It was January 2023. Dale and I had made the decision to move from Arlington, VA, to our mountain home community in western North Carolina. We had been in the Washington, DC area for almost 14 years. Our kids had all graduated from high school and launched from there. We had amazing friends, a wonderful church and satisfying, meaningful work, but felt that God was calling us away. And so began all of the lasts:
* The last tennis match and lunch out with my friends at the Arlington Y Tennis Center.
* The last Sunday of me directing Redeemer Kids and Dale praying the benediction in his role as elder.
* The last donut run to Good Company in Ballston.
* The last meal at my unofficial dining room, True Food, in Ballston Quarter.
* The last ride up and down the elevator to our 14th floor apartment.
* The last party we would host, as friends who were like family, came to wish us well and pray over us.
Each of the lasts were hard, yet beautiful. I’m so glad that we took the time to celebrate all of the special places, foods and people God had used to enrich
our lives during those years. And while we would occasionally return, for work and visits, we would no longer be living life together. It was the end of an era.
Today’s reading includes all of the lasts that Jesus shared with His dear friends, brothers and sisters, and apostles on the last day they were all together in one place. Sure, they would see Him again, but it wouldn’t be the same. Jesus wanted to savor every second He had left with those He held so dear.
Read Luke 22:1-46
The Last Plot
Perhaps Judas had never truly believed in Jesus. We know that Judas was the keeper of the ministry money and definitely had opinions on how money was spent. While Jesus was aware of Judas’ wrestlings with faith, none of the other disciples realized it. We read in other gospel accounts of Judas’s pattern of dishonest behavior. But here, with the consent of Judas’s sinful heart, “Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve.” (v 3) It’s not every day that you read of Satan entering a person, especially one of Jesus’ close followers. But sadly, Satan exercises much significant influence over Judas’ actions, prompting him to go to the chief priests with a plot to betray Jesus to them, for the right price. “They were glad and agreed to give him silver.So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray him to them when the crowd was not present.” (vv 5-6) Perhaps it would need to be at night, as they had been resting in a similar spot on the Mount of Olives each evening?
The Last Supper - Passover
Imagine the scene…Jesus and His disciples have grown up attending Passover seders all of their lives. Many of their families would even travel to Jerusalem to celebrate with family and friends, as well as have the opportunity to worship in the temple and offer their animal sacrifices.
This year, Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem for Passover (also known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread) and the group celebrates together in an upper room. The disciples believe the seder will progress just like all of the seders they had participated in all their lives. But this one is very different. Following the meal, Jesus, the seder leader, continues the liturgy as written in the haggadah. He takes a piece of matzah or unleavened bread out of the Afikomen, a bag in which the dessert matzah is kept. He breaks the matzah and passes it around to His friends while saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (v 19) Now hold on! That is NOT written in the haggadah that details every explanation and question that is to be spoken during the Passover seder! Then Jesus raises the third cup of wine - the cup of Redemption - and His next words blow the disciples’ minds! The cup of Redemption traditionally signifies the slaying of the Passover lamb that spared the Israelites from the 10th plague of the death of the first born the night before they were rescued from slavery in Egypt, remembering how the Lord redeemed Israel with an outstretched arm.
Therefore, it is incredibly poignant when Jesus tells His disciples that the wine in this cup is “the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (v 20) As the blood of the Passover Lamb covered the Israelites back in Egypt, so the blood of Jesus would cover all who believed in Him! Today, christians observe these remembrances when they receive “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion.” This meal is to remind us of what Jesus did on our behalf. The next time you receive communion, consider the long history of these elements and give thanks that those symbols of rescue and redemption instituted by God at the time of the exodus were all fulfilled in Jesus as the Messiah!
