temptation.  Then He Himself withdraws in order to pray, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."    Then, after He has made this plea, this commitment that despite His human desire that the cup be taken away, He commits voluntarily to God's will -- and then an angel appears in order to strengthen Him.    At that point, this struggle then draws Him into agony, and He prays even more fervently.  All of this is a model for us, so that we understand what prayer is and what spiritual battle is.  For this is an agony of battle for Jesus, and it is an agony of the deepest part of temptation.  He is struggling against every human instinct we have for self-preservation, and no doubt against fears of what will become of His disciples and the legacy of His ministry.  One might simply imagine all of the million and one doubts that would assail any normal human being.  But Christ models for us what our own struggles are going to be about.  Step by step, we're given to understand that we need to pray in order to battle temptation, that we need to withdraw so that we focus and concentrate on prayer when we can, giving it our all.  Note also that He asks the disciples, His friends, to pray as well.  But this struggle is visceral, real, it is not easy nor simple.  And it is indeed a struggle.  Even after Jesus has made the decision, prayed "not My will, but Yours, be done," even after an angel has responded to strengthen Him, then His agony comes.  But, as He has said, the ruler of this world has nothing in Him (John 16:33).  Let us note that we also may experience the same strengthening from spiritual forces that aid us in response to our choices, even when we are in the middle of a struggle -- and that we may still experience further pain and temptation to turn back from our choice to find God's will despite our choice to face the hardships that may come in so doing.  This is the struggle.  This agony in the garden is the description of a deep spiritual struggle, and the formula and model we're given for prayer and spiritual assistance.  We may not all be the One who is destined to lead this mission of Christ, who liberates all through the means of the Cross, but nonetheless on some levels we may also experience the same struggles, and so we should take the same cautions, guidance, and knowledge with us that we're given here in this glimpse of Him that is so personal.  We pray so as not to enter into temptation.  In prayer we make the choice and commitment for what God is asking of us, and while we are strengthened, we may yet fully feel the visceral and very human experience of that struggle, an agony that is as real as anything else with which we might struggle in life.  Let us go forward in understanding that Christ was not spared the struggle, and neither are we when we choose to commit to our faith.  Jesus teaches us what it is to face and experience this hour, and the power of darkness.  But nonetheless, despite the struggle, we will come to enter into His peace and His joy in so doing -- for there is where we reap the harvest of faith.  In this case, it is the eternal sign of Christ that saves and liberates and sets us free from from the slavery of the one who would bring us pain in all its forms.  He has overcome the world -- for us.

 

  

But this is your hour, and the power of darkness

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." 

 

- Luke 22:39–53 

 

On Saturday we read that the Lord said to Simon Peter at the Last Supper, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  My study bible comments that Christ's agony was the product of His human nature.  As He asks that this cup be taken away, Jesus is revealing His human will.  In submitting His human will to God the Father, Christ reveals His divine will to be one with the Father's, and this moreover shows that each person must do the same:  seek to submit one's own will to God's will (Luke 11:2).   My study bible makes the point, moreover, that Christ willingly has taken in Himself the voice of weak humanity, and thereby conquers weakness through transfiguration.  This is the crucial focus of the Incarnation and its power to heal our brokenness.  St. Gregory the Great comments:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."   My study bible comments that this healing is recorded only by St. Luke the physician.  It is an indication of the manner in which we are to treat our enemies, it notes.  In patristic commentary, a spiritual meaning is seen in that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth (as it is the servant's ear that is cut off and healed) and thereby come to salvation (see Luke 8:8, 14:35).   Regarding the power of darkness, see John 3:19-21, 13:30.

 

