Jesus Reads His Will
Matthew 26:17-30
1. There is drama
2. There is forgiveness
3. There is certainty
Maundy Thursday
April 13, 2006
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate that Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (NIV)
I don't know if you've ever been at the reading of a will. I haven't. But I imagine that it must be something of a dramatic scene. There are a number of things that could add to the drama. First, if the deceased has something of value to give away, that could add to the drama. Who will get it? Will he divide it equally among his family members?
Secondly, if there had been some friction in the past between the deceased and some of the members of his family, that would add to the drama. This is the last chance the deceased has to heal the rift. After the reading of the will, it's too late for the living to do anything to change things..
There is an example of this sort of drama in the movie Rain Man. Very early in the movie, Charlie Babbit, the character played by Tom Cruise, goes to the reading of the will after his father's funeral. It’s no secret that Charlie's father had been a man of some means, so naturally there is drama about how the estate would be distributed—especially since there had been a large rift between Charlie and his father dating back to a time when Charlie took the family car out for a drive against his father's will, and his father had called the stolen car in to the police. Then he'd let Charlie spend a night in jail. The relationship between the two had never been the same.
There is some tension in Charlie Babbit as that will is read. And for good reason. When the estate is divided, Charlie's brother gets $3 million, while Charlie gets some rosebushes of his father's--and the car that had split them apart. The drama is etched across Tom Cruise's face.
Finally, it can be dramatic--and heartbreaking--if there are any ambiguities in the wording of the will. You often hear of families going to court to contest the will, and sometimes someone who thought they had inherited something wonderful--yes, someone who had even been promised something wonderful--finds out that the will was worded too poorly for that to actually happen.
But perhaps the most dramatic way in which a will can be read is when the deceased reads it himself--when he records a videotape of himself before he dies and asks that the tape be played at the reading of the will
That is what we're going to see tonight. Tonight we attend an intimate gathering, as Jesus gathers his family around him and gives his last will and testament--in person.
1. There is drama
The scene is fairly familiar to most of us. It is Thursday of Holy Week. The next day Jesus would die. Jesus instructs his disciples to make preparations for the eating of the Passover meal.
They do, and that evening, a group of 13 men gathered in an upper room. The city must have been fairly quiet, as it was the night for the celebration of the Passover.
Jesus had told the disciples many times that he was going to die, and he had even made it clear that his death would take place in Jerusalem. Now he was in Jerusalem.
But the events of the past few days must have left the disciples' heads spinning. Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead not too long ago. There had been a triumphal entry on Palm Sunday in which people had proclaimed him the Messiah. Yes, there were rumors that the Pharisees didn't like Jesus, but it certainly appeared as though he had many of the common people willing to defend him. And besides, if Jesus had the power to raise people from the dead, what could really stop him?
Knowing this--and so that the faith of the disciples might not be completely destroyed when he is arrested, tried, and crucified--Jesus once again makes reference to the fact that he would die. He states that one of the disciples would betray him.
Clearly it was time for his last will and testament. It was time for Jesus to announce what he was leaving with the members of his family.
The thought of it is dramatic, isn't it? And one of the reasons for the drama is the power that Jesus had. But it's not because Jesus has power over our daily lives. It's true--in fact, the Bible tells us so--everything we have--material possessions, our health, our time--everything is a gift from God.
Being God, Jesus had power over those things. Indeed, as Jesus told Pilate a few hours later, "You would have no power over me except that it was given to you by my father.” (John 19:11) Even the men who tried and convicted Jesus had that power only because Jesus had given it to them.
But the drama comes because Jesus had power over something far more impressive, far more intimidating. As Jesus told the crowd when he healed the paralytic, "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." (Mark 2:10)
If the Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, the reverse was also true, wasn't it? Jesus also had the power not to forgive sins. We know that the person who has the power to do that has by association the power to send people to hell also. Because the wages of sin is death. Therefore the person whose sins are not forgiven by Jesus will die eternally in the fires of hell. If Jesus makes no mention of the forgiveness of sins in his will, that would be much worse than going to the reading of a will and learning that our rich parents left us with nothing. If Jesus makes no mention of the forgiveness of sins, he has indeed left us something. He has left us a lifetime of hopelessness, followed by an eternity of suffering.
Yes, as Jesus prepares to read his will, there is drama. Our very souls hang in the balance. Because Jesus has the power to distribute--or not to distribute--the precious gift of the forgiveness of sins.
2. There is forgiveness
As we watch, Jesus takes some bread and says, "Take and eat. This is my body, given for you." We see him take a cup of wine and hand it to the disciples, telling them to drink it, saying, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out...for the forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:28).
Jesus makes reference to the forgiveness of sins. As we've said, we can't deny that he has the right to announce the forgiveness of sins if he wants to. Less than 24 hours after this, Jesus proved that by doing exactly as he had promised. He would suffer terrible physical pain on the cross. But he would also suffer something I can barely even try to describe, because none of us have ever experienced it. He suffered hell as a payment for sin.
