What if your next meal was to be your last. If you knew this to be true, would you make it something spectacular? All your favorite proteins. All your favorite breads and veggies. And hey, go crazy on the butter and seasonings because, well you know, it won’t be your cholesterol that finally gets you. Most of us cannot get our heads around this idea. If for some reason we knew our “last” meal was coming, food would likely be the last thing on our minds. It is a rare soul who gets ravenous at the idea of not eating ever again. Most of us would want our closest family as close as they could be. The precious moments we spend with them would likely far outweigh even the most inventive cuisine and menu. But hey, I did not propose you eat alone. Bring as many as you can. Make it a feast. Include those long-lost relatives you have been reluctant to make time for. Invite your boss who does not care much for you at work. Not to impress him/her, but to bury the hatchet and show love even to the hard to love. You might delegate the work of picking that final meal, but even then, I cannot imagine most of us ordering fast food.
Jesus did. If there had been a chain of McDonald’s in ancient Israel the fastest food you could make would be the foods they made on Passover night. It was literal fast food. It was made quickly because they did not have a lot of time that night in Egypt so long ago. They needed to eat and be ready to run at a moment’s notice. And hey, for the folks who were too ashamed to post the lamb’s blood on the door frames – whatever meal they did eat, was the firstborn’s last one, Israelite or no. The institution, the feast, the remembrance of the Passover came from that night in Egypt nearly ~1200 years before the time of Christ. It was preserved through the writings of Moses and handed down father to son throughout the life of the Israelite people until the days of Jesus, even to our own. Jesus knew the timing the events that were to befall Him. His death would come at the culmination of all the Jewish high holidays (such as the year of Jubilee that only happened once every 50 years where all slaves were freed, all land returned, and all debt was forgiven). His death would come at Passover, so the Passover dinner was to be His last. Take out. Fast food, ordered 1200 years before it would be delivered to Him. Not much of a celebration in terms of fine dining. Fine dining, even then, takes time to prepare (perhaps more so back then). So this last meal was to be simple, and easily prepared.
Part of the tradition of that meal was to eat bitter herbs. Yeah, nobodies favorite there. But it was done to remind them of the bitterness of slavery from which the Israelites were freed (by Jesus by the way). Perhaps it would not hurt our modern day Christians to remember Passover and join our Jewish friends in its keeping. The bitter herbs we eat would symbolize the exact same thing as they did in Passover – Jesus freeing us from the slavery of our sins. Pharaoh has nothing on the addiction of sin, and Jesus remains the only power able to beat sin in you. A few bitter herbs to remind us of that is not a bad thing. The unleavened bread, or the bread of haste, has meaning in our world as well. Our Lord is coming back, sooner than we may care to admit, and needing a bread made in haste could remind us of the haste in which He returns. I know people have been saying that forever. And for all those souls who have tasted their last meal, that saying remains true (just not how they expected it). For us, the pattern may be a little different, but the bread of haste is not bad symbolism when you look forward as well. In any case none of this would be the traditional choice of someone who knows it would be their last meal, at least no one I can think of today. But it was His pick.
Matthew tells the story in his gospel to his contemporaries in chapter 26 picking up in verse 17 saying … “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?” Already one feast was dovetailing on the next, and since Passover is most important (and perfectly symbolic), the disciples are more concerned about preparing for that one for Jesus. None of them have let the thought sink into their heads, that this will be His last meal. They cannot bear the thought of Him being the condemned. He is perfectly innocent. And as it should be; the perfect lamb without blemish. Jesus responds in verse 18 saying … “And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. [verse 19] And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.” The first McDonald’s in history perhaps. But even then, preparations had to be made.
Matthew will not record the entire foot-washing incident. Perhaps it still stung too badly in his conscience. Perhaps he just did not think that was the main point we should be focusing on. Matthew spends his time outing the betrayer. Is it so with you and me? Are you and I so obsessed with pointing out the sinners in our church fellowship, we have forgot we owe that same sinner a debt of loving service, done in humility. It is quite hard to criticize a sinner, and forcefully recommend their disfellowship, while girding a towel around your waist and gently placing their feet in a warm bowl for washing. Just as Jesus did ~2000 years ago. The King of Kings thought it not beneath Him to do the lowest work of a servant for each of the disciples at that gathering. Including Judas, including Matthew, including Peter, even though Peter was not too fond of accepting this humiliation (he got over it). Perhaps we like Matthew are so focused on identifying the traitors to Jesus, we lose all sight of the service we owe those very same traitors. Sin is not driven away through accusation. It is lured away only by the transforming love of Jesus, our loving those same sinners was meant to reflect His love, and give them a reason to seek change in the first place.
