There is far more going on in the Upper Room than meets the eye. Christ is present, but so are other heavenly beings. Lurking in the spiritual shadows, Satan readies himself for a vicious assault on Christ. Betrayal, disunity, deceit, Satan brings it all to bear as he strives even now to derail Christ’s journey to Golgotha. Serpent-like he strikes at Jesus’ inner circle. He enters into Judas (13:27)…
And as this cosmic clash echoes through eternity, no-one notices!! Immense realities hang in the balance, and there is barely a ripple on the surface of human experience. The disciples are utterly unaware of all that is unfolding before their very eyes. As far as they can see, they are sharing the Last Supper (although they don’t yet know it is the Last Supper). As for the spiritual warfare that rages around them, and the judgement that falls in their midst, they are oblivious.
This isn’t the last time that the Lord’s Supper becomes an arena for such profound spiritual dynamics. When the Apostle Paul writes to the Church at Corinth, he reveals that again, the bread and wine of the sacrament become either life or death, judgement or blessing depending on how they are received (I Cor.10:27-32).
This remains the conviction of the Church even yet. Article 28 of the Church of England’s basis of faith celebrates that when received ‘rightly, worthily and with faith’ and ‘in a Spiritual manner’ the Lord’s Supper is ‘a sacrament of our redemption through Christ’s death’. Article 29 warns that those who partake without ‘a living faith … are in no way partakers of Christ. Rather, by eating and drinking the sign or sacrament of so great a thing, they bring condemnation on themselves’.
And still, as eternal destinies are forged in our Churches week by week, there is barely a ripple on the surface of human experience.
Questions
Read Is.41:21-29. Against that backdrop, why do Jesus underline the fact that He know what will happen (v.18-19 & 21)? How does His foreknowledge strengthen our faith in Him (v.19)?
Do you think of yourself as someone ‘sent by Christ’, and sent with such delegated authority to represent Christ, that if someone rejects you, they are in fact rejecting Christ, and in turn, the Father (v.20)? How does this affect your attitude to questions such as holiness, evangelism etc.?
Does the presence and activity of Satan in such a profoundly intimate and holy moment between Jesus and His disciples surprise you? …disturb you? …concern you? Do you think much about the spiritual dynamics that surround worship, and who or what may be present as the saints gather to do so week by week? How should such awareness affect us?
What had Judas done to make himself vulnerable to Satan in this way? Can you track the journey that brought him to this point?
How has Judas managed to convince the disciples he is one of them, whilst actually harbouring the capacity to betray Jesus in this way? How do you think Judas had been able to be so involved with Jesus and His mission, whilst still being so duplicitous?
How can we become more like the Jesus who was so gracious and generous even to one He knew would ultimately betray Him?
What does this passage teach us about the realities of Church life?
