Matthew 26. The Passover. Jesus’ final hours before dying. The table is set, and the guest list is a lot of fun.
First, there is the host, Jesus’ cohost of the dinner. And just like the nameless woman who anoints Jesus earlier in chapter 26, this man offering his house and table is not given a name. He is simply referred to as “a certain man.” Once again, Jesus loves to surround himself with people that no one else will bother to remember. That’s who Jesus wants hosting the most famous dinner in human history. Dinner with Jesus is always a place filled with unremarkable, easy to forget people.
Next on the guest list – the disciples. And more specifically, the twelve apostles. Now is not the time for large groups of followers, much less the thousands of admirers. These are the few who have followed Jesus the longest. Those who are found everywhere Jesus is found. Those who pride themselves on having made Jesus the center of their lives. They are pious. They read their Bible with Jesus every day. They’re at church every time the doors are open, so to speak. They’ve been with Jesus since the beginning, so they’re definitely with him now.
Now, the guest list goes from interesting to scandalous. Someone is here at the table we wish didn’t have to be in the story at all. The traitor. You know his name; it is synonymous with betrayal. Jesus openly warns his disciples at the table that one in their midst is a traitor. What Judas is doing is unknown to all of them, but not to Jesus. And yet, here he is all the same.
Speaking of scandalous, after dinner Jesus gives another warning, that the twelve will become deserters by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning. “You will all fall away because of me this night.” More literally, Jesus says they will “be scandalized” by him. Within just a few hours, their devotion to him will turn to fear and shame. The very idea of being associated with him will soon feel like too big a scandal to bother with.
And then there’s Jesus, the host of this strange dinner. And not only is he host, but he is also the bread and wine upon the table. Between those who will be forgotten for their ordinariness and those who will be remembered for their scandalous faithlessness, Jesus has welcomed all and rejected none. He wants them all close to him. When he serves the bread and the cup, he tells them to “drink, all of you.”
Whoever you are in this story, and whatever way in which you feel you have failed Jesus, Jesus still wants you at the table with him. His body was broken and his blood was poured out for “all of you.” Do not let anything come between you and the table to which he has invited you, and is now inviting you, and will continue to invite you. Do not let anything come between you and scripture. He wants to meet you there. Do not let anything come between you and prayer. He wants to meet you there. However you have failed, however you’re going to fail next, his sacrifice is for you. Whatever you’re embarrassed about, whatever ways in which you feel unworthy, his salvation is for you, all of you. So, come to the table again and again and again. Take the bread and eat. It’s his body. Take the cup and drink. It’s his blood. It is covenant. It is salvation. He is overjoyed that you are here with him to share this meal. So take, eat, and drink in the knowledge of how loved and how welcomed you are.