And when Jesus rose from the dead 3 days later, there could be no doubt that he held the power over the devil, power over death, and power over sins. Indeed, if Jesus wants to offer forgiveness of sins to someone, he certainly has the power to.
And that's what we see Jesus doing here--offering the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is indeed distributing the most valuable thing he has.
But what about us? Yes, we see Jesus here talking about the forgiveness of sins. But that's nothing that he didn't do many other places in the Bible in a vague, general, blanket sort of way. And anyway, there's no way that Jesus would really make that sort of offer, there's no way Jesus would really make that sort of promise, there's no way Jesus would will that to people like us.
I means, let’s think back on our past relationship with Jesus. We recall the times we saw storms coming in our lives and, like the disciples, were afraid. (Mark 4:35-41) We recall the times when, like Thomas, we refused to take Jesus at his word, refused to believe his promises (John 20:25), but instead demanded proof of them, proof, for instance, that he really meant it when he said he was watching out for and caring for us. We recall the times when, like James and John, we were more interested in making sure that we got what we thought we were owed as followers of Christ than we were in washing one another's feet. (Matthew 20:20-28) We recall the times when, like Peter, our actions screamed out to the world, "Jesus? I don't know the man!" (Matthew 26:69-75)
Like Charlie Babbit as he prepared to hear the reading of his father's will, as he prepared to hear the final word on his broken relationship with his father, there was a little apprehension as we prepared to hear the final word on the relationship between us and Jesus.
And now even as we hear Jesus speak of forgiveness, the devil might tempt us to think, "Well, he's speaking to the disciples, and not to people like you. First of all, Jesus knew the disciples personally. And besides, they were good people. Sure, Jesus was offering forgiveness to them. After all, they hung with Jesus through sunny days and rainy days for 3 years--even though there were far more rainy days than sunny ones. Yes, Jesus is speaking to the disciples here. But not people like you."
But isn't that exactly what the disciples were--people like us? Didn't we just say that Thomas was a sinner, weak in his faith in Jesus? Didn't we just say that James and John were at times every bit as petty and self-centered as we can be? Didn't we just say that Peter was every bit as defiant a sinner as we sometimes are? Yes, the disciples were indeed just like you and me--sinful, in need of--and yet completely undeserving of--forgiveness.
And yet it is to the disciples that Jesus speaks these words--all of them. He says, "Drink from it, all of you." Not just Bartholomew, who doesn't have any sins recorded in Scripture. Not just John, who, although sinful, appears to have been the closest to Jesus. All of them. And each of them. And each of us.
Truly, in Jesus' will he gives us his body and his blood, and he announces forgiveness to us. In Jesus' will there is forgiveness.
3. There is certainty
Or does it just appear that way? Are we perhaps misunderstanding the terms of the will? Come to think of it, it does seem a little too good to be true. Does it only seem as though we are about to inherit something wonderful? Are we in for a big letdown?
Not a chance. Jesus didn't leave that possibility open. In addition to this being Jesus' last will and testament, Jesus also says that this is his new covenant. If there's one thing we know about a covenant--that is, a solemn, binding agreement--it's that it demands very precise wording so that there will be no chance of misunderstanding. If there's one thing we know about a will, it's the same thing. This is one of the reasons people are encouraged not to write their will by themselves--because it's too easy for ambiguous language to slip in there and to cause problems for the heirs.
Jesus left no room for this sort of thing by using very precise wording. When Jesus says, "This is my body" and "this is my blood" he wants you to know and believe that you are truly receiving his body and blood. Though it may be beyond our comprehension, that does not mean that it is beyond our belief. In fact, it dare not be. Jesus didn't allow us that option. He wanted nothing to be able to rob you of that assurance.
When Jesus says, "for you", he invites you to believe that your sins are forgiven--for they most certainly are forgiven. Your relationship with God is most certainly restored. You most certainly are an heir of heaven. You! Not just some of the people here in church. Not even just the other people next to you at the communion rail. Them too, yes, but Jesus is speaking to no one but you when he comes to you and says, "Take and eat." When you receive his body and blood, they are to be a seal and assurance of your forgiveness. When he says to you that it is for the forgiveness of sins, you are to believe that you have the forgiveness of sins.
Feel free to watch the reading of the will over and over again. Indeed, do watch it over and over again. But don't do so skeptically--as though Jesus appeared to say something that he didn't actually mean. Don't do so fearfully--as though Jesus is going to withdraw the offer. A will cannot be changed once the person has died. And now that Jesus has also rose again, you can be sure that he will make sure that the will remains in force.
Indeed, watch the reading of the will over and over again. Appreciate the drama of waiting to hear what Jesus has left us--or what he has not left us. Hear those wonderful words of forgiveness. Hear the clarity, the certainty in those words. And then follow Jesus' command to take and eat, to take and drink, to believe his words. Prepare yourself to do that right now. Prepare to once again walk into that upper room with Jesus and hear him read his will to you. Prepare to come and claim your inheritance. Claim your forgiveness of sins, and with it the sure hope of heaven. Amen.