Matthew 26:17-30
We see faithfulness and closeness as well as betrayal in this passage. The disciples and Jesus looked forward to celebrating the Passover together, and the disciples lovingly prepared for it. This was no small task. They had to secure the place, gather the materials which included unleavened bread (which I'm pretty sure they had to make), bitter herbs, wine, and a perfect lamb. They had to kill the lamb in the court of the Temple and then roast it whole. Then the feast could begin.
The Passover was a celebration of God's protection of Israel during the last plague in Egypt. You will remember that the first born of all Egyptians (and their animals) died because they refused to obey God and let the Israelites go. The death angel passed over the homes of those who believed God and placed blood on the doorposts. Thus Israel was to celebrate the Passover every year to commemorate this miracle. It was one of their most sacred celebrations. So it seems a little odd to me that Jesus chose this time to reveal that one of the twelve would betray Him. Though Jesus knew that Judas was the traitor, He still shared bread with him. This shows Jesus' love and mercy, and Judas could have repented even at this point. But he had treachery in his heart.
It was also on this occasion that Jesus instituted what we call the "Lord's Supper" in which bread and wine (or juice which is also fruit of the vine) represent the body and blood of Christ. We are to practice this as a memorial to Christ's great sacrifice for our sins. The text does not indicate that anything miraculous happened to the bread and wine as some teach. A simple reading seems to indicate that these are symbols of the body and blood, not literally the body and blood of Jesus.
Psalm 131
I have thought about this psalm all week-end, and I've come to the conclusion that at least one application of it is a remedy for anxiety. The first verse deals with pride. Sometimes because of our pride, we get concerned about things that out of our control, above our pay grade if you will! "Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp." And so if we concern ourselves only with what we CAN manage (which really isn't much!), then we can freely let God deal with the rest.
"Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me." v.2 This is where I got stuck. Somehow a "weaned child" doesn't seem all that content to me. But as I thought about it, I think the contentment comes as we mature. We are supposed to be growing in the Lord and increasing in understanding of Him. We are not supposed to remain spiritual "infants."
I was reminded of this scripture yesterday morning during Sunday school. I usually teach toddlers every Sunday, but as it happened, I didn't have any little students yesterday so I was helping with the infants. One little red-haired guy is about 9 months old, and he is going through some pretty major separation anxiety when his mother leaves him in the nursery. He goes from sad, to heart-broken, to occasional all out panic! But when his mother returns, it doesn't take long until he's all smiles. He snuggles up to her and soon he's ready to get down and play. It doesn't occur to him for one second that he shouldn't trust his mother or that she might somehow let him down. Just her presence in the room gives him complete security. It occurred to me that this is how we should be with our heavenly Father. He is always present with us. We should never feel anxious or panicked or hysterical. Of course, we will sometimes be sad or heartbroken in this world, but we can always feel the security that God provides.
MEDITATION: The last verse says, "O Israel, put your hope in the Lord--now and always." v. 3 We are not part of Israel, but I know for sure that God is saying the same to us as New Testament believers, "...put your hope in the Lord--now and always."
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