Maunday Thursday Reflections

Sat in the presence of Jesus,

We thought it was just for supper he’d gathered us.

He was jovial at first, recounting the great times we had experienced together.

How little did we know what was to come.

Not knowing that this would be the ‘Last Supper’ we would all share together.

Not recognizing those immensity of those words ‘this is my body’ and ‘this is my blood’ or what they would mean literally.

We ate together, we drank together, we laughed together, not knowing that later, we would be crying in despair together.

Place yourself in that upper room, take in the ambience, the lighting, the smells, the taste and the atmosphere of joy and togetherness.

In that upper room, reminiscing Together, sharing our stories of the past three years and breaking bread Together, we sat Together.

Then out of the blue Jesus says, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’

I was shocked, we were all shocked Together, although I had a feeling that one of us wasn’t that shocked.

All Together we were wondering, who could he mean, ‘surely not me’!

Then Together we recognized who it was when Jesus went on to say, ‘The one who dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.’

We All Together looked and saw, exactly who it was.

Before any of us could react or say anything, ‘the one’, got up and left immediately.

We were no longer All Together, one of our gang had left with an air of betrayal lingering on in his wake.

Think of a time when you have been let down. How did you feel?

All Together, (well the rest of us) with Jesus left to go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

Jesus wanders off to a solitary spot to pray. All of us Together were committed to praying with him and for him, in the rejection he had suffered by Judas.

Judas wasn’t the only one to let him down. For we were All Together guilty of falling asleep. Especially when Jesus had specifically asked us All Together to ‘keep watch and pray’.

Not only once, but three times we had All Together let him down, while he was wrestling with the ‘cup of suffering’ he was to taste  that lay before him.

The third time was the worst, as the soldiers and Judas came to arrest him, at least we All Together stood at his side.

Then it became all to clear what was occurring, but this time All Together we fled, like lambs being chased by wolves.

How does it feel when you are part of a group?

How does it feel when you are isolated from that group?

This time, not All Together I fled like a gazelle being chased by lions. I was trying to keep a low profile, but its difficult when you’ve been seen around with Jesus.

Word had got round about what had taken place and three times, people accused me of knowing him.

Of course, each time, I denied knowing him.

Then those words of Jesus to me, hit me like a ton of bricks crashing down on me just as I heard a cockerel crow. ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’

I fled once more, my heart was torn, as tears streamed from my face and my heart pounded in fear and despair.

We were certainly now not All Together, in fact we were all isolated and scattered.

I couldn’t believe what I had done, I was no better than that rascal Judas.

I felt ashamed, I felt disappointed that I wasn’t willing to call Jesus my friend in his darkest hour. I had failed him! All Together we had failed him.

Think of the turmoil Peter goes through alone. How does it make you feel? Would it have been any better had he been Together with the others?