“Whenever I encounter something unjust in the circumstances of life and pass through a dark night like a detention cell with every side blocked off, let me look to Jesus, who has already walked that road before me and gained the victory.”

 

“Whenever I encounter something unjust in the circumstances of life and pass through a dark night like a detention cell with every side blocked off, let me look to Jesus, who has already walked that road before me and gained the victory.”

 

 

 

“The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, ‘Prophesy!  Who hit you?’  And they said many other insulting things to him” (Luke 22:63–65).

 

 

(1)  First, after reading today’s passage, Luke 22:63–65, in both the Korean Bible and the Greek Bible, I would like to begin by comparing it with the parallel passages, Matthew 26:67–68 and Mark 14:65, and then give a comprehensive summary.

 

            1.   Comparative Analysis of the Biblical Texts

 

                  Description in Luke 22:63–65

Luke records that the people guarding Jesus mocked and beat him.  The original Greek uses the expression ἐνέπαιζον αὐτῷ δέροντες (ene-paizon auto derontes), which indicates that mocking and beating were taking place simultaneously.  They also covered Jesus’ face (περικαλύψαντες αὐτὸν) and mocked him, saying, “Prophesy (Προφήτευσον),” and, “Who hit you?”  Luke further testifies that they hurled many other blasphemous and insulting words at Jesus.

 

Description in Matthew 26:67–68

Matthew vividly reports that members of the Sanhedrin and the crowd spat in Jesus’ face, struck him with their fists, and slapped him with their hands.  In particular, the expression “they spat in his face” is recorded in Greek as ἐνέπτυσαν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ (eneptysan eis to prosōpon autou), expressing extreme humiliation and shame.  Furthermore, Matthew emphasizes that they directly mocked Jesus’ role as the Messiah by saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ!” (Προφήτευσον ἡμῖν, Χριστέ).

 

Description in Mark 14:65

Mark records that some began to spit on Jesus (ἤρξαντό τινες ἐμπτύειν), covered his face, struck him with their fists, and demanded, “Prophesy!”  Mark describes in detail that not only the chief priests’ group but also the attendants who were present at the trial joined in, striking Jesus with slaps and blows, expressed by the Greek phrase ῥαπίσμασιν αὐτὸν ἔλαβον (rapismasin auton elabon).

 

2.   Comprehensive Summary and Characteristics of the Synoptic Gospel Parallel Passages

 

All three Gospels commonly record the physical persecution and blasphemous mockery that Jesus endured at the Sanhedrin or in the courtyard of Caiaphas, but each author has a different emphasis according to his perspective.

 

a.   Difference in the identity of the perpetrators

 

Luke describes the perpetrators as “those who were guarding him” (guards), emphasizing the suffering Jesus endured at the hands of the attendants while he was being detained.

 

Matthew and Mark portray “some people (religious leaders)” and “officers” as the perpetrators immediately after the chief priests and members of the council had condemned Jesus to death, thereby exposing the cruelty of the religious establishment.

 

b.   Method of mockery: mocking his prophetic office

 

All three Gospels record the taunt, “Prophesy!”

 

Luke and Mark describe in detail how, after covering Jesus’ eyes or face, they struck him and mocked him by saying, “Guess who hit you,” thereby highlighting the sinful blasphemy directed against Jesus’ divine nature and omniscience.

Matthew, in particular, intentionally adds the title “Christ” (“You Christ”), showing the extreme hardness of the human heart toward the One who is King and Messiah.

 

c.   Description of the violence

 

Matthew and Mark vividly expose the most humiliating form of disgrace—spitting in his face (ἐμπτύω)—along with punching and slapping.

 

Luke omits the detail of spitting, but through the Greek expression “they said many other things to him” / “blaspheming”, he summarizes the fact that verbal violence and blasphemy continued persistently and repeatedly.

 

(2)  Second, I would like to meditate more specifically on the Greek expression ἐνέπαιζον αὐτῷ δέροντες (ene-paizon auto derontes), which indicates that the people guarding Jesus mocked and beat him while he was being detained.

 

1.   ἐνέπαιζον (ene-paizon): Thorough and Continuous Mockery

 

Original meaning: The word derives from the idea of treating someone like a child (παῖς, pais), or “playing with someone as though he were a child’s toy.”  In other words, it means that they did not regard the other person as a human being, but treated him as though he were a toy that could be handled however they pleased, ridiculing and humiliating him.

 

Reflection on the tense—the imperfect: Grammatically, this word is in the imperfect tense in Greek.  This indicates that the mockery did not end with a single act, but that they mocked Jesus continuously, repeatedly, and persistently throughout the night.  It was a night in which contempt and ridicule were poured out without ceasing upon Jesus, who was helplessly bound.

 

2.   δέροντες (derontes): Violence Like Tearing the Flesh

 

Original meaning: The root of this word, δέρω (derō), originally carries the gruesome meaning “to flay” or “to skin.” In ancient language, its meaning expanded to include “to beat” or “to strike severely.”

Reflection on the form—the present participle: Grammatically, it is used as a present participle, describing violence occurring simultaneously with the mockery mentioned previously.  They were not merely ridiculing Jesus verbally; they were simultaneously inflicting merciless blows that caused pain as though his skin were being torn away.

 

Comprehensive Meditation Notes

 

a.   The Creator who became a toy

 

The King of kings who created the universe was treated by his creatures as though he were a toy to play with (ἐνέπαιζον).  Having his human dignity completely stripped away, he silently endured the shame on the stage of mockery that continued throughout the night.

 

b.  Silence amid the pain of being flayed

 

Even at the moment when he was subjected to severe blows (δέροντες) that caused pain as though his flesh were being torn away, Jesus did not summon the armies of heavenly angels to destroy them.  Lowering himself as though he were a powerless sinner in detention, he was fulfilling with his entire body the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.”

 

c.   Shame and pain endured in our place

 

The grammatical fact that mocking and beating occurred simultaneously and repeatedly shows how densely concentrated the suffering endured by the Lord was.  In order to bear in our place the punishment and shame for sin that we deserved, the Lord endured that violence alone throughout the night in the detention room in the courtyard of Caiaphas (Internet).

 

(a)  Here, when I meditate on the statement that Jesus, who is Almighty God, humbled himself as though he were a powerless sinner and fulfilled with his entire body the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7 (“Silence amid the pain of being flayed”), I wonder how this can be applied to us, the disciples of Jesus.

 

(i)       “The fact that Jesus, who is Almighty God, remained silent even amid violence like the tearing of skin (δέροντες) and mockery that continued throughout the night (ἐνέπαιζον), humbling himself as though he were a powerless sinner, demands from the disciples who follow the Lord’s footsteps the most intense and profound life of discipleship. We can apply this meditation to our lives in three concrete ways.” (Internet)

 

1.  Laying down our right to defend ourselves when we are treated unjustly — emotional application

 

One of the most instinctive desires of human beings is to immediately defend ourselves and fight back when someone misunderstands or criticizes us.

 

Meditation and application: Jesus had the omnipotence to judge them with a single word, yet he chose silence.  As his disciples, when we encounter injustice or unfair accusations in life, we too need to practice laying down the impulse to immediately defend ourselves vehemently or seek revenge through our own strength.

 

Practice: Rather than fighting with harsh words in order to prove, “I am right,” we entrust the situation completely to God, our righteous Judge, and choose “patient endurance in silence.”

 

2.   Completing love through surrendering our rights — relational application

 

Jesus’ silence was not a powerless resignation but a voluntary surrender of his rights for a clear purpose: the salvation of humanity.

 

Meditation and application: When we are hurt by someone or have our pride trampled upon in our family, workplace, or church, we become angry and ask, “Why should I be treated this way?”  But the life of a disciple is a life in which we willingly surrender, for the sake of the Lord’s will, our rightful claims to dignity, reputation, respect, and proper treatment.

 

Practice: If there is someone in our community or among our neighbors who hurts us and treats us like a toy, simply refusing to pour the same anger back upon them is itself participation in “Jesus’ silence.”  If our humbling ourselves allows the other person to be restored and preserves peace within the community, then this is the life of a disciple who lives out Isaiah 53:7 with his or her entire being.

 

3.   Transforming the place of suffering into a place of mission — missional application

 

The night in the detention room appeared to be a place where the human Jesus had utterly failed and been defeated. Yet for Jesus, that place was the climax of his mission, where the Old Testament prophecies were being completely fulfilled.

