The Merger of Sacrament and Treachery

 

Mark 14:12-26, NLT - On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.  At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’  He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”  So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve.  As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me.  For the Son of Man[d] must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.  I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

                Over the course of my three decades of ministry, I have heard many persons say something to the effect that, “I don’t take communion because I don’t feel worthy.  It’s not a silly concern.  To receive a tangible expression of God’s grace should bring to mind that such a gift is indeed grace.  We don’t deserve such a consideration, but it is extended to us nonetheless.  Of course, we are unworthy. 

                However, reading this account of the institution of sacrament of communion should help us hear that our sense of being undeserving of this grace is precisely why it is offered.  If we were worthy, it would not be called a sacrament of God’s grace, but rather an honor or reward for our praiseworthy efforts.  As it stands, this gift was not withheld from Judas, the man who was about to indirectly cause the death of God’s Son.  Jesus Himself names Judas unworthiness of even having been born.  Then He hands Judas bread and cup with the words, “My body. . . and My blood.  Knowing full well the treachery Judas was about to commit, Jesus states that His sacrifice is for Judas as well as anyone else. 

                As we have traveled through Mark’s gospel, I have often asked you adopt the identity of the villain in these stories because Mark is intentionally trying to get us to do so.  While we would like to dismiss our capacity for treachery against Jesus, Mark gets right up in our face and all but forces us to see it.  We enjoy intimacy (signified by a shared meal) with Jesus while unintentionally (or even intentionally in some cases) working against Him in the background.  When Jesus talks about Judas being better off “never being born,” He is foreshadowing the agony that drives Judas to suicide in the next chapter. 

                Judas is not “bad man.”  He is all of us.  He is a human being that often misunderstands what God is doing and chooses to work against it as a result.  He is one who is all too easily influenced by wealth to betray His core values.  He is one who sometimes thinks he is doing the right thing when he is doing the exact opposite. 

                Enter the sacrament of God’s unmerited grace.  Sin doesn’t separate Judas from the grace of eating (being close to) Jesus.  That grace eventually shows Judas his sin.  It also shows Judas that his sin is forgiven.  It should do the same for us.

 

Question:  Have you ever found yourself knowingly or unknowingly working against God’s purposes?

 

Prayer:  God, please forgive us, for we often don’t know what we do.  Forgive us as well for that which we do knowingly.  Help us see ourselves in Judas so that we will more fully know the magnitude of grace that You offer us in Jesus. Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:      Pray for the end of divisiveness among the human family, especially that in the Church.’

 

Song:  Just As I Am – Alan Jackson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAnSmJecnEk&t

Forgiveness is NOT Reconciliation

 

Acts 7:59-60, NIV - While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

 

                The sad event of the execution of Stephen points out the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation.   While Stephen forgives with his last words,  there obviously is no reconciliation between himself and the religious leaders carrying out the stoning that will kill him minutes later.  When we do harm (physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual) to another, we have injured or, in some cases, broken a relationship.  A common misunderstanding is that forgiveness heals or restores the relationship.  It does not.  If reconciliation is the goal, forgiveness is only a necessary step towards that goal.  But reconciliation is, by and large, the work that takes place after forgiveness has occurred.  But it is so important to realize that forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. 

                Take the very serious example of a physically abused wife. While it is possible for a woman to forgive the abuse, she in most cases may not want to reconcile the relationship.  A violent spouse is one that has a problem controlling dangerous and harmful behavior.  While it is possible to forgive that behavior, it is quite another matter to put oneself in a position where the violence could be repeated. Reconciliation, in this case, would require extensive work of BOTH PARTIES to rebuild trust in a safe environment and even then, it may not happen.  This distinguishes the key difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness only requires the work of the forgiver and reconciliation requires the work of both parties. 

This is a revolutionary idea for some because of another misunderstanding concerning forgiveness.  There are many who believe that in order to forgive someone, the offender must be sorry.  However, it that were true, it would be the offender who controls when forgiveness is possible. On the contrary, the person who forgives is reasserting their power in the wake of an offense committed against them.  It does not require the cooperation or even approval of the offender. 

Returning to our example above, there is often no remorse or willingness to do the extremely hard work of change on the part of an abusing spouse.  When this is true, the victim of the abuse will remain a victim until she finds a way to reassert her power.  As we will discuss later, forgiveness is a key component in reasserting power.  Where reconciliation is not an option on the table, forgiveness always is available.

Applying this principles to God’s forgiveness, you have been forgiven by God for whatever mistakes you have made in the past.  God did that unilaterally.  However, this does not imply that you have a relationship with God.  A relationship with God takes God and YOU participating.  Though God has initiated the relationship, it takes your response to confirm it.

 

Question:  How have you responded to God’s overtures at a relationship with you?

 

Prayer:    God, thank you for your forgiveness.  Thank you for loving me before I even gave You a thought.  I will respond to your love in the following ways today:  ____________ (fill in the prayer with your responses).  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for non-believers you know today. 

 

Song:  Just As I Am – Carrie Underwood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRbrK6Pydgs