The Institution of the Lord's Table
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” – Luke 22.17-20
This is the Institution of the Lord's Table. But there was a lot going on when Jesus prepared for and ate the Last Supper with His disciples. The Gospel writers emphasize with great detail the Final Week. What Jesus did and said immediately before His death is crucial. In this final Hour, Jesus was exclusively with His chosen disciples. He is trying to teach them and prepare them for what is coming. At this stage they always seem to be a step behind Jesus. At the end of His Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned His disciples to watch and stay awake. In the days immediately following they would need to heed this exhortation, but they did not. They all deserted Jesus, as He had said they would, and as the Scriptures foretold, and Peter even denied Jesus. Lurking in the shadows behind all of these events was Judas. The events surrounding the Last Supper instruct us about the frailty of human nature and also the certainty of Divine Purpose.
Consider these examples of human frailty. There are the wicked counsels of the Jewish leaders. These men were always pursuing Jesus, jealous of His popularity. They have decided to kill Him, but must do it secretly. These men represent many of the darkest aspects of human nature: jealousy, pride, lust for power, and hypocrisy. Remember these were religious men! And they are opposing the Son of God who had done many miraculous signs in their midst. Their unbelief and hatred for Jesus show us what Flesh is capable of doing.
Consider the tragic actions of Judas. He is the only one who may be more wretched than the Jewish leaders. Here is a man who was on the inside, handpicked by Jesus. Yet he was unmoved by everything he heard and saw. Judas seems to be sincere, but appearances are deceptive. Judas is a fraud. He seems in the end care only about financial gain. Here is a completely selfish person. He is even willing to sell his friend for the right price. A Medieval Italian artist paints Judas with an ugly, apelike face, in contrast to the beauty of Christ. So dark is his soul, Satan himself is able to enter Judas and find him a ready-made instrument.
Consider the weakness of the other disciples. They seem oblivious to the gravity of this Hour, even though Jesus had plainly told them what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem. They could not or would not understand. This thing about Jesus laying down His life was so counter to their expectations that they could not receive it. Their understanding of the Messiah and His Kingdom, at this point, was completely earthly and carnal – so much so that they even began to argue about who would have the highest positions. They wanted power even as their Lord was giving up all of His. At this point the disciples show us the weakness of the Flesh: its inability to understand spiritual things, its tendency to hold on to wrong ideas, and its desire for ascendency. But we also see the certainty of Divine purpose.
We see Jesus acting the polar opposite of everyone else around Him. Jesus is in complete control of His own person and the situation—even down to the details of preparing a place for the Passover meal! Jesus is aware of His enemies and their plans, including Judas. But Jesus has no fear of man. Since Jesus was the Son of God we often forget that while He was in the body He had to live by faith, trusting in His heavenly Father, just as we do while we are in the world. The Table of the Lord is to remind us that God is in control of all things. We are to live in faith and not give in to fear, even if the world seems to be in utter chaos. Jesus was not oblivious to what was going on around Him, but neither was He being controlled by it.
Jesus is acting according to a Divine agenda. He is in complete submission to the will of His heavenly Father. Jesus is putting Himself into the hands of His Father and that is why Jesus is the only person in this drama who is not either perverted by wicked desires or falling apart under pressure. Jesus is the only one here whose thoughts are on the right things. Jesus had a different perspective. From a human point of view everything was falling apart. The darkness is closing in. But Jesus' thoughts and words are not dark. He is full of hope and promise. He speaks with confidence and with certainty, even though His own future was Golgotha! Jesus even seems confident in the faith of the disciples. Why? He was fixed firmly on the purpose of God. He came to do the will of the Father and even the wickedness of Man would end up working for God's purpose.
What does this mean for us at this Table? This is a good time to do some self-examination. This is a time for truth, not pretense. But knowing your own heart can be more difficult than you think. What is really in your heart? What is your motivation? What do you really want? Do you understand what you are doing? This is a time to focus on the things that really matter. The world is full of distractions. The world's values are all wrong. What the world thinks is going on is not really what's going on. This is our connection to ultimate reality. This is a time to gather strength. Eventually we have to leave the relative safety of the Upper Room and go out to Gethsemane. Are you up to it? No one has to be weak. He is with us. He will never leave or forsake us. This is the time to watch and pray with Jesus. If we are weak, it is because we are sleeping.
No comments:
Post a Comment