Evening Meal

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

EVENING MEAL

John 13:2-5

2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

NIV

Here we are at the beginning of what we call that last supper although John does not record the ritual we perform doing in remembrance of him. But there is an awful truth here we should be certain can never live within our hearts. First we should note this evening meal was in celebration of the Passover, thus the disciples had prepared the paschal lamb meal,  the lamb that was slain and who’s blood had been poured out on the doorposts so the death angel would Passover. Usually we just think about the bread and wine eaten and drunk and quote from what Paul had been inspired to record what Jesus had said that evening in his letter to the Corinthians. But this was the Passover meal, the lamb had been slain and prepared and was to be eaten, all of it at that meal, as was the custom of the Jews. So when Jesus was talking about his body and his blood he was explaining to them he was in fact the true lamb of God, that because of his body and blood the death angel would indeed Passover all  of us who partake of him. Although the Jews only celebrated the Passover once a year, it seems we have become determined to celebrate the Passover, or what we now call communion on a more regular basis. But the fact is that Jesus was not teaching us that we should do this as a ritual every so often, but that he was showing us that in order for the death angel to Passover us, for us to inherit eternal life, we must eat or ingest all of him. As the Israelites had to eat every last bit of the lamb that night and pour out it’s blood on the doorpost of their homes, we must take all of Jesus into our lives, and pour out his blood on the doorpost of our hearts, our lives, and then as a result the death angel will pass over us and we will live. But we have turned it as a result of tradition, perhaps rather than truth, into something Jesus may not have intended. Maybe we should remember what he did for us every time we sit down to the evening meal, for if we were to follow the custom Jesus followed we would only have the broken bread, and the cup of wine once a year. Even in that we have changed it, as we certainly cannot drink wine, as that would be sinful to some, and no longer do we break bread, but instead offer some form of little cracker or wafer and now at least in the church I attend a gluten free one. What have we done to the truth Jesus was teaching? Yes, through the Apostle Paul God gave us the concept that whenever we break bread together at the a meal, and whenever we drink from a common cup of wine after the completion of the meal, that is if we are going to practice what Jesus was doing, and saying, then we would be remembering Jesus, that he is the lamb of God, and his body was broken and his blood was poured out on the doorpost of our hearts. Can we only do this once a year? Can we only do this once a month? Can we only do this weekly during lent? This is something we should have done, and continue to do every moment of our lives, ingesting all of Jesus and having his blood poured over all of us. Now as to that awful truth we should never allow into our lives. Although Judas had already been prompted by the devil to betray Jesus, he still dipped the bread in the same cup of herbs that Jesus did. Judas was acting on the outside as all was well; he was even partaking in the Passover meal with Jesus while all the time he was betraying him in his heart. The truth here is we  should be watchful we do not appear all goodie two shoes on the outside while within lies a certain form of betrayal. This is especially true of our outward acts of good deeds, appearing to be such “Good Christians” when we harbor bitterness, unforgiveness, hurt feelings, anger, jealousy, envy or a whole hosts of other forms of betrayal within. This is why in that letter to the Corinthians we are warned about partaking in Jesus in an unworthy manner. But more truths are within this passage and perhaps we should visit is once more.