 So what is the power of darkness?  Certainly darkness is the absence of light.  We say the light of the sun is dimmed when there is an object in the way, such as a cloud, or even the earth's face is turned away in our orbit around the sun, the axis of the world at certain times leaving our particular area of the planet in night's darkness, illumined only by the light of the moon and its phase at that time (also a function of obstacles in the way of the light).  In John's Gospel, its Prologue affirmatively declares that Christ is the light of the world that has come into the world; John 1:4-5 declares, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  The cause of this darkness is the absence of the light, and in this case that light refers to Christ and all the things that are in Christ, particularly the light of spiritual truth, but also all the things implied in the Word, the Logos:  order, reason, wisdom, creativity, and a myriad host of good things that make for good life.  True peace and joy are also found in this light of Christ (John 14:27, 15:11).   St. Paul writes to the early Christians at Philippi, "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9).  All of these things, and the capacity to give us grace that bestows them upon us and magnifies them in us, are in that light.  And the darkness is its absence, through whatever cause.  Sometimes that cause is deliberate choice.  The Gospel of John tells us, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Sometimes it is ignorance through no fault of the person who is in darkness.  Matthew's Gospel quotes from Isaiah:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Matthew 4:15-16, Isaiah 9:1-2).  Judas is betraying that light, but Christ the true light continues to try to save him, by asking, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"   This is another quality of that light in Christ, to love and to save and to heal, all on display in today's reading.  The brokenness of this world is essentially its darkness; but nevertheless John's words remain true, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  And we can see this all around us in our world.  But nevertheless, Christ gives us a mission, to spread His light in the world, and that light is in the word of the Gospel.  Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the light.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  Soon we will be celebrating the birth of Christ into the world, the Light who comes to us and lives a fully human life in order to heal all of our own darkness.  Let us consider the darkness we may observe around us in corruption and violence and lies and all manner of problems, and understand that His mission to bring that light to the world continues with every new generation, every new worker that comes to join the harvest (Luke 10:2).

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then he said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

- Luke 22:39-53

Yesterday we read that after the Passover supper the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then he said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  This is Christ's agony in the garden of Gethsemane.  My study bible says that it is the product of His human nature.  When He asks that the cup be taken away, He is revealing His human will.   But He submits His human will to the Father, and in so doing reveals that His divine will is one with the Father's.  Moreover, it gives us a model for ourselves:  each one of us must submit our own will to God's will (11:2).  My study bible explains that thus Christ willingly takes in Himself the voice of weak humanity, and thereby conquers weakness.  It quotes the commentary of St. Gregory the Great:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  This healing is mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke, the physician.  My study bible says that it indicates the manner in which we are to treat our enemies.  By patristic tradition, there is also a spiritual meaning here, in which we understand that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth and thereby come to salvation (see 8:8, 14:35). 

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."   In the New Testament, the understanding of light and darkness features prominently in various sayings of Jesus.  While He taught His truth openly in the temple, these men were afraid to seize Him before the people.  But here in the darkness there is the power of darkness, that which seeks to hide from the Light (see John 3:19-21; 13:30).

What is the power of darkness?  This is the hour when that which seeks the darkness strikes; it desires to work in a way that is hidden, and does so for a particular reason.  Jesus tells a truth that the people wish to hear.  When He engages in open controversy in the light, teaching daily in the temple, He does not do so in order to stir up a mob, nor to seize power under false pretenses, nor to sway people with lies.  But the power of darkness is that which embraces manipulation of all kinds, including violence and lies.  What we are given in today's verses of Luke's Gospel is not so much an exposition on darkness and light, as it is the quite essential teachings of Christ for how we seek to cope with the actions of the darkness, the times of its power, and its hour.  Most noticeable are  simply Jesus' repeated teachings to the apostles:  Pray that you may not enter into temptation.  When He finds them sleeping, after His own strengthening through prayer, He repeats this teaching to them:  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  What stands out in today's reading is Christ's teaching to us for coping with the times of darkness and its power:  Prayer.  This is the first way to shore up strength and personal reserves for coping with the times when we are under tremendous personal stress and difficulty.  These will always be times for us of temptation.  Think about the challenges one faces in life.  Perhaps our greatest challenges are those times of terrible stress and fear.  We might be faced with a healthcare crisis, either for ourselves or for someone who we love.  We may be in the middle of a family drama at the time of the death of a loved one, always a stressful time no matter what the circumstances.  Perhaps we find ourselves as a victim of a crime, or a loved one or a friend.  Maybe there is a different and frightening threat involved in some aspect of our lives.  Holidays themselves can be stressful and trying, particularly for individuals coping with addictions and family trauma.  In every single case, prayer can be understood as recommended by Christ (and as reported by Luke the physician) as our first and last resort for coping with the times of darkness, times when we are threatened by something that gives rise to terrible fears.  It is important to punctuate these times with remembrance of God through prayer, because it is through prayer that we find ourselves bolstered to make the difficult decisions, and as Christ says, to keep the temptations away for falling into error and stumbling with our own human frailties.   Taking time out for regular prayer is a must for such times, such as during a hospital vigil, for example.  Prayer has a way of feeding our reserves of strength, shoring up our better natures, giving us the courage to make difficult decisions in hard circumstances -- particularly when temptation abounds during times of darkness and we are coping with the effects of evil in any form.  Practices such as prayers of the Hours (see this page on my blog for an example),  or intermittent prayer of any type are helpful.  One can do an internet search for prayers written for specific hours of the day (such as Compline or Vespers) or for specific occasions.  There are types of prayer which suit all times and every personal need and individual capacity.   Even the stressful time of shopping for gifts for Christmas -- a time meant to be joyful, but reported by so many to be otherwise -- is a good occasion for intermittent prayer.   A short phrase repeated to oneself at any time in silence (such as the Jesus Prayer or "Lord have mercy") may be a helpful practice for getting us through it in gratitude.  This season, while we celebrate the birth of our Savior, can also be a time of disappointments, old hurts revisited, and a feeling that we are missing out on what others have.  In today's reading, in this reporting of the worst of times, both Jesus' example -- His action of prayer -- and His repeated teaching to the apostles, are the best ways to understand the true medicine we need for our souls to help us make the best choices, even in the worst of circumstances with seemingly only bad options all around.  Let us consider, as we head into the holidays, that we live in an imperfect world.  We don't practice magic.  Instead, we have faith and the tools and weapons of prayer, the whole armor of God, that He gives us and teaches to us.  They are with us and ready for us always. 

