Chapter 22
This chapter details the takes
us to the Last Supper. Passover is being
celebrated and Jerusalem is filled with lots of extra people who had heard
Jesus speak, so they came to the city expecting great things. Jesus told the disciples to find a place to
have their Passover meal and gave them exact instructions on finding that
location.
The priests were afraid
of Jesus and the impact He had on the people.
They were afraid of their own population. They were looking for a way to capture Jesus
and bring him to what they believed was justice. This is where Satan and Judas come in. Judas was a disciple, but Jesus knew that one
of the twelve would betray him and He said so.
The disciples looked around trying to decide which of them was the
culprit. The priests paid Judas and
Judas did the job.
The meal was prepared …
and in one of the commentaries I read … the author suggested that Luke really
liked to include meals in his text. He
did! Of course, this meal is most
important. Jesus continues to teach the
disciples how to get along without Him. He
details the significance of the bread, symbolizing his sacrificed body. He discusses the cup, symbolizing his
blood. This establishes what we know
today as the Lord’s Supper or Communion, an act that strengthens our connection
to Christ. “In remembrance of Me” is the
key.
While this is happening,
the disciples are arguing about who will be in charge when Jesus is gone. Jesus tells them that authority comes from
service. Jesus also tells Peter that he
will betray him three times, and Peter does indeed. Peter doesn’t want to be connected to Jesus,
fearing his own life. Jesus tells Peter
that Satan has him, but that he will return to Jesus and that upon his return, Peter
will strengthen the Jesus movement.
The story plays out. Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to
pray. He returns to find his disciples
asleep. A group, with Judas at the
front, comes to arrest Jesus. He is
tortured and humiliated and the trial begins.
My take-away from this
chapter … aside from the importance of re-energizing our spirit through the Lord’s
Supper … is that there is a Judas and a Peter in everyone’s life. They exist in our circles of friends, in
clubs, in church bodies, in places of employment, everywhere. How do we handle those kinds of people? I encountered one just this week … a
Judas. This individual will sacrifice
everybody on her team to make herself look especially good! I haven’t decided exactly how I will interact
with her in the future! I will probably
attempt to give her some motherly guidance and encourage her to be a member of
the team and praise the team as a whole and not herself individually.
Let’s Cook!
I’m happy to have learned
that Luke liked to include meals in his text!
I think there is strength in mealtime.
Families and friends communicate better around food! Celebrations always include meals at our
house. Enjoy this link to one our
special celebrations for Phoebe!