We underestimate the power of our love. Most often because we ration it out so sparingly. But Jesus was a fountain of love with no end in sight. What we give away in tiny tiny increments, flowed out of Jesus with the force of Niagara Falls. Exactly whose servants are we? Matthew continues the story picking up in verse 20 saying … “Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. [verse 21] And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” Matthew pounds on the traitorous theme. Perhaps he still worries it might have as easily been him. The truth is that every disciple at that table will betray their relationships with Jesus as the night continues. Most will run, hide, and stay as far back as their hearing will allow as the horrid events unfold. No hero’s in this room. No one ready to even be honest about who Jesus is to them. When they see Jesus is headed for death, they ALL will doubt if He truly is the Messiah. So I ask, are any of us free from this traitorous blame?
Jesus has declared one of them will betray Him. Whatever Jesus says always comes true. So it is certain. The weight of it begins to sink in. Matthew continues in verse 22 saying … “And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?” Think of this for a moment. We are talking about a betrayal that has not happened yet. And each one of them is forced to ask, Lord is it me? Am I your betrayer? This should give you an insight into sin that no other scripture has the weight of. This is an act only one disciple has contemplated and acted upon so far. Yet ALL of them are unsure if it is them Jesus is talking about. They are all capable of it. They are all horrified by the idea, but no sin is beyond them, and they all see that. If Jesus prophesies it must be true. They cannot imagine each other as being the one – so that only leaves – me. Lord is it me? A heinous sin still in their future, one none of them wants to commit, but all are scared they might. Lord is it me?
We read these texts as story. But is the ultimate betrayal of our Lord in your future, and are you humble enough to go to Jesus and ask – Lord is it me? If you refuse to admit it could be you, it is likely already you. No one wants to be Judas. But Judas was Judas. He was as righteous and as failing as Peter, but most of us would want to be Peter, none want to be Judas. The difference was not the sin, but where we look to see sin taken from us. Judas stopped looking at Jesus for the removal of sin. Peter though completely broken by pride and unforgiveable action still looked to Jesus no matter what. The weight of the sin was the same. But where we go to see it removed was wholly different. Matthew continues in verse 23 with the answer of Jesus saying … “And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. [verse 24] The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
The heart of Matthew is so far from food or feasting he could have been eating dirt right about then, and not even known it. It was comforting to have those he loved around him. These other disciples were his family by choice and brotherhood. Having them there helped. But the answer of Christ shook Matthew to the core of who he was. He that dips his hand with Me in the bowl. They were ALL dipping their hands in that same bowl of olive oil to season or spread across the unleavened bread. Olive oil was a precious tasty nectar full of health properties and delicious as a spread. They all had dipped. They all had used it on their bread. Matthew no different than the rest. But Jesus did not stop there, He continues saying it would have been better for the betrayer NOT to have been born. Was Jesus talking directly to Matthew?
Was He talking to me? I have betrayed Him too. I have cast aside His victories, choosing to mire in my sin, like a pig does in his own filth. In my sin I betray Him. Would it be better for me not to have been born? That is a pretty dark and heavy thought. It is meant to be so. We need to understand where the weight of sin leads, and there is but one destination – this one. There are no “petty” sins. There are no light sins, there is only the addictive nature of sin that leads here and no where else. To the joining of the conspiracy to kill the son of God and take His place running the universe. It will be the final rallying call of Satan in the final assault against heaven destined to fail, yet all will join it without reservation. The saved hear another call. For the saved have been freed from their sins, like the Israelites were made free from Pharaoh so long ago.
Judas now feels like the whole room is looking at him. He had his hand in the bowl at the same time as Christ when He made that saying. He feels pressured. Matthew continues in verse 25 saying … “Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.” Matthew has unveiled Judas. But his account omits the words of Jesus to Judas to go and do what he must do quickly. Perhaps Matthew still cannot get his head around the idea that the best of the disciples admired by all, might be the very one who will betray Jesus. And for Jesus to wish him speed, Matthew just cannot understand. But with all this focus on betrayal, the focus turns back to the meal. Passover will remain important, but will be altered for us to look forward, not backward anymore.
Matthew continues in verse 26 saying … “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. [verse 27] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; [verse 28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” For the remission of sins. This meal is about the removal of the addiction of sin and our slavery to it. It is only the life of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus, that empowers Jesus to re-create in you what needs to be re-created. A new creature. A new person. A person devoid of sin. A person who no longer craves sin, or wanders into it mysteriously. A person who loves others so passionately they become in harmony with God, with His Laws, and with His heart. This is the very core, the very power of the Gospel. The power of Jesus does not end at forgiveness, it only begins there. The power of Jesus carries through to ending sin completely, in you.
But so that we would have an idea of how special we are to God. Jesus creates a new tradition even for Himself. Matthew continues in verse 29 saying … “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. [verse 30] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” Jesus will deny himself the taste of our grape juice, even the perfected version of it heaven alone can offer, until He drinks it again with us. You can bet He has likely worked up quite a taste for that now. And given the symbolism of drinking that drink when we are ALL back together at home in His kingdom – that is going to be some world class grape juice not a one of us can avoid loving. I am not much of a grape juice fan here. I have it on occasion, mostly prefer Kadem sparkling version. But up there, you can just leave me a few pitchers of that stuff, I want a belly full. They sang a hymn. And they moved on. The last meal was now a matter of history …
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