Luke 22:21-23

Posted by DJL on Feb 18, 2013 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.

There is so much going on in this scene. Intimacy, confidence, anticipation, and now worry and dread. Jesus’ conversation with his disciples turns so quickly from his eagerness to share this meal, to his intimate sharing of himself, to anticipation of his suffering, and now to the prediction of his betrayal.

We can only imagine how that affected the disciples – the worry, the anxiety, the fear, the suspicion, and all the rest.

We weren’t there, so we can only imagine. But we can imagine. That is, we also have experienced worry and anxiety and fear and suspicion and all the rest. And that’s part of the point of the story. That Jesus goes where he goes and does what he does not just for these twelve, or even only for the people of his time, but for all people of all time.

All of us, that is, who have betrayed or felt betrayed, who have lived in fear, or shame, or confusion, or insecurity. Jesus came for all of us.

In this sense, when we gather on Maundy Thursday and hear this passage read and join around the table to share bread and wine we aren’t just remembering these events, but we are being caught up into them again. Indeed, this is what happens each and every time we gather around the table to share in the Lord’s Supper. For this is the story of Jesus and his disciples, and it is our story, too.

And it’s just getting going.

Prayer: Dear God, remind us that in Jesus you have entered into our story in order to know, love, bless, and redeem us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.