But this is your hour, and the power of darkness

 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who has come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

- Luke 22:52-62

On Saturday we read that, coming out from the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who has come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."  What is the power of darkness?  My study bible cites passages from John:  3:19-21 and 13:30.  The first speaks of the choices we make:  do we prefer the darkness or the light?  What we know to be good and worthy and truthful, or otherwise?  The second is about the betrayal of Judas, and him setting out after the Last Supper to betray Christ.  If we look carefully here, Jesus names the great lie in this scene.  They have come after Him as if He is a robber, while His deeds were done in truth and in light, teaching daily in the temple -- where they were afraid to seize Him in front of all the people.

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  My study bible says that this scene of a girl as the first person to test Peter is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  But the Gospels teach us another story in Christ -- that it is women who are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (24:1-10).

And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  My study bible notes here that Peter is so overcome with fear that neither Christ's prediction at the Last Supper (verse 34) nor the crowing of the rooster calls him to repentance.  Only the Lord's gaze causes him to weep bitterly.  But St. Ambrose of Milan writes, nevertheless, that "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."

The power of darkness:  what is it?  Unusually for the Gospels, all of the events in today's reading take place in the darkness, even under cover of darkness.  The betrayal (with a kiss) by His disciple, Judas, takes place under cover of darkness.  Christ uses His one weapon, His word, to declare that they have come out under cover of darkness, as against a robber, with swords and clubs -- when He was daily teaching in the temple openly.  Such an act requires darkness:  not only is there a lie in the act itself, but these men feared the people and their response to such an injustice and public outrage, and so act under the cover of the night.  And then there is the scene of Peter in the courtyard, also by night.  While an illegal "night court" session goes on inside, Peter waits outside in the courtyard of the house of the high priest. Peter follows at a distance, and has come this far.  But the questions of a servant girl, and others around the fire, unnerve him, and he denies knowing Christ at all.  As my study bible points out, it's only after a glance from Christ (whom presumably Peter sees from outside) that Peter remembers Jesus' prediction that he will deny Him three times before the crowing of the rooster.  My study bible gives us a quotation about darkness from John's Gospel.  Here it is in full:  "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:19-21).  This quotation is about judgment, and judgment has been a strong theme in these last days of Christ's ministry.  We remember that Christ also is the light, His truth is the light.  This truth establishes a strong call for a choice.  Has Jesus done evil?  Has He done good?  What has He taught?  Is He like a robber that they arrest Him in this manner?  But the questions go much deeper than that in today's reading.  Peter also hides under cover of darkness, in a sense.  What has he got to be ashamed of, to hide?  Why does he deny he knows Christ?  This is a shadow of darkness of a different kind, and one that lets us know the complicated nature of the world in which we live, and how we are to negotiate our lives through it.  Only Christ's glance reminds us of the true light that is always there, and always sees.  And it is there, in that glance, that Peter knows and goes to weep bitter tears of repentance.  It is most deeply in this personal relationship that we find ourselves face to face with a truth from which we can't hide.  When we come face to face with the true light, from which nothing escapes, we come face to face with ourselves, what we've done or chosen, how we can do better, and the things of which we need to repent.  It's in that great gaze of pure light and pure love that we find the strength to be truly honest, to know repentance not as a thing of shame but rather as a thing that cleanses and makes us stronger.  It is in that light that we find a humility that only makes us fuller, bigger, deeper, healthier, better.   Whatever else goes on in the world, it is in His light that we see light, that all can come to light -- because His light and truth is also perfect love.  When we forget that, we lose who we are and can be to darkness that has no substance and only seeks to take away the gifts of grace.

