When Satan’s Hour Came: The Power of Darkness in Luke 22:47-53

Jesus faced the power of darkness at Gethsemane—Judas’s betrayal, the arrest, and the cosmic clash of light vs. darkness—while showing that the power of darkness is limited to an “hour” under God’s sovereign plan. https://youtu.be/6cCpZlgUQIg Table of contentsLight and Darkness Are Metaphors for Good and EvilJudas Went Out When “It Was Night”Jesus Knew the Hour of Darkness Was ComingA High Priest Who Sympathizes with BetrayalJesus’s Kindness to His BetrayerChoosing the Physical Over the SpiritualActing Hastily Often Causes ProblemsMisdirected Zeal with Peter, Josiah, and Maybe UsJesus’s ComposureJesus’s Rebuke to the Religious LeadersThe Power of Darkness Is When Satan “Bruises Jesus’s Heel”The Power of Darkness Is Limited to One Hour Growing up, I read The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. If you asked most people about popular fiction books with Christian themes, they would likely point to these stories. They are classic tales of good versus evil. One thing I appreciate about them is that good always looks good, and evil always looks evil. You never have to guess who the good guys and bad guys are. Even when a good character like Boromir, in a moment of weakness, tries to take the ring from Frodo, or when Edmund denies Narnia’s existence to Peter and Susan to hide his relationship with the White Witch, their actions seem wrong. But I don’t think most media portrays this well, with sins like fornication and violence often being celebrated. When Judas betrayed Jesus, there was no mistaking the distinction between good and evil. Ultimately, Jesus describes the people’s actions as "the power of darkness.” Light and Darkness Are Metaphors for Good and Evil Many verses in the Bible teach that light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil. Here are a few examples: Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness! Darkness is associated with evil, while light is associated with good. John 3:19 The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. People don’t reject Jesus because they don’t believe in Him. They reject Him, the light of the world, because they love darkness, referring to their sins, more than Him. Acts 26:18 Open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.’ Paul associated salvation with turning from darkness to light. Romans 13:12 Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Again, darkness is used as a metaphor for evil, and light is employed as a metaphor for righteousness.1 I could provide more examples, but you get the picture. Judas Went Out When “It Was Night” This is the Last Supper, just hours before Jesus' arrest. There’s a detail that’s only found in John’s Gospel: John 13:27 Then after he (referring to Judas) had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”...30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he (Judas) immediately went out. And it was night. There are seven instances of demon possession in the Gospels, but this is the only instance of Satan entering someone. The phrase “It was night” isn’t just a description of when this happened physically. It is a description of what is happened spiritually: darkness has come. Many commentaries make this point. Here are a few: The Moody Bible Commentary: “Darkness had descended both literally and symbolically.”2 John MacArthur: “It was the hour for Judas to be handed over completely to the power of darkness.”3 The Berean Study Bible: “The mention of 'night' is not merely a time indicator but carries deep symbolic meaning…night represents spiritual darkness and evil. Judas's departure into the night underscores his alignment with darkness.” Before Judas left the Last Supper, he had already agreed with the chief priests to turn Jesus over to them for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus Knew the Hour of Darkness Was Coming Jesus has been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, but as we know from the last sermon, the three disciples He brought with Him—Peter, James, and John—kept falling asleep: Luke 22:45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Jesus was not talking about a literal hour. The hour represents the time from Jesus’s betrayal through His crucifixion, when literal darkness, representing spiritual darkness, covered the land: Luke 23:44 There was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, This hour of darkness has been a recurring theme in the Gospels: John 7:30 They were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. John 8:20 He taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. Mark 14:35 [Jesus] fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him…41 [Jesus] said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.4 In Luke’s gospel, Jesus prayed the cup would pass from Him, but Mark emphasized the hour. A High Priest Who Sympathizes with Betrayal The hour had finally come, and Jesus said it began when Judas betrayed Him: Luke 22:47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, Judas “was leading them.” Betrayal is the most painful when it comes from someone close to us, and that’s what Jesus experienced. We all experience betrayal on this side of heaven, and we can be encouraged to bring our hurt to our Great High Priest because He can sympathize with us. Luke 22:48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” It isn’t recorded in Luke’s gospel, but from Matthew and Mark we know Judas used this kiss as a sign to the crowd to identify Jesus: Matthew 26:48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” Why did Judas have to identify Jesus, even though He was famous? First, this shows how much He looked like an ordinary Jewish man, unlike all the pictures we see of Him. Second, it was late at night, and in the darkness, it would have taken someone close to Jesus to distinguish Him from the others. Judas’s kiss was the most hypocritical act in human history. In that culture, a kiss was a sign of respect and affection, but Judas perverted it into an instrument of treachery and betrayal. Even Jesus drew attention to Judas’s evil by pointing out that he was betraying Him with a kiss. Also, we would expect Jesus to say, “Judas, would you betray Me with a kiss?” But He said, “The Son of Man.” I can’t say for sure why Jesus did this, but I suspect that He wanted to communicate to Judas the seriousness of his wickedness. The Son of Man is one of the strongest messianic titles: Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man (referring to Jesus), and he came to the Ancient of Days (referring to God the Father)…14 And to [the Son of Man] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom…which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. These verses reveal Jesus’s divine power and authority. It’s like Jesus said, “You’re betraying the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has a kingdom that will never end. Horrible idea.” Jesus’s Kindness to His Betrayer Does Jesus’s statement seem harsh or kind? Considering Judas is committing the evilest act in all of human history against Jesus, I think He spoke kindly to him. And it wasn’t just Jesus’s kindness to Judas at this moment: John 6:64 Jesus knew from the beginning…who it was who would betray him. Jesus always knew Judas would betray Him. Luke 22:22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. We would expect the disciples to point to Judas. The disciples didn’t think Judas was the betrayer for two reasons: first, because of Judas’s ability to conceal his wickedness. But also because of how Jesus must have treated him. Jesus must have shown Judas the same love, kindness, and attention that he showed the other eleven disciples. That is incredibly convicting to me! Can we be so kind to people who mistreat or betray us? Choosing the Physical Over the Spiritual The rest of the disciples didn’t want to respond as kindly as Jesus: Luke 22:49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” The disciples remembered, but misunderstood Jesus' words from earlier when He told them they would need swords: Luke 22:36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.” So now they ask if it’s the time to use their two swords. But Jesus was telling them to prepare for spiritual warfare, not physical combat. They were not willing to pray earlier when they should have, but now they’re eager to resort to violence. They reveal the common human tendency to prefer physical solutions over spiritual ones. We want to rely on ourselves instead of relying on God.