Week #46 | The Last Teachings, Last Supper, and Capture of Jesus

 LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

(314) Matthew 23:37-24:31; Mark 12:41-13:27; Luke 21:1-27

(315) Matthew 24:32-25:46; Mark 13:28-27; Luke 21:28-38

(316) Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:1-11; Luke 22:1-6; John 12:2-8

(317) Matthew 26:17-25; Mark 14:12-21; Luke 22:7-30; John 13:1-30

(318) Matthew 26:26-35; Mark 14:22-31; Luke 22:17-38; John 13:31-16:4

(319) Matthew 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 16:5-18:12

(320) Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-65; John 18:13-27

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Reading #314: When the Man Comes Around. The majority of this reading is the first section of Jesus' sermon on the future appearance of the Son of Man. It appears in all of the Gospels except for John--and some think that's because John had already written on Jesus' fuller revelation about this point (if Revelation was written before John).

Reading #315: The Olivet Discourse. Between reading #314 and #315, we see Jesus' teaching on future things. (There must have been even more that he taught on this, since 1 John 3 and 1 Thessalonians 5, among other passages, reflect additional teaching that must go back to Jesus). Interestingly this teaching doesn't center on figuring out the exact time of the end. It gives a little bit of that, but mostly it teaches on how to handle some of the deceptions ahead, as well as teaching the disciples how to live now with the end in mind. It won't matter what your social standing is on the day the Son returns; it will only matter if he says to you, "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

Reading #316: Judas Decides to Betray Jesus. After having been in Jerusalem for a little while, the enthusiasm that was seen at the Triumphal Entry must have slowly died off. As the acknowledged Christ, the expectation of the people would have been that Jesus would rise up and drive out the Romans. Instead, Jesus had spent the better part of the week bumming around town and had just spoken about how he would do all of the things expected of the Christ on some day far off in the future. Judas -himself named after a famous revolutionary who had won independence for Israel from the Greeks- had enough. With his disappointment, and personal self-interest at stake, he agrees to betray Jesus. I wonder if in his place you or I would have done the same. How often have we turned away from what God was doing in the world because it didn't look the way that we expected it should?

Reading #317: Judas Goes Out of the Last Supper. There is something really haunting about this reading. Judas was one of the disciples. He had his feet washed by Jesus. He broke bread with him. He saw the miracles done by him. And yet, Judas could not see Jesus for who he truly was. He left the fellowship of the other disciples and was not present for the rest of the supper.

Reading #318: The Last Supper and the Last Teaching. In all of the Gospels, it strikes me that this is the section worth paying the most attention to. Jesus knew that he was about to be betrayed. He knew that this would be his last meal with his disciples before his crucifixion. He knew this was the last teaching that he would give them before his resurrection--whatever teaching he gave after he was raised, we are either mostly not told about or the Gospel writers have woven it into sections of his earlier teaching. So he invited them to partake of the life that is in him: "He broke the bread and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And when he had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins'" (Matthew 26:26-28). Then he taught them about how to navigate the days ahead and about why he must go to the Father (John 14:1-16:4).

Reading #319: Last Teachings and Prayers, and Betrayal. Pay special attention to the material in John here. Jesus continues his last teachings from the previous day, and he prepares his disciples for what is about to happen. For Jesus, his betrayal isn't a setback: instead he declares, "take heart, for I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). In his prayers recorded in the other Gospels he resolutely sets his face towards the cross. When he is faced with those who have come to ambush him, he declares himself to them. In the Kingdom of God, things that look like setbacks here are victories there.

Reading #320: Jesus Before the Sanhedrin. It's incredible what those who think that they are acting on God's behalf feel justified in doing. The establishment has tried to trick Jesus, then smear Jesus, then bribe someone from his close circle into betraying him, and now they are holding a secret trial by night where they are beating the subject and incentivizing false witnesses against him. They feel completely justified in doing all of this. The blindness on display here is why it is so important that when we feel we know what God's will is, we should be committed to doing God's will in God's way.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean