the last supper... thinking deeper
Sometimes it helps when I read the Bible, especially the Gospel Narrative, for me to just really imagine and put myself in the story. To really think and consider all the different angles of what's going on. Think about it like it's really real. That's what this is.Â
OK Mark 14. The Passover meal before Jesus is arrested. I just have to wonder just how that went over for the disciples. I mean, the Passover was a tradition they'd taken part in year after year. This is nothing new to them. But there is so much new at the same time. Jesus has been talking about his impending death alot. I know people usually play up the fact that maybe the disciples didn't really get what was happening. But when Jesus came into Jerusalem, it was a spectacle. People are full of excitement. The kingdom of God is at hand. And Jesus has crowds following him. Lots of support. The religious establishment in Jerusalem is uneasy. This Jesus character is presenting a new way of being faithful. He's forgiving sins, and calling out these leaders, and redefining the kingdom of God. And people are listening to him. He has a huge following, and people are associating him with this prophecy of the Messiah. That puts their authority in question, and they can't think of what to do. They try to trap him to discredit him, but Jesus is smarter than that.Â
And the disciples are bystanders. They see the tension. The animosity. They're excited. They've seen Jesus do amazing things, and they've had crazy experiences in his power. But they also have to notice he's making enemies. And Jesus keeps bringing up the fact that he's gonna have to die. Then comes the Passover. It's all about remembering how God stepped in and pulled his people out of slavery. How God heard their cries and after long, long, long waiting He actually pulled through and it was magnificent. When they get the heck outta there, God establishes a covenant with His people. He tells them that He will always be with them, and protect them, and provide for them, and that he has a divine vocation for His people that is special, and important, and possible only through God's power. They just need to listen, and follow, and trust in God's power and wisdom instead of trying to do things their own way. That's what the Passover is all about, that saving act, that identification as a people of God, and that covenant. God established his people by His power. It's all God.
And here's Jesus saying, this is the blood of the new covenant. And it's really significant, and it's all tied together, but maybe all the disciples can think about is that Jesus just told them that one of them is gonna betray him, and that they'll scatter, and that things are about to go to shit. And maybe they're scared about losing this amazing guy they've been following around for years. The guy who commands the storms, and the demons, and heals people, and forgives sins. I know I'd be freaking out. I can't really say exactly what the disciples really thought about Jesus. Some might think they recognized his power and just wanted to be a part of that. What I notice is that they humbled themselves to his teaching. When Jesus asks them, Peter identified him as the Messiah. And even when things didn't make sense, they just kept following him. And according to what Mark tells us, they kept insisting that they'd never leave him, and even follow him into death.
This makes me feel like crap because of the unavoidable question. Do I really identify with Jesus the way these guys did?
we haven't even hit the climax yet. tomorrow, i'm reading the next part of the story... Jesus and the disciples go out into the garden to pray.
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