On Line Bible Study - For the Week September 24-30, 2012

Lesson 555   Passion 4

Remember to access the "Gospel Parallels" for these discussions of the Supper and Passion.  In this lesson we are looking at the idea of "service".  In the Gospel Parallels go to the third column - the Gospel of Luke, and scroll down to Luke 22:24 ("Position in the Coming Kingdom").  You can harmonize Matthew and Mark to this text in Luke by clicking on the small blue and purple icon next to the heading.  In John, however, scroll down to John 13:1.

We have already discussed this passage in Matthew and Mark; it occurs well before the supper.  In  Luke 22:24-31, however, the discussion about who is greatest occurs during the meal.  Notice they are questioning among themselves who would betray Jesus (Luke 22:23) - and in the next breath they are arguing (Luke tells it this way: a dispute arose among them...) about which of them was considered to be 'greatest'.

Betrayal can come in different forms.  In our previous lesson we posed the question: What exactly does it mean to betray Christ?  Jesus has just taken the bread and the cup, given thanks for it, shared it with his disciples, and told them to do this in remembrance of me.  Notice the intertwining of 'eucharist' (that is, thanksgiving), and betrayal.  Jesus proclaims the new covenant while in the same breath he acknowledges: The hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.  While it is safe to assume he is referring to Judas, it occurs to us that there are many 'betraying hands' on the table with his own.

While the details are quite different, note the theme in the washing of the disciples' feet.  Once again, the juxtaposition of the betrayer (John 13:2  The devil had already entered the heart of Judas Iscariot ...) and the act of service.  Peter's refusal to allow Jesus to serve him is, in some sense of the word, a 

"betrayal" of Jesus' message.  As you read the passage in John, notice that once Jesus has finished with the washing and declared them to be "clean" - he qualifies that declaration: You are not all clean, he says, for he knew who was to betray him.

A comparison of Luke and John is interesting.

Luke:  

Luke:22:14ff    Disciples recline with Jesus at Supper -
                     Prayers of Eucharist - Body given; Blood poured out.
Luke 22:21-23   Acknowledgement of Betrayer - Disciples wonder who it is

Luke 22:24     Dispute among disciples as to who is the greatest

Luke 22:26      Jesus tells them: The greatest is the one who serves

Luke 22:31ff    Jesus acknowledges "Satan has asked to sift" the disciples

Luke 22:32     Jesus has prayed for Simon - that your faith may not fail...

Luke 22:33     Simon tells Jesus: I am ready to go with you to prison and to death...

Luke 22:34     Jesus tells Peter: You will deny three times today that you know me

John:

John 13:2   The evening meal is in progress

            The devil already prompted Judas to betray Jesus

John 13:5-6   Jesus washes the disciples' feet.

John 13:8    Peter resists Jesus' service

John 13:11   Jesus acknowledges not all are clean

John 13:12-17   Jesus explains he has set the example of service

John 13:18-21   Jesus acknowledges the presence of the betrayer

John 13:22-25   Disciples ask: Who is it?

John 13:26-30   Judas dips the bread and leaves the meal

John 13:31-35   Jesus gives the 'new command' - to love as he has loved

John 13:36-37   Peter tells Jesus: I will lay down my life for you...

John 13:38       Jesus tells Peter: You will disown me three times ...

While all these elements are contained in Matthew and Mark, Peter's insistence of faithfulness and Jesus' prediction of denial come after the meal and while enroute to the Mount of Olives.  The question of who is 'greatest' occurs in Matthew and Mark prior to the meal.

In Matthew the 'Last Supper' is contained in 13 verses (Matthew 26:17-29).  Mark contains the supper within just 9 verses (Mark 14:17-25).  Luke's Gospel has 25 verses (Luke 22:14-38).  John takes 5 chapters!

Luke and John present us with a very complex meal - one of joy, teaching, love, service, exuberant conversation, seasoned by the presence of the 'betrayer', promises made ... followed by the prediction of promises broken - this has all the dynamics of a Thanksgiving Meal not unlike ones you might experience in your own homes with your own loved ones.  Sitting around the table are those you love, and those who have disappointed you.  There may be those vying for your attention, wanting to be thought of as "the greatest".

As you prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas Celebrations - and the next time you receive Holy Communion - think about this supper in Luke and John!  Who is at the table?  Who is missing that should be there?  And who are you willing to serve?

On Line Bible Study - For the Week September 17-23, 2012

Lesson 554 - Passion 3

The Meal … Some Similarities

Here is the link to the Gospel Parallels.  Once there, go to the column under Matthew and scroll down to Matthew 26:20.  The heading will read: “The One Who Hands Jesus Over”.  In that same column, click on the small blue, green and red books – this will harmonize Mark, Luke and John in their respective columns.

In our previous lesson we acknowledged some differences in the accounts of the supper in the various gospels.  Let’s consider some important similarities – the details that are reported in each of the gospels.

First: Each gospel writer gives an account of Jesus announcing the betrayal by Judas.  One of the interesting things to note is that Luke gives the account after the “Memorial Meal”, while Mark and Matthew say that Jesus shared this before that part of the meal we would call the “Eucharist”.  Only John tells us Judas left immediately.  The Synoptics don’t tell us when Judas left the table.  John’s account of this scene is the most dramatic.

Second: Each gospel writer tells of Jesus anticipating the denial of Peter.  In Mark and Matthew this happens after the meal is over and they are going to the Mount of Olives.  In Luke and John, Jesus foretells of Peter’s denial while still at the supper.

