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

 

 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.

 

- Luke 22:14–23 

 

Our present readings are taking place during the final week of Christ's earthly life.  It is Passover week in Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that in the daytime Jesus 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 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 comments that Christ has a fervent desire for this Passover because this meal will impart the mysteries of the new covenant to Christ's followers; moreover 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."  My study Bible comments that this first cup is actually the conclusion of the Old Testament Passover meal which Christ eats with His disciples in order to fulfill the Law.  Until the kingdom of God comes indicates the period that begins with Christ's Resurrection.  It is at that time He will again eat and drink with His disciples (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."  Gave thanks has at its root the Greek word ευχαριστω/eucharist, which immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion, my study Bible reminds us.   A first-century manuscript called the Didache ("The Teaching") considered to be the teaching of the apostles, refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist," and in the year AD 150, St. Justin Martyr 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."  Jesus says, "This is My body."   My study Bible quotes St. Justin in commenting that the Orthodox Church has always accepted Christ's words as true, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  See also John 6:51-66.

 

"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.   My study Bible points out that Judas, also, is invited to the table for the mystical supper, as Jesus is seeking by all means to save him.  His unworthy participation, it notes, leads Judas to his utter destruction (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; compare Esther 7).  

 

 There is an interesting emphasis in today's reading, which is slightly hidden but clearly implied in these events and the commentary included with them.  That is, concerning the Eucharist, there is an important hidden understanding about our preparation to receive the body and blood of Christ.  In Orthodoxy, the belief is that these realities are mystically present.  As indicated by Christ's words, we partake of the Eucharist in remembrance of Him, but not as merely symbolic representation.  The elements of bread and wine are consecrated through prayer and the Holy Spirit so that Christ is mystically present.  For the Orthodox this remains a mystery of faith.  However, to receive Christ in His mystical presence offers challenges in terms of our own preparation for "meeting" Christ in this deeply personal way, integral to who we are as human beings, wherein we participate in Him and He in us.  We confess before taking the Eucharist so that we meet Christ within His capacity to forgive sins; but we partake in hopes that we become more "like Christ" through the mystical work of the Eucharist and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  As Jesus indicates, His desire is that all believers may be "one" with God the Father, Son, and Spirit, and "be made perfect in one" (John 17:20-23).  My study Bible comments above that Judas' unworthy participation in the Eucharist leads him to his utter destruction (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).   When we partake of this body and blood, we do so as partaking in the energies and reality of Christ, both human and divine, so that we may become more like Him.  But we also meet the One who is the judge, the measuring stick of all things, the One whom we aspire to imitate.  Should we do so despising Him in some sense, without faith, we also meet that judge and the reality of His presence.  There is a reality to holiness, a power at work, which we can't see, but nonetheless will be at work in our lives, one way and another.  If we come into contact in such a way as to receive what we are offered, the Eucharist offers to us what other holy or sacred things do, a capacity for purification and illumination, deepening the journey of salvation.  If not there is a possibility of stumbling, perhaps to lead to repentance.  Let us approach the Eucharist with all the solemnity of understanding that when we do so, we not only meet the King and Lord, but do so in the most profound way possible -- for He unites Himself to us so that we may unite ourselves to Him.  In this context, let us consider the depth of the betrayal of Christ on this night, and what that means as well for Judas.  Let us take that meaning also, as solemnly as we can, for ourselves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"

 

 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.

 

- Luke 22:14-23 

 

Yesterday we read that in the daytime Jesus 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.

 

 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 comments that Christ has a fervent desire for this Passover because this meal will impart the mysteries of the new covenant to His followers.  Also, 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."  My study Bible explains that this first cup concludes the Old Testament Passover meal, which Christ eats to fulfill the Law.  Until the kingdom of God comes, it says, means until Christ's Resurrection.  At that time He will again eat and drink with His disciples (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."  Jesus gave thanks:  this word translated as "gave thanks" has at its root the Greek word eucharist (basic verb form is εὐχαριστέω/eucharisteo).   My study Bible explains that this immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  A manuscript written before the end of the first century, called the Didache, refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  In AD 150, St. Justin writes 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."   Jesus states, "This is My body."   My study Bible comments that the Orthodox Church has always accepted Christ's words as true.   Again, St. Justin is quoted as saying "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  See also John 6:51-66.

