What does it mean to be at the table? Who was at the table? More correctly, what attitudes were represented at the table? More pointedly, what is our posture at the table?
When we survey the scene, we discover that there was a lot of negative at the table. Desertion was at the table. Judas was there, but he had already made his plans to betray Jesus to the religious orthodoxy bent on His destruction. Are we guilty of desertion? Our world today is in desperate need for those who will stand with Jesus against oppression, discrimination, intolerance, corruption, hypocrisy.
Delay was at the table. Jesus said to His disciples, “Before the night’s over, you’re going to fall to pieces because of what will happen to Me.” Jesus told them that there was going to be a delay in their stewardship. And the result of delay is that we are out of fellowship at a crucial time.
Denial was at the table. Even with Jesus telling them different, Peter spoke up and led the disciples in a chorus of denial—“Even if everyone else deserts You, Master, I’ll still be here…I’ll die with You, Jesus!”
Are we guilty of denial? Spiritual things will never make sense to us if we try to consider them with secular minds. This is why Paul tells us, in one place, that we must be transformed by having our minds renewed, and in another place, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Demand was at the table. Philip said to Jesus, “Show us the Father, and then, we’ll be content.” Demanding means we think we can insist to God. But Jesus is still Lord, even when He doesn’t meet our demand.
At the table with Jesus was desertion, delay, denial and a demand. But most important, duty was at the table. Jesus had a duty to perform—to locate the lost, to disunite humanity from the penalty for their sin, to secure our salvation. And Jesus wouldn’t let desertion, delay, denial or demands prevent Him from performing His duty.
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