hanks

4. Extra Credit: Is His command to obtain a sword meant literally or figuratively? What difference will your decision on the interpretation of 22:36b make in terms of your actions? Jesus meant His disciples to obtain a sword figuratively as a sign to ready themselves for the hard times ahead. The sword is a metaphor for the difficult and dangerous conditions they will face when He leaves them. He is telling them that by going into the hostile world they will have to support themselves, to supply themselves, and to protect themselves. His kingdom does not advance by means of men’s swords (John 18:36–37) but by the power of God’s truth, the Word of God that is sharper than any human sword. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” (Heb 4:12a). For me, it means we are not to go out and make war against the world, but this does not mean we are not to use a weapon to defend ourselves, our wife and children from murder and rape. I will protect myself, my wife, and my family.

3. Why does He tell them to sell their overcoat, if they need to, in order to obtain a sword? What is the main point of mentioning the sword? (Luke 22:36b) I think Jesus is warning them about the difficult and dangerous conditions they will face in the future. He does this by telling them to obtain a sword by any means, even if it means selling their overcoat, which they have to have as protection against the cold nights. The main point Jesus is making in mentioning the need for a sword, is that the danger would be greater than the cold nights they would experience, and a sword would definitely be needed for protection. From now on they were going to have to fight against evil powers, against the powers of darkness, but they were not going to be using literal swords. Theirs would be a spiritual war, and as in Ephesians 6:10–17 they need “the full armour of God” to fight it. And the weapons to be used are not the weapons of this world (2 Cor 10:4).

2. Why now does He tell them to take a purse and a bag? (Luke 22:36a) Jesus now tells them that it will be necessary for them to make provision for missionary travels, such as taking along a purse and a travelling bag. They will have to take the initiative, and be courageous to a degree not expected of them before. They will need to buy their own food and supply their own accommodation. Hospitable homes would no longer be open to them. They will face hostility and suffer hunger, thirst, and persecution. As seen in 1 Cor 4:11, they were hunted, pursued, and homeless: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless”.

1. What lesson was Jesus seeking to teach His disciples when He sent them out without purse, bag, or sandals? (Luke 22:35) In the past when they went out they were received with goodwill and hospitality, but without Jesus He was warning them they would face a hostile world and they must be prepared. The bare essentials were sufficient for them, and even then they had lacked nothing. But now that He was about to leave them, the world would hate them because of Him, and they therefore would be exposed to poverty, hunger, and danger. It was necessary for them to plan their missionary travels carefully, and they needed to take along their purse, bag, and sandals.

7. Extra credit: In light of verse 32, why is it so important in God's plan that each of His children be part of a local congregation? Jesus gave us these two commands, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34b), and “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12). Our Lord Jesus was a living example of God’s love; even loving us enough to give His life for us. In our own way we can love others by listening, helping, encouraging, and giving to them. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Being part of a local congregation enables us to demonstrate this love for one another. We can bear one another’s burdens. In times of failures, temptations, testings, and trials we can be at the side of our brother or sister and help them in every possible way. We realise that it’s only because of the grace of God that we are not the one in need of help. God’s plan is that united we are much stronger and we can help each other withstand the evil attacks of Satan. In a congregation there will be believers who will have experienced certain attacks and will be of a great help to strengthen those that are going to similar attacks.

6. In what ways do you think Peter strengthened his brothers after Jesus' resurrection? In what ways can we strengthen our brothers and our sisters? Having experienced what they will go through, I think Peter is in a strong position to warn them of the impending dangers they will face, to comfort them, to sustain them, and to encourage them as well. Peter was obedient to our Lord’s command “Strengthen your brothers" (22:32b), as shown by his later life and by the two epistles of Peter. Having been strengthened himself, he would out of gratitude obey the Lord. He must have carried the dreadful guilt of denying his blessed Lord the rest of his life. This was seen when on his death, he requested to be crucified with his head downward, as being unworthy to suffer in the same manner that Christ did. In the same way we are to strengthen our brother and sisters in Christ. Not only must we help our fellow believers in times of weakness; it is our duty, having been strengthened ourselves, to bring glory and honour to our Lord. This all has to be done in the spirit of love and tenderness. A great deal of compassion, meekness, and humility is required.