 

Meditation and application: Dark nights also come into our lives—nights in which we feel as though we are trapped like in a detention cell, with every side blocked off, and as though we are experiencing continuous mockery and spiritual and physical blows.  When the complaint, “God, why are you giving me this suffering?” bursts out of us, the disciple must trust that this place can become the place where God’s will is being fulfilled.

 

Practice: Instead of despairing in the midst of suffering and pain, we pray, “Lord, through this situation, let the pride within me die, and let your character be engraved upon me.”  In this way, we make suffering an opportunity through which our character and faith are refined like pure gold.

 

“When he was insulted, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats, but entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

 

The Lord’s silence is a signpost showing us, “You also should do likewise.”  To pray that the Lord’s controlled omnipotence, which remained silent even amid the pain of being flayed, may appear in our lives today as the fruit of gentleness and patience is the proper life of a disciple (Internet).

 

(3)  Third, I wonder why “those who were guarding Jesus” (Lk. 22:63) covered his eyes and asked,  “Prophesy! Who hit you?” [Προφήτευσον, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε (Prophēteuson, tis estin ho paisas se)] (v. 64).

 

(a)  The act of those guarding Jesus covering his eyes and asking, “Prophesy!  Who hit you?” contains not merely physical violence but also deeply malicious and devastating spiritual mockery.  Here are three reasons why they may have mocked and tested Jesus in this particular way, as analyzed by artificial intelligence. (Internet)

 

1.   The intention to ridicule the supernatural ability of a “prophet”

 

In Jewish society at the time, a prophet was understood as someone who received revelation from God and could know hidden things or future events that could not be perceived through ordinary human sight.

 

The crowd knew that Jesus had performed numerous miracles and had been regarded as a prophet, or even as the Messiah, by many people.

 

Therefore, they completely covered Jesus’ eyes and cut off his visual information, and then set a trap by saying, in effect, “If you really are a supernatural prophet appointed by God, then, without seeing, tell us who struck you.”  If he could not identify the person, they could label him a false prophet and completely discredit his authority before the people.

 

2.   Human spiritual blindness toward the omniscient God — Blindness

 

This scene dramatically reveals the “spiritual blindness” inherent in human sin.

 

Human misconception: The perpetrators mistakenly thought that if they covered Jesus’ physical eyes, they could also conceal his divine nature and omniscience.  They represent the foolish sinful nature of human beings who believe that if they commit sin secretly in darkness, God will not see it.

 

Tragic irony: They asked, “Who hit you?” Yet they failed to see that the Jesus standing directly before them was the omnipotent Creator who saw through even their hidden sins and innermost thoughts. In reality, it was not Jesus whose eyes were spiritually covered; it was the guards themselves who were spiritually blind.

 

3.   A cruel game intended to escape psychological guilt

 

When human beings abuse another person, they can instinctively feel guilt or fear when they look directly into the victim’s eyes.

 

Jesus’ eyes had always penetrated the hearts of sinners and called them to repentance through his divine majesty.

 

The soldiers covered Jesus’ face and eyes with a cloth in order to escape the psychological pressure and sense of guilt that came from his majestic gaze.  Only after covering his eyes and reducing him completely to an object or “toy” without human dignity could they freely enjoy their cruel game of violence without feeling guilty.

 

Key Meditation on the Greek Sentence

 

Προφήτευσον (Prophēteuson): The imperative verb meaning “Prophesy!” is an expression of the ultimate arrogance of creatures directing such words toward the King of kings.

 

τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε (tis estin ho paisas se): Although Jesus remained silent when asked, “Who is the one who struck you?”, in fact the Lord knew the name of the person who struck him, his entire life, and even his sins.  He did not fail to identify him because he lacked the ability to do so. Rather, he willingly stood silently as though he did not know, in order to personally bear even the punishment for the sin of that mockery on the cross (Internet).

 

(i)     The sight of the crowd that covered Jesus’ eyes and mocked him is like a mirror reflecting the spiritual sinfulness that we, in this age, secretly commit in places where ‘no one is watching.’  Furthermore, when we meditate on the inner suffering of Jesus, who stood there alone with his eyes covered at that moment, we are led into deep repentance in which we mourn over our hidden sins (Internet).

