The Uninvited Guest
Luke 22:14-30
14Then at the proper time Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table. 15Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until it comes to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.”
17Then he took a cup of wine, and when he had given thanks for it, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”
19Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.
21“But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. 22For I, the Son of Man, must die since it is part of God’s plan. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer!” 23Then the disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.
24And they began to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom. 25Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men order their people around, and yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26But among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27Normally the master sits at the table and is served by his servants. But not here! For I am your servant. 28You have remained true to me in my time of trial. 29And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30to eat and drink at my table in that Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
There was an uninvited guest at the meal. In fact, this guest is never invited. No one wants him around. Yet, he is so subtle, no one knows he’s there until he has done his damage. He is good at stirring up trouble. He has a knack for starting arguments. Sometimes the arguments lead to fights and the fights to war. Needless to say, when he enters a room, people will be hurt.
Of all places for him to be present, there he was, in the upper room with Jesus and his disciples. You would think that he couldn’t even enter the room. But he did and he did what he does best. He took the words of Jesus and used them to get the disciples to begin to focus on themselves. 21But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me…23Then the disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. 24And they began to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom.
Who is this uninvited guest who crashed Jesus’ dinner party? Who is this uninvited guest who appeared at the church in Corinth? Who is this uninvited guest who has intruded into the life of countless congregations and small groups? The uninvited guest is named Division, a servant of Satan.
There he was in the upper room. When Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray him, Division went to work. He blinded each disciple to the fact that he had the capacity to betray Jesus. So they began pointing fingers. Not literally, but in their minds they pointed fingers at one another. “Is it Peter?” “Could it be John?” “What about Matthew?” “I’ve always wondered about Thaddeus.” “It must be Thomas. He’s always thinking about something.”
Never once did any of them ask, “What if it’s me?” Instead they pointed at the others and never noticed the three fingers pointing back at them.
Luke tells us that their discussion about who the betrayer was turned into an argument about who was the greatest among them. Peter thought to himself, “It can’t be me. I was the first one Jesus called. Therefore, I’ll be his right-hand man.” John thought, “It can’t be me. I’m his favorite. I’ll make a good second in command.” Matthew mused, “It’s can’t be me. My background in taxes qualifies for the position of managing money.” Andrew said to himself, “It can’t be me. I brought him the loaves and fish so he could feed all those people. I have faith in Jesus.” Division had succeeded. The disciples were divided. They could easily be conquered now.
No congregation is immune to his sting. No denomination is too holy for him not to enter. No small group is too filled with the Holy Spirit to keep him away. He is the most diabolical of all demons. He is constantly looking for a way in. A small crack in the armor will do. He only needs a small place to inject his lethal venom. No saint is too holy. No preacher is out of his reach. No church leader is beyond his grasp. Division is Satan’s big gun. He doesn’t waste him on lukewarm Christians or cool congregations. They tend to be focused on themselves and are divided anyway. Satan is very familiar with the words of Jesus, “A house divided cannot stand.”
This demon is powerful enough to divide Christ’s church into East and West. He has divided the West into Catholic and Protestant. He has divided the Protestant into untold numbers of denominations and independent groups. This is no weak foe. For he only can be removed with much prayer.
There is still division among Jesus’ disciples: division over styles of worship; division over church structure and polity; division over who has authority; division over how the money is spent; division over which translation of the Bible is be read; division over how one is to be baptized; division over who can participate in Holy Communion. There is even division among Jesus’ followers over insignificant things like the color of carpet and where to hang the founder’s picture.
We will argue about anything in the church. Everything from spiritual gifts to the preacher’s hairstyle. But the ugliest and most divisive divisions are around power and authority. 24And they began to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom. Notice the words "would be". Not who was the greatest, but who would be the greatest. Boy, ol’ Division did a number on those guys. And he’s still doing it today.
In reality, none of us are great. No congregation is greater than another. Greatness is just an illusion. Greatness is so relative. I may look like a great person when compared to one individual, but like a pile of dirt when compared to another. It is a sad commentary on Christians when Division is allowed to enter the ranks.
Let me ask all of us a question. How easily do you fall prey to Division? From whom are you divided now?
Unity in the Body and Blood of Christ (22:19-20, 25-27)
So, what do we do about division among us? Let’s return to the Scripture to see what Jesus did and said.
19Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you—an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you...25Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men order their people around, and yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26But among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27Normally the master sits at the table and is served by his servants. But not here! For I am your servant."
There is but one table that Jesus invites us to. It is his table. It is not a Methodist table. It isn’t a Baptist table. It isn’t a Charismatic table. It isn’t a Reformed table. It isn’t a Protestant table. It isn’t a Catholic table. It is the Lord’s table.
Jesus served all the disciples at his table, even Judas. The body and blood of Jesus is for all who profess him as Lord and King. It is at the Lord’s table that all our differences disappear.
Division may have succeeded in dividing Christ’s Church, but Jesus found a way to bring us back together. Through a little Jewish man who stirred up the whole Roman Empire, Jesus gave to the Apostle Paul the perfect analogy of the church: a human body. Yes, we are different. Just as each part of the body is different. But we are united because together, we make the Church.
It is the body and blood of Jesus that unites us. As long as we proclaim Jesus as Lord, we are united.
The time has come to lay aside our differences and to work together to share the good news of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ. The time is here for us to bring those who are broken and hurting to the Christ who heals us. It is time for us to cast out the demon of competition and work together for the sake of Jesus. The time is here to stand in the shadow of Christ and let him cast division from us once and for all.
There is a beautiful image the early church had concerning Holy Communion. The communion table was placed in the center of the room. As the community of faith gathered around the table, Christ was there to serve through the priest. As the priest served the people, he served not only those who were there in body, but also those who were there in spirit. All the saints of the past were there. All the saints of the present were there. And even the saints of the future were at the table. All who believe in Jesus Christ and know him as Lord eat and drink together.
It is at this table that we are closest to heaven. It is at the table of the Lord that we become one. Come, share in this time of Holy Communion with Jesus and all the saints of his Church.
