Getting your elbow off the Button

There is a story told about a young couple who are “dating” or “courting”. This was the second date and there was the expectation of the first kiss. The couple stood under the light of the front door and the young man leaned up against the wall. The young man asked the young lady if he could give her a good night kiss. The young lady was not so sure, telling her young man “Daddy might not like it.” After a couple moments he asked again if he could kiss her goodnight and she replied the same way, “Daddy won’t like it.” After a couple more moments of awkward silence a crackly voice came over the intercom. It was the young lady’s sister who counseled her sister in this way, “Oh for goodness sake give the boy a kiss! And Daddy told me to also tell you that if you don’t want to I can come down and do it for you. If necessary, Daddy will come down and do it for you. But please whatever you decide, get him to take his elbow off the intercom button!”  

Much happens in those moments of the upper room where Jesus gathers with his disciples. We have many labels for it including “the Lord’s Supper “and “the Last Supper”. And it got me to thinking about how we connect with those moments here in the present. It is particularly striking in that we as Christians come and gather around a table to hear the Word proclaimed and preached. We come to be filled so that we might be ready for service in the world. We come that we might be sent again to participate in the coming of the kingdom of our community.    We will do that around the tables of our various churches and congregations empowered by the thoughts of the risen Jesus and the new life that is offered in him. Maybe that is why I find it hard to realize what it is that John’s Gospel is trying to communicate to us through the experience of having to let Judas go way from the table to finally and unavoidably move things to the cross.

Judas had been given all kinds of chances to change his mind. He was one of the last to be picked and Jesus in choosing him knew what was in Judas’ heart. Judas was invited to become not only one of the inner circle, of the famed twelve who were the closest to Jesus, he was entrusted with the money and purse of the group. He was given this task in spite of the fact that he was known to be a thief and that he was talking money out of the purse for himself.  He was able to teach and to preach, to heal and do the things that the other members of the Twelve can do. He was even treated as an honoured guest by Jesus at the dinner that night, Jesus himself serving Judas “the sop”. It was all to no avail. Judas still chose to go his own way, to do what he thought was right in spite of the appeals to change his heart and his path. Seeing that he was bent on doing it, Jesus let Judas’ go to his errand.

Judas being who he was, he had the desire (as did the rest of the 12) to be strong and powerful in this world and in the government he thought Jesus was going to inaugurate. Jesus was not exactly co-operating. Jesus had put forth a vision of the kingdom but it was not supposed to be that way and so Judas was determined to make his vision happen. He was will to force the issue and Jesus to use some of the great power he had to make things happen the way in which he wanted them to. In announcing that he is about to be betrayed by one of those closest to him, Jesus forces Judas’ hand, forcing the choice as to which way he will go. Judas chooses himself. Jesus honours that – allows him to go and fulfill his murderous plan.

In the middle of all this is the rest of the Twelve and other disciples. They are only interested it would seem in who the traitor amongst them is and then there is, at least for the moment there is no further action or reaction. The fact that Jesus restrains Peter to keep him from killing the High Priest’s servant later in the garden continues to show that Jesus is in charge and will give up his life on his terms and in his way. Nevertheless, the strain on Jesus is now evident and he is sharing that with those around him.

And so Jesus gives them a new way to live. He commands them to love each other as he has loved them so that the rest of the world will know that they belong to Christ and can see and know that Christ lives amongst them. We are not just to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, we are to love them better than that, we are to love them without reserve as Christ as loved them rather than being like Judas who seek to fill his thirst and lust for position and power.

So where does this leave us? This whole experience of encountering this text reminds me of how we will gather around the Table on Sunday to celebrate with these questions still on my mind:

•           Will we be like Judas and desire the glory and the power seeking it on our own to get if we think it is necessary? We might want the glory but will we deal with the mess the world is in?
•            Will we be like the early Church, who needs to heed the call of the Master to love as Christ loves us?
•     Will we desire to experience rebirth into the life of the new creation that God is bringing to fruition? There is one Door through which we will enter and one table at which we will receive the sop and be asked, “Do you love me? Will you serve me now and always? 
•            Will you let Christ’s life and light be reflected in you and your life? Remember that as you go through the doors of this church this evening into the gathering gloom that you decide whether or not you will seek Christ and his kingdom or serve yourselves. You are invited to follow him, to serve him and to remain with him.

              Your elbow is on the button - its your move.