A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thiry-Eight

Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:17-75 (NRSVUE) 

On this Holy Thursday, we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper out of the Passover meal shared by Jesus with his disciples.

When Jesus states that one of you will betray me, it would be shocking to the disciples even after they have heard his predictions of his own death.  As they inquire after who it will be, Jesus gives the cryptic response of the one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with me.  In the first century, all of those feasting together would have used their hands to dip into the common bowl for their meal.  So, it could have been any of them.

Notice that Jesus is aware of this lapse of faithfulness prior to the sharing in the Last Supper.  All of the disciples will fall away and yet, Jesus does not deny them this meal together.  This instructs us today as to the open table in Holy Communion because it is about the grace of God rather than the readiness of the recipient.   

And lest we think that Holy Communion gives us some magical protection against sin, think again!

Sometimes our bodies
overcome our intentions

Peter, James and John keep falling asleep while Jesus is praying at the very moment that Judas is leading a religious mob to arrest him.  The disciples all abandon Jesus.  And then Peter does deny him even though he was warned that this would happen. 

Of course, all of these disciples had dipped their hand into the bowl with Jesus.

I do believe that Holy Communion can help people overcome temptation.  But I think it is helpful to know that nothing is fool proof, and this is a reminder that we all ultimately rely on God's grace.

Another example of this grace is when they seek to arrest Jesus.  He makes the statement when his disciples use violence to defend him that he could call down angels to his aid.  Matthew is the only Gospel that includes this detail and we see that Jesus is still in charge and submits willingly (if not without reservation from his prayer in the garden).  

His obedience unto death is the final sign-act of God's grace for the world.  And for those with a Trinitarian viewpoint, this states that there is nothing that God wouldn't do for you.

May this thought be enough for today.

Prayer for the day:

O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. 
Amen.

Prayer by William Shakespeare, England, 17th Century

Photo by Richard Masoner via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.