The Last Lesson - About Greatness
The argument that arose between the apostles began when Jesus said that one of them would betray Him. Who could it be? At some point Judas left the last meal, but the rest of the Twelve were so busy jockeying for importance that they didn’t even notice. Peter has become quite used to being the leader and spokesman for the group, but this evening, during the Passover seder, John had the honor of asking the four important questions that the youngest guest in attendance is required to ask the leader:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
1. On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah. Why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?
2. On all other nights we eat herbs of any kind. Why, on this night, do we eat only bitter herbs?
3. On all other nights, we do not dip our herbs even once. Why, on this night, do we dip them twice?
4. On all other nights, we eat either sitting or leaning. Why, on this night, do we eat while leaning?
I can just imagine the guys debating who's the greatest and providing evidence as to why they were, when John stood up and sarcastically asked, “How many of you were appointed to ask the four questions tonight? That’s right, only me…making me Jesus’ favorite, hands down!” Jesus explains that God’s standards are diametrically opposite to the world’s. Jesus is their supreme example of humility, He is the one who serves them. And He also sees them and recognizes them as “those who stood by me in my trials.” (v 28) They will receive rewards for their loyalty and commitment, even sitting on thrones while judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (from v 30)
The Last Predictions
In these last predictions, Jesus foretells Peter's denial of Him and that they should be ready for trouble. Jesus now calls Peter by his former name, Simon, and proceeds to share that Satan has demanded to sift all of them like wheat on the threshing floor but He has prayed that their faith would not fail. He then turns to Peter specifically and says, “And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (v 32) It isn’t a matter of if Peter will deny Jesus, but when. Peter isn’t having any of it and boldly proclaims, “‘Lord,’ he told him, ‘I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.’” (v 33)
This next prediction could be interpreted metaphorically or literally and commentators are divided on its true meaning. Earlier in his ministry, Jesus sent his disciples without a moneybag, an extra pair of sandals or a knapsack. Now, however, they will need extra provisions and supplies. Metaphorically this statement could be instructing the disciples to be armed spiritually to fight spiritual foes. Literally it could be a command to have an actual sword for self-defense and protection from robbers. Regardless of which view is correct, and they both have merit, the very fact that the disciples were able to produce two swords from amongst themselves suggests that Jesus has not prohibited them from carrying weapons of self-defense up to this point. But the big question is “Why this specific prediction?” Jesus answers clearly, quoting Isaiah 53:12, “For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in me: And he was counted among the lawless. Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment.” (v 32)
The Last Prayer
Jesus and His crew, minus Judas Iscariot, leave the city and head back out to the Mount of Olives to their usual spot to rest for the night. Luke assumes his readers knew that their usual spot was the Garden of Gethsemane, meaning “olive press.” Some of the expansive and gnarled olive trees in that garden are upwards of 800 years old! I wonder if every night that week Jesus had left the others and gone further into the garden to be alone with His Father God and pray. On this night, Jesus asked the men to stay up and pray with Him, exhorting, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” (v 40) Jesus went a bit further into the garden, knelt and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (v 42) As if on cue, Father God sent an angel to strengthen Him. Knowing how much Jesus was agonizing over what was to come, His Father God sent someone to hold His hand, give Him a hug, be close. “Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (v 44) I learned from an article published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) that bloody sweating is called hematohidrosis and occurs in people who suffer from bleeding disorders as well as individuals suffering from extreme levels of stress. “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form, which constrict under the pressure of great stress. Then, as the anxiety passes, the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture and go into the sweat glands. As the sweat glands produce a lot of sweat, they push the blood to the surface, which comes out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.” (“A Curious Case of Sweating Blood” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles.org) Jesus was in agony as He anticipated the bearing of our sins in his own body on the tree, yet He consciously, voluntarily, and obediently “endured the cross, despising the shame,” as the writer of Hebrews so clearly declares. (Heb 12:2)
Big Picture Questions for Today:
* Did today’s mini-lesson on the Passover seder pique your interest in learning more?
* Have you ever wondered about the hematohidrosis, or bloody sweating that Jesus endured while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Pray and thank God for being near. You hear me when I call out to You, and You answer me. I know this, but sometimes I can’t sense Your presence, or I question Your response. In those moments, please remind me that You are my source of strength. Give me the picture of your angels sent to attend to Jesus in the time of His greatest need, and trust that you are present in the midst of mine as well.
