Did you know that all foods share at least one common ingredient? No matter what kind of food you’re eating, it contains a social ingredient which means it always tastes better in the company of others. Food is something God gave us not just to nourish our bodies, but to nourish our relationships.
Get people together to eat and good things follow. Eating together can break down barriers and build bridges. Did you ever notice how we always eat together on important occasions—holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, wedding, and funerals? That’s because there is power in the table—healthy families and healthy churches realize and practice this.
We have another table scene in Luke 22:7ff. The table is an important part of Luke’s gospel, and he has shown us Jesus eating with all sorts of people: sinners and tax collectors (5:29ff); Pharisees (7:36ff, 11:37ff, 14:1ff); and close friends (10:38ff). In our text, we come to the epitome of table scenes because not only is it the final one, it is also by far the most revealing. Jesus told His disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” because it was about to “find fulfilment in the kingdom of God” (v. 15-16). Through the giving of His body and blood, Jesus accomplished the ultimate deliverance for all humanity that the Passover has granted for the firstborn of Israel.
All of this was going on because it was time. Luke told us back in 9:51 that Jesus “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” He was in Jerusalem now and the time had come for Him to offer His life as a sacrifice for sin and it was time for that to happen.
That little phrase (‘it is time”) can be joyful or ominous, but it is always important. I’ve stood with grooms as they nervously waited for the wedding to begin and when everything was ready told them, “It is time.” I’ve done the same with grieving families before a funeral began for their loved one. I’ve heard Janice tell me of three occasions that “it was time” to go to the hospital for our children to be born. Those awaiting surgery or getting ready to board a plane hear words to the same effect. But in the history of humanity there has never been a more important time than there was when it was Jesus’ time.
And Jesus was ready. There’s nothing that beats being ready and, in some ways, there’s nothing sadder than the person who knew something important was coming but failed to make preparation for it. But Jesus was ready. He was calm, poised, and purposeful. He was not the victim of circumstances; He was a willing sacrifice. His life was not taken, it was given.
His readiness helped His disciples. His words about what was going to happen were overwhelming (especially the betrayal aspect). Seeing Him so obviously in control despite this would calm their hearts and strengthen their spirits for the difficult times ahead.
With the giving of the cup for all to drink, Jesus spoke of a betrayer and the disciples naturally each denied it was them as they drank from the cup (v. 23). The meal was over then, but the conversation continued as they began to talk about which of them was the greatest. The transition isn’t difficult to follow—in denying it was them they would strengthen their case by pointing to whatever worthy things they might have done. The step from greatest deeds to greatest in the kingdom would be a short one. Still, there’s not many scenes more poignant and sadder than the disciples sparring over which one of them was the greatest while Jesus was in His greatest time of need.
There’s teaching about true greatness. He speaks of two of the many abuses of power. Both unsurprisingly have to with what the apostle John refers to as the “pride of life” (1 John 2:15). The first thing mentioned is lording authority over someone (i.e., making everyone knows you’re the boss), while the second is thinking that by so doing you’re doing them (and the world at large) a great favor. Jesus cuts through such delusion of grandeur by telling His disciples, “You are not to be like that” (v. 26).
Instead, authority and power are to be used to serve others with no thought about ourselves (“the greatest should be like the youngest” – i.e., those who have no status). He then pointed them to look at life from a kingdom perspective rather than a worldly one. While in the world the one at the table was greater than the one serving, Jesus was among them “as One who serves” (v. 27) or as Paul quotes Him saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
20 centuries later, we need this lesson more than ever. We live in a celebrity, star-driven, influencer culture where the goal is to be the one at the table. During the Olympics in Paris, a multiple gold medal winner showed up at a 5-star restaurant with their family and no reservation expecting to be served. The staff they interacted with did not recognize this famous person and told them they were unable to serve them. The person immediately exploded on social media that they had been “denied access” and posted the restaurant’s name. The simple truth was the restaurant was completely booked.
Contrast that with another gold medal winner who is a follower of Jesus. Her name is Sidney McGlaughlin-Levrone. She is a hurdler and has won a total of four gold medals in the last two Olympics. She is a world record holder and hasn’t lost a race in the last five years. But here’s what she had to say about her after one of her races: “I credit all that I do to God. Regardless of what happens, He’s going to get the praise. Every time I step on the track I pray ‘let me be the vessel in which you’re glorified’… That’s why I do what I do.” She also said, “Records come and go, but the glory of God is eternal.” How refreshing is that? There’s someone who understands that true greatness is not about us, it’s about glorifying God.
There’s gracious recognition. After generously teaching the disciples (rather than harshly rebuking them), Jesus went on to tell them, “You are those who have stood by me during Me trials” (v. 28). It’s the counterpart to His earlier words, “I am among you as the One who serves.”
Don’t you love that?
This was a long way from their finest moment, yet Jesus refused to pile on or see them solely in light of their shortcomings. He looked past that to find something commendable. That can be a challenging thing when someone is busy patting themselves on the back as the disciples were here. Nonetheless, Jesus did it. It reminds me of something Joseph Holt, Lincoln’s chief advisor on military trials noted that Lincoln “always leaned on the side of mercy. His constant desire was to save life.” John Hay, the president’s personal secretary and assistant mentioned “the eagerness with which the President caught at any fact which would justify him in saving the life” of a condemned man.
Whatever else could be said about the disciples, they had hung in there with Him (see John 6:60-70 for an example), and Jesus noted that. In return He promised them a place of authority in His kingdom, and we see this fulfilled in the book of Acts.
There are encouraging words for Peter. Jesus said that Satan wanted to sift the disciples like wheat to find their weak spots. He would and he did. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He told Simon He had prayed for him—that his faith wouldn’t fail. “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (v. 31). Jesus recognized that the great failure for Simon wasn’t his failure to acknowledge Jesus, it would have been his failure to come back.
Think about it. Cain’s great failure wasn’t having his sacrifice rejected by God—it how he mishandled it by allowing his anger to build and eventually killing his brother. So often our failure isn’t the initial one—it’s the paralysis we put ourselves in that leads to more problems. And Jesus knew all of this and encouraged Peter not to give in—and he didn’t. I think through this text He is doing the same thing for us.
Learn to embrace all the seasons of your life. Our speaker Wednesday night is going to address this, but I’ll just say that’s what Jesus did and it’s one reason He lived such a powerful life. I suppose there’s something to thinking about the seasons of life chronologically (youth, young adult, middle-age, senior), but I think stages are more helpful (retiree, empty-nester, student). Or you could even adopt the national weather bureau’s approach: hurricane season, dry season, rainy season, topical. However you choose to characterize it, it’s helpful to recognize and embrace the different seasons of life we go through.
Live a life of grace and truth. Jesus did and we see it in this text. He was gracious with the truth but truthfully gracious. I think this is a hard thing to do because it requires balance—most of us tend to lean one way more than the other—usually based on our personality. To be gracious with truth means we use it in a loving way—not in a harsh and condemning way, but in a helpful, hopeful way. To be truthfully gracious means our grace isn’t a lie—we’re not going to try to make someone feel good at the expense of telling them a lie.
Keep looking at Jesus. That’s the key to embracing the different seasons of our lives and living lives of grace and truth. He is the perfect model of this. But then you can also look at those who are following Jesus. They’re not perfect, but in them we should be able to see Jesus as well.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 