What if your next meal was to be your last. If you knew this to be true, would you make
it something spectacular? All your
favorite proteins. All your favorite
breads and veggies. And hey, go crazy on
the butter and seasonings because, well you know, it won’t be your cholesterol
that finally gets you. Most of us cannot
get our heads around this idea. If for
some reason we knew our “last” meal was coming, food would likely be the last
thing on our minds. It is a rare soul
who gets ravenous at the idea of not eating ever again. Most of us would want our closest family as
close as they could be. The precious moments
we spend with them would likely far outweigh even the most inventive cuisine
and menu. But hey, I did not propose you
eat alone. Bring as many as you can. Make it a feast. Include those long-lost relatives you have
been reluctant to make time for. Invite
your boss who does not care much for you at work. Not to impress him/her, but to bury the
hatchet and show love even to the hard to love.
You might delegate the work of picking that final meal, but even then, I
cannot imagine most of us ordering fast food.
Jesus did. If there
had been a chain of McDonald’s in ancient Israel the fastest food you could
make would be the foods they made on Passover night. It was literal fast food. It was made quickly because they did not have
a lot of time that night in Egypt so long ago.
They needed to eat and be ready to run at a moment’s notice. And hey, for the folks who were too ashamed
to post the lamb’s blood on the door frames – whatever meal they did eat, was
the firstborn’s last one, Israelite or no.
The institution, the feast, the remembrance of the Passover came from
that night in Egypt nearly ~1200 years before the time of Christ. It was preserved through the writings of
Moses and handed down father to son throughout the life of the Israelite people
until the days of Jesus, even to our own.
Jesus knew the timing the events that were to befall Him. His death would come at the culmination of
all the Jewish high holidays (such as the year of Jubilee that only happened
once every 50 years where all slaves were freed, all land returned, and all
debt was forgiven). His death would come
at Passover, so the Passover dinner was to be His last. Take out.
Fast food, ordered 1200 years before it would be delivered to Him. Not much of a celebration in terms of fine
dining. Fine dining, even then, takes
time to prepare (perhaps more so back then).
So this last meal was to be simple, and easily prepared.
Part of the tradition of that meal was to eat bitter
herbs. Yeah, nobodies favorite there. But it was done to remind them of the
bitterness of slavery from which the Israelites were freed (by Jesus by the
way). Perhaps it would not hurt our
modern day Christians to remember Passover and join our Jewish friends in its
keeping. The bitter herbs we eat would
symbolize the exact same thing as they did in Passover – Jesus freeing us from
the slavery of our sins. Pharaoh has
nothing on the addiction of sin, and Jesus remains the only power able to beat
sin in you. A few bitter herbs to remind
us of that is not a bad thing. The
unleavened bread, or the bread of haste, has meaning in our world as well. Our Lord is coming back, sooner than we may
care to admit, and needing a bread made in haste could remind us of the haste
in which He returns. I know people have
been saying that forever. And for all
those souls who have tasted their last meal, that saying remains true (just not
how they expected it). For us, the
pattern may be a little different, but the bread of haste is not bad symbolism
when you look forward as well. In any
case none of this would be the traditional choice of someone who knows it would
be their last meal, at least no one I can think of today. But it was His pick.
Matthew tells the story in his gospel to his contemporaries
in chapter 26 picking up in verse 17 saying … “Now the first day of the feast
of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt
thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?” Already one feast was dovetailing on the
next, and since Passover is most important (and perfectly symbolic), the
disciples are more concerned about preparing for that one for Jesus. None of them have let the thought sink into
their heads, that this will be His last meal.
They cannot bear the thought of Him being the condemned. He is perfectly innocent. And as it should be; the perfect lamb without
blemish. Jesus responds in verse 18
saying … “And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The
Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my
disciples. [verse 19] And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and
they made ready the passover.” The first
McDonald’s in history perhaps. But even then,
preparations had to be made.
Matthew will not record the entire foot-washing
incident. Perhaps it still stung too
badly in his conscience. Perhaps he just
did not think that was the main point we should be focusing on. Matthew spends his time outing the
betrayer. Is it so with you and me? Are you and I so obsessed with pointing out
the sinners in our church fellowship, we have forgot we owe that same sinner a
debt of loving service, done in humility.
It is quite hard to criticize a sinner, and forcefully recommend their
disfellowship, while girding a towel around your waist and gently placing their
feet in a warm bowl for washing. Just as
Jesus did ~2000 years ago. The King of
Kings thought it not beneath Him to do the lowest work of a servant for each of
the disciples at that gathering.
Including Judas, including Matthew, including Peter, even though Peter
was not too fond of accepting this humiliation (he got over it). Perhaps we like Matthew are so focused on
identifying the traitors to Jesus, we lose all sight of the service we owe
those very same traitors. Sin is not
driven away through accusation. It is
lured away only by the transforming love of Jesus, our loving those same
sinners was meant to reflect His love, and give them a reason to seek change in
the first place.
We underestimate the power of our love. Most often because we ration it out so
sparingly. But Jesus was a fountain of
love with no end in sight. What we give
away in tiny tiny increments, flowed out of Jesus with the force of Niagara
Falls. Exactly whose servants are
we? Matthew continues the story picking
up in verse 20 saying … “Now when the even was come, he sat down with the
twelve. [verse 21] And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that
one of you shall betray me.” Matthew
pounds on the traitorous theme. Perhaps
he still worries it might have as easily been him. The truth is that every disciple at that
table will betray their relationships with Jesus as the night continues. Most will run, hide, and stay as far back as
their hearing will allow as the horrid events unfold. No hero’s in this room. No one ready to even be honest about who
Jesus is to them. When they see Jesus is
headed for death, they ALL will doubt if He truly is the Messiah. So I ask, are any of us free from this
traitorous blame?
