Matthew 26:17-35

Be Still: Lord, quiet the noise within me that I may hear your voice. Amen

Read: Matthew 26:17-35

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me. (v20-21)

Encounter: Rib-eye steak medium rare. Garlic butter mushrooms. Tenderstem broccoli. Triple cooked chips in beef dripping. San Pellegrino Limonata to finish. That would be my last meal. I love food, and if you do, we would likely be friends.

The saying is true though: It's the company that makes a meal. Some fellow guests can make the finest rib-eye indigestible; others make beans-on-toast a Michelin feast. So, a better question would be: ‘Who you would want at the table?’

Today’s passage takes place the night before Jesus' crucifixion. It is his final meal. We don't know much about the food, but we know exactly who he ate with - his disciples including one who would betray him. And Jesus knew it. He had always known it. (And, two thousand years' later, he still knows who will trust him and who will turn away.)

Jesus chose every guest that night. Each disciple had been hand-selected to follow him, and each invited to dine with him that evening. For his final meal Jesus included the very one who would hand him over. 

His love is so great that it reaches us even in the face of betrayal. Jesus does not only forgive what we have done; he loves us in full knowledge of what we will do. Still he invites us close. Whatever you've done or are doing, his love invites you to the table to be changed.

I've learned that my heart only begins to change when I accept that invitation. Jesus shows me I don't need a 'sorted' heart or life before I take a seat. At his table I find transformation. 

Apply: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you're holding back from Jesus because you feel unworthy. What would it look like to take your place at his table with honesty and trust?

Devote: Jesus, thank you for inviting me to your table even when my heart is conflicted and imperfect. Change me from the inside out as I sit with you. Help me to live with the humility of one who has been welcomed by grace.