April 17, 2014:
Call: Matthew 26: 14-30
Text: Matthew 26: 31-48; 27: 45-50
Prayer: "Holy Thursday" (283)
Benediction: W&S # 23
The Meal Speaks
Today we place ourselves among the disciples
as they join with Jesus in observing the Passover
As we have already heard,
Our time with them begins with the disciples asking him
Where he wanted to observe the holiday.
We heard Jesus respond by telling them
to go to a certain man and to tell him,
"The teacher says, my time is near:
I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples"
They clearly understood that they were to tell the certain man:
that Jesus wanted to celebrate the Passover at his house
and that he would be celebrating it there with his disciples.
We know they understood this
Because they did what Jesus had directed
They made the arrangements
and they celebrated Passover in that house.
But there was another part to the instruction,
They were to tell the man, that the teacher also said,
"My time is near."
This part can get lost
We who have gathered here tonight
have heard the story so many times
that we know what Jesus meant by "my time is near"
He meant that he was about to die.
But it seems pretty clear that the disciples to whom he spoke
did not understand that.
It may be that they concentrated so much
on the location of the Passover observance
that it never registered to them
that Jesus said, "My time is near."
Or if it did register, they may have misinterpreted it
For their reaction during the supper was one of animated surprise.
They might have interpreted his statement as meaning:
Simply that Passover was near
Or They might have interpreted it as meaning:
That he was about to take over as ruler
of Jerusalem and Judea.
I like that last suggestion
It seems more positive and hopeful.
But I am inclined to think that either
the words simply did not register with them
or that they thought he was referring to the Passover being near
Even though I would like to,
I can't believe that they thought he meant
That he was going to take over
And I say that despite the Palm Sunday hosannas.
For it seems to me
that if they thought he was about to take over,
Matthew would have recorded
Their excitement and joy
Their nervousness and apprehension.
But we find none of that in the story.
And I am certain that they did not think he meant
That his death was near.
There is no way
that that would not have produced a lively discussion
as soon as he said, "My time is near."
And there is no way
that that discussion
would have been left out of Matthew's gospel.
I suspect, however,
that Jesus did not mind their lack of comprehension
I think that he wanted
To tell them at the meal
And I think that he wanted
To tell them with the meal.
I think he chose the meal to make it clear to them
That his death was one of sharing
And, of course,
there is no place where sharing is more obvious
Than at a meal.
He appears to have gotten to the subject early on.
For the first thing that we know he said at the meal was,
"Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
And that caused more than a little consternation
One after another they responded,
"Surely not I, Lord?"
And one who spoke those words of protest
was Judas Iscariot himself
who had already negotiated a deal with the chief priests.
Then, as the meal progressed, Jesus told them even more.
This time speaking through the meal itself.
For, instead of simply saying,
"I have to tell you that by this time tomorrow I will be dead,"
He picked up a loaf of bread
He blessed it and gave thanks for it
Then He told those gathered with him
"This bread is not just physical nourishment
and it is not just a reminder of God's passing over the Hebrews in Egypt.
No, this bread represents my body
It needs to be shared
And to be shared, it needs to be broken.
And he broke the bread and gave it to them, saying
Take it and eat it so that I may be in you.
Likewise he took the cup, gave thanks for it and then announced,
This is not just a thirst quenching drink
And It is not just a reminder of the lamb's blood
Which our ancestors placed over their doorways
So that God would pass over them
No, this cup represents my blood.
It too needs to be shared
And to be shared, it needs to be poured out
And he poured the wine and gave it to them, saying
Take it and drink it so that I may be in you.
And if they had any doubt
that the broken body and poured out blood meant death
he chillingly clarified it:
"I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine
Until that day when I drink it new with you
In my father's kingdom."
That meal was an intimate gathering of friends
Of people who had worked together
Of people who had learned together
Of people who had worshipped and been challenged together
And Of people who were about to mourn together
But what Jesus said and what he was about to experience
was not just for those gathered in the Jerusalem house.
He made that clear - very clear -
when talking about his blood being poured out
For he actually said it this way,
"... this is my blood of the new covenant
which is poured out not just for you, but for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
That body was broken and that blood was poured out for many
They were broken and poured out
For the forgiveness of the sins of his friends and disciples
They were broken and poured out
For the sins of those who attacked and criticized him
They were broken and poured out
For the sins of those whose company he enjoyed
They were broken and poured out
For the sins of those who were "less enjoyable"
And the body was broken and the blood poured out
For the forgiveness of the sins of us and our friends
For the sins of those who have attacked and criticized us
For the sins of those whose company we enjoy or not.
It is my prayer that the meal years ago in Jerusalem
Speaks to us
Tonight in Potsdam
It is my prayer that you and I allow our remembrance of that meal
And of the events that followed
To include
our friends and our critics
those we enjoy and those whom we do not
It is my prayer that you and I see how Christ loved everyone
And that we allow ourselves to interact with others
With that same free and unconditional love
That enabled our Lord to go to the cross - willingly
If we can take that from this meal
Then the meal has spoken to us like it did to the disciples
And it will prepare us for the remarkable experience that is Easter