April 17, 2025 • 22 mins
Gather 'round, folks, because this episode is a wild ride through pain, healing, and the crazy grace of God! Our three misfit pastors, Jean, Byron, and Tullian, are back at it again, tackling the deep stuff with a side of laughter. We dive right into the heart of the matter: when life gets tough and messy, sometimes the best advice is to just sit with someone in their pain. No need for those ‘quick-fix’ solutions; we’re all about sharing the heavy load together. Picture this: you’re sitting with a friend who’s going through a rough patch, and instead of throwing out the usual “just cheer up” nonsense, you simply say, “I’m here for you.” That’s the kind of raw, real talk we’re serving up this week!
We also take a stroll down the memory lane of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the big Easter Sunday. Our gang reminds us that these aren’t just religious buzzwords or fancy rituals; they’re about understanding grace in its most tangible form. Jesus, in his last supper, showed us the ultimate act of love, breaking bread even knowing his buddies would betray him. Like, who does that? It’s like saying, “Hey, I know you’re going to mess up, but I’m still serving you dinner.” Man, that’s some next-level grace right there! So, let’s lean into the mess together, laugh a little, and learn a lot about how we can be there for each other in our times of need.
So strap in, grab your favorite snack, and join us as we explore how grace isn’t just a concept; it’s the messy, beautiful reality of our lives. Because let’s be real, we’re all a little bit of a hot mess, and that’s exactly where grace shines the brightest!
Takeaways:
- Sometimes, the best thing we can do for someone in pain is to just sit with them, no advice needed.
- Grace isn't just a concept; it's the lifeline for those who feel lost and broken.
- Communion is for everyone, especially those who feel unworthy and messy inside.
- Jesus showed his love by giving his body for those who betray and deny him, and that’s powerful!
- We all mess up, but that’s exactly why God’s grace is there to catch us when we fall.
- The beauty of the Last Supper lies in Jesus offering himself for all sinners, not just the 'good' ones.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
You're listening to the Misfitpreachers, talian Chavigian, Jean
LaRue and Byron Yan fromProdigalPodcast.com we're plagiarizing
Jesus one podcast at a time.
Now here are the misfits.
Welcome to Misfit Preachers.
We're back.
(00:21):
On my right is telling.
On my Left is Jean LaRue III.
Welcome, gentlemen.
Good to be back.
I missed you guys.
It's been a minute.
It has been.
It's been a minute.
Yeah, I'm thrilled to be here.
What we want to discuss todayand kind of unpack it's.
(00:41):
It's Easter season, and wewant to discuss some of the central
tenets of that season,basically from our perspective, the
perspective of grace, to giveother people perspective on it as
they walk into those spacesand hear sermons on it.
And Monday, Thursday, GoodFriday, and then Resurrection Sunday.
(01:03):
What is all of that about?
So as we did with Christmasand kind of as we did with Thanksgiving,
we're going to do that, butwe're going to dig in a little more
theologically.
We're not going to talk aboutEaster egg hunts and those sort of
things.
We're going to deal with somespecific things in that window.
So are you ready?
Ready to go get yourtheological hat on?
(01:25):
So we're basically like whensomebody walks into Walmart this
week and they see Easterbaskets and candy and eggs and all
that, we're saying there's.
There's something going on here.
Bigger than a bunny.
I would have chosen Target.
Yeah.
But your point is valid.
Yes.
Bigger Than a Bunny.
That's a great title for this episode.
Bigger Than a Bunny.
(01:45):
That's probably a sermon outthere somewhere.
Probably a sermon.
I'm not going to preach it,but I'm sure it's a sermon out there
for somebody.
So let's start with somethingthat a lot of people might not really
understand and oftentimesdoesn't really come up, but is a
central feature in this seasonin the church, and that's the Last
Supper.
(02:05):
Let's shed some light on thatand ask why.
And what was that about?
And what relevance does ithave to our life of faith in Christ
and our walk in grace?
So, Jean, we'll start with you.
I think people are familiarwith, with the concept.
I mean, people have seen the picture.
They've seen.
I mean, it was even lampoonedat the Olympics.
(02:25):
You know, this picture ofJesus eating with his disciples.
What's going on there?
There was a betrayal, therewas a denial.
There was all These things happening.
But I think it's very etherealfor people.
They don't really like.
There's no real relevance forme what was happening in that moment
and what was Jesus trying todo necessarily?
(02:46):
I would say if somebodystopped me in a, you know, sitting
next to somebody in a sharedUber ride or something, and they
said, what's the deal with theLast Supper?
And I would say Jesus wastipping his hand.
You know, this is likesomebody that has some cards, and
he's like, hell, I'm going toshow you.
Like, this is what's happening.
