In Luke 22:39-46 the emphasis is on prayer in the time of trial. In Luke 22:47 that time of trial comes upon them while Jesus is still speaking. Luke more than the other gospels casts this scene as a conflict between Jesus and Satan and concludes the next segment with “but this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (vs 53).

There is an irony in the type of conflict in the time of trial. Again it seems like the Genesis flood is an archetype of these eschatological day of the LORD moments. Look at them throughout scripture: the Genesis flood, the barrenness of God’s servants, Joseph’s famine, the Exodus plagues and the Red Sea drowning, God breaking out in the camp various times, especially the episode with the bronze serpent, the warfare judgments against Israel leading to exile, the beasts in Daniel, the crucifixion scene in the Gospels (esp. Matthew) and the many scenes of judgment in Revelation. They seem to be mixtures of divine wrath, unleashing of cosmic chaos and unleashing of the demonic yet the final purpose of all is the revelation of God’s sovereignty, the punishment of evil and the establishment of the God’s kingdom (in Daniel, Gospels and Revelation) through the agency of the Son of Man.

These moments of chaos seem to highlight the power of evil but it seems that ironically evil undoes itself in the midst of the chaos. Evil is ultimately fruitless and counter-productive. Evil will blow itself out and ultimately be found wanting. Evil finally has no future.

The role of Jesus especially in Luke here with the reference to the Son of Man is ironic. There is a strange and unexpected reversal of the Daniel 7 image. Here the Son of Man is destroyed by the demonic beast and the chaos of violence and judgment falls upon him, and here he refuses to wield a sword against the beast. The kiss of betrayal (does Jesus get kissed in Luke?!) heightens the irony.

In the midst of the chaos in Luke, with all of the eschatological tension Jesus is calm, composed and in control. The whirlwind of chaos rages around him, his disciples losing composure, the servants of darkness carrying weapons for war, Jesus in command, the willing victim, still healing his enemy in the midst of betrayal.

The disciples have not prepared themselves for the time of trial and they are not like their master. They act on instinct, violence, like their enemies. They mirror the servants of darkness, the bandits who run the temple. Jesus alone is prepared, in control, ready to be swept away in the flood only to emerge from the tomb.

I can’t help but think about this in terms of the Japan disaster, the Haiti earthquake, the times of trial that consume us. They become eschatological moments. Again, from a distance we attempt to suss out agency but we cannot. Can we suss out agency of the angel of death over Egypt? Can we suss out agency over Job’s disaster? Some exegesis of these storms can be done, but it is fairly pointless. The focus should be on the servant of the LORD in its midst.