Friday 10 April. Today I’m thankful for the goodness of God, for Jesus’ love for each and every one of us, and for the hope and life He breathes into my existence. Our family was actually meant to be at Easter Camp by now (it’s become something of a tradition for us). Instead, at home, today we find ourselves understanding a hint of the loneliness and separation Jesus himself went through, that we hadn’t truly grasped before. And as we read from Luke 22 this morning, I noticed something else.
At the last supper – that very last meal Jesus has with his disciples – the setting at their dinner table, surprisingly, resembled our own. By that I mean, Jesus stopped everyone, made some powerful statements, and what followed? Had he hoped for open hearts, listening ears and acknowledgment that his words could change the world? What actually came next was confusion, and questions (directed at each other, not even to Jesus Himself) promptly followed discussion that ended up in an argument about which of them was the ‘best’ and ‘most important.’ Ring any bells?
I actually smiled when I read that. You see, our family table can often mirror that picture. Over a meal together, hubby or I might start a conversation or a trail of thought. It might be something that we feel is important, and needs to be heard. Perhaps a passage from the Bible, a clip from the news, or just our attempt at raising a thought-provoking topic. First one, then another of our girls interjects with an (often unrelated) comment or question, and before we know it, the table has erupted into a form of chaos!
Isn’t it comforting to know that even the “disciples,” who made it into history records, were human too? Perhaps your table is just like ours. Or maybe it looks and sounds quite different. However noisy, quiet or even dischordant and absent that table may be, Jesus came for all of us. Not just the perfect, photoshopped, facebooked and pinterested versions of us, but our real, messy selves. In whatever shape or form that might take. For each of us this Good Friday, the heart of the message is the same.
This Easter, may you know the hope that Jesus brings: the kind of hope that starts from the inside.
Kristy x
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