One Last Meal ...

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 …

 

One Last Passover ...

John Mark was not there.  He did not participate.  You and I were not there.  We did not participate.  All we have, is the witness recorded from those who were there.  But the testimony of those who witness a thing is often colored by the perspective of the participant.  Take for example, the most recent Republican Convention to nominate Donald Trump for President.  How you witness this event depends heavily on who you are, what your opinions were before the event, and the degree to which you personally participated in it.  Those who were on the convention floor have unique and probably more detailed perceptions of what took place.  Those of us who watched it on TV likely have a different view of it.  And then it depends on which news network we watch.  Fox has a decidedly conservative slant.  MSNBC has a decidedly liberal slant.  CNN purports to be in the middle, but depending on the particular journalist, again the bias may slant one way or the other.  Fans of the Donald, will find things in his acceptance speech that are very positive and give hope for our future.  Detractors of the Donald, will find things that are negative and would present a scary picture of the future of our nation.

The facts do not change.  The words do not change.  But how you see them changes radically based on your preconceptions, point of view, and influences of others tied more closely to these events.  Peter, one of the closer disciples of Jesus Christ, has a unique point of view, about the events that occurred at the end of Christ’s life here on earth.  John Mark was merely his transcriptionist.  The Gospel of Mark could not be told first person by Mark, because Mark was not there.  Peter was.  But the events at the end of Christ’s life being told by Peter would present a point of view, a witness testimony from only one perspective.  The perspective of Peter would also be clouded by the participation of Peter, and frankly by the failure of Peter to live up to the commitments he made to Jesus.  The facts do not change.  But Peter would only bear witness to some of them, and to some of them while under significant duress.

So we come to the last Passover, and the last Passover meal.  This was supposed to be festive.  From the perspective of the disciples, even despite having Jesus warn them several times throughout His ministry, that He would die and be resurrected, the disciples still had hope of an earthly kingdom.  From the minds of the disciples, the people were ready to make Jesus their king.  The time was right.  This was even more so as pilgrims from all over the world would be near Jerusalem traveling to it for the day of atonement traditions, and the feasts, and celebrations that surrounded it.  Jesus too, was nearby.  Jesus had been teaching in the Temple recently.  Jesus had bested the priests, the scribes, the leaders of the Sanhedrin.  Jesus had put them to silence and ended their verbal traps.  And the people loved it even more.  The Temple money changers had been driven out, commerce in the Temple had dried up, and the time to crown a righteous King could never be better.

So from the minds of the disciples, from Peter, the timing could not be better.  This celebration of Passover would be the best version of it ever.  Peter begins his personal recollection to John Mark picking up in verse 12 saying … “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?”  We do not know exactly the timing of these events.  We do know when the Sabbath appears within them.  We do know when Jesus was raised.  We know Jesus died on Friday prior to the Sabbath, and was raised again on Sunday morning.  But relative to this, when the first day of unleavened bread would have occurred at that time, or when they “killed the Passover” is a bit foggy.  Originally the unleavened bread celebration would have been seven days before the day of atonement so … the previous Friday.  But the killing of the Passover, or more precisely the killing of the Passover lamb, might have taken place traditionally on the day of atonement itself.  So the fact that Peter is asking about where to celebrate these events, prior to the day of atonement, suggests, the schedule may be a bit different near the time of Christ.

The other significant idea that comes from this recollection, is that this meal would include eating the Passover lamb.  This lamb was traditionally roasted over a fire, not cooked any other way.  Left overs were not preserved, they were burned up.  And the lamb having been roasted was only one star of this meal.  The bread, not surprisingly, was unleavened meaning it did not rise, it was flat.  It could have had the consistency of a cracker, or of a tortilla, or pita bread.  But there was no yeast it in, by order of God.  The bread was actually to be served this way for an entire week.  Violators would be cast out of the celebrations until they concluded.  And the final stars of these feasts were the bitter herbs and wine (or pressed grape juice).  The bitter herbs reminded the participant of the bitter lives Pharoah inflicted upon them in their slavery.  To us the parallel would be the bitter lives we live while in slavery to our sins.  The wine could not have had time to ferment (nor was that ever advocated).  It was a drink of haste.  As should be our desire to escape our slavery from sin, done in haste.