5. Is Peter stronger or weaker after his "fatal flaw" had been revealed? Why does God allow temptation to come to us at all? Peter recovers, his faith is restored, and made even stronger as he relies on God’s strength, and as a result of Jesus’ prayer for him. And he will need this extra strength to carry out the command Jesus has given him to strengthen his brothers. As he mentions in 1 Peter 5:10, our Lord Jesus will, after we have suffered a little while, restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. Satan tries to drive a wedge between us and God. He intends to weaken and wear us out, but it has the opposite effect on believers – it strengthens us and helps use persevere. His temptations are unfortunately a daily part of our lives (1 Peter 5:8). Even our Lord Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are” (Heb 4:15). Yet with the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word will help us to effectively resist temptations. The reason why God allows temptation to come upon us, is that He is trying to produce Christlikeness in each one of us. This may involve some suffering, frustration, and confusion, and will most probably be difficult and disagreeable. It helps if we realise that He has some good purpose in it for us, and that fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced when all is easy going.

4. How can a believer's faith possibly become extinguished? How does Jesus' prayer affect Peter's faith? What are the limits of the power of prayer for another person's faith? Can we "believe them" back to God? True believers who have been regenerated can never lose their saving faith, but they may recover, turn back, be strengthened as often as they fall into sin. So, in that way their faith can never be extinguished. As we are still sinners saved by grace, our faith is topped up as we repent and ask forgiveness. But this will happen less and less often as we grow spiritually and as we become more and more like Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will be there to help us persevere right up to the end. Jesus knows that Peter will stumble but He also knows that his unfaithfulness will only be temporary, and that he will recover and come out stronger. Once it had sunk in and Peter realised that Jesus has told him that He has prayed for him, and that he will turn back and is needed to strengthen the other apostles, he must have been fully restored and strengthened. I feel if we go alongside our fellow believers, we encourage them, pray with them, and study the Word of God, we can definitely make a difference and bring them back to the Lord. I doubt whether we can believe them back to God, they are the ones to believe and put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. They have to do that themselves.

3. How could Peter be so unrealistic about the level of his own strength and faith? (Luke 22:33-34) Why is he so out of touch? How does a person get in touch with their own spiritual strength? It is clear that Peter did not know himself. He did not consciously lie here; I think he believed what he said about being ready to go to prison and to death for Jesus, but was unaware that Satan wanted to completely crush and defeat him. Peter merely looked to how he felt at the moment, and at that moment he felt pretty brave. He is out of touch with reality, having confidence in his own strength and faith, and being ignorant of the trials which he will soon pass through. Jesus, of course, was aware of both the spiritual reality and of the spiritual battle behind the scenes, and did not see Peter’s temporary lapse as a failure of faith, because He knew that Peter would return to Him. There is a lesson here for us. We should be asking God to thoroughly search our heart and expose every wicked way in order that it might be confessed and forsaken. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. We pray this so that our Lord can point out all our iniquities and help us to deal with them effectively. Like Peter we can never make such promises relying on our own strength; confident promises of loyalty can only be made dependent on His strength. It teaches us that all promises to follow our Lord should be made rather relying on Him for help and support. If left on our own, any adversity can easily expose our spiritual strength as being weak and feeble. It’s through trials and adversities that we learn to rely on God’s strength.

