(The Disciples) They went off and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal. Luke 22:13
I wonder if the disciples were surprised or amazed that they found everything Jesus had told them?
Or I wonder if they were a bit hesitant or worried that they wouldn’t find everything Jesus had told them?
Why would they doubt or worry about that? Hadn’t Jesus already numerous times, showed his trustworthiness to them? Hadn’t he always followed through with an action that affirmed what He was teaching them, or telling them?
Yes…but let’s think about that for a moment…We are human…we have doubts…we have moments of weakness…We hesitate often in making decisions about the unknown…
If the disciples were feeling any sense of doubt..they didn’t let that influence their decision…
They went off and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal. Luke 22:13
But, Judas, in today’s gospel…that’s a different story…
I think about how many times, it takes just one solitary moment of doubt, and insecurity, to set us down a road of denial and betrayal that consumes our lives…just as we heard in today’s reading… when Judas, one of the disciples, in a moment of human weakness…was seized by Satan, and chooses to betray the trust of not only Jesus, but his fellow disciples…
One moment of weakness…could have been any one of us…
Will we choose this day…to build a solid foundation of trust in the Lord, so that in moments of weakness, we will rely on the love and guidance of Jesus…trusting, that in Him…trusting in His Words…trusting when and where he sends each one of us…that everything we need…will be there?
This day, I pray, that we will choose trust in the One, who gives us life.
They went off and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal. Luke 22:13
Luke 21:37-22:13
Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple. Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it." They asked him, "Where do you want us to make preparations for it?" "Listen," he said to them, "when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, 'The teacher asks you, "Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there."
So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska