Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Pentecost Tuesday - Luke 22:24-46

Pentecost Tuesday

Daily Lectionary Readings: Numbers 22:21-23:3; Luke 22:24-46; (Augsburg Confession 17-49)

Luke 22:24-30

[24] A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. [25] And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. [26] But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. [27] For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

[28] “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, [29] and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, [30] that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

This one is for the young people – any really – getting ready to undergo what I call a "phase transition" in life. Grade School to High School High School to College. College graduation. Those sorts of things. Now that gravity has reclaimed headgear, and the parties are winding down, it's time to have some deep thoughts. How exactly how you are supposed to feel at times like these? Are you a little nervous? Is the anticipation exciting? Maybe you feel a little overwhelmed or numb. All of those feelings are normal. Just think how the week of Jesus' Passion appeared to the disciples! There was a change coming like never before. You might begin to worry about being a good Christian, just as the disciples themselves did. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said, "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Do every act of your life as if it were your last. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."1 As a follower of Christ, you are free to live a life of service to your neighbor, to be good men and women because Jesus has given you life eternal. For many of us, accepting this is life-changing. It’s a phase transition. It requires prayer and humility. Wisdom.

Obviously, Jesus’ lesson in humility this evening failed to penetrate the disciple's hearts and instead went right over their heads. No sooner did our Lord feed them the meal which bestows eternal life and salvation than they began to argue among themselves. This isn't the first time they argued over which of them was most important, and they would do so again. But in this context of the evening of Jesus' arrest and trial following so soon after the pomp and circumstance of His entry into Jerusalem, their behavior, to us, seems inexcusable. Jesus taught them many extraordinary things in the past couple of years. It was a lot to process, and it would take time and a very special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to understand it all and apply it not only to their own lives but to the lives of those entrusted to their care by the Lord.

For the disciples, it was a sad foreshadowing of the conflict that Satan would sow in the church, which occurred in that upper room conversation. How ridiculous it seems to us that such naked pride and vanity should crop up in their hearts sitting in the presence of their Master after the things they had witnessed and hearing of the things yet to come. We, with our perfect hindsight, shake our heads in wonder at their childishness and, at the same time harbor our own vanities and our own pride.

St. Paul wrote, "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”2 and Jesus promised, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”3

The one who has conquered for you is Christ. He is the one who picked up that high bar no one could hope to reach and ran off with it, running away also with the despair of knowing we could never hope to do it ourselves. He entered Jerusalem this morning like a conquering hero and will go out of Jerusalem Friday morning to be killed, buried in an unmarked tomb. It looks as though He was defeated, but the empty tomb Sunday morning tells us otherwise. The burden of defeating sin, death, and the power of the devil was shouldered by Jesus, carried into the grave by Jesus, and left there. They cannot touch you. Jesus is the greatest. He had to be, for you. For your forgiveness. He comes to you today with His body and blood given and shed for you to put His greatness inside you so you may be measured by His greatness alone, not yours. You simply get to be. Unburdened from having to somehow measure up or earn your place by your own efforts, you are free to share in your words and actions that Jesus died and rose to save you. You are able to witness to the world that Christ has set a table for you, serves you with Himself, and He invites all who are burdened to come to Him and rest.

As we walk through the transitions in life, recall the Passion of our Lord, His sacrifice for the sins of the world. Kneel at this altar – lay your burden at the foot of His cross. He has already conquered it for you. By His passion, He has made you the greatest by becoming the least. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

1Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations, X, 16: (my translation): Μηκέθ᾽ ὅλως περὶ τοῦ οἷόν τινα εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα διαλέγεσθαι, ἀλλὰ εἶναι τοιοῦτον.

2I Corinthians 5:7 (ESV).

3Revelation 3:21 (ESV).