“Whoa. This job description is truly daunting”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, October 4, 2024

Luke 6: 12-26 (Forward, p. 67) CEV p. 1063

Interesting! Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before choosing the Twelve, those that later came to be called apostles, so obviously this choice was something of great importance and significance. And it is doubly interesting because many quite informed people from the area of human relations and hiring would not have chosen most of these disciples at all. Many of them had character qualities, attitudes or experiences that would have immediately put them out of the running, immediately disqualified them.

However, the ‘interesting’ part doesn’t end there. Coming down from the mountain Jesus launched into what is often known as ‘the Sermon on the Plain’ (in contrast to the Sermon on the Mountain). And what Jesus said to the disciples there was truly daunting.

He began with a series of blessings and I’m not sure whether I would have wanted any of them. On the one hand,

-they are blessed if they’re poor.

-they are blessed if they’re hungry.

-they are blessed if they are crying.

-they are blessed if others hate them and avoid them.

-they are blessed if others insult and slander them because they

follow Jesus.

However, on the other hand, things will be bad for them,

-if they are rich or well-fed or happy or praised by others.

I don’t know about you, but that’s a hard road to follow, something that is truly daunting in difficulty. However, I must say that Jesus didn’t pull the wool over their eyes or soft-pedal what they—and potentially us—were getting into. It is something that is well worth considering.

Forward notes: “And Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor” (verse 16b).

“Can you imagine being defined throughout history for the worst thing you have ever done? I recently asked a barista who had ‘Judas Ate Too’ tattooed on his forearm about its meaning. He began with the disclaimer: ‘I’m not religious, like, at all.’ (I was wearing my collar at the time, so I think he was worried about where this conversation might go.) Then he explained that he’s always been fascinated by the ‘character of Judas.’ He found it profound that Judas had a space at the table for the Last Supper—that, along with the other eleven, Judas ate too.

“Like the barista, I am also intrigued by Judas and the Last Supper. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do. And as Jesus went to wash his disciples’ feet, he didn’t skip over Judas; he didn’t just go through the motions with Judas. Jesus was fully present, fully caring, and fully loving of Judas as he was the others.

“It couldn’t have been easy. Yet Jesus practiced what he preached: he loved his neighbor. And he urges us to do the same.”

Moving Forward: “How will you treat the ‘Judases’ in your life?”