Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - Holy Week - Tues
[Isa 49:1-6 and John 13:21-33, 36-38]Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." [John]
Dramatic announcements at the dinner table are nothing new! Most of us have had that experience. It can be anything from job loss to engagement to marry to a decision to follow a certain career path, etc. etc. The reactions can be colorful, ranging from disbelief to delight. Leonardo Davinci's great painting of the Last Supper (on the wall of a Dominican dining room) attempts to capture the moment when Jesus says, "One of you will betray me!"
The scene is not without a bit of irony. Judas is clearly identified in the script to the reader and his departure from the scene is noted with the words, "And it was night!" But then we are presented with the impulsive promise of Peter: "I will lay down my life for you!" Jesus' reply is not encouraging: "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times." Even the most well-intentioned follower of Jesus is capable of betrayal.
Judas has given his name to any betrayer, but before we point a finger at him, perhaps we should ask ourselves if we have ever made the same promise he makes to Jesus in this scene? Later on, after Jesus has risen, he will confront Peter with the three-fold question of forgiveness: "Do you love me?"
After the reaction to our announcement at the family dinner table, perhaps we have looked around and asked the same question, "Do you love me?" All of us who gather at the Lord's table every Sunday (some even daily) are challenged to remember not just the words, "This is my Body, etc." but also the challenge to our inevitable betrayals, "Do you love me?" The Last Supper is followed by the crucifixion. We are part of that as well as the Last Supper and the Resurrection! AMEN
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