Luke 22:14-23
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
The scene has so many twists and turns. Here’s how it starts: Jesus is sitting down with the Twelve, and He’s really excited about this particular meal. He tells them how much He’s been looking forward to it because He has something very important to share with them (v14-15). Then He tells them He won’t eat another Passover meal until after His death—the very thing that Passover pointed to in the first place. But don’t worry, He promises that He’ll share another meal with them at the big celebration in the kingdom! (v16)
Jesus goes on, gives thanks, and invites the disciples to join Him. But then He says He won’t drink the wine again until the kingdom comes—odd that He invites the others to take but He Himself would not. It seems to convey an element of seriousness that He will be true to His mission to the Cross—more of a promise that no matter what happens, the kingdom is definitely coming.
It’s His way of reassuring them, “Hey, don’t lose hope! Things might look tough ahead, but the kingdom is still on the way” (v17-18). Then, Jesus takes a moment to explain the bread and wine in a whole new way. The bread? It’s His body, given up for them. And the cup? It’s His blood, poured out for them to seal a new agreement with God—He reminds them that His death is all part of God’s plan (v19-20).
It’s kind of like one of those big family gatherings or Christmas parties we have in the Philippines. Everyone’s celebrating—great food, music, laughter, everyone’s having fun together. Then, someone stands up to make a toast. Everyone’s all smiles, waiting to hear something heartfelt from someone they love and admire. But then—plot twist—the person making the toast isn’t celebrating anymore. He’s actually saying goodbye. He’s saying goodbye because he knows his time is running out, and he’s already made plans for everyone he’s leaving behind. The smiles start to fade, and the mood shifts. It’s heavy. And just when you think it can’t get worse, he drops a big revelation—someone in the room has betrayed him and is turning him over to be killed.
And here's the thing: the betrayal is even worse because Jesus gave Himself completely for His disciples. It’s especially terrible because Judas had just shared a meal with Jesus, a meal that showed how devoted Jesus is in bringing the Kingdom of God into fruition, and then Judas turns around and betrays Him (v21- 23). It’s heartbreaking. But what’s more heartbreaking is that Judas had every chance to make things right afterwards, to repent, to be reconciled with Christ, to turn to Him again, but he didn’t.
In what ways have you betrayed others? In what ways have you betrayed Christ?
2 Corinthians 5:19-20
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Ask God to give you the strength to turn back and be reconciled with Christ first, so that you may have the strength to turn back and be reconciled with others. And then be reconciled.