Simon Peters, Project Manager for Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today, the United Reformed Church’s focus on lifelong missional discipleship, uses Matthew 26:17-30 to offer this reflection for Maundy Thursday.

In the same way we might think of Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner, the Passover meal and all its associated rituals and traditions would have been known well to the disciples, and the opportunity to celebrate it together with the Son of God, their respected leader and teacher, would have made it all the more special.

As they relaxed into the meal, things took a bit of a strange turn when Jesus started talking about one of them betraying him. As if this wasn’t strange enough, he went on to pick up bread and wine, seemingly normal items, and declared them to be his body and blood, making hints of death and heaven.

The disciples knew, no doubt, that Jesus often did things that were a bit strange but with an important message to share. This time, though, the message really wasn’t what they wanted to hear: their Lord would be leaving them. They are going to be separated from him in a time of great suffering and uncertainty and significant parts of it will happen on their watch and by their hands, through weakness, betrayal and fear.

In the midst of the current COVID-19 outbreak, we too face messages that we don’t want to hear. Stay at home. Stay away from others. Don’t visit people close to you. It’s all very frustrating and difficult. Sometimes we get it wrong, going out when we’re not meant to, taking our anger out on others, straying too close to someone in the shop or not treating ourselves well in our state of isolation. Like the disciples, we might wonder where God is in all this and how we are meant to respond when there seems little to put our hope in or look forward to.

Looking back on the whole story, we now know that the pain and suffering Jesus was predicting in this strange meal was not to last. After all this, he would rise from the dead to reconcile, not only his disciples, but all of humanity with God: offering redemption, salvation and fulfilment to all.

This does not, by any means, take away from the suffering which Jesus and his disciples had to endure, nor does it take away the fact that God worked through the weakness and failings of his disciples. It does, however, remind us of the eternal power of God to use even the darkest of circumstances to achieve great things.

And so, over the coming weeks of uncertainty, as we keep in contact with others virtually, look out for our vulnerable neighbours, take care of ourselves and our families getting some things right and some things wrong, let us remember that although we may not see or understand it, God is present with us, loving us, strengthening us and guiding us.

Just as the disciples were led through their time of trial to reconciliation and joy, so God will lead us as we continue to live the life of Jesus today, throughout these challenging times.

We pray:

Ever-loving God,
We don’t always understand what’s going on, but you do.
We don’t always respond to things positively, but you do.
We don’t always get things right, in our thoughts, words or deeds, but you do.
Help us then, dear Lord, never to lose sight of you,
For in our weakness, you give us strength,
in our sadness, you give us joy,
in our uncertainty, you give us hope.
Bless us, then, and prepare us, always, for your service.
In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

_{Picture: Bread and wine for Communion. David Weber/Unsplash
Published: 8 April 2020}