2. Extra credit: Why is Satan able to attack us? (Luke 22:31) What are the chief weapons he has at his disposal? I think God allows Satan to attack us to strengthen our faith, to draw us closer to God, and to learn to trust Him more. Adversity strengthens real faith, but destroys superficial faith. I have heard it said if we never go through any adversities we should be concerned because God disciplines those He loves. So, sometimes we need to be sifted. Another reason might be that by going through trials, and tribulations, we could help others who are experiencing the same suffering. As we experience the attacks of Satan we can trust that God is working all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). At times during our suffering of heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration, or bereavement, we wonder what good can come out of it. This is when we are to fully trust our Heavenly Father knowing that whatever He permits to come into our lives is designed to conform us to the image of His Son. God is sovereign and our lives are not controlled by impersonal forces such as chance, luck, or fate, but by our wonderful, personal Lord who is all wise. Satan has many weapons at his disposal, but we should not be too concerned, rather we should just be extra vigilant. We know he has limited power and can only do what God has permitted him to do (Job 1:12). He may tempt us through the **** of the flesh, through the **** of the eyes, through the pride of life, through masquerading as an angel of light, through false teachings, or through many of his evil schemes. The more effective we are for the Lord, the more we will experience his attacks; he does not waste his ammunition on nominal Christians. In our own strength we are no match for the devil, but we have the whole armour of God at our disposal (Eph 6:10-20).

1. Why would you sift grains of wheat? (Luke 22:31) What kind of experience does "sifting wheat" convey? The purpose is, of course, to save the wheat, and to separate it from chaff and other unwanted materials. In Scripture it is used as a symbol of judgment in which the good are separated from the evil. Sometimes we might become a little too complacent in our relationship with our Lord Jesus and need a little “shaking-up” to awaken us. Temptations and trials can result in purification; exposing our hypocrisy, our weak faith, our insincerity, or our unbelief. The same with inward conflicts and adversity which can also lead to sifting. But Satan had other ideas, he asked God for permission to see if he can shake the faith out of the apostles. He sifts Peter and the other apostles, not to separate the chaff from the wheat, but to destroy the wheat by scattering them from Jesus and from one another, filling them with doubts about Jesus being the Messiah, and by frightening them with fears about enemies and of death.

6. (Luke 22:29-30) What does it mean to rule and reign with Christ? Is this ruling present? or future? True greatness, the blessing of the Lord, will one day be ours. Eating and drinking at the table of Jesus in the kingdom of God, not because we have earned it for being great servants, but because the greatest Servant of all has obtained this seat for us and given it to us. Those who follow Him in humility, rejection, and suffering will also follow Him in glory. Here, on earth, our leadership is one of servanthood, as we follow Jesus’ example of serving; that is not to be served. The riches and power we strive for in this world, are temporary and are subject to decay and theft. We are called to give up these worldly and imperfect things, and the privileges we sometimes demand in this life, in order to lay them up for the next, where we will be given places of honour in His Kingdom. The true riches of heaven will never perish, nor will our position and power. We will be given thrones on which we will be seated, and from where we will rule and reign with our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. (Luke 22:30) What is the significance of eating and drinking at the King's table? We do this in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross for the sins of the world. When Jesus said, “This is My body,” He meant, “This is symbolic of My body” or “This is a picture of My body which is broken for you.” To eat the bread is to remember Him in His atoning death for us. In the same manner our Lord Jesus also took the cup after the Passover supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” It reminds us of Christ's death and the glorious hope of His return. Our participation in it strengthens our faith through fellowship with Christ and with other believers.

4. (Luke 22:28-30) What are the four promises Jesus offers His disciples in verses 29-30? Jesus identifies/recognises the faithful, those who have stood by Him in His trials; God will honour them when they suffer for Christ, Christ in a very real way suffers with them. To these faithful disciples He assigns them a kingdom, meaning that they will share in His royal rule (Rev 3:21; 20:4). They will have the privilege of sitting, with Jesus, at the table of the greatest Feast of all the ages - the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. To eat and drink in the kingdom of God is part of the symbolism of the joys disciples will experience in the new heaven and earth (Mat 8:11). They will have special status in the Kingdom of God. They will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, meaning that they will share in Jesus’ function as ruler and Judge in the new kingdom (Mat 19:28). It will be their honour to welcome into the eternal kingdom believers that have been faithful to the end.

