Standing at the Table of Communion tonight… I recall that long ago, in the Garden of Eden, our forebears, Adam and Eve, lived and walked in perfect communion with God. They enjoyed beautiful fellowship with their Holy Creator in His perfect oasis.
But we walked away. Adam and Eve turned their backs on God and rebelled against His guidance for life. They disbelieved God and instead believed Satan, personified as that “serpent of old,” who schemed to bring chaos to God’s created order (Revelation 12:9).
We proclaimed we wanted to do life our way, not God’s way. We rejected God’s truth and called Him a liar.
Our sin cut us off from God, but it was our own doing, our own rebellion, and now the shame of sin taunts and haunts all who remain separate from the God of all love and grace. The shame and guilt of pride, envy, lust, anger, hate, profanity, and violence now seems to control. Nothing we can do or say or work toward can take away the shame of our sin and restore the relationship. Separate. Lost.
Shocking Grace
But God the Father stepped in, by His grace, with His rescue plan through Christ the Son.
God came to us. (John 1:14)
Fast forward to the Last Supper where God the Son was again communing with mankind at the Passover meal on the eve of His crucifixion.
Jesus the Christ, God-Incarnate, knew what was in the heart of every man (see John 2:24-25). He knew full well that Judas would betray Him for a mere 30 pieces of silver, the recompense price for a dead slave. And yet at the Last Supper, Jesus shows a shocking picture of grace – underserved, unearned kindness toward Judas.
Let’s take a look at the scene in John 13:21-30:
When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
Most of you are familiar with Da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper. Beautiful as it is, the seating arrangement and table setup do not at all resemble the original setting:
Instead, in first-century culture the table would have been close to the ground with the guests laying next to it with their feet away from the table, leaning on their left arm and eating with their right hand.
Further biblical evidence shows that Jesus was seated in the place of the host, with John at his right (leaning back to talk with Jesus, cf. John 13:22, 24), Peter in the lowest seat of honor (John 13:23), and Judas in the highest seat of honor (Jn. 13:26).
How so? As the host, Jesus would have dipped the morsel of bread or meat into a sauce and, as a sign of honor and love, served it to the person seated directly to his left (see v. 26-27).
And this turns out to be Judas. Shocking.
Peter, seated across the table (v. 24), saw something going on and quickly grappled for information. But no one picked up on what only Jesus and Judas knew. (v. 28-29)
Even to the betrayer, Judas, filled with inexcusable greed, malicious intent, and secretive scheming… Jesus extends grace.
We may find it all-too-easy to say, “I’m better than Judas. No way I’d ever succumb to that kind of greed and unbelief!”
You and I might retort, “I’d never respond like Peter in the face of fear and deny Jesus three times.”
Yet all the disciples responded in kind:
“Peter said to Him, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.’ All the disciples said the same thing too.” (Matthew 26:33-35)
I’m that Betrayer
And deep in my heart I know I’m one who has chosen greed or giving, fear over faith, pride over humility, complacency over co-mission, lust over love, the path of death instead of the way of life… … all far too many times than I dare count.
I am that betrayer, Judas.
In the face of uncertainty, confusion, and fear, I am that denier, Peter.
Yet Jesus offers grace at the Table.
Judas rejected Jesus. Peter, John, James, and the rest of the rag-tag crew received grace upon grace in Jesus.
Q: What about you?
John the apostle would later write:
“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. . . . For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:11-12, 16)
So how about you? Jesus is inviting you to come to His Table, to come join the sinners who have been redeemed. …Take your place beside the Savior.
Sit down and be set free. Come to the Table.
We who were separate – distant – carrying the weight of our guilt and shame because of our own sinful rebellion against the holy and loving God, are called to come to the Table. We are invited into the Family, to have a seat by the Savior-Rescuer-Friend.
And His Table is a living metaphor, a symbol of what Christ accomplished to bring us home and into His family:
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18a)
See His Love
Christ – the eternal God-man – carrying the crushing weight of a crossbeam all the way to Golgotha’s hill for you and for me.
As the cat-of-nine-tails whip lacerated his back
As the crown of jagged thorns cut into his skull
As the nails smashed into his hands and feet
As the spear pierced his stomach and intestines
As the weight of His body suffocated his lungs
…He breathed his last breath and endured it all out of love for you and me.
He is inviting you tonight to receive the symbol of bread for His body and the cup for His blood.
By receiving communion you are saying, “I believe Jesus Christ died for me. I have placed total trust in His death as the Way to Life forever in God’s family and forgiveness of all my sin – past, present and future. I know I cannot save myself through good behavior of any measure, but only through receiving the free gift salvation in Christ (see Romans 6:23) can I be rescued and redeemed.”
If you have not taken the step to receive the gift of rescue from sin through personal faith in Jesus Christ, we ask that you refrain from coming to the table. Our communion at Christ’s Table is for all who have believed and received His grace (no matter your church or background).
But instead of refraining from receiving communion, why don’t you believe and receive Christ right now? Believe in Him tonight. Receive life everlasting with God.
Come to the Table. Be Welcomed into God’s family.
Forever.
Here’s Sidewalk Prophets’ poignant anthem calling you to come to the table:
Michael Breznau | Good Friday 2018 | delivered at Mayfair Bible Church of Michigan