What Peter was asking Jesus in this passage was where they should prepare to eat this meal?  Determining how much lamb would be needed for the 12 of them plus Jesus, determining where the bread should be prepared, and where all of this should be served, was on his and the other disciples minds.  Jesus responds in verse 13 saying … “And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. [verse 14] And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? [verse 15] And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.”  Several things are important to note in the answer of Jesus.  First, it is likely that given this is Peter’s perspective, Peter’s recollection to John Mark for his gospel, that Jesus sent Peter and one of the other disciples (my guess John).  The reason this is important is to remember that Judas had already decided to betray Jesus to death.  If Judas knew in advance where they were going, it would have been easy to take Jesus in a smaller confined space, than out in the open.  But by doing it this way, only the 2 disciples who went, would know where the room was.  Judas would not.  Perhaps Jesus was trying to give Judas more time, to regret his choice, and change his mind.

Second, dispatching two disciples, to find a man bearing a pitcher of water sounds like it would be a common place event, easy to pick, as if there would be lots of men doing this.  But there would not be.  This was a woman’s work.  Only women would be caught doing this.  The woman at the well in Samaria was a good case in point, coming alone after the others had left to avoid gossip and ridicule, and instead finding Jesus at the well.  So Jesus asking his two disciples to find a man doing a woman’s work, and then charging the disciples to follow that man (not immediately ask for a room), was breaking two boundaries. Men could be asked to do women’s work.  And disciples were not to be above following a man doing women’s work.  Since traditions abound in Jerusalem, finding such a man would have been miraculous indeed.  Even among slaves, traditional work was divided between the sexes.

Lastly, Jesus would be known to the owner of this home, and would be welcomed into it.  But not only that, the preparations were already done and waiting for the entire crew.  The owner of the home had taken it upon himself to make preparations, perhaps inspired by the Holy Spirit, before there was ever any confirmations that Jesus would be coming.  If Jesus and His disciples did not come, it would have been quite a bit of food wasted thrown into the fire.  It was a financial risk to take this preemptive action.  It was a faith of the owner to be rewarded by Jesus.  It was a series of miracles from beginning to end surrounding this selection of this home.  Jesus again demonstrates before Judas, how accurately He is able to predict the future.  He offers Judas yet another insight into who He is.  The betrayal of Judas is already known to Him, and He still wants Judas there, He still wants Judas to participate.  Peter marks the results of this mission in verse 16 saying … “And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.”  The bulk of the work was done, all that remained were the final touches.

Peter continues his recollection in verse 17 saying … “And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.”  The two disciples sent to prepare find everything as Jesus said.  The faith of the owner of the home rewarded.  They have time to complete the work, and return to Jesus rejoining everyone else.   John Mark continues in verse 18 saying … “And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. [verse 19] And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?”  The focus of this evening shifts to Judas.  Jesus says out loud what up to now He has only been thinking to Himself.  As Judas has been unwilling to change his mind, the prophecy from Christ now reveals to the others what will shortly come to pass.  The mood in the feast changes.  Joy flees from the room.  Only Judas knows it is him.  But the others begin to doubt themselves, they know Jesus does not lie, they also know Jesus is never wrong.

