I Quit!

A Series on Lent
The stories of Passion Week – the disciples
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 22:7-38 

[Lent is a 40-day season of personal reflection with the purpose to prepare your heart to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. In this series on Lent, we will be looking into the stories of Passion Week. How the people who were directly involved were impacted and how that applies to us today.]

  

After three years of college at Michigan Tech… I quit! Not just transfer but quit! Even though my parents had paid for my schooling, I unilaterally made the decision without consulting them.

 

They had made every sacrifice for me to get an education. Looking back on it, I can only imagine how they felt when I told them my decision. Angry, hurt, frustrated, confused, fearful, concerned. They may have even felt like they failed as parents.

 

Luke 22 tells the story of the Last Supper. It was the Thursday of Passover week and the disciples’ gathered together to celebrate. Passover dates back to when Moses was about to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land.

 

To avoid the impending curse of the death of every first born, each Hebrew household sacrificed a lamb and smeared the blood of the lamb over their doorpost. By doing this, the curse would “pass over” their family.

 

You can picture Jesus and his disciples as they reclined at the table for Passover. Because of the excitement about everything that had recently happened, the conversation may have become quite animated.

 

After all, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead; He entered Jerusalem like a conquering king; He cleared the temple and faced down the religious leaders. Therefore, just like when Moses had freed the Israelites, the disciples likely assumed that the time had arrived when Jesus would take power.

 

Instead, Jesus said that one of them was going to betray him. Following this, they argued amongst themselves about who was the greatest. Finally, when Simon vowed that he would follow Jesus to prison or even death, Jesus told Simon that he would deny him three times before the next morning.

 

In the Gospel of Matthew version of the Last Supper, Jesus quoted this prophecy from Zechariah to his disciples.

 

³¹ “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’                 NIV

 

Like my parents, Jesus may have had the same feelings about his disciples. He had invested in them for three years. They had lived together twenty-four, seven. He had personally picked them, taught them and given them every possible advantage to succeed. Yet they failed because they quit!

 

It’s easy to judge the disciples for deserting Jesus in his hour of need. But before you do, ask yourself this. Have you ever doubted Jesus and not trusted him? Have you ever decided to go your own way? Have you ever disappointed him? Have you ever quit on him?

 

The Good News is that the story didn’t end with the Last Supper. Like the blood of the sacrificial lamb in Egypt that saved the Hebrews, Jesus is our sacrificial lamb. 

The difference is that he was raised from the dead and invites us to sit at the table with him. He is knocking at the door of our heart, waiting for us to open it and let him in.

 

²⁰ “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.                                                                                  Revelation 3             NLT

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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