 

           1.   The Sin of “Covering the Eyes” and Our Secret Sins — The Connection

The soldiers covered Jesus’ eyes because of the foolish thought, “Now that his eyes are covered, he cannot see.”  This corresponds precisely to the attitude of secret sin that modern Christians commit in their lives today.

 

Modern meditation: We often behave like holy disciples in church or in public places, but when we sit in front of a computer monitor, look at a smartphone screen, or enter a private place where no one else is present, we sometimes act as though God cannot see us at all.

 

Spiritual application: To be conscious only of the reality before our eyes and of the gaze of other people, while forgetting the presence of God (Coram Deo) who sees through our hearts and innermost being with eyes like flames, is no different from the spiritual blindness of the soldiers who attempted to cover the Lord’s eyes.  Even when we are hiding our eyes from the Lord, just as he remained silent when they asked, “Who is the one who struck you?”, the Lord patiently watches us in silence when we sin secretly.

 

2.   The Inner Suffering of Jesus with His Eyes Covered

 

In this scene, the suffering Jesus must have experienced was not merely the physical pain of being beaten. The psychological and spiritual suffering caused by depersonalization was far greater.

 

The pain of alienation and separation: For human beings, the eyes are a channel through which one person encounters and communicates with another person.  To have one’s eyes covered means being completely cut off from the surrounding world and being utterly abandoned and alone.  Jesus is the center of the universe and the One who communicates intimately with all creation, yet he was treated by his creatures as an “object” rather than as a person, with his eyes covered.

 

The suffering of controlled omniscience: Even though Jesus’ eyes were covered, through his divine nature (Divine Nature) he knew “with overwhelming vividness” everything—the rough breathing of those who were striking him, the muscular movements of their raised hands, and even the motives of their vile hearts. To know everything and yet have to stand there like a helpless blind man, receiving all that humiliation, involved an inner restraint and suffering of a depth that human beings can scarcely imagine.

 

Decisions and Applications for the Life of a Disciple

 

a.   Living a life with no “covered place”

 

The soldiers believed that they could cover the Lord’s eyes with a cloth, but before God, darkness is like light.  Even when we are alone in a room where no one else can see us, we must recover the awareness of God’s presence—the consciousness that the Lord is beside us and sees us.

 

b.   Looking into the eyes that contain the Lord’s tears

 

Every time we sin, we become people who once again cover the Lord’s eyes. Conversely, when we remember, in the face of temptation to sin, “The Lord is watching me,” we can escape from the place of covering his eyes and become true disciples who participate in the Lord’s holiness (Internet).

 

(4)  Fourth and last, I would like to receive the lessons that the Lord gives us as we meditate on the words: “They said many other things against him, blaspheming him” [ἕτερα πολλὰ βλασφημοῦντες ἔλεγον εἰς αὐτόν (hetera polla blasphēmountes elegon eis auton)] (Lk. 22:65).

 

              1.   ἕτερα πολλὰ (hetera polla): The Limitless Variety and Expansion of Sin

 

Original meaning: ἕτερα (hetera) does not simply mean “other things of the same kind,” but can convey the idea of things that are qualitatively different or of an unexpected kind, while πολλὰ (polla) means “many,” “numerous,” or “a great multitude.”

 

Spiritual lesson: Human sinful nature does not remain in one place but continually invents new forms of evil.  The soldiers were not satisfied with physical beating and mocking Jesus’ prophetic office.  Throughout the night, they continually created new forms of ridicule in all kinds of bizarre and vile ways (ἕτερα), in great abundance (πολλὰ), tormenting Jesus without ceasing.  This warns us how frighteningly and diversely sin can expand and mutate when we leave it unchecked.

 

2.  βλασφημοῦντες (blasphēmοuntes): The “Blasphemy” Committed by Creatures Against the Creator

 

Original meaning: The root of this word, βλασφημέω (blasphēmeō), goes beyond merely “slandering” another person and means blaspheming—dishonoring or defaming God’s holy name and glory.