"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.  My study Bible comments that Judas, too, is invited to the table for the mystical supper.  Jesus is seeking by all means to save him.  Judas' unworthy participation leads to his utter destruction (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; compare to Esther 7).  

There is particular commentary by St. Cyril of Alexandria on today's passage, that is illuminating and helpful.  He writes, "It was suitable for him to be in us divinely by the Holy Spirit. . . . Humbling himself to our infirmities, God infuses into the things set before us the power of life. He transforms them into the effectiveness of his flesh, that we may have them for a life-giving participation, that the body of life thus might be found in us as a life-producing seed . . . Although we cannot understand how God does that, yet he himself knows the way of his works" (Commentary on Luke, Homily 142).  This statement reflects the way that the Eastern Church continues to understand the Eucharist:  it is a divine mystery, and in a way we do not understand, but through the power of God -- and especially the Holy Spirit -- the bread and wine of the Eucharist give to us the Body and Blood of Christ, which are mystically present.  This is how Christ's words were understood in the early Church, and remains so for many in the Church.   In the modern world, we have a centuries old movement that would seem to establish as reality nothing that is spiritual in nature, except as perhaps something theoretical or even imaginary.  If there is faith in the spiritual realm as part of reality, it is frequently not seen nor understood as that which interacts with or is integral to the physical, and so in what might be called a platonic or gnostic sense, there is great separation of physical and spiritual as antithetic to one another.  But when we understand things this way, we participate in what was always considered to be heretical in Christianity.  Science tends to operate on things which can be proven, and since these are called "mysteries" for a reason, they are not discernible through experiments of a scientific kind.  But this does not stop science from theorizing, nevertheless, that there are many dimensions to reality, including those which we cannot discern nor test in a purely material sense.  But what of the Holy Spirit and the power of faith?  What of spiritual beings such as angels?  What of the mysteries of God?  Although these things cannot be documented using what we'd call material scientific means, they are products of centuries of human experience, not only in our own nominal cultures, but around the world.  They are part and parcel of a Christian faith that is wholistic and grounded in timeless truths that still serve those who fall into traps of being misled, or led into cults, or self-destructive or socially destructive behavior.  The meanings and values in Christianity are not given to us in the Gospels as social or material teaching separate from spiritual teaching -- or separate from a life in which spiritual reality is separate from the material, or that our bodies also do not require participation in the life of Kingdom that has been given to us.  We are not given a fragmented faith, but rather one that incorporates all of what we are to the core of our being.  If prayer helps us, if worship helps us, if all of the teachings of Christ are worthy of being considered for what a gift all of this is, then we can't afford to doubt the power of the Spirit and the role the spiritual -- including the mysteries of God -- plays in our lives.  Problems begin when we try to assert that one single methodology is the only way to understand life, and we fail to see that even science, and the beauty and intricacy of life, are part and parcel of what we're given by God, and come also under the whole umbrella of faith.  To understand mystery as a part of life takes a kind of sophistication that is willing to understand and accept that there are simply things we don't know, but that we accept on faith.  It is a gracious way to accept what we've been given by Christ.  The world will constantly seem to present to us all kinds of phenomena that purports to challenge that faith, whether we are speaking of things that terrify us or things that intimidate us, philosophies that shake us, politics of zeal for whatever new idea can challenge the teachings of faith.   But we will find that what we have been given, in the words of Christ, is true:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."   If we accept that compassion remains a blessed way of life, that cherishing human life and the life of the world is essential to well-being, that love must be the foundation of what we hold as true and good and beautiful, then we should also have the faith to accept the mystery found in God and in the teachings we've been given by Jesus.  For when we come to ourselves, we must recognize the blessings we have from the One who loves us and knows us, who tries by all means even to save His betrayer, and who will do all to save and to bless us.  Let us joyfully participate in His life and His kingdom, giving thanks as we do, even for that which we do not know.