This is your hour, and the power of darkness

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and his disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.   When He rose up from prayer, and had come to the disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

- Luke 22:39-53

On Saturday we read that the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a  knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and his disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.   When He rose up from prayer, and had come to the disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  My study bible says that Christ's agony was the product of His human nature.  When He asks that the cup be taken away, He reveals His human will.  In so through prayer, He submits His human will to the Father.  Thereby He reveals His divine will to be one with the Father's.  Furthermore He shows us that each person can and must do the same (see 11:2).  Christ has willingly taken into Himself the voice of weak humanity.  Thereby He conquers weakness, and shows us the way.  My study bible quotes Gregory the Great:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."  The apostles sleep from sorrow -- not an uncommon reaction to depression and sorrow of any kind.  But Jesus wants them to be awake, an important understanding of the state of mind He asks of each of us.  It is not simply to be alert, wakeful, but also in order to pray:  wakefulness and prayer go together.  Jesus tells them twice:  "Pray lest you enter into temptation."  We are not to ignore nor deny times of temptation and difficulty, but to watch and pray.  Prayer is the closest thing we have to a weapon of strength, help that is at hand when we are weak or fearful.

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."   My study bible points out that the healing recorded here is only done so by St. Luke.  It says that it indicates the manner in which we are to treat our enemies.  Church Fathers see a spiritual meaning in that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth and thereby come to salvation (see 8:8; 14:35).  The power of darkness is that which refuses and hides from the light, those who have no eyes to see nor ears to hear  (see John 3:19-21; 13:30).   In this case, these things are literally done under cover of darkness, rather than during the day when Jesus is always teaching in the temple. 

At the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Luke records that "it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two" (23:44-45).  What is the power of darkness?  Cyril of Alexandria writes in a commentary on today's passage that Jesus indicates this an hour that in some sense is "given" to the power of darkness, as if Jesus says, "You have one hour against Me."  He likens it to the limited time between the crucifixion and the resurrection from the dead.  The word power in the Greek indicates a type of authority, the spiritual darkness of Satan or evil, that which blocks out and resists all light.  It is a type of deliberate ignorance.  In Genesis we're told that God made lights for night-time, the lesser light (the moon) and the stars (Genesis 1:16).  But here even the elements of life collude with the metaphorical deep darkness of evil, as night is used to cover up deeds that harm the innocent -- that which must be hidden both from God (if such thing were possible) and the people.  John's Gospel tells us:  "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:20, 21).   The power of darkness is also akin to a lie, a kind of lying that comes in many forms.  Denial, manipulation, direct falsehood, omission, half-truths -- all these things are forms of lies.  Revelation tells us that among those who remain cast out of the holy city is "whoever loves and practices a lie" (Revelation 22:15 NKJV).   When Jesus is put on trial, false witnesses will be the only ones found against Him.  All of these things are related to darkness, and to the power of darkness:  an unwillingness to perceive or let in the light, deliberate omission and lying, that which refuses grace and the authority and power of God.  Such things are tied to that which harms the innocent.  But in the story of Christ, what we find is a permitted time of such effect, which in the end will be used for the salvation of mankind, for the Resurrection of Christ, for a greater good and more powerful light in the world than was possible otherwise.  We perhaps need to deeply ponder what it means when Christ says above, "Permit even this."  His sacrifice is willing and deliberate.  The power of God the Father through all things is the greatest mystery of all.  But that it is working, even through the time of the power of darkness, is something we can only find through prayer, and discernment, the works of faith.  We are always to watch and pray, to remain wakeful and not sleeping, to know what we are about.  That is where the power of the Cross lies, in the midst of all things, enduring even through the time of the power of darkness, to bring about that which is far greater than we know.  When we bear our own crosses, let us remember His words and His teaching, the Light that shines in the darkness.  It is the power of the Cross that is greater than anything that would oppose it.

This is your hour, and the power of darkness

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

- Luke 22:39-53

On Saturday, we read that Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."     And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  My study bible says that Christ's agony here is the product of His human nature.  "In asking that the cup be taken away, He reveals His human will.  By submitting His human will to the Father, Christ reveals His divine will to be one with the Father's, and further shows that each person must submit his own will to God's will (11:2).  Christ willingly takes in Himself the voice of weak humanity, thereby conquering weakness:  'The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened' (St. Gregory the Great)."  We have to note also the repeated emphasis on prayer; it's not only essential to Jesus, but to all of the apostles.  It's a time of testing, and for that prayer is absolutely indispensable to their lives and what they are going through.  "Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation" is a warning to all of us at times of our own stress and difficulty.

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."  We note once again there is a chance for Judas to confess and repent before Christ, and Jesus explicitly opens the door for this before Judas can speak or act.  Of the healing of the high priest's servant, my study bible comments that this particular healing is only recorded by St. Luke the physician.  It says, "It indicates the manner in which we are to treat our enemies.  The Fathers see a spiritual meaning in that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth and thereby come to salvation (see 8:8; 14:35)."   Even here we note Jesus' boldness in speaking.  In the night, away from the crowds in the temple who love to hear Jesus speak, they come to take Him as if He were a robber (see Saturday's reading, in which Jesus said that the Scripture would be fulfilled:  "He was numbered with the transgressors" - Isaiah 53:12).   And they will crucify Him between two criminals (or literally "evil-doers"), as Luke will put it (23:32).   It is "their hour, and the power of darkness," for which we all need prayer as our greatest true weapon.  Regarding darkness, my study bible gives us two references from the Gospel of John:  3:19-21 and 13:30. 

 Let us think about darkness, and what it is to experience a particular hour, and the power of darkness that comes with it.  I have experienced such times.  Darkness is first of all ignorance; the power of evil is in this ignorance, and it is sometimes experienced as a deliberate ignorance.  That is, a time when people deliberately ignore what they already know, what they have been taught.  It's a potent form of lying, often accompanied by envy, and the kind of competition that allows for mercilessness.  That's a very dangerous time, and it is - as Jesus indicates in His instructions to the disciples - a time when we really need to be wary of temptation, as we try to stay on the right path in the midst of it.  It's a time for which only the power of prayer becomes the sword that we need, the truth that we need to find so that we make our way through it without being scathed or damaged by the temptations that are present.  We're all going to experience weakness and temptation in times of great stress, when we don't necessarily have an answer for the full scenario in which we may be caught up, which is playing out all around us and in our lives.  We can only stay in the moment and try to stay with Him, be strengthened in prayer whether we are by ourselves and alone, or also if we have the resources to call upon for support (church, friends, and the whole communion of saints we pray with and to as requests for such aid and assistance in prayer).   Sometimes we need all the help we can get, all the strength we can get, but our basic weapon for that is prayer whether we have others praying with us or not (besides Father, Son and Spirit).  I think there is a kind of degree of darkness that can be experienced at different times.  In this case in which Jesus is seized here in the dark in the garden, we have "an hour" of real, intense darkness.   They will take Him to a night court, which is an illegal procedure under their own laws.  He will be charged illegally, with all kinds of phony witnesses, without being allowed to speak in His own behalf or call witnesses of His own, and despite the fact that they all know what His ministry has been and what He has openly taught every single day in the temple since His arrival in Jerusalem.  They will take Him also to the Romans, a governor who will wash His hands of the mess although he finds Jesus innocent, leaving the decision to the crowds who've been stirred up by these leaders.  All of this against their own rules, the rules and laws of these religious leaders who are supposed to be the guardian of such laws and traditions.  This is not just darkness that comes with a slight temptation, but the greatest darkness of total ignorance imposed against the things they know, and know well.  It is a time of turning their backs, their eyes and ears, and hearts against the Scriptures for which they are meant to be the experts and guardians.  Above all, the darkness here is against God, against the works that have been done with holy power in Jesus' ministry, against the Spirit who has spoken through the prophets (as the Creed tells us).  This is the power of darkness, and it is ignorance -- a truly deliberate, hard-hearted ignorance, a giving in to ignorance of God and ignorance of the things of God.  Therefore let us observe that who know better, who have been given so much of the grace of God (such as we who have come later and been given the benefits of centuries of faithful) are thereby subjected to the greatest temptations of darkness, because it is a deliberate evil in which one turns one's back on the things of God that have been revealed.  In Saturday's reading, my study bible commented that the testing of Peter will be greatest, because his faith is the stronger.  Let us take it all to heart and remember the power of prayer, the temptation we are all subject to in times of darkness, great or small.  It's Jesus' warning to His apostles, it is His practice, and it remains His teaching for us today.  Especially in times of uncertainty, where the greatest darkness may blindside us so that we can't see clearly a way, nor know by thinking beforehand what it is we must do, how to react.  It's the time that darkness may stun us with its unexpected depth and outrage.  This is that hour for the disciples.  And it can happen to any one of us.  That's the time we must stay most firmly with Him.  Prayer is our mindfulness. 