Jesus has declared one of them will betray Him. Whatever Jesus says always comes true. So it is certain. The weight of it begins to sink in. Matthew continues in verse 22 saying … “And
they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him,
Lord, is it I?” Think of this for a
moment. We are talking about a betrayal
that has not happened yet. And each one
of them is forced to ask, Lord is it me?
Am I your betrayer? This should
give you an insight into sin that no other scripture has the weight of. This is an act only one disciple has
contemplated and acted upon so far. Yet
ALL of them are unsure if it is them Jesus is talking about. They are all capable of it. They are all horrified by the idea, but no
sin is beyond them, and they all see that.
If Jesus prophesies it must be true.
They cannot imagine each other as being the one – so that only leaves –
me. Lord is it me? A heinous sin still in their future, one none
of them wants to commit, but all are scared they might. Lord is it me?
We read these texts as story. But is the ultimate betrayal of our Lord in
your future, and are you humble enough to go to Jesus and ask – Lord is it
me? If you refuse to admit it could be
you, it is likely already you. No one
wants to be Judas. But Judas was
Judas. He was as righteous and as
failing as Peter, but most of us would want to be Peter, none want to be Judas. The difference was not the sin, but where we
look to see sin taken from us. Judas
stopped looking at Jesus for the removal of sin. Peter though completely broken by pride and
unforgiveable action still looked to Jesus no matter what. The weight of the sin was the same. But where we go to see it removed was wholly
different. Matthew continues in verse 23
with the answer of Jesus saying … “And he answered and said, He that dippeth
his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. [verse 24] The Son of
man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man
is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
The heart of Matthew is so far from food or feasting he
could have been eating dirt right about then, and not even known it. It was comforting to have those he loved
around him. These other disciples were
his family by choice and brotherhood.
Having them there helped. But the
answer of Christ shook Matthew to the core of who he was. He that dips his hand with Me in the
bowl. They were ALL dipping their hands
in that same bowl of olive oil to season or spread across the unleavened
bread. Olive oil was a precious tasty nectar
full of health properties and delicious as a spread. They all had dipped. They all had used it on their bread. Matthew no different than the rest. But Jesus did not stop there, He continues
saying it would have been better for the betrayer NOT to have been born. Was Jesus talking directly to Matthew?
Was He talking to me?
I have betrayed Him too. I have
cast aside His victories, choosing to mire in my sin, like a pig does in his
own filth. In my sin I betray Him. Would it be better for me not to have been
born? That is a pretty dark and heavy
thought. It is meant to be so. We need to understand where the weight of sin
leads, and there is but one destination – this one. There are no “petty” sins. There are no light sins, there is only the
addictive nature of sin that leads here and no where else. To the joining of the conspiracy to kill the
son of God and take His place running the universe. It will be the final rallying call of Satan
in the final assault against heaven destined to fail, yet all will join it
without reservation. The saved hear
another call. For the saved have been
freed from their sins, like the Israelites were made free from Pharaoh so long
ago.
Judas now feels like the whole room is looking at him. He had his hand in the bowl at the same time
as Christ when He made that saying. He
feels pressured. Matthew continues in
verse 25 saying … “Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master,
is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”
Matthew has unveiled Judas. But
his account omits the words of Jesus to Judas to go and do what he must do
quickly. Perhaps Matthew still cannot
get his head around the idea that the best of the disciples admired by all,
might be the very one who will betray Jesus.
And for Jesus to wish him speed, Matthew just cannot understand. But with all this focus on betrayal, the
focus turns back to the meal. Passover
will remain important, but will be altered for us to look forward, not backward
anymore.
Matthew continues in verse 26 saying … “And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the
disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. [verse 27] And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; [verse 28]
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins.” For the remission of
sins. This meal is about the removal of
the addiction of sin and our slavery to it.
It is only the life of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus,
that empowers Jesus to re-create in you what needs to be re-created. A new creature. A new person.
A person devoid of sin. A person
who no longer craves sin, or wanders into it mysteriously. A person who loves others so passionately
they become in harmony with God, with His Laws, and with His heart. This is the very core, the very power of the
Gospel. The power of Jesus does not end
at forgiveness, it only begins there. The
power of Jesus carries through to ending sin completely, in you.
But so that we would have an idea of how special we are to
God. Jesus creates a new tradition even
for Himself. Matthew continues in verse
29 saying … “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom. [verse 30] And when they had
sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” Jesus will deny himself the taste of our
grape juice, even the perfected version of it heaven alone can offer, until He
drinks it again with us. You can bet He
has likely worked up quite a taste for that now. And given the symbolism of drinking that
drink when we are ALL back together at home in His kingdom – that is going to
be some world class grape juice not a one of us can avoid loving. I am not much of a grape juice fan here. I have it on occasion, mostly prefer Kadem
sparkling version. But up there, you can
just leave me a few pitchers of that stuff, I want a belly full. They sang a hymn. And they moved on. The last meal was now a matter of history …
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