Each disciple begins to consider the worst of all fates, that they will be the traitor.  Each disciple begins to ponder whether their own selfishness will lead them to do this betrayal.  They must know.  Perhaps He will forgive them, and change the outcome for them.  Even if they have not sinned this sin yet, they must know if it will be something they do.  So each begins to ask Jesus … “is it I?”.  This is a level of faith we seldom demonstrate.  We think ourselves as Abraham having a faith that surely cannot and will not be shaken.  So did they.  But faced with this prophecy, each of them began to question themselves, something we rarely do.  We assume we are Peter, when perhaps we are Judas.  Have we learned to rely upon Jesus for our faith itself, for our fidelity to Him, for our salvation from who we are.  Or do we trust in our own strength to be faithful, and to save and perfect in ourselves what we could never accomplish?

Jesus must be careful how He responds, He is still looking to redeem Judas, not to push him away further.  Jesus answers picking up in verse 20 saying … “And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. [verse 21] The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.”  Jesus does not give a direct answer.  Dipping unleavened bread into olive oil is a common practice at meals in this day.  I am certain nearly all the disciples were doing this.  The fact that Judas could reach the same bowl as Jesus tells us that Jesus did not ostracize Judas, but rather still kept him close by.  The answer of Jesus likely kept all of the disciples uncomfortable as each looks at their bread and oil.  But Jesus continued stating that He was ready to go, and walk the road, scripture has predicted for Him.

Lastly, Jesus states, that “woe” or great regret, is reserved for the one who betrays Him.  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.  This is not a curse.  This is not a condemnation to hell, notice the word hell is never used.  This is not a sin beyond forgiveness.  Each of us commit it, each time we commit sin we know must cost our Saviors blood to redeem once again.  However, the weight of the knowledge of this sin is overwhelming.  Judas would have to accept forgiveness for it.  Jesus would gladly give it.  But Judas even if he took the forgiveness of Jesus, would still bear the self condemnation of having done it.  That weight would crush him.  It would be too much for him.  Seeing what happened to Jesus was indeed too much for Judas, and eventually he hung himself during these events.  Judas did not see the resurrection.  Judas did not see Christ arisen.  The weight of his sin, crushed him first.  But the love of Christ even now for Judas would reach out to redeem him.

Peter concludes the events of this meal now briefly picking up in verse 22 saying … “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. [verse 23] And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. [verse 24] And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. [verse 25] Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. [verse 26] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”  Peter remembers his own guilt.  He offers only 4 verses to encompass the entire last supper, or last Passover of Jesus here on earth.  Even now, as he recalls it to John Mark, Peter can remember only his own failure.  The parallels between himself and Judas are too close, are too painful.  The weight of Peters sin now crushes him and makes his memory of these events brief.

Peter omits the feet washing of Jesus.  Peter omits all the counsel of Jesus during this dinner and afterwards.  Peter records only a sequence of events that mirrors the traditions of a Passover Seder.  Prayers over the bread.  Prayers over the wine.  The singing of a hymn.  These events were all part of the original Passover feast, yet even in Peter’s brevity, Jesus is transforming the past into the future.  Out of an old tradition comes a remembrance of Him, and of His great love for us all.  Jesus Himself however, will refrain from having the grape juice, even the grape juice of heaven, until He can have it with us once again in our eternal home.  The disciples do not understand how long Jesus will be foregoing this custom, and this beverage.  It will be more than 2000 years and counting that Jesus foregoes the pressing of grapes into His cup.  Jesus longs to be with us, He does not crave the juice, but He does crave our company, our proximity, the ability to reach out and touch us personally.  This restoration He craves more than anything, more than even His own life.

We who were not there have only the memories of these recollections in print to offer us insight.  I wonder how many of us easily condemn Judas for what he did.  I wonder how many of us believe Judas is lost to that eternal home because of what he did.  How easy it is to judge.  And how little we know of the love of Jesus for each and every one of us, for Judas, and for one worse than him, for me, for you.  But I believe there is yet hope for Judas. 