 

Spiritual lesson: The crowd may have thought that they were merely insulting a prisoner, but Scripture precisely exposes their actions as the sin of blasphemy (βλασφημοῦντες) against God.  With their words, they trampled upon the Son of God.  We must therefore examine ourselves with holy fear, recognizing that when we slander our brothers and sisters or pour out words of complaint against God’s sovereignty, those words can, in essence, become a spiritual “blasphemy” (βλασφημέω) that attempts to seize the honor belonging to the Lord and dishonor him.

 

3.   εἰς αὐτόν (eis auton): He Received All the Arrows of Curses and Verbal Abuse “Into Himself”

 

Original meaning: εἰς (eis) is a preposition expressing movement spatially “into.” Thus, it describes the many blasphemous and cursing words they poured out as striking and entering into Jesus’ inner being and entire body.

 

Spiritual lesson: Jesus did not deflect those vicious words or destroy them with fire from heaven.  Like a sponge absorbing all the dirty water, he received into his entire person and being (εἰς αὐτόν) the most hideous and polluted verbal refuse that human beings could pour out.  Because the Lord passed through the cross of verbal abuse, the sins of our ugly and sharp, thorn-like words can receive cleansing today.

 

Decisions and Direction for Prayer in the Life of a Disciple

 

a.   Setting a guard over my lips: Human sinful nature has a tendency to continually pour out new and evil words (ἕτερα πολλὰ).  Just as the Lord silently received all those words of insult throughout the night, we need discernment to control our lips when we want to pour out dagger-like words against someone.

 

b.   Remembering the Lord’s patience: When someone pours out countless and qualitatively different words of slander against me, I should look to Jesus’ “eis auton (εἰς αὐτόν)”, who had already received every kind of verbal violence in his entire being.  The love of the Lord, who received all those vicious words in his body for my sake, will heal us.

 

(a)  Closing Prayer: Looking to the Suffering Lord

 

                      “Loving and merciful Heavenly Father,

 

Thank you for allowing us today to meditate on the scene of our Lord Jesus’ suffering, as he endured hardship alone throughout the night while being detained.

 

We bow our heads in thanksgiving and praise before the love of the King of kings, who created us, yet was seized by the hands of his creatures and mocked like a child’s toy (ἐνέπαιζον), endured severe beatings (δέροντες) that caused pain as though his flesh were being torn away, and yet silently drank the entire cup of suffering.

 

We repent of our pride and arrogance before the controlled omnipotence of the One who remained silent like a lamb being led to the slaughter, in order to bear in our place the shame and punishment of sin that we rightly deserved.

 

Lord, the crowd covered Jesus’ eyes (περικαλύψαντες) and mocked him, “Who is the one who struck you?”, mistakenly thinking that by covering Jesus’ eyes they could also cover their own sins.  Yet we realize that it was they who had become spiritually blind and could not see the Creator standing directly before them.

 

Are we perhaps also living in the same spiritual blindness as those soldiers, behaving in secret places where no one sees us as though God cannot see us, and attempting to cover the Lord’s eyes?  Restore within us the faith of Coram Deo, the awareness that we live before the presence of God who sees through our hearts and innermost being, and enable us to live holy lives before the presence of the Lord, who continually watches over us with eyes like flames.

Furthermore, throughout the night, the Lord did not avoid the arrows of curses with which they slandered and blasphemed him using all kinds of bizarre and vile words (ἕτερα πολλὰ). Instead, he received them all into his entire person and being (εἰς αὐτόν).  We remember the grace by which he saved us by absorbing with his entire being the merciless torrent of verbal violence.  Now take control of our lips, and enable us to abandon evil words that wound our neighbors and attempt to seize the honor that belongs to the Lord.  Set a guard over our lips so that they may contain only words of thanksgiving that give life and impart grace. 

 

Whenever we encounter something unjust in the circumstances of life and pass through a dark night like a detention cell with every side blocked off, let us look to Jesus, who has already walked that road before us and gained the victory.  Help us lay down our right to immediately defend ourselves and seek revenge by our own strength, and enable us to live the true life of a disciple in which God’s will is fulfilled through our humility.

 

We earnestly hope that the Word we have engraved upon our hearts today will become the power by which we live. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who endured all shame and suffering for our sake.

 

Amen” (Internet).