And so when he talks about thebread and the wine and the body and
(03:06):
the blood being shed, he'stipping his hand, he's saying, this.
This is what's about to happenbefore it happens.
And the picture there of thebroken body, which is portrayed in
the bread and the shed blood,which is wine, grape juice, if you're
Baptist.
Sorry, just kidding.
(03:28):
There are two, two, two linesat some Presbyterian church.
They never know.
Yeah, that's true.
Not.
Not relevant.
And the whole reality of whatwas he talking about?
The broken body in the shed.
But why did it have to be that?
So I think I'd put thatsummary and then, you know, say,
okay, let's continue the conversation.
Why did that have to happen?
Right.
Why did the body have to be broken?
(03:49):
The blood have to be shed, which.
Is the foreshadowing in thenext several days, correct?
Absolutely.
When I was a kid and myparents would tell us that we were
going to a Maundy Thursdayservice, which is always celebrated
the Thursday before Easter,the Thursday before Good Friday,
I didn't understand what that was.
(04:09):
And so I originally thoughtwhat they were saying was, we are
going to go.
This is a big week.
It's Easter week.
We're gonna go to churchMonday through Thursday.
I thought it was Monday Thursday.
I mean, it was the mostdreaded week of my life.
Because I was like, there isno way in hell I'm gonna sit in church
Monday through Thursday.
(04:30):
So I remember sharing thatwith my dad time.
And he just chuckled and said,it's not Monday.
It's Maunday Thursday.
And then he went on to explainwhat it meant.
But the thing I love mostabout that scene, and I share this
every time I serve communionhere at the sanctuary.
I flip to that passage inCorinthians where the Apostle Paul
(04:51):
is describing the way thissupper ought to be celebrated.
What it is, what it signifies,the power of it.
And he begins his wholeinstruction about the Lord's Supper,
about Communion by saying, onthe night he was betrayed, Jesus
took bread and broke it andsaid, this is my body broken, given
(05:15):
for you.
And I've said this many times.
But of all of the ways theapostle Paul could have described
that night, that event, hecould have said the night Jesus was
arrested, he could have saidthe night before Jesus was crucified,
he could have said the nightthat Jesus had his final meal with
his disciples on earth, hecould have said a thousand different
(05:37):
things.
He could have described thatnight a thousand different ways.
And for him to begin hisdescription by saying on the night
he was betrayed is not coincidental.
He wanted the people inCorinth to know that God gives us
his best when we are at our worst.
(05:58):
So beyond what it ultimatelysignifies and points to the very
fact that Jesus would say thethings he said to a room full of
people that he knew just hourslater were going to desert him in
his most dire time of need.
People that were in Judas'scase, betray him, in Peter's case,
(06:20):
deny him, washes their feet,serves them their last supper, points
to his body, points to theblood is the essence of the Gospel.
It is the essence of God's oneway love.
So if, if, if it was nothingmore than that, that alone that Jesus
(06:41):
is announcing that I am givingmy body and my blood for betrayers
and deniers and liars andcheaters and fair weather friends.
So powerful.
Yeah.
The providence of the Fatherset the trap.
Son willingly stepped into it, right?
(07:01):
Yeah.
His willing obedience in thatmoment based on what you're describing,
is very powerful.
When I think about that scenefrom kind of the historic perspective,
it is the reality stepping outof the shadows into the space with
the disciples.
That of course, is thePassover meal on repeat in the history
(07:25):
of the Israelites and Jesusand the disciples in that moment.
And there's this shadow castall throughout history of this one
that is coming, that's goingto fulfill all of these things.
And in that moment, based incontrast to a lot of the rest of
Jesus ministry, is when Jesussays this is, is here.
(07:49):
And a lot of us would say thatwhat Jesus did in adjusting that
meal was to distinguish itfrom the old covenant meal, the Passover
meal, which is true in onerespect, but in another respect,
what he did was make it whatit's supposed to be.
(08:10):
He refined it on this side inthe new covenant, that it is all
by grace, it is all by faith,through faith in what God is doing
through His Son in that moment.
That's why he says this Is mybody broken for you?
He supplanted all of that OldTestament shadow with himself, which
was the point all along.
And if you read the Gospels,John the Baptist sees him, and the
(08:34):
first words out of his mouthare, behold the Lamb of God who has
come to take away the sins ofthe world.
And if you read the storyforward, it happens in that moment.
Jesus says, I am the Lamb ofGod who's come to take away the sins
of the world.
And all of that shadow is, youknow, evacuated by the light of who
he is in that moment.
It's him taking on the mantleof our redemption and giving believers
(09:01):
an opportunity throughout thehistory of the church to experience
that grace and relive that grace.
And you say this every timeyou offer communion to the body here
at the sanctuary, that thisisn't an opportunity for us to double
down on our commitment to God.