This is your hour, and the power of darkness

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance. Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him." But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

- Luke 22:52-62

In Saturday's reading, we were told of Jesus' time with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. He told them repeatedly to pray that they not enter into temptation. And Jesus prayed Himself, repeatedly and fervently, in an agony so great that "His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." The disciples slept from sorrow, but He told them repeatedly to pray, lest they enter into temptation. Then the mob approached, and Judas drew near to kiss Him. He said, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" One of the disciples struck the servant of the high priest with a sword, but Jesus taught them to permit His arrest, and healed the ear of the servant. See "Father if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will but Yours, be done."

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." They have all come to arrest Him. We know, as the Gospel has told us, that they are afraid of the people, because Jesus is popular. So they don't seize Him openly, but in secret, in the darkness on the Mount of Olives. John's Gospel teaches that there were also Roman soldiers present -- so truly they are seizing Him with force as if He is a criminal. We know He has taught that what is written is fulfilled in Him, "And He was numbered with the transgressors." The power of darkness alludes to the spiritual battle raging behind all the scenes of the Gospel; it is the hour of those who actively work against the kingdom that is breaking through into the world, against Christ who is the "stronger man" than the prince of this world. And we also know, once again that it is the Father's will that Jesus fulfills in submitting, and teaching His disciples to "Permit even this" (see yesterday's reading).

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance. Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him." But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." What a scene this is! Peter is sitting in the darkness where they are holding Jesus. And a servant girl spots him. His cowardice gets the better of him. I cannot say that I wouldn't feel powerfully afraid in his place as well! But we know why he has been told by Jesus to pray.

And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Three times, three opportunities. It's a striking example of where we may find ourselves once we may travel down a particular road -- especially one of falsehood. He is ensnared more deeply in his denial, and to come out of it is likely more difficult with each question. Each denial becomes more vehement than the previous one. And this is also a part of their "hour, and the power of darkness."

Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So Peter went out and wept bitterly. That the Lord looked at Peter is a detail appearing only in Luke's Gospel. My study bible says, "One can imagine the profound meaning of their mutual glance." How extraordinary! Teacher and disciple, a glance between them. They have shared so much, and Christ loves him so deeply. A moment ago, a little while before, Peter claimed that he would suffer prison and death with Jesus -- but Christ knew him far better than he knew himself. The power of prayer, we have to remember, is for such times when our own personal strength and will fails us. Against this "hour" and the "power of darkness" we need weapons that are stronger than our own self-will.

It's a wonderful story here that teaches us the weaknesses of Peter. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we encounter an apostle who is too emotional for his own good: fervent and vehement in his proclamations and declarations about himself, and swept by his own emotions of fear in other stories as well. But Peter is a great heroic example of the power of the Spirit -- and it is he whom Jesus has both warned that he must pray because Satan wants to "sift him like wheat" and also so that he may come back and strengthen his brethren after Jesus' death. Peter will become a great leader of the apostles and the Church, but we are given this picture in all its vividness of the man who cowers in the darkness, and whose Master gives him a glance after denial, three times. How many times have we, too, perhaps sat in this place where Peter is now? It is always possible. Let us once again, then, remember the power of prayer, the darkness, and the force and spiritual power we call upon when we pray. Peter is our mighty example, not only of strength from weakness, but also of the return to the Church, his brothers (and sisters), and the mighty role he will play through his own repentance and return! Peter gives us hope. And let us remember that glance that brings us to the truth about ourselves, and seek it always when we pray.