Luke 22 53

Luke 22:53 kjv

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Luke 22:53 nkjv

When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Luke 22:53 niv

Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour?when darkness reigns."

Luke 22:53 esv

When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Luke 22:53 nlt

Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns."

Luke 22 verses

Luke 22 53 Meaning

Jesus declares to His captors that their successful apprehension of Him at night is not an accidental triumph of their own strength or planning. Instead, He reveals it to be a divinely appointed moment—their "hour"—temporarily granted for the purposes of the "power of darkness," representing the malevolent forces of spiritual evil, notably Satan and his agents. This indicates that while men act, they do so under a higher, albeit perverse, influence for a specific, limited time ordained by God for the unfolding of His redemptive plan.

Luke 22 53 Context

Luke 22:53 occurs immediately after Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. After His agonizing prayer and Judas' betrayal kiss, a crowd from the chief priests, temple guard, and elders seized Jesus. Peter had just struck off the ear of the high priest's servant, which Jesus miraculously healed, rebuking Peter for his misguided zeal. Jesus' statement in verse 53 is a direct response to the hostile crowd, pointing out the true nature and timing of their actions. Historically and culturally, arresting a prominent figure like Jesus during the day or the Passover festival was risky due to His popularity, hence the preference for a night arrest. This "hour" marks the beginning of His Passion, humiliation, and crucifixion, a pivotal moment in God's redemptive plan, yet directly executed by human evil empowered by spiritual forces.

Luke 22 53 Word analysis

• But: Greek: Alla (ἀλλά). Signifies a strong contrast. It contrasts Jesus' previous open presence in the Temple with their present stealthy, violent action under night's cover.
• this: Greek: Houtos (οὗτος). Refers specifically to the immediate act of His arrest. It anchors the statement to the present reality.
• is: Greek: Estin (ἐστίν). A simple statement of being, emphasizing the definitive nature of this moment.
• your: Greek: Humōn (ὑμῶν). A plural possessive pronoun, referring to the entire crowd involved in His arrest (Lk 22:52) and, by extension, the human agents executing the plan.
• hour: Greek: Hōra (ὥρα). More than a mere temporal unit, this denotes a divinely appointed, specific, and crucial time or season. It refers to the fixed period permitted by God for His suffering, a "crisis point." Jesus had often spoken of His "hour" not yet coming (Jn 2:4; 7:30; 8:20), indicating a sovereign timetable. Now, the hour has come (Jn 12:23; 13:1; 17:1).
• and: Greek: Kai (καί). A conjunction directly connecting "your hour" with "the power of darkness," suggesting they are inherently linked or one directly enables the other.
• the: Greek: Hē (ἡ). A definite article, pointing to specific, well-defined entities, not just any power or darkness.
• power: Greek: Exousia (ἐξουσία). Not merely raw strength (dynamis), but "authority," "right," or "delegated power" to act. This implies this power is permitted and limited, not ultimate. It is a temporary authorization for this dark act.
• of: Greek: Tou (τοῦ). A genitive preposition, indicating origin or possession. The authority belongs to or originates from darkness.
• darkness: Greek: Skotos (σκότος). Not just physical absence of light, but fundamentally moral, spiritual, and intellectual obscurity. In the biblical worldview, "darkness" personifies evil, sin, the dominion of Satan (Acts 26:18, Col 1:13), and all that opposes God's light (Jn 1:5, 3:19). This directly links the arrest to a supernatural, malevolent agency behind the human actors.

Luke 22 53 Words-Group Analysis

• But this is your hour: This phrase emphatically declares Jesus' sovereign awareness. He asserts that while the captors believe they are acting on their own authority or will, they are merely instruments operating within a time permitted to them by a higher authority. It strips them of ultimate credit, highlighting that their actions, while evil, fulfill a divine timetable.
• and the power of darkness: This critical phrase unveils the spiritual reality behind the physical event. It identifies the true instigator and source of the malicious action. The "power of darkness" represents Satan's authority and dominion, which he wields over those enslaved by sin. This power is allowed to manifest, for a specific period, for the purposes of the crucifixion, demonstrating both God's allowance of evil and its ultimate defeat. It is Satan who entered Judas (Lk 22:3) and orchestrated the timing and stealth of the arrest.

Luke 22 53 Bonus section

The deliberate choice of a night arrest for Jesus contrasts sharply with His daily open teaching in the temple (as stated earlier in the verse). This emphasizes the nefarious and cowardly nature of the authorities' actions, operating under cover, which perfectly aligns with the character of "darkness." This temporary permission granted to "the power of darkness" is part of God's wider redemptive plan, where the seeming triumph of evil paradoxically leads to its decisive defeat through Christ's death and resurrection (Col 2:15, Heb 2:14-15). Thus, this "hour" is not merely the darkest moment but also the prelude to the greatest victory, making Luke 22:53 a verse of stark reality and prophetic hope simultaneously.

Luke 22 53 Commentary

In Luke 22:53, Jesus delivers a profound theological statement, confronting His captors not with physical resistance, but with spiritual revelation. He underscores that their current apparent success is not due to their cunning or strength, but is a divinely allowed, temporal window – "your hour." This "hour" for Jesus was prophesied and often alluded to as a coming point of climax, where God's plan of salvation would reach its crucial stage through suffering and glorification. By connecting "your hour" with "the power of darkness," Jesus reveals that the forces of evil, personified by Satan, are the true spiritual agents orchestrating the events behind the human players. The very act of His arrest, executed under the cover of night by the agents of religious authority, is precisely aligned with the nature of darkness—secrecy, malicious intent, and rebellion against God's light. Yet, this "power" is limited; it is only "their hour," signifying its temporary nature and God's ultimate sovereignty. Even the machinations of evil are subject to God's permissive will, ultimately serving His higher, redemptive purpose to bring about light through the cross, rather than overcoming it.