3. (Luke 22:26-27) How does a servant leader contrast with a self-absorbed leader? Whom should leaders serve? Their followers? or Christ? Can you cite any examples when who we should serve isn't clear? The way the world operates is that somebody is the greatest, somebody is on top, somebody has the authority, somebody dominates. They have the power and authority. Jesus says that this is not the way leadership works in the kingdom (22:26); there it’s about service and humility. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mat 20:28). Thus, our great example of servanthood is Jesus Himself, and our great enemy of servanthood is self. Christian leadership does not lord it over people, even though at times it must exercise authority (1 Pet 5:3); it does not demand recognition and status; it does not pay attention to titles; it does not use its position for personal advantage at others’ expense. We see worldly leadership models selfish men seeking selfish advantage, but Christian leadership models servanthood, even at personal sacrifice or inconvenience. The leaders mission is to serve one another; to give their lives not only in service to our Lord Jesus but also to their fellow man. Great leaders are humble, and regard others as more important than themselves (Philippians 2:3). I read once that if the President of a country took a month off, no one would really miss him/her; but if all the trash collectors in the country took a month off, we would notice. Leaders are always to serve in obedience to the Word. We do not serve anyone or things that go against our Lord Jesus Christ. We are all accountable to Jesus. Being a servant does not mean that we are unrewarded. Quite the opposite; God’s greatest servants receive the greatest rewards. But a great servant does not serve for the sake of reward, but for the sake of God’s glory.

2. (Luke 22:25) Why are we eager for titles? Reverend, Doctor, Chairperson, President, Director, Minister. What do titles do for us? What do titles do to us? Our pride has us looking for respect and public recognition of our prominence and importance. We get this from titles. If someone addresses us as Professor, Doctor, or the like, it immediately elevates us to another level of respect and recognition. Some people live for this, and any kind of title is of utmost importance. They are always striving for honour and recognition, and do all they can, legally and illegally, to attain this. These titles allow us to boast of our achievements, and can lead to inflated pride. Unfortunately, it can make us arrogant and unlikeable. I feel that we are not to boast about ourselves, instead let us boast about the glories of God. For ultimately what we say of ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes the difference (2 Cor 10:18). How much better it is to seek the praise of God rather than the praise of people. Then, when we receive praise, we will be free to give all the glory to God. We are all a work in progress, and none of us will be perfect until we reach glory, but that does not mean that we should not endeavour to honour the Lord in all we do, say and think.

1. (Luke 22:24) Why does pride so easily dominate the life of leaders? Why do proud men and women seek out leadership roles? Why are we tempted to "lord it over" others - at work? in our families? in our churches? Jesus had just told His disciples that this will be the last quiet time they will spend with Him before His death. Instead of grieving they start a dispute about who should be the greatest! This shows us how depraved our hearts are - ever weak, ever deceitful, and ever ready to turn to what is evil! Pride of self-achievement can easily dominate and corrupt leaders into taking credit for what they have achieved, forgetting that without our Lord enabling and sustaining them, it would not have been possible (1 Cor 4:7). The pride of power is a very old sin, constantly before people seeking leadership roles (Lev 26:19). Ambition, self-esteem, and self-conceit lie deep at the bottom of all men’s hearts and often in the hearts where they are least suspected. We seek importance/recognition and this desire causes us to try to “lord it over” others. This seeking worldly greatness causes us to try and dominate others. This can be at work, at home, at our church, wherever sinners are. It also makes us demand honour and all sorts of fancy titles. Pride is essentially self-worship, and is a hindrance to seeking our Lord. Pride always goes before a fall, so as believers we should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves (Phil 2:3).