There are 12 gates in heaven, with the names of 12 tribes of Israel inscribed above them, as well as 12 disciples (or apostles) of Jesus.  We like to think we know which names are there, but in truth, we only guess.  Could the name of Judas be there in bright bold letters?  Is it possible that in his last act of desperation here on earth he repented of his sin like Samson of old, yet could not imagine ever receiving forgiveness as he did not deserve it?  How close to you and I.  We do not deserve it either, and we have only faith to believe we receive it.  We have only trust in Jesus to believe He can ever change us from the people who love our sins, to the people who love the absence of our sins.  If God can love me, if He has that much love, perhaps I will one day walk under the gate inscribed with the name of Judas.  Not because Judas or I are worthy, but because the love of God is just that great.

 

Passion of the Christ - Communion (part one) ...

After opening his gospel with a prologue, and spending a great deal of time discussing at length all of the miraculous witnesses to the divinity of Christ; John now turns his attention to the fulfillment of the ministry of the Messiah.  Though miracles would still be a significant part of the completion of the mission of Jesus, the idea of the magnitude of His sacrifice warrants our undivided attention.  The time of His mission was nearly complete.  He would only be with them a short while now.  The immediacy and the priority of what He must share with His few faithful companions, His friends as He called them, was now of paramount importance.  These final hours would be the thing most prevalent in their minds as events were about to unfold.  So only the most important truths must be shared.  Everything else could wait, everything else could be discovered later, or revealed by the work of the Holy Spirit.  What He must share with His disciples now, had to be what was of utmost importance as time was nearly at an end.  Against this backdrop, Jesus begins by sharing the most important thing between God and man, He shares communion.

Communion is more than a tradition of the newly established Christian church.  It is fellowship between God and man.  As time is nearly out, Christ takes precious moments to “be” with His disciples.  As He used to enjoy His walks with Adam and Eve in the Garden at sunset, and even set aside an entire day to be “Holy” just to be with us; so now He takes out a moment to simply “be” with His disciples.  They will eat, drink, and commune together.  From the point of view of the disciples this is a celebration of the feast of Passover.  From the point of view of the Messiah, this is the last meal He will ever enjoy with His disciples.  With all the burden that must come upon Him in just a few short hours, He makes time to be with His disciples and speak, and do, what is most important to them.  John sets the stage for us, in his gospel account beginning in chapter 13.  It is the time for the feast of Passover, but John puts his emphasis on the truth of the character of Christ.

He opens in verse 1 saying … “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”  The love of Christ never wavered.  He loved all of His disciples right up to the end of His life.  That love was paramount.  That love was the reason why He had come to our world.  Jesus did not restrict His love to only those disciples He knew would be faithful to Him in all things.  If He had so restricted it; who would have been left to enjoy the meal with Him?  For all deserted Him in His time of greatest need.  Judas was at this dinner.  Judas enjoyed this meal with His Lord like John, Peter, and all the rest of them.  Jesus did not restrict His love to Judas even knowing what Judas was about to do.  Nor did He restrict His love from Peter knowing how Peter would deny Him openly.  Both dined.  Both enjoyed the company of their Lord.

But John, with the benefit of hindsight, writes now what he knows about that night.  He continues in verse 2 … “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;”  Judas had too long refused to be changed by the Messiah he spent his every waking moment with.  His greed and avarice, and thirst for power and prominence had never given way to the simplicity of humble service that the life of Christ exemplified.  That life was not the one Judas wanted.  Judas wanted the life of a great leader.  He wanted the power and fame that comes from a position of authority.  He was not alone in his ambitions.  Right up to these moments the disciples often jockeyed for position in who would be the next greatest leader in the kingdom of Christ.  Judas was no different in that respect, if perhaps only in that he was more ambitious and more secretive about his own desires.  What he was not; was transformed.  He lacked the humility to be transformed.  He was “happy” with who he was, and only wanted more of it, not less.  In that respect, does he sound like the person in the mirror who stares back at you every day?  Are you so comfortable with “who” you are, that you believe you need no transformation into something else, something more humble, something resembling more of servant and less of a king?

