A lot is happening in this scripture. Jesus made arrangements for him and the disciples to observe the Passover Meal. And during that meal, Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray him. Each disciple wondered if they, themselves, were ‘the one.” As the dinner conversation continued, Judas’ inquiry stood out. Matthew tells the story as if a spotlight shone on Jesus and Judas in a way they only knew.
During the meal, Jesus gave new meaning to aspects of the Passover meal. He lifted a cup of wine and said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” These words are good news. To all who believe that Jesus’ shed blood pays the price for sin, God forgives their sins. At this moment, Jesus revealed that the Passover Table was the King’s Table. We relive this scene every time we come to the table in the sacrament of Communion.
After dinner, they sang a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives. While there, Jesus said that all of the disciples would fall away as foretold by the prophet Zechariah (Mt 26:31, Zech 13:7). Then… the spotlight turned to Peter. Jesus told Peter he would deny his Lord three times before the rooster crowed the next morning. Of course, Peter denied that he would do so.
So, let’s take a roll call of who was at the King’s Table: a betrayer, a denier, and all who said they would follow Jesus. If we are honest with ourselves, the disciples represent us. We have had moments of falling away from the faith because of fear, denying Jesus when we could have said something about our belonging to him, or selling out on Jesus by promoting our interests instead of Christ’s.
Do you hear the Spirit’s call for you to be in union with Christ at the King’s Table? The next time you hear that the Lord will host you at the King’s Table, come. You will be in good company with all who need the benefit of his shed blood for the forgiveness of sin. See you on Sundays!
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