"The Teacher says to you, 'Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'"

 

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Now 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 the 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.

 

- Luke 21:37—22:13 

 

Yesterday we read that, after speaking about "end times" to His disciples, Jesus spoke to them a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."   

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.  We may note that Jesus is a pilgrim to Jerusalem; He stays with other pilgrims on Mt. Olivet.  Note how well He is known, for early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

 

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.   The Passover (in Greek, Πασχα/Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14), as my study Bible explains.  In remembrance of this, the Jews would slaughter an unblemished lamb and partake of it with unleavened bread.  This is a prefiguration of Christ's Passion, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom, my study Bible comments.  Therefore, it notes, Pascha is the primary term by which Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to the death and Resurrection of Christ, which is known in English as Easter.

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 the 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.  According to my study Bible, Satan does not enter a person, except with that person's consent.  The reason that Judas was chosen by Satan, and none of the others, is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  My study Bible adds that Luke's mention of Judas being numbered among the twelve is an emphasis on the depth of betrayal involved, and it shows also that religious position is worthless if it is not accompanied by faith and virtue.  

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.  My study Bible tells us that the term Passover (Greek Pascha/Πασχα) can refer to the original event itself, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary, Peter represents zeal and John represents spiritual understanding, the virtues with which we all are to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

Let us note the careful preparation for the Passover, and the specific instructions Jesus gives to the disciples.  It seems this particular Passover supper is so important that no detail of where exactly it is to happen is left to improvisation or the work of the disciples, but seemingly all has been arranged.  Of course, we haven't been given the specifics of exactly how this happened or when it was all arranged -- but we are made to understand the particular importance of this meal, even where it takes place, and which disciples were given the instructions to prepare.  For the early Christian community, Peter and John were distinctive among the disciples.  Peter was de facto leader (that is, a "first among equals") who often speaks for the Twelve in the Gospels.  John was the "beloved disciple" who would survive through the earliest times of the Church, giving us one Gospel, Three Epistles, and the Revelation.  In the Eastern Church, John is also given the title "Theologian" -- one that has been given only to three people in history (the other two are St. Gregory Nazianzinus and St. Symeon the New Theologian).  Of course, it is St. John who gives us the details of Christ's teachings at the Last Supper (John 13 - 17), teaching about the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will dwell with them.  (Christ's words in this section of John's Gospel are known as the "Farewell Discourse.")   Perhaps Luke gives us these details of instruction for this particular "upper room" so that we understand how important this meal is to Jesus, at which He will leave so much as legacy for believers and for the Church, including the command for the institution of the Eucharist, and the "new commandment" recorded by John:  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  At the same time, in today's reading, we're also given the understanding of a great betrayal, that Satan entered Judas, and he was numbered among the twelve.  Judas was one of those who would also partake of that Passover in the upper room.  Neither is Judas simply an innocent victim of bad influence.  As my study Bible notes, this could not happen without some sort of opening, some place in Judas' heart open to it. And so, even as Jesus is about to institute the great sacrifice to be commemorated for this time forth (and replacing all other sacrifice), that which is done for the life of the world, so even one as deeply integral to Christ's ministry -- one numbered among the twelve -- will betray Him, and in Judas Satan has found a place to enter.  We get a picture of our world, with its warring parts, and the spiritual battle that goes on behind the scenes at all times.  This is a battle for each one of us.  It is a battle for which we're asked to be prepared and we're given the tools to wage it -- but so many are distracted by the affairs of the world, the chase for riches and pleasures, and the cares the world will give us.  While the powerful plot against Jesus, jealous to maintain their places, Satan's insidious influence comes from within, and we are given warning through this text.  All of this takes place even as Christ is about to deliver the Farewell Discourse that teaches each of us He is always with us, and although all the people come to hear Him speak in the temple.  In this, we are to be aware, and to participate in Christ's life as we can, seeking our own discipleship and awareness of where He asks us to go, in order to follow Him.

 

 

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve

 

 Now 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.

 

- Luke 22:1–13 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given an excerpt from John's Gospel, which told us the story of the woman caught in adultery.  During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, staying with many of the other pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."   

 Now 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.  My study bible explains that the Passover (in Greek, Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14).  In remembrance of this, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered and eaten with unleavened bread.  This prefigures the Passion of Christ, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver God's people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kiingdom.  Therefore, "Pascha" is the primary term by which the Eastern Church refers to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  

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.   My study bible comments here that Satan does not enter a person except by that person's consent.  The reason that Satan chose Judas, and none of the others, is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  Luke mentions Judas as numbered among the twelve in order to emphasize the depth of betrayal.  It also teaches us that religious position isn't worth anything unless it is accompanied by faith and virtue.

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.   My study bible elaborates that the term Passover (or Pascha in the Greek) can refer to the original event itself, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary on this passage, Peter represents zeal while John represents spiritual understanding, the two virtues with which we are to partake of the Lord's supper.  

