It was a very dark night.  Jesus had just been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives – identified in the gloom by one of His disciples who betrayed Him with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48).  The Son of God, who created everything, was now bound and being led to His trial by those He made and had come to save.  It was already a travesty of justice; a farcical event.  As Jesus said, He had been teaching in the temple courts every day and they had had the opportunity to seize Him there.  But they did not have the courage (Luke 20:19). The crowd would have been incensed and started a riot against the temple authorities, who could not afford to lose face with the Roman occupation force (John 11:48).
 
So, they came at night to take the Prince of Peace prisoner, using poles designed for crowd control and brandishing swords.  Yet at any moment Jesus could have thwarted their plan as He had done so many times before (Luke 4:28-30), but that night, darkness was allowed to rule.  Not just an absence of light, but a palpable evil had deceived the minds of religious people and seduced even one of His own disciples.  That darkness was physically manifested a few hours later (Luke 23:44).

When Jesus said, "This is your hour", He meant that it was the brief moment of time when the devil would be allowed to take authority over Jesus, the Light of the World.  Jesus had recently confirmed it by saying, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.  He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." (Luke 18:31-33).  But nothing was out of His control (John 10:17-18).  It was all part of God’s great purpose that Jesus would bear the sins of the world and save sinners from the kingdom of darkness (John 3:16).
 
If Jesus could become a temporary victim of Satan's power-lust, then His followers should expect an hour of darkness from time to time (John 15:18-21).  Although nothing can separate us from God's love, He will give limited permission for Satan to tempt us in the areas in which we are weak (James 1:13-14).  Such times are never pleasant, and at the time would seem to consume us with their awfulness.  Nevertheless, the Lord always has the last word.  He only allows trials and temptations so that we may come to maturity and that His powerful answer will be seen, bringing glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:13).  So do not be despondent when Satan seems to win the advantage.  Trust in the Lord's greater purpose, which will not only amaze you and others as you see His power, but will glorify Him as He deals yet another decisive blow to the kingdom of darkness.