Luke 22:63-65 63Now the men who were guarding him were mocking him as they beat him, 64and also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?” 65And they were saying many other things blaspheming him.
While Peter waited out by the fire with the crowd and watched from a distance, Jesus was experiencing torture and ridicule from the guards. Jesus had predicted his suffering (9:22; 17:25; 18:32–33), and now it had come true, with Peter as a witness. Although it appears that Jesus was the victim, he put up no fight and allowed all these things to happen. He could have walked free, like in other tense moments (Matthew 26:53-54). He should not be viewed as a victim but as a martyr (which means “witness”) to God’s plan of salvation. Jesus’ name is not used in the Greek but inserted in most modern translations to indicate the change of subject from Peter to Jesus. Those who were beating him were the Jewish guards of the Sanhedrin. The Romans were not involved yet. His beating begins the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:3-5.
The guards’ mockery is indicated in verses 64-65. They were trying to accomplish two things. One is to shame Jesus by challenging his claims to be a prophet and, thus, anointed and appointed by God. Two, they were using that as an excuse to beat him, and in a sense, putting the blame of their strikes on him for not answering their question, which is a common tactic of bullies. Jesus had been given the label of being a prophet (7:16, 39; 9:8, 19; 24:19). The guards’ assumption was that a prophet knew things that others did not and should somehow be able to see through a blindfold who stuck him. But their question was only an excuse to show cruelty toward him.
Luke uses the strong word blaspheming (in the form of the participle blasphēmountes to indicate action) to show how they insulted and disrespected Jesus. This word has multiple nuances and could simply be taken as “insult.” However, it is used in the context of divinity to show lack of reverence and rejection of God and God’s will. The guards obviously had no faith in him as the Son of God. Matthew 26:65 and Mark 14:64 note how Jesus was accused of blasphemy, but Luke reverses that and shows how the Jews blasphemed Jesus. Jesus knew all this would happen to him but faced it with courage because he was grounded in the peace of knowing this was his Father’s will. Jesus’ suffering was God’s will before the creation of the world because it shows the extent of God’s love and also reveals the depths of human sin.
For older posts, click here.