What do we think of the Gospel's report that Satan entered into Judas?  My study bible sums up the traditional patristic understanding of the Church, that this doesn't happen without at least some form of consent on the part of the person so afflicted.  It says that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  We don't really know why, although John's Gospel tells us that Judas used to steal from the treasury of the ministry, as he kept the money box.  In fact, John tells us this in the reporting of the anointing of Jesus' feet by Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, as it was Judas who criticized her for this lavish act of love (see John 12:1-8).  Perhaps it was Jesus' open rebuke of Judas on that occasion that influenced Judas' decision to betray Christ.  Perhaps it was a wounded sense of pride that made him vulnerable and left him open with a "place in his heart" for Satan.  If that is so, then once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, today's passage brings us again to the importance -- even the absolute necessity -- of humility as a virtue in the ministry and discipleship of Christ.  A wounded pride is quite easy to come by, especially if we are made to feel humiliated before others, most notably those whom we consider to be our peers.  We can put ourselves in Judas' place on that occasion, and imagine a perhaps somewhat quick-tempered and slightly immature personality, one used to a certain measure of honor or status, given a public rebuke by Jesus -- and in favor of a woman like Mary.  John also reports three times that Judas was the son of Simon, first in John 6:71, then notably in telling the story of Mary's anointing of Jesus in John 12, and finally in John 13:26.    In Matthew 26, the anointing of Jesus' feet by an unnamed woman takes place in Bethany, at the home of "Simon the leper," and the betrayal by Judas immediately follows (Matthew 26:6-16).  Putting these texts together, we might make a possible case for this rebuke to have happened in Judas' father's home.  In Luke chapter 7, Jesus dines in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, at which a similar anointing by a notorious sinful woman takes place (Luke 7:36-51).  All of these stories may easily be separate, having notably different aspects to them.  Nonetheless, even without the verification of which Simon might possibly be the father of Judas mentioned by John (or even if he appears in the Gospels), a good case is made for the fact that Judas suffered an open rebuke from Jesus, and so it is possible to infer a lesson for us all.  The Book of Proverbs is full of sayings about the value of a rebuke made in love.  Proverbs 1:23 commands: "Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you."  In other words, those who respond positively to a rebuke of the Lord are fit vessels for God's wisdom and grace.  Psalm 141:5 proclaims:  "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness.  And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it."  Proverbs 3:12 tells us, "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  In Revelation 3:19, the Lord declares, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  It's tough to accept a rebuke.  It's even tougher when that rebuke comes in front of others who are your peers.  In Judas' case, that would be the other disciples among whom he perhaps counted on a certain amount of authority regarding money matters (as "he had the money box," as John 12:6 tells us).  Especially after Judas' open criticism, Jesus' rebuke comes as a direct rebuttal, not only to Judas' statement about the waste of money, but also that he should leave the woman alone as she has done something good for Christ.  We can just imagine the public embarrassment, and the kind of character it really takes to be a good disciple, to accept correction, especially where our own vulnerabilities are concerned.  Today many of us seem to live in a world where correction seems sometimes forbidden, or to diminish someone else's standing in front of others seems a threat so hurtful that competition itself of any traditional sort becomes problematic.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked on the harmful and hurtful nature of false accusation, open condemnation and vilification of those who err, and especially when we forget we are just as liable to need forgiveness for sin as the next person.  But in today's reading, we get another point of view that adds another facet to a teaching on humility.  It is not simply humility which might help us bear the brunt of an injustice or falsehood or harmful public disparaging, but even more importantly, it is humility that helps us benefit properly from a just rebuke made by a loving teacher.  Humility is the indispensable virtue that allows us to know a rebuke made in love by the Lord, whether that comes in the form of a stumbling block or any type of circumstance where we learn a lesson -- and more about ourselves -- by possibly falling flat on our faces, one way and another.  In a time, once again, when social media magnifies both a false pride and an over disparaging criticism or ridicule, we must consider the currently underestimated virtue of humility and how necessary it is to a Biblical perspective on our faith and discipleship.  I don't think it's fair to say that, at least in accordance with what we can read from the Gospels, humility might have prevented that vulnerable place in Judas' heart from being open to Satan.  It might have helped him to acknowledge that the rebuke from Christ was made by One who loved him.  It possibly may have allowed him to correct himself and his attitude.  And if he truly made the remark from greed, and because he was a thief, it opened the door for correction -- but his heart responded in a way to push him down a road of terrible destruction.  This is really a lesson for us all, as it illustrates something found repeatedly in the early teachings of the disciples, quite notably in what is called the Didache, the earliest teaching document of the Church, attributed to the disciples of Christ.  The Didache emphasizes the "two ways" we can choose:  the way of life and the way of death.  We can read this teaching also in Jesus' words, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  Judas illustrates for us the importance of understanding that our choices are important, and most especially the ways in which we are capable of responding to a rebuke made in love, especially when we find ourselves in humiliating circumstances.  We need to have the humility it takes to give us the capacity to ask ourselves what God might be teaching us, and to accept a lesson we may need to learn in order to change to go forward on the road to life.  A refusal can so easily take us down the opposite road, even with consequences of great destruction to others and to ourselves.  Let us remember that a rebuke may indeed be a good and necessary thing, for none of us is without need of correction.  It is important to find a way to turn to our loving Lord to discern how best to respond, lest we give room the one who only destroys.