The Road to Easter:
Communion, Disappointment, and Betrayal
(NIV) Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
(NIV) Luke 22:39 “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.
The time had arrived when Jesus’ earthly ministry would end, and while the disciples may well have believed their gathering was just another Passover celebration, two men at the table knew differently. Jesus and Judas both understood this was not an ordinary dinner.
That Thursday night, Jesus instituted what we now call The Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. When we approach the table and we partake of the bread and juice, that solemn moment is transformative.
And Judas, already paid to turn Jesus over to the authorities, was quietly biding his time, believing his treachery had gone unnoticed.
But the night was far from over. The following events transpired before dawn:
• Jesus showed the disciples the meaning of humility by washing their feet.
• Jesus prayed while His disciples slept
• Judas led the soldiers to the garden, betraying Jesus with a kiss
• Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin for a trial
• Peter denied Christ three times
• Jesus was beaten mercilessly
When faced with their own mortality, the disciples reacted with fear, abandoning their teacher, their Lord, their friend. As our Lenten journey nears an end, may these forty days of reflection result in a renewed awareness of Who Jesus is and who we are in Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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