Tag: judas

The Last Supper continues

September 16, 2025

Good morning,

A few months ago I picked the footwashing scene from the Gospel of John as my text going forward in my life. It is such an intimate event for Jesus and his disciples. but then there’s a problem. Peter does not want to have Jesus wash his feet. It upsets the fine evening. The dinner has all kinds of tension in it. Jesus wants to teach them humility with this act of service, but I am not sure it works.


As the evening continues in John 13:18-30 , Jesus says that someone in the room is the betrayer. This must have been a shock to the group except for Judas. He says it is not all of them in the room. Peter asks another disciple to ask Jesus who it is ? Jesus says it is the one whom I give the bread dipped in the wine. But there seems to be confusion about what it happening in the room. Judas was the treasurer of the group, so some thought Jesus was telling him to go buy the food for the evening.

 “But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.  Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.  As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.”  verses 28-30

Often I am like the disciples and am unclear what is going on in the church and in life. How can Israel continue to kill children, and the world community cannot stop them ? How can the war in Ukraine continue on the same pieces of land for so many years ? How can we ( and I am very guilty here ) continue to fly places knowing that fossil fuels make more pollution ? Are we stuck, or hope that someone else will fix the problems of war and climate. ? We must continue to advocate for change. It is our task.

The disciples did not always perceive Jesus’ teaching.  Here at the beginning of the supper, they are fighting, and one of their own is now accused of conspiring to kill their saviour, their teacher and their rabbi. What next ??
Praying for all the leaders of all nations to work for a better peace . AMEN

Fred

black and white shadows

crush humanity’s freedom

am I complicit ?

 MPL 2025

Food Fight

May 13, 2025

Good morning,

“When he( Judas ) was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:31-35

Judas leaves the supper (verse 30 ). Jesus tells him to betray him quickly. Earlier, at the beginning of the supper, there is the strange and healing event about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. This was not enough to change the mind of Judas. The whole last supper is full of intrigue. There is a power struggle among the disciples, the betrayal by Judas, and Peter getting angry with Jesus about getting his dirty feet washed. It is an uproar. I am surprised there is not a food fight. Remember next time, you take communion, that the first meal was a tough supper of food and conversation.

With all this dissension and controversy, Jesus flips the conversation, ” I am leaving for good, ” he says. You must now love one another as I have loved you. The followers of Jesus had given up everything. As fishermen, they did not have much, but they wanted the kingdom of God. This is what Jesus had promised them. Had they got the wrong message ? Had I got the wrong message, when I was baptized at 17 ? Well, I am still looking for the kingdom of God. It is not under the hundreds of rocks I have looked at ? I have not seen it in the sky. I have glimpsed it sometimes in the eyes of people, and in the colour of the tulips, but I have not seen the whole thing… yet . What about you ? How do we love each other in the midst of a crisis of belief ?

Pray for the kingdom to arrive in GAZA today. AMEN

Fred

black and white shadows
crush humanity’s freedom
am I complicit ?

MPL 2025