Christ had a knowledge of the thoughts and desires of His disciples.  He knew that what Judas wanted was not so different than any of the others, though only Judas was willing to betray His Lord to acquire it.  John continues in verse 3 by revealing what Jesus knew … “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;”  His death is nearly upon Him.  His mission is nearly complete.  So does He finally accept the glory and praise He is due?  Does He seek out the people to praise Him, for the act of sacrifice He is about to perform for them?  Wouldn’t we?  We seek praise for our accomplishments.  We seek adoration when we do something good for others, if only to remind us of how good we are.  Yet Christ makes no such moves.  Instead John continues with what He does with time so short, and burden so high.

John relays in verse 4 … “He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. [verse 5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”  He served.  He took upon Himself the most humiliating duty of a servant and performed this act of humility on those who SHOULD have done it for Him.  Their feet were dirty.  Their feet were smelly.  They had no Dr. Scholls to reduce the smell, or orthodic shoes to protect their feet from the dirt, mud, and animal waste they must walk upon.  They had only sandals of rough leather to protect them from dusty, rocky roads.  They had no chance to bath regularly, or rub oils on their feet, or keep themselves well maintained.  Yet Christ who considered Himself willing, was willing to wash and dry the feet of these men.  All of them.  Judas included as well as Peter.  Jesus stooped to serve the one who would choose to be His enemy.  He did not restrict His love from Judas, nor did He refrain from serving one who would choose to do evil.  Every opportunity would be offered to all who were there, regardless of what they would choose to do with the opportunity and love He offered.

It was a stark contrast in the minds of those who were only moments before thinking to themselves what greatness would be theirs in the kingdom He was sure to establish.  Here was their King, serving them in the most debasing of ways, the most humiliating.  A King who served?  Who had ever heard of such a thing?  This was too much for Peter to accept.  Peter says in verse 6 … “Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? [verse 7] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”  Peter had to question this.  Peter thought it his place to remind the Lord that servants do this kind of work, not Kings.  If he accepted Jesus performing this act of humility upon him, it was like admitting that his own pride had kept him from even considering doing this kind of work.  Not an easy pill to swallow.  Jesus however, tells Peter that while he may not understand this act right now, it will become clear to him later as to why He would do it.  Peter responds in verse 8 … “Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. …”  Peter response is “forget it” Lord.  I am not going to allow you to humiliate yourself or me in doing this kind of work.  In effect, Peter was too proud to accept that.

But the words of Christ in response were overwhelming as Jesus responds continuing in verse 8 … “… Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.”  Peter was blown away.  They were all just thinking about the establishment of the kingdom of Christ.  For him to have no part in it would be devastating.  Peter still does not understand why Christ would do this, but he will not risk becoming a power broker in the new anti-Roman kingdom Christ is surely about to setup.  So he quickly answers in verse 9 … “Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”  If this is about cleanliness perhaps, then go ahead and give me a full bath.  Whatever it takes to be the number one general, or number one secretary of state, or number one chief council, just go ahead and do it Lord.  Ironically Peter was really asking to be the number one servant, but he just could not comprehend that yet, as Christ had just told him.

Jesus responds to Peter’s overdoing-it by saying in verse 10 … “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. [verse 11] For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.”  Obviously none of them had recently bathed, nor was Christ trying to say that a literal clean-up of our feet can take the place of proper bath when it comes to cleanliness.  However, being served in humility, is by definition humiliating.  We are cleansed by a power outside of ourselves.  That fact is humiliating.  To admit we are unable to cleanse ourselves is not something most Christians are comfortable with, let alone non-believers.  Christians like to think they can remove the sins from themselves by their power, or determination, or abundance of good works.  They like to think that at the worst case, they are in a partnership with God, where the Christian does his best work first, and only THEN does God do “His part”.  But none of this is true.  The disciples feet did not clean themselves, they were not allowed to participate in the cleansing.  They did not even necessarily want to be clean or at least want it enough to do it to themselves, let alone for others.  The act of cleansing their most exposed and dirty part was done solely by Christ.  They were clean only as they allowed Him to clean them.  They had NO partnership.  They did NONE of the work.  Christ did it all.  All they did, was let Him.