This is an opportunity for usto double down on our belief in God's
(09:22):
commitment.
And if you read the story andthe Last Supper episode, it can't
be interpreted as anything but that.
This is for you, by me.
So in that respect, it is fullof the Gospel, full of grace.
It's saturated with it fromfront to back.
Well, and I think for a lot ofpeople who may be somewhat familiar,
(09:44):
they may have gone to a placeof worship or something like that.
There's this intense momentwhere everybody is encouraged to
think, am I good enough to come?
Am I good enough to take the supper?
Am I good enough to have theLord supper to share in this meal?
And I love the preposition at.
At the end of that, especiallywhere St.
(10:06):
Paul said, you know, this isthe whole idea on the night he was
betrayed, this is my body.
And the preposition at theend, broken.
For you.
That's the best for you.
Like those two words, that'sthe best.
Best.
The modifier there to be ablefor Jesus to sit there in that setting
and to look the people in hiseyes that will not stay awake, that
(10:27):
will deny him, that will run,that will hide, that will not even
believe once he raises fromthe dead and he goes, this is for
you.
Yeah, I love.
Totally agree.
I.
That is.
Those words for you are suchan apt description of the Gospel.
For you.
For you.
Yeah.
And it's not a good example story.
(10:48):
No.
Because I've heard it spunthat way.
Like, okay, notice Jesus wassuch a servant.
You know, go be a servant,wash the feet of others.
And we.
We moralize the story rightinto this place.
Instead of seeing that this isGod in Flesh, who serves, who humbles
(11:10):
himself.
The posture that's there, this.
This is a God who isaccessible, who's come close.
And I would say, if you'relistening and saying, you just have
no idea.
You don't know what I'm like,what I've done.
I say, have you.
Have you kissed the face ofJesus only to betray him?
You know, have you denied him public.
(11:31):
These are the people he setthe table.
Yeah, yeah.
That's the level of betrayalthat took place in that event.
Really, it escapes ourawareness because we're not there.
But what you're saying isexactly true.
It is for you, his work for us.
I mean, the entire scene isreplete with the message that we're
(11:54):
plagiarizing in Jesus.
This is my necessary work onyour behalf.
Now, if somebody comes andsays to ask me the question, am I
good enough to participate inthis meal?
The answer is no.
No, you're not.
Which is the point of the mealin and of itself.
Jesus is the good here and therighteous here.
(12:14):
This is on your behalf.
And I mean, if you go back inchurch history, there was a time
that people didn't have Bibles.
They weren't having Biblestudies at their home.
They weren't interpretingthese texts for themselves.
The church had that information.
And they went to church forone reason and one reason only, to
know and to understand thatthey were right with God kind of
at the beginning of the week,again after their struggles.
(12:37):
And that's the message onreplay in the meal when we take it
beginning here as well.
It's the New Covenant in his blood.
New Covenant means unilateralact by God done on our behalf, received
by us through faith.
The Old Covenant has passed away.
(12:57):
It would not work.
It did not work.
And that is the inaugurationof it.
And it set into motioneverything that was to come.
It is a meal for misfits.
That is the truth.
You are the.
You are God's gift to sloganslike that.
It is a meal for misfits.
(13:18):
I heard a story.
One of my professors inseminary told this story in the old
Scottish tradition.
They would come up during acommunion service and they would
sit around a table and theywould pass the bread in groups.
They would pass the bread,pass the cup, take it, go back to
their seats.
The next group would come up.
(13:39):
And my professor told thisstory about a time a woman was making
her way to the table, headhung low, weeping, clearly, obviously
full of some sort of shame.
And she sits at the table.
And when the cup was passed,to her.
She held it for a secondhandshaking, didn't drink it, passed
(14:03):
it along.
And the minister saw this, andhe grabbed it out of the next guy's
hands and he gave it back tothe woman.
And he said, woman, drink.
It's for sinners.
As simple and as beautiful asthat sounds, that is the essence
of what communion is and whocommunion is for.
(14:28):
I come from a tradition, Iknow you do, too, where there is
a heavy emphasis on fencingthe table, which is just a fancy
way of saying the preacher,before serving communion, stands
up and admonishes the peopleto ensure sure that they are right
(14:48):
with God.
Because if they're not, andthey come anyway, they are drinking
and eating judgment on theirown heads.
And so there's a particularinterpretation of those passages.
And the takeaway is, this is ameal for Christians only.
Now, ironically, the sameprofessor in seminary that told me
(15:10):
that story also said that whatwe're doing when we take communion
together is receiving thegospel in a different form.
So when somebody's preaching,they're delivering the gospel verbally.
And when a minister is servingcommunion, they're serving communion,
(15:32):
or they're essentiallypreaching the gospel in a physical
way.
And so the logic of fencingthe table has never made sense to
me because I've thought tomyself, we would never bar anybody
from hearing the gospel.
Why in the world would we everbar anybody from tasting the gospel?
(15:52):
And who's to say that someone,a non believer, who doesn't really
know what they're doing, who'sto say that that means of grace,
that bread, that wine, thatmeans of grace, will not be the converting
agent?
The means of grace that Godpromised it was.
So some people go back andlook at the passage of examining
(16:13):
yourself.
And, you know, and I alwayssay this when we take communion here,
which.
And we're.
We're talking about communionin context of our conversation about
Maundy Thursday?
Because that's what they were doing.
And every time we takecommunion, that's what we are talking
about.
We're celebrating, we'reremembering, we're receiving.
But there are some that say,you know, examine yourself.
(16:36):
And the point of Paul tellingus to examine ourselves before we
come to the supper is so thatwe can in some way shape or form,
rid ourselves of whateverknown sin there is so that we can
come clean to the table.
And that never made sense tome either.
We are all unclean.
There is no one righteous.
(16:57):
No, not one.
The heart is deceitful, aboveall things, desperately wicked.
I mean, we could Go on and onand on.
So this idea of getting cleanbefore you come to God, first of
all, the implications of thatare, are torturous for people because
just by doing that, whatyou're saying to these people, what
you're suggesting is that inorder to come to God, you have to
(17:21):
come clean, you have to come spotless.
And I've always gone back andsaid, Paul's not saying examine yourself
so that you can rid yourselfof all known sin and come clean to
the table.
He's saying, examine yourself,take a deep dive into your own heart.
See all the gunk there, allthe rebellion there, all the failure
(17:43):
there, all the disobediencethere, just all the selfishness and
vanity there.
And then emerge from thatexamination looking to the Supper
as your only hope.
Not the Supper itself, but theJesus behind the Supper as your only
hope.
In other words, it's Paul'sway of saying, if you think you have
(18:05):
any righteousness at all thatcan make you right with God, a deep
dive, honest examination ofyour own heart will cure you of that.
Correct.
And you will then be able tocome to the table with needy, messy,
dirty hands and receive God'sone way love given to you in Jesus.
(18:26):
Spot on.
I love it.
I think the last thing I wouldadd to that would simply be this.
I love when, when there's thisbeautiful story where Jesus is, is
giving this foreshadowing ofwhat the, the Supper is, not just
the Maundy Thursday supper,but the feast in heaven, right?
(18:48):
And he's telling the story toall these religious people who believe
they've got the golden ticket.
Like they're going to be there.
We're at the head table.
You know, we're sitting therenext to the.
And Jesus says, hey, listen,all these people were invited, but
they, they didn't examine.
They didn't know that theywere needy and broken and, and, and
hungry and thirsty.
So what we're going to do iswe're going to tear up your invitation.
(19:09):
We're going to go out into thebyway, highways and byways.
We're going to pull in thecripples, the, the blind, the lame,
the Samaritans.
We're going to pull in theLaRues, the divisions, the yawns.
We're going to seat all theseroughnecks at the table and Jesus
goes, and we're going to fillthe banquet hall full of these people.
And that's what my father is like.
And how offensive is that tothe religious invitees?
(19:31):
I mean, love it.
Yeah, the Irony is the waythat it is typically portrayed is
the exact opposite of actuallywhat it means.
So if there's a person who issitting in a pew in a church somewhere
that says I'm unworthy to goand participate in these elements,
(19:52):
these elements exist in thisexercise, exists exactly for you
because you have to be toldconsistently, constantly, on repeat,
like a scratched record thatit had nothing to do with what you've
done or haven't done.
(20:12):
It is completely dependent onwhat someone else did.
It is a free gift.
Come participate.
And that is that ego crushingreality that transforms us.
And that's the way wedelivered it at community.
And what we would say to themis every Sunday you're going to exit
through the gift shop of graceand everything is free.
(20:35):
Take everything that you want.
And we specifically pointed toit with that emphasis in mind.
If, if you think you'reunworthy to come participate in it,
you're the perfect candidateto participate in it.
That's right.
Period.
Yeah.
If you think you'redisqualified, you are qualified.
100.
Yeah.
Your qualification is yourself awareness that you're not qualified.
(20:58):
Awesome.
Yeah guys, that's.
It's such an encouragingconversation and I think, you know,
medicine for ailing ills earsout there that are kind of thinking
those things that a certainprivileged people get to do this
particular way, I think it'llbe so relieving to them and it will
reframe their experience of itin a way that they've never experienced
(21:20):
before.
And what a beautiful.
I mean the way like you justsaid, the way that it is typically
presented, we're presentingthe gospel in these elements and
we're presenting it in a waythat is so anti gospel.
I mean it's unbelievable.
Like I've always had a problemwith the whole fencing of the table.
I'm like if what SinclairFerguson told us in seminary in our
(21:42):
church and sacraments classthat the, that the Lord's supper
is the gospel tasted and thepreaching and preaching is the gospel
heard.
I'm like, where is theconsistency in saying you can't be,
you have to be a Christian tohear the gospel?
We don't say that.
Guys, thank you for yourobservations on this.
(22:05):
I know the impact on thisparticular conversation because it,
it, some people don't reallyunderstand it and have heard the
wrong things is that it'sgoing to reframe their experience
of it.
And what I'm excited aboutthinking about is them going into
church the next time communionis served and approaching it in a
completely different way.
So thank you on behalf ofthose people and me.
(22:31):
You've been listening to themisfit preachers like subscribe and
share more grace centeredresources@prodigalpodcasts.com that's
prodigal P R O D I G A Lpodcasts with an s dot com.
You're listening to the Misfitpreachers, talian Chavigian, Jean
LaRue and Byron Yan fromProdigalPodcast.com we're plagiarizing
Jesus one podcast at a time.
Now here are the misfits.
Welcome to Misfit Preachers.
We're back.
(00:21):
On my right is telling.
On my Left is Jean LaRue III.
Welcome, gentlemen.
Good to be back.
I missed you guys.
It's been a minute.
It has been.
It's been a minute.
Yeah, I'm thrilled to be here.
What we want to discuss todayand kind of unpack it's.
(00:41):
It's Easter season, and wewant to discuss some of the central
tenets of that season,basically from our perspective, the
perspective of grace, to giveother people perspective on it as
they walk into those spacesand hear sermons on it.
And Monday, Thursday, GoodFriday, and then Resurrection Sunday.
(01:03):
What is all of that about?
So as we did with Christmasand kind of as we did with Thanksgiving,
we're going to do that, butwe're going to dig in a little more
theologically.
We're not going to talk aboutEaster egg hunts and those sort of
things.
We're going to deal with somespecific things in that window.
So are you ready?
Ready to go get yourtheological hat on?
(01:25):
So we're basically like whensomebody walks into Walmart this
week and they see Easterbaskets and candy and eggs and all
that, we're saying there's.
There's something going on here.
Bigger than a bunny.
I would have chosen Target.
Yeah.
But your point is valid.
Yes.
Bigger Than a Bunny.
That's a great title for this episode.
Bigger Than a Bunny.
(01:45):
That's probably a sermon outthere somewhere.
Probably a sermon.
I'm not going to preach it,but I'm sure it's a sermon out there
for somebody.
So let's start with somethingthat a lot of people might not really
understand and oftentimesdoesn't really come up, but is a
central feature in this seasonin the church, and that's the Last
Supper.
(02:05):
Let's shed some light on thatand ask why.
And what was that about?
And what relevance does ithave to our life of faith in Christ
and our walk in grace?
So, Jean, we'll start with you.
I think people are familiarwith, with the concept.
I mean, people have seen the picture.
They've seen.
I mean, it was even lampoonedat the Olympics.
(02:25):
You know, this picture ofJesus eating with his disciples.
What's going on there?
There was a betrayal, therewas a denial.
There was all These things happening.
But I think it's very etherealfor people.
They don't really like.
There's no real relevance forme what was happening in that moment
and what was Jesus trying todo necessarily?
(02:46):
I would say if somebodystopped me in a, you know, sitting
next to somebody in a sharedUber ride or something, and they
said, what's the deal with theLast Supper?
And I would say Jesus wastipping his hand.
You know, this is likesomebody that has some cards, and
he's like, hell, I'm going toshow you.
Like, this is what's happening.
And so when he talks about thebread and the wine and the body and
(03:06):
the blood being shed, he'stipping his hand, he's saying, this.
This is what's about to happenbefore it happens.
And the picture there of thebroken body, which is portrayed in
the bread and the shed blood,which is wine, grape juice, if you're
Baptist.
Sorry, just kidding.
(03:28):
There are two, two, two linesat some Presbyterian church.
They never know.
Yeah, that's true.
Not.
Not relevant.
And the whole reality of whatwas he talking about?
The broken body in the shed.
But why did it have to be that?
So I think I'd put thatsummary and then, you know, say,
okay, let's continue the conversation.
Why did that have to happen?
Right.
Why did the body have to be broken?
(03:49):
The blood have to be shed, which.
Is the foreshadowing in thenext several days, correct?
Absolutely.
When I was a kid and myparents would tell us that we were
going to a Maundy Thursdayservice, which is always celebrated
the Thursday before Easter,the Thursday before Good Friday,
I didn't understand what that was.
(04:09):
And so I originally thoughtwhat they were saying was, we are
going to go.
This is a big week.
It's Easter week.
We're gonna go to churchMonday through Thursday.
I thought it was Monday Thursday.
I mean, it was the mostdreaded week of my life.
Because I was like, there isno way in hell I'm gonna sit in church
Monday through Thursday.
(04:30):
So I remember sharing thatwith my dad time.
And he just chuckled and said,it's not Monday.
It's Maunday Thursday.
And then he went on to explainwhat it meant.
But the thing I love mostabout that scene, and I share this
every time I serve communionhere at the sanctuary.
I flip to that passage inCorinthians where the Apostle Paul
(04:51):
is describing the way thissupper ought to be celebrated.
What it is, what it signifies,the power of it.
And he begins his wholeinstruction about the Lord's Supper,
about Communion by saying, onthe night he was betrayed, Jesus
took bread and broke it andsaid, this is my body broken, given
(05:15):
for you.
And I've said this many times.
But of all of the ways theapostle Paul could have described
that night, that event, hecould have said the night Jesus was
arrested, he could have saidthe night before Jesus was crucified,
he could have said the nightthat Jesus had his final meal with
his disciples on earth, hecould have said a thousand different
(05:37):
things.
He could have described thatnight a thousand different ways.
And for him to begin hisdescription by saying on the night
he was betrayed is not coincidental.
He wanted the people inCorinth to know that God gives us
his best when we are at our worst.
(05:58):
So beyond what it ultimatelysignifies and points to the very
fact that Jesus would say thethings he said to a room full of
people that he knew just hourslater were going to desert him in
his most dire time of need.
People that were in Judas'scase, betray him, in Peter's case,
(06:20):
deny him, washes their feet,serves them their last supper, points
to his body, points to theblood is the essence of the Gospel.
It is the essence of God's oneway love.
So if, if, if it was nothingmore than that, that alone that Jesus
(06:41):
is announcing that I am givingmy body and my blood for betrayers
and deniers and liars andcheaters and fair weather friends.
So powerful.
Yeah.
The providence of the Fatherset the trap.
Son willingly stepped into it, right?
(07:01):
Yeah.
His willing obedience in thatmoment based on what you're describing,
is very powerful.
When I think about that scenefrom kind of the historic perspective,
it is the reality stepping outof the shadows into the space with
the disciples.
That of course, is thePassover meal on repeat in the history
(07:25):
of the Israelites and Jesusand the disciples in that moment.
And there's this shadow castall throughout history of this one
that is coming, that's goingto fulfill all of these things.
And in that moment, based incontrast to a lot of the rest of
Jesus ministry, is when Jesussays this is, is here.
(07:49):
And a lot of us would say thatwhat Jesus did in adjusting that
meal was to distinguish itfrom the old covenant meal, the Passover
meal, which is true in onerespect, but in another respect,
what he did was make it whatit's supposed to be.
(08:10):
He refined it on this side inthe new covenant, that it is all
by grace, it is all by faith,through faith in what God is doing
through His Son in that moment.
That's why he says this Is mybody broken for you?
He supplanted all of that OldTestament shadow with himself, which
was the point all along.
And if you read the Gospels,John the Baptist sees him, and the
(08:34):
first words out of his mouthare, behold the Lamb of God who has
come to take away the sins ofthe world.
And if you read the storyforward, it happens in that moment.
Jesus says, I am the Lamb ofGod who's come to take away the sins
of the world.
And all of that shadow is, youknow, evacuated by the light of who
he is in that moment.
It's him taking on the mantleof our redemption and giving believers
(09:01):
an opportunity throughout thehistory of the church to experience
that grace and relive that grace.
And you say this every timeyou offer communion to the body here
at the sanctuary, that thisisn't an opportunity for us to double
down on our commitment to God.
This is an opportunity for usto double down on our belief in God's
(09:22):
commitment.
And if you read the story andthe Last Supper episode, it can't
be interpreted as anything but that.
This is for you, by me.
So in that respect, it is fullof the Gospel, full of grace.
It's saturated with it fromfront to back.
Well, and I think for a lot ofpeople who may be somewhat familiar,
(09:44):
they may have gone to a placeof worship or something like that.
There's this intense momentwhere everybody is encouraged to
think, am I good enough to come?
Am I good enough to take the supper?
Am I good enough to have theLord supper to share in this meal?
And I love the preposition at.
At the end of that, especiallywhere St.
(10:06):
Paul said, you know, this isthe whole idea on the night he was
betrayed, this is my body.
And the preposition at theend, broken.
For you.
That's the best for you.
Like those two words, that'sthe best.
Best.
The modifier there to be ablefor Jesus to sit there in that setting
and to look the people in hiseyes that will not stay awake, that
(10:27):
will deny him, that will run,that will hide, that will not even
believe once he raises fromthe dead and he goes, this is for
you.
Yeah, I love.
Totally agree.
I.
That is.
Those words for you are suchan apt description of the Gospel.
For you.
For you.
Yeah.
And it's not a good example story.
(10:48):
No.
Because I've heard it spunthat way.
Like, okay, notice Jesus wassuch a servant.
You know, go be a servant,wash the feet of others.
And we.
We moralize the story rightinto this place.
Instead of seeing that this isGod in Flesh, who serves, who humbles
(11:10):
himself.
The posture that's there, this.
This is a God who isaccessible, who's come close.
And I would say, if you'relistening and saying, you just have
no idea.
You don't know what I'm like,what I've done.
I say, have you.
Have you kissed the face ofJesus only to betray him?
You know, have you denied him public.
(11:31):
These are the people he setthe table.
Yeah, yeah.
That's the level of betrayalthat took place in that event.
Really, it escapes ourawareness because we're not there.
But what you're saying isexactly true.
It is for you, his work for us.
I mean, the entire scene isreplete with the message that we're
(11:54):
plagiarizing in Jesus.
This is my necessary work onyour behalf.
Now, if somebody comes andsays to ask me the question, am I
good enough to participate inthis meal?
The answer is no.
No, you're not.
Which is the point of the mealin and of itself.
Jesus is the good here and therighteous here.
(12:14):
This is on your behalf.
And I mean, if you go back inchurch history, there was a time
that people didn't have Bibles.
They weren't having Biblestudies at their home.
They weren't interpretingthese texts for themselves.
The church had that information.
And they went to church forone reason and one reason only, to
know and to understand thatthey were right with God kind of
at the beginning of the week,again after their struggles.
(12:37):
And that's the message onreplay in the meal when we take it
beginning here as well.
It's the New Covenant in his blood.
New Covenant means unilateralact by God done on our behalf, received
by us through faith.
The Old Covenant has passed away.
(12:57):
It would not work.
It did not work.
And that is the inaugurationof it.
And it set into motioneverything that was to come.
It is a meal for misfits.
That is the truth.
You are the.
You are God's gift to sloganslike that.
It is a meal for misfits.
(13:18):
I heard a story.
One of my professors inseminary told this story in the old
Scottish tradition.
They would come up during acommunion service and they would
sit around a table and theywould pass the bread in groups.
They would pass the bread,pass the cup, take it, go back to
their seats.
The next group would come up.
(13:39):
And my professor told thisstory about a time a woman was making
her way to the table, headhung low, weeping, clearly, obviously
full of some sort of shame.
And she sits at the table.
And when the cup was passed,to her.
She held it for a secondhandshaking, didn't drink it, passed
(14:03):
it along.
And the minister saw this, andhe grabbed it out of the next guy's
hands and he gave it back tothe woman.
And he said, woman, drink.
It's for sinners.
As simple and as beautiful asthat sounds, that is the essence
of what communion is and whocommunion is for.
(14:28):
I come from a tradition, Iknow you do, too, where there is
a heavy emphasis on fencingthe table, which is just a fancy
way of saying the preacher,before serving communion, stands
up and admonishes the peopleto ensure sure that they are right
(14:48):
with God.
Because if they're not, andthey come anyway, they are drinking
and eating judgment on theirown heads.
And so there's a particularinterpretation of those passages.
And the takeaway is, this is ameal for Christians only.
Now, ironically, the sameprofessor in seminary that told me
(15:10):
that story also said that whatwe're doing when we take communion
together is receiving thegospel in a different form.
So when somebody's preaching,they're delivering the gospel verbally.
And when a minister is servingcommunion, they're serving communion,
(15:32):
or they're essentiallypreaching the gospel in a physical
way.
And so the logic of fencingthe table has never made sense to
me because I've thought tomyself, we would never bar anybody
from hearing the gospel.
Why in the world would we everbar anybody from tasting the gospel?
(15:52):
And who's to say that someone,a non believer, who doesn't really
know what they're doing, who'sto say that that means of grace,
that bread, that wine, thatmeans of grace, will not be the converting
agent?
The means of grace that Godpromised it was.
So some people go back andlook at the passage of examining
(16:13):
yourself.
And, you know, and I alwayssay this when we take communion here,
which.
And we're.
We're talking about communionin context of our conversation about
Maundy Thursday?
Because that's what they were doing.
And every time we takecommunion, that's what we are talking
about.
We're celebrating, we'reremembering, we're receiving.
But there are some that say,you know, examine yourself.
(16:36):
And the point of Paul tellingus to examine ourselves before we
come to the supper is so thatwe can in some way shape or form,
rid ourselves of whateverknown sin there is so that we can
come clean to the table.
And that never made sense tome either.
We are all unclean.
There is no one righteous.
(16:57):
No, not one.
The heart is deceitful, aboveall things, desperately wicked.
I mean, we could Go on and onand on.
So this idea of getting cleanbefore you come to God, first of
all, the implications of thatare, are torturous for people because
just by doing that, whatyou're saying to these people, what
you're suggesting is that inorder to come to God, you have to
(17:21):
come clean, you have to come spotless.
And I've always gone back andsaid, Paul's not saying examine yourself
so that you can rid yourselfof all known sin and come clean to
the table.
He's saying, examine yourself,take a deep dive into your own heart.
See all the gunk there, allthe rebellion there, all the failure
(17:43):
there, all the disobediencethere, just all the selfishness and
vanity there.
And then emerge from thatexamination looking to the Supper
as your only hope.
Not the Supper itself, but theJesus behind the Supper as your only
hope.
In other words, it's Paul'sway of saying, if you think you have
(18:05):
any righteousness at all thatcan make you right with God, a deep
dive, honest examination ofyour own heart will cure you of that.
Correct.
And you will then be able tocome to the table with needy, messy,
dirty hands and receive God'sone way love given to you in Jesus.
(18:26):
Spot on.
I love it.
I think the last thing I wouldadd to that would simply be this.
I love when, when there's thisbeautiful story where Jesus is, is
giving this foreshadowing ofwhat the, the Supper is, not just
the Maundy Thursday supper,but the feast in heaven, right?
(18:48):
And he's telling the story toall these religious people who believe
they've got the golden ticket.
Like they're going to be there.
We're at the head table.
You know, we're sitting therenext to the.
And Jesus says, hey, listen,all these people were invited, but
they, they didn't examine.
They didn't know that theywere needy and broken and, and, and
hungry and thirsty.
So what we're going to do iswe're going to tear up your invitation.
(19:09):
We're going to go out into thebyway, highways and byways.
We're going to pull in thecripples, the, the blind, the lame,
the Samaritans.
We're going to pull in theLaRues, the divisions, the yawns.
We're going to seat all theseroughnecks at the table and Jesus
goes, and we're going to fillthe banquet hall full of these people.
And that's what my father is like.
And how offensive is that tothe religious invitees?
(19:31):
I mean, love it.
Yeah, the Irony is the waythat it is typically portrayed is
the exact opposite of actuallywhat it means.
So if there's a person who issitting in a pew in a church somewhere
that says I'm unworthy to goand participate in these elements,
(19:52):
these elements exist in thisexercise, exists exactly for you
because you have to be toldconsistently, constantly, on repeat,
like a scratched record thatit had nothing to do with what you've
done or haven't done.
(20:12):
It is completely dependent onwhat someone else did.
It is a free gift.
Come participate.
And that is that ego crushingreality that transforms us.
And that's the way wedelivered it at community.
And what we would say to themis every Sunday you're going to exit
through the gift shop of graceand everything is free.
(20:35):
Take everything that you want.
And we specifically pointed toit with that emphasis in mind.
If, if you think you'reunworthy to come participate in it,
you're the perfect candidateto participate in it.
That's right.
Period.
Yeah.
If you think you'redisqualified, you are qualified.
100.
Yeah.
Your qualification is yourself awareness that you're not qualified.
(20:58):
Awesome.
Yeah guys, that's.
It's such an encouragingconversation and I think, you know,
medicine for ailing ills earsout there that are kind of thinking
those things that a certainprivileged people get to do this
particular way, I think it'llbe so relieving to them and it will
reframe their experience of itin a way that they've never experienced
(21:20):
before.
And what a beautiful.
I mean the way like you justsaid, the way that it is typically
presented, we're presentingthe gospel in these elements and
we're presenting it in a waythat is so anti gospel.
I mean it's unbelievable.
Like I've always had a problemwith the whole fencing of the table.
I'm like if what SinclairFerguson told us in seminary in our
(21:42):
church and sacraments classthat the, that the Lord's supper
is the gospel tasted and thepreaching and preaching is the gospel
heard.
I'm like, where is theconsistency in saying you can't be,
you have to be a Christian tohear the gospel?
We don't say that.
Guys, thank you for yourobservations on this.
(22:05):
I know the impact on thisparticular conversation because it,
it, some people don't reallyunderstand it and have heard the
wrong things is that it'sgoing to reframe their experience
of it.
And what I'm excited aboutthinking about is them going into
church the next time communionis served and approaching it in a
completely different way.
So thank you on behalf ofthose people and me.
(22:31):
You've been listening to themisfit preachers like subscribe and
share more grace centeredresources@prodigalpodcasts.com that's
prodigal P R O D I G A Lpodcasts with an s dot com.
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