Third:  A reference to the “fruit of the vine”.  This reference is found in Mark (14:25) and John (15:1).

Fourth:   The prediction of the scattering of the disciples.  It’s found in John (16:32), Mark (14:27), and Matthew (26:31).

Enough of “details” – what might they mean for us?

One of the most troubling pieces of the Passion has to do with Judas’ betrayal – or his having “handed Jesus over to them”.  There is plenty of speculation as to Judas’ motive.  And the texts themselves reveal both sorrow and confusion on the part of the disciples.  One theory is that Judas wanted to force Jesus’ hand – to make him be the “messiah” of power.  Perhaps.  I find myself wondering, however, with regard to how different people react to the same set of circumstances.

You might notice as you compare the texts with regard to Judas that only John does not have Jesus say the condemning word of woe with regard to “that man by whom [I] am betrayed”.  In Matthew and Mark, Jesus says it would be better had he not been born! (Matthew 26:24 and Mark 14:21.)  It is difficult to reconcile those words with all that Jesus says about forgiveness.

We don’t know that Judas “denied” Jesus as Peter did – why not harsh words for Peter?  And … why does John not record this ominous saying of Jesus concerning Judas?

Did those who wanted to kill Jesus really need Judas to give Jesus a kiss?  They certainly knew who Jesus was, and they seldom had any trouble knowing where Jesus was.  What exactly does it mean to “betray” Christ?  Have I ever done it?

Have you?

On Line Bible Study - For the Week September 10 - 16, 2012

Lesson 553 – Passion 2

The Meal …

I encourage you to go to the Gospel Parallels on line, scroll down in the Matthew column until you get to Chapter 26, verse 17.  Then click on the small blue and green books.  This will harmonize Mark and Luke with the passage in Matthew.  (The heading will read: Preparation for the Passover.)

Then, go to the fourth column – “John” – and scroll down to Chapter 13, verse 1.  The heading will be “Washing the Disciples’ Feet.

You now have before you one of the most disputed calendar dates in the New Testament.  For Matthew, Mark and Luke, the ‘Last Supper’ took place in the context of a Passover Meal.  For John, this meal is set just before Passover.  Father Raymond Brown thinks John’s Gospel got the detail right, even as he acknowledges the impossibility of proving one way or the other.[1]

This is not the only difference between the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and John’s gospel.  John gives us no preparation for the meal; Jesus says no ‘eucharistic words’ over bread and wine in John.  John tells of a foot washing that is found in no other gospel.  Finally, in John’s gospel Jesus offers a lengthy discourse of teachings and sayings.  This is a list of no small differences.

You might want to bookmark the Gospel Parallel page on your computer. We’ll be returning to it often.

Next time we will begin to consider ways in which the four gospels are similar, and we will begin to discuss these differences and similarities in some detail.

In the mean time, recall that Passover was the recollection of the Children of Israel’s liberation from slavery.  This is the key moment – the defining event in their history.  It plays a critical role in our Christian history as well.  If you have a chance you can re-familiarize yourself with this amazing story by reading in Exodus, beginning in Chapter 3 and reading through Chapter 15 – just two chapters each day will bring you up to speed.

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[1] Raymond Brown – The Gospel According to John, XIII-XXI, Anchor Bible, Volume 29A.  Yale University Press, ©1970 by Doubleday and Yale University as assignee from Doubleday.  Page 556.

On Line Bible Study - For the Week September 3-9, 2012

Lesson 552
Passion 1

Christmas is just over 12 weeks away.  There is no doubt that we will be in the thick of our consideration of the Passion and Death of Christ as we move through the celebration of the Birth of Christ.

In the Catholic Church the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah is celebrated on March 25 - exactly 9 months before we celebrate his birth.  That date also happens to fall within the liturgical season of "Lent" - that period of 40 days when the Christian Church focuses on the Passion and Death of Christ in an intense way.

Three times in the Twentieth Century, the Feast of the Annunciation fell on Good Friday.  It happened again in 2005, and will happen again in 2016.  Then the convergence of those two dates will not happen for over a Century.

The convergence happened in 1608, and the moment was not lost on John Donne, the English poet.  He wrote the poem simply called: Upon the Annunciation and Passion Falling Upon One Day.

Death and conception in mankind is one ...

So writes the poet; and so true it is. 

Jesus is said by John to have spoken the words:

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,

it remains only a single seed.

But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

John 12:24

"The Passion Narrative, as it proceeds from arrest through trial to condemnation, execution, and burial, constitutes in each Gospel the longest consecutive action recounted of Jesus."  So writes Raymond Brown in his Commentary, The Death of the Messiah.  He goes on to say that, even more than the Birth Narratives, the Passion has "captured the attention and imagination of dramatists, artists, and musicians."

A number of phrases enter our language by way of the Passion Narrative - such lines as 

• Thirty pieces of silver
• Judas kiss
• Washing one's hands (of blood)

This is the time in Jesus' life when his ministry intersects with historical figures - Caiaphas, Pilate, Annas.  The death of Jesus on the cross is the "key element in God's plan for the justification, redemption, and salvation of all."

Raymond Brown begins the story with the prayer and arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  We are going to back up one step and begin with the meal Jesus shared.

Mark and Matthew introduce the scene simply:

"And when it was evening ..."

Luke puts it this way:  "And when the hour had come ..."

And John - "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come ..."

Each of the four evangelists bring us to the table with an ominous tone.  The hour has come ...