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When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
- Luke 22:14-30
In recent readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem. Yesterday, we read that the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude. Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?" And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready." So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." My study bible says that Christ has a fervent desire for this Passover because this meal will impart the mysteries of the new covenant to His followers, and because this event will inaugurate the great deliverance of humanity from sin through the power of the Cross.
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." This first cup, my study bible tells us, is the conclusion of the Old Testament Passover meal that Christ eats with the disciples in order to fulfill the law. Until the kingdom of God comes speaks of His Resurrection, at which time He will eat again and drink with the disciples (see Luke 24:43; Acts 10:41).
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." My study bible tells us that gave thanks has at its root the Greek word eucharist, which immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion. It says, "Before the end of the first century, a manuscript called the Didache refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as 'the Eucharist,' and in the year AD 150, St. Justin says of Holy Communion, 'This food we call "Eucharist," of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us.' " We note that Jesus says, "This is My body." The Eastern Church has always accepted that this statement is true, that, as Justin says, "the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus." For the Eastern Church, this mystery is, however, kept as mystery, a mystical work of the Holy Spirit.
"But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. We note that Judas is also invited to the table for this mystical supper, and that therefore Jesus is seeking by all means to save him. My study bible says, "His unworthy participation leads to his utter destruction (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; compare Esther 7," esp v. 4).
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves." My study bible points out the contrast between the mysteries Jesus has just revealed and this petty, small-minded dispute that takes place just afterward. Jesus corrects the disciples by comparing them first to power-hungry Gentiles, whom they themselves considered an abomination -- and by contrasting them to Himself, who serves us even though He is Lord of all.
"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." My study bible cites Ambrose of Milan here: "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds. So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue." It notes that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but by the witness of their own lives. God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ -- therefore, my study bible notes, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23).
It's Jesus' last supper with His disciples; that is, it's the last time they will have a meal together until after His Resurrection. He knows what He is facing, and declares it here: "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." With a last meal before suffering and death, one might presume that a person seeks comfort, gathering to Himself the things in which He finds affirmation for His life. But Jesus' last supper is typical of Jesus; He gives the greatest gifts possible to His disciples. He gives Himself. He gives them the Eucharist, which He declares is His mystical body and blood. He gives this gift to the disciples, and also to all of us who follow Him, for an unending future of faithful who will come afterward. Typically, the disciples fail to really understand, and respond with the pettiness of human beings. They argue over which one of them will be greatest in this Kingdom that is coming. This happens in several places in the Gospels, but the typical characteristic is the misunderstanding of the disciples to the announcement and expectation of the coming of the Kingdom. And in this chapter, this dispute comes after what is even more unthinkable: the revelation of a betrayer who is sitting at table with them, one of the twelve. Nevertheless, Jesus' generosity is immense, unthinkable. Not only does He give us Himself, He is going to the sacrifice that will make Resurrection possible, a gift for all of us, for the life in abundance He promises to us, for the resurrection in each confession, in every repentance, in the repairs to our souls, and the transcendence of the world. Even after their childish behavior, the disciples are made another truly great promise, one of the Kingdom: "You are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." He teaches them about leadership and sacrifice, and service. And He tells them that they are the ones who have remained with Him through all of His trials. I think this statement is so profound, and that it is for each one of us. In our faith, as we go through trials, we must go through them with Him, together. We remain faithful, with Him, and thus in a very real sense, we share His trials, too. This is a very mystical thing to think about, how we share Jesus' suffering by being His disciples, or how every trial we go through in working out that place of finding how He wants us to go through our difficulties, somehow contributes to His work in the world. It is a carrying on of His ministry. It has a purpose and a point, if we are with Him. And it continues and remains a service to the world. In the Eastern church one often comes across great paradox, paradox at the very center of Christ and His life as Jesus in the world. One of these paradoxes is a joyful suffering, or a joyful mourning. When St. Paul speaks of dying daily, he is telling us of this same place of joyful suffering. That is, a way of mourning what we leave behind, as we walk with Him who is our joy, and the fullness of our peace, the One who gives, as at the last supper, not as the world gives.
