Today's readings are Psalm 116:12-19, Jeremiah 26:1-19, and Matthew 26:20-35.
In the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples we read not only that Jesus blesses the bread and the cup, instituting communion, but we also see that Jesus knows all about his disciples and their fears. He knows more than they do about how they will respond when put under the stress of having him taken away to die in their place.
How do we plan to react when we face opposition for our Christian life? It is easy for us to say that we will not fall away, that we will not flee, that we will not deny Christ. History is full of examples of people who did not flee, who faced torture and death for the testimony of the Lord. Yet history is also full of examples of those who feared, who faced opposition and compromised, even people who denied they knew Jesus at all.
What do we know about the rest of the story, after Matthew 26? Jesus restored his disciples to himself. Though they fled he gathered them back again, granting them repentance and forgiveness. In like manner, though we try to be courageous for our Lord, we may also find ourselves taking flight. May the Lord grant us repentance and restoration, pouring out his forgiveness upon us once again.
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