8. What does it mean "My blood, which is poured out for you"? Why was it poured out? Why "for you"? Why was the shedding of blood necessary at all? This is a reference to Isa 53:12, “He poured out His life unto death … and … He bore the sin of many.” The blood of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:29), was poured out as a payment for the sins of the world. It was poured out because God had determined that to pay the penalty for sin, a life had to be given, and He chose to provide the sacrifice Himself – Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus says to His disciples, and to me, poured out “for you”. I can imagine how the disciples then must have been encouraged and strengthened by these two words. It is same for me; I feel that He is speaking directly me, by His Holy Spirit who is as near to me as He was to the apostles. He points me to His broken body and shed blood, and says to me: Poured out for you. Sin can be forgiven only when just payment is made, and this payment is death (Rom 6:23). That is, blood has been poured out. This death can be the death of an innocent substitute. God chose our Lord Jesus Christ as the innocent substitute - God made Him sin who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And Can It Be - Charles Wesley (1738) And can it be that I should gain An int’rest in the Saviour’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

7. Extra Credit: What are the elements of the New Covenant compared to elements of the Old Covenant? The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal - the Feast of the New Covenant. It is something quite different from the Old Covenant - infinitely better and more glorious. The Old Covenant which God made with Israel was indeed glorious, but it was not, as yet, adapted for sinful man, because he could not fulfil it. God gave to His people His perfect law, with the glorious promises of His help, His guidance, His blessing, if only they would live in obedience to Him. But man was still under the power of sin, and lacked the required will and strength to live a righteous life. A New Covenant was promised (Jer 31:31-34), ultimately to be fulfilled in Christ. This would be a radical change in God’s dealing with humanity. Jesus specifically instituted this New Covenant by His death on the cross, and He instituted the recognition and remembrance of it with the bread and cup of communion (22:20). The Old Covenant was the covenant of law between God and Israel. The new and better way is the covenant of grace - Christ's offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through His sacrificial death. This covenant is new in extent as it includes all nations, and it is new in application because it is written on our heart and in our mind. It offers a new way to forgiveness, not through animal sacrifice but through faith. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no need for anyone to perish. God has provided by which all might be saved, but a person must acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. When he does this, he has eternal life as a present possession.

6. What does it mean "Do this in remembrance of Me"? What are we to do? The bread that we eat at the Lord’s Table is intended to remind us of Christ’s body given as a sacrifice for our sins. The wine that we drink is intended to remind us of Christ’s blood poured out to make atonement for our transgressions. We are to do this again and again, to keep fresh in our memory Christ’s death on the cross. Our Lord knows how soon we are inclined to forget, and has chosen the Lord’s Supper to remind us of His love. Also, the thought of our Lord as a dying Saviour should keep alive within us a holy hatred of sin. We should reflect on that sacrifice, embrace Him by faith, and look forward in living hope to His glorious return. Amen.

5. What does it mean when Jesus' says "This is My body given for you"? Given how? Given why? Given for what purpose? “This is My body given for you” is how we remember what Jesus did for us. As we eat the bread, we should remember how Jesus was broken, pierced, and beaten with stripes for our redemption. Jesus is referring to substitutionary atonement, in essence saying that His sinless body is sacrificed in place of our sinful body on the Cross. Jesus died once for all time in our place, on our behalf, for our sake, so that we might live forever in Him and for Him! Which is given for you - the bread represents Jesus' body which would be His substitutionary atonement. It is His body which is given for us. In other words, “in behalf of", "in the place of" or "for the sake of." Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (Gal 1:4). Thus, with His body, He gives Himself to us, and desires that we should take Him. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is a fellowship of giving and taking. Our Lord gives what our soul needs, that is His body and His blood. He gives the greatest and the best that is possible for Him to give - the broken body which He first offered to the Father as a sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that filled Him with joy. And what He offered to the Father, to put away sin before Him, He now offers to me, to put away sin in me. Blessed God, may my taking be in conformity with Thy giving; Thy giving, the standard and the measure of my taking. What You give me as my share in Your broken body, will I take and eat. And my soul shall go hence, joyful and strengthened, to thank Thee and to serve Thee. Amen.

