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Luke 22:1–23 (ESV)
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. 7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
In the Jewish context, there are great festivals whose function is to connect people to each other, especially through the retelling of the story of how God has worked and moved in the history of Israel. The greatest of these festivals is Passover, when the story is told of how God delivered His people out of the hands of Egypt. In the Passover celebration, there is a proclamation that states that whether circumstances are good or difficult, we are God’s people. Celebrating the Passover reaffirms the people’s identity as God’s people, connects people to one another, and points them to hope for the future.
Jesus changed and altered this Passover meal, and it’s awesome. His words spoke of a new covenant with the Lord, and through His words, we know that we are now connected to His death and the Kingdom of God in a unique way. As we celebrate Communion, we remember all that Jesus did for us through His death on the cross. We now find our life, our identity, our fellowship, and our connection to each other through our relationship with Jesus. Every time we celebrate this meal, we are strengthened, encouraged, and reminded of our hope and our future—all because of Jesus.
In this celebration, Jesus is doing something that is quite stunning that we probably don’t appreciate as much as we should. Jesus is drawing the whole meaning of the meal upon Himself; His body broken, His blood shed so that our sins can be forgiven.
It’s the fulfillment of God’s promises for deliverance and healing that the Exodus pointed to, but not just for a select people, for the whole world. It’s all being fulfilled because of Jesus’ faithful obedience to God the Father.
The disciples must have been stunned as Jesus changed the meaning of the Passover, and they struggled to take it all in. They miss Jesus’ meaning and instead, like many of us, they focus on the unsettling things Jesus is speaking about regarding His death and betrayal. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the disciples are unsettled even further as Jesus speaks of their falling away and about Peter’s denial.
I’m always caught off guard by the disciples’ response to Jesus when Jesus speaks about the betrayal by one of His own. It’s surprising to note that all the disciples question who it might be. In Matthew’s Gospel, they ask Jesus, “Is it me?”
You see, up until that moment, all the disciples had been on the same journey with Jesus. They’ve heard Jesus’ teaching, they’ve seen the miraculous signs, and they were there when Jesus came into Jerusalem with everyone cheering, including Judas, who was just like the rest of the disciples. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by their question, “Is it me?”.
And perhaps we need to consider that we’re not all that different from the disciples. We, too, have betrayed Jesus. We like to use words that don’t feel so heavy with guilt when we talk about our own betrayal; “stumbled”, “fallen”, “wandered”, “slipped”, “messed up” and others, but the truth is that we’ve betrayed Jesus, just like the disciples and just like Judas (remember that soon Peter will deny he even knows Jesus and all the disciples will abandon Jesus as well when He is arrested).
“Is it me?” Yes, but, and this is massive, remember Jesus loves you and is ready and willing to forgive you if you will simply and humbly come.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott
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