Adapted from a message included in the Concordia Publishing House Lenten Series Witnesses to Christ
Judas Iscariot
Text: John 13:21-30
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
It took three years to complete. It’s one of the most recognized paintings in the world. You can find its image on carpets, carvings, and canvases. One of the most memorable things about my grandparents’ house was the massive latch hook version of this painting in their dining room. With lifelike facial expressions unable to be captured by anyone else at the time, the 15 x 29-foot painting became an instant masterpiece. You may have guessed that I’m talking about The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
When da Vinci was forty-three years old, the Duke of Milan asked him to paint this dramatic scene. Da Vinci worked for three years (1495–98, though not constantly) on the assignment, grouping the disciples into threes—two groups on either side of the central figure of Jesus.
When the masterpiece was finished, da Vinci said to a friend, “Look at it and give me your honest opinion.” “It’s wonderful!” exclaimed the friend. “Christ’s chalice is so real I can’t take my eyes off it!” Immediately, da Vinci took a brush and painted over the chalice, exclaiming, “Nothing shall detract from Jesus!”
Nothing shall detract from Jesus! And why is that? There are plenty of reasons that nothing should ever detract from Jesus, but one of the biggest as it relates to the night we remember tonight, is that Jesus was betrayed. Let that soak in. Jesus was betrayed. The Words of Institution for the Holy Supper begin, “On the night when He was betrayed.” We hear these words so often that we don’t really hear them.
Tonight, we meet Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. And we meet him in the Upper Room on that very night Jesus was betrayed. “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me”
Betrayed by Judas, one of His twelve disciples. Betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Betrayed by Judas with a kiss! Betrayed by Judas in a garden east of Jerusalem called Gethsemane. Betrayed! That’s why da Vinci exclaimed, “Nothing shall detract from Jesus!” Jesus was betrayed for us.
According to Matthew’s Gospel, Judas was seated close to Jesus—close enough for the two of them to carry on a private conversation. It may be that the Savior singles out Judas as an important guest. Then Jesus gives Judas a morsel of bread, even while still holding on to his plan to betray Jesus. “Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.” The term Satan is only used to tell this story in John’s Gospel. It accents the absolute seriousness of the situation. John 6 calls Judas a devil, while Mark 5 and Luke 8 employ the same vocabulary to describe evil spirits entering those possessed by demons.
Da Vinci paints the spilled saltshaker next to the elbow of Judas Iscariot. What for? In Matthew 5, Jesus tells His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” The salt Judas once was is now lost because of his greed. The same could happen to us in our greed—our constant lust for more.
The painting depicts the disciples eating herring. In da Vinci’s northern Italian dialect, the word for herring is renga. Renga—in that dialect—also describes someone who denies religion. Which tells us that Judas isn’t the only sinner present at the Supper. Peter denied Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard. The disciples desert Jesus in Gethsemane. Renga! All of them! Renga! But not just them. All of us!
John writes, “After receiving the morsel of bread, he [Judas] immediately went out. And it was night.” It’s dark. The whole scene is dark. Jesus warned that night is coming. Night and darkness are coming in a way none of them expected.
Jesus allowed all of this to happen for you. Those two words “For you” are powerful Gospel words! For. God is not against you or in opposition to you. God is not your enemy. God is for you. Not just for her and him, for these and those. God’s love is intensely personal. It’s for you!
We don’t go to restaurants all that often, but when we do the hostess always wants to know how many are in our party. Sometimes we’ll have to count to make sure everyone’s there, but can you imagine going to a restaurant and not knowing how many people are with you? The hostess asks “How many are in your party?” And you say, “I’m not sure.” The hostess says again, “How many will be joining you for dinner?” And you say, “I don’t know.” Tonight, you’re invited to dinner. When it comes to the Lord’s Supper, you know how many are in your party. Two. Holy Communion is a table for two! You’ll be sharing that table with those you’re in fellowship with, but the reservation is for you and Jesus. Real body/real blood given for you!
Martin Luther writes, “This is something more than the sermon; for although the same thing is present in the sermon as in the sacrament, here there is the advantage that it is directed at definite individuals.” That’s because Jesus never gives up on you. You may give up on you, but Jesus will never give up on you. When soldiers spit in His face, Jesus didn’t give up. When a whip ripped open His back, Jesus didn’t give up. When nails pierced His hands and feet, Jesus didn’t give up. Even when we betray and deny Him, Jesus doesn’t give up. Jesus will never give up on you.
Did you know that since its completion in 1498, The Last Supper has been falling apart? Leonardo da Vinci—always the inventor—tried using new materials for this painting. Instead of using the customary wet plaster, he used dry plaster. The dry plaster worked well artistically, but not well for sustainability. Experts have been working on restoring the original ever since.
How fitting! The Lord’s Supper is for people whose lives, like the painting, are always falling apart. In this life, we never get it right! Thank God we have the Gospel words “for you”!
In the Lord’s Supper, God acts for you—right now. God delivers Christ’s true body and true blood here and now. Some people claim that Holy Communion is simply the remembrance of a man who died. But it’s in fact the exact opposite of that. Holy Communion is a true meal with a man who lives!
Because the Is in “Take, eat; this is My body” and “Take, drink; this is My blood” means “is.” Is doesn’t mean “signifies,” “represents,” or “symbolizes.” That view didn’t even arise until the eleventh century when it was promoted by a French theologian named Berengar of Tours, whose watchwords were “flee to reason.” No. Flee to Scripture! “This is for you!”
There are plenty of things in this life that surprise us. Things that aren’t as they seem. What may look ordinary can be completely extraordinary. The Lord’s Supper is like that. When Christ’s words—“Take, eat; this is My body; and take, drink; this is My blood”—are spoken over bread and wine, it’s not what we expect. It’s so much more! The bread participates with Christ’s body! The wine participates with Christ’s blood! What may look ordinary is completely extraordinary.
But there’s more! There’s always more in the Gospel. Da Vinci’s The Last Supper includes a view of heaven. The Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. Jesus is coming to restore all things. At the heavenly banquet, we’ll no longer have to look at our sin. We’ll be perfect, wearing white robes washed in the blood of Jesus. At the heavenly banquet, we’ll no longer be sad because of broken hearts and broken lives. In heaven, we’ll be gathered together with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. At the heavenly banquet, we’ll no longer need Jesus to come to us in the Sacrament. We will see Jesus face-to-face, and He will fill us with unspeakable joy that will never end!
People use a lot of words when they speak about Holy Communion. Words such as Sacrament and Eucharist. But some of the most important words about Communion are these two short words, “for you.”
For you—in the past, Christ died. For you—right now, Christ is present. For you—in the future, you will partake of the marriage feast of the Lamb that will have no end! Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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