Luke 22:14-30: Ambitions To Be Just Like Them, or Like Me?

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  - Luke 22:14-30

Jesus told all his disciples at that last supper, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you..." Each of them received the cup of wine and the bread from Jesus' hands. Jesus tells them how much he wanted to be with all of them. In another passage, he goes on to strip off his outer clothing and washes all of their feet.

The disciples can sense that something is happening, but they don't really know what it is. Jesus has just healed Lazarus, a miracle which has garnered all sorts of attention. Jesus has been speaking more directly to them with fewer riddles. They have concluded that the next big act in Jesus' ministry about to begin. But ambition has seeped into their souls.

We have a tendency to put a score card over each person's head. We always have top marks on our internal report card or, if not top marks, then we have a strong asterisk describing the extenuating circumstances that have prevented us from achieving our best. So the disciples are taking a survey to see who might have missed the good mark and how the rankings may have been affected

First, they do a group check to see who are the faithful and who is the traitor.

Second, they start to rank each other based on perceived closeness to Jesus. 

Jesus looks around at them, all scrambling for his approval all the while losing it. He says, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that."

Here is the kingdom of God. you hate the cruel Romans. You think the high priests are crooks. But your actions show that, even if you were to toss them all our on their collective ears, you would just replace them with your cruel and crooked selves. Is your aim really just to take their place at the top of the manure pile? Or have you really changed? I am one among you who serves. Who will you be?

We pretend that we are ambitious for all the right reasons. But Jesus is looking for someone who is willing to descend into a greatness conferred, not by his virtue, but by God's grace.

Luke 22:21-24: The Traitor at the Table

The grace and hospitality we receive from God at His table compels us to offer grace and hospitality to the hurting and broken in our world - Pastor Mike Lueken

Jesus pictured his kingdom as a banquet. The surprising aspect of his meals was who was invited and who accepted. In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son accepts the Father's invitation while the older son stays outside in anger (Luke 15). The invited wedding banquet guests decline, but the willing bystander enjoys the festivities (Matthew 22). In the last supper, Jesus says "I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you..." (Luke 22:15) N.T. Wright adds, "Jesus' kingdom-stories made it clear that all and sundry were potential beneficiaries, with the most striking examples being the poor and sinners."[1]

• Jesus extends an open invitation to join him at the table. 
• He welcomes those who come. 
• He challenges those to live as his renewed community. 
• He summons those to join him on his mission.

Jesus lived out his own parables when he invited his disciples to celebrate a Passover meal with him. Strangely--at least to me--each time this last supper is described, he describes the presence of traitors at the table. Apparently, it wasn't clear who it would be:

But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.... The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. - Luke 22:21, 23

While Judas was the focus of Jesus' attention at the meal in this regard, Jesus was aware how fragile the loyalty of all of the followers at the table. Watch their reactions to Jesus:

And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” ... Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” - Matthew 26:21-22, 25

They weren't sure it wasn't them. They weren't sure it wasn't someone else with them. Jesus had already called out their faith as fragile (Matt. 26:34-35) In fact, "Judas's act of betrayal differed in degree, but not in kind from many other disloyalties...the most powerful message of Jesus was his unquenchable love even for-especially for--people who betrayed him."[2]

The difference was not in the degree of treachery, but in the trust in God's mercy.

The seat at the table is just as level-setting as the foot of the cross. We are all equal. We all come to the table not just as failures, but as traitors. We all come to the table in need of grace and Jesus' welcome. We all can help others come to Jesus' table by offering them the same grace and welcome that Jesus offers us.


[1]N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 245
[2]Philip Yancey, Grace Notes, March 15