With time for Christ as short as it was, He takes time out to eat and socialize and commune with His closest followers.  And now with time growing even shorter, He serves them all in the most humble of ways, taking the part of the lowest slave to do work, none of them would even consider.  This is the heart of our God.  This is the level of service He will do for us if we but let Him.  He will cleanse us from the filth we have embraced like a patient parent who cleans up his baby from an accident in going to the bathroom all over themselves.  Sin is that distasteful to God, but He cleans us up from it because He loves us that much.  And in this act of humility, Judas participates.  He allows Christ to wash his own feet as well.  But his heart is unmoved by it.  We may allow Christ to clean us, but we do not remain clean if we do not choose to do so.  Judas was only growing more indignant that this purported King would so humiliate Himself and them.  And Jesus recognizes Judas resistance to being made clean by a force outside of himself.  Thus He offers out loud to all of them, the idea, that one has not accepted the cleaning He is offering.

Now because it was still a mystery in the minds of those He had just served, Christ must explain to them why He did what He did.  Jesus asks in verse 12 … “So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?”  Notice that it took Christ a minute to get his own clothing back on, and to sit back down at the table.  Notice too that no-one took the initiative to clean the feet of Christ with basin and towel.  Jesus continues in verse 13 … “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. [verse 14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. [verse 15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. [verse 16] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. [verse 17] If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

First Jesus acknowledges that He is indeed their Lord and ours, the title is not lost on Him, or inaccurate in any way.  He is God after all.  For God to be willing to stoop to serve man, in the most humble of ways, should show us that we should not be reluctant to serve each other in equal humility.  Christ was not setting up a feet cleaning business, or stating the clean feet are the mark of His followers.  He was however plainly stating that no act of humble service from one to another is something we should think ourselves “above” doing.  Often we continue the tradition of feet washing in our churches in times of performing an ordinance of communion.  We follow the literal words of Christ, but lose the deeper meaning.  Washing another member of our churches feet, is a much different proposition today, when everyone is sure to have bathed and worn appropriate footwear for just such an event.  But to bring a member in need groceries without being asked, or even desired, is something we are more reluctant to do, as it might embarrass him or us in the process.  To take the initiative to serve another in tasks we consider unpleasant do not spring to mind.  We reserve our service for more convenient actions that require less of our time, and perhaps only more of our resources.  Digging a latrine in a mission is not considered “glory” work … by anyone other than God.  The message of Christ to us, is that when we love each other as He loved us, no act of service is beneath us.  No need should go un met if we can meet it.  And there is no room for pride in any part of the equation of love and service.

To wash each other’s feet in our day, can hardly breach the gulf of an entrenched pride that refuses to be made humble.  And there is ancestor who felt that same way.  One who had the benefit of the literal company of Christ, but would leave that very night to betray Him to His death.  Is it the path of Judas we follow?  Or is the path of our King, who put aside his garments, took basin and towel, and washed each of the feet of his disciples in the condition they were in?  There is nothing wrong with following the traditions and ordinance of humility our communion services offer.  But the heart of the transformed by Christ can hardly stop serving before or after such an event.  When the heart is transformed, it values love above all else, and must express that love in humble service meeting every need it can, in any way that it can.  We can choose to express our love to our parents, our siblings, our spouses, or our children.  Or we can love greater, by loving those we know less, and associate with more.  Or we can love greater still, by investing our time and energy on those who seek to call themselves our enemies, and desire nothing but our destruction.  To love those who would do us nothing but harm, is to love as Christ loved.  For He showed that same tender love to the eleven as He did to the twelfth (Judas).  Nothing was ever held back by Christ despite what we would choose to do with it.  The same is true today.  But communion was not over yet …