4. It's easy to see how wine conveys the idea of blood. But in what way does bread convey to us the idea of Jesus' body? Don't think of a risen loaf of yeast bread. Think of a flat loaf of unleavened bread, kind of like Jewish Matzos. Jesus held up the elements of wine and matzah and applied them to Himself. During the meal He broke unleavened bread with His disciples, and then held that broken matzah in His hands, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (22:19). Then after the meal He held up a cup of wine and with the same force of personal application to Himself, said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (22:20). They were claims that were outrageous and blasphemous if they were not true; but they were true. When Jesus said of the unleavened bread, “Take, eat; this is My body,” He was not instituting an empty ritual. He was identifying Himself personally with both the matzah and the Passover lamb, bringing to mind the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. Isaiah 53:4-7.

3. Luke has a different pattern than we're used to: cup - bread - cup. What message does Jesus convey to His disciples with the first cup mentioned in 22:17? What is the message that comes with the second cup mentioned in 22:20? Here we have the first cup mentioning the last Passover meal and the second cup mentioning the first Lord’s Supper. With the first cup Jesus is placing emphasis on the fact that He will not eat the Passover again until the Great Feast in the Kingdom of God. In the Old Testament, Israel celebrated the Passover once a year, and this Passover looked forward to a future fulfillment, when the Pascal Lamb would be sacrificed. The last Passover was immediately followed by the Lord's Supper. The Lord Jesus instituted this sacred memorial so that His followers down through the centuries would thus remember Him in His death. Today, every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we look into the future as well, to the promise of the wedding feast of Christ and His bride. In this way, the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of heaven. One day we will see the Bridegroom in all of His glory, and we will see the church offered to Him in its perfection. That’s the future orientation of the Lord’s Supper.

2. Why do you think Jesus desired with such great intensity to eat this Passover meal with His disciples? (Luke 22:15) What did Jesus hope to find in this sacred meal for Himself? What did He hope to impart? Jesus was eagerly looking forward to sharing this meal with His disciples because it would be His last Passover until the coming of the future kingdom. This meal itself looked back to the deliverance of God’s ancient people from the slavery of Egypt, and it looked forward to the salvation of all those who are born again through His sacrifice on the cross. He was the true Passover Lamb whose blood would soon be shed for the salvation of all who would trust in Him. As the spotless Lamb of God, His blood would be spilled in order to save His people from the penalty of death brought by sin. This was a passionate moment for Jesus as He now had arrived at the reason why He came to earth - to institute a new covenant with men, based on His own sacrifice. This was not the beginning of the end; it was the beginning of the beginning. Jesus was looking forward to the next meal, which would be at the Great Wedding Banquet (13:29; 14:15–24; Rev 19:7–9), at which all of believers, through all the ages, will enjoy the blessings of His presence for ever. With the arrival of this Kingdom the Passover will be fulfilled as God will have brought His people safely into His rest. As the Saviour, not wishing any to die but all to be saved, He was eager to earn salvation for all sinners, so that they could spend eternity with Him.

1. Why was Jesus so secretive about the location of His Passover meal with His disciples? (Luke 22:7-13) Jesus sent Peter and John on a secret mission to make preparations for the Passover meal - organize the room, prepare the meal and arrange for the lamb to be slaughtered. This had to be done secretly so that the authorities would not know where their meal was going to be held. The other disciples were not told about the location, even Peter and John never returned to the group before the meal; this was all done to prevent Judas from informing the religious leaders, who could then easily arrest Jesus in the privacy of that room. Away from the crowds and only the other eleven disciples present as opposition to His capture. Jesus is controlling all the possibilities, so as not to be arrested, since there was much He still wanted to accomplish that night.