The Last Supper

My father-in-law, used to collect displays of Leonardo DaVinci’s The Last Supper.  He had several of them arranged around their home in Michigan and whenever he made the trek to Minnesota, he would hit the local antique shops looking for other unique opportunities to expand his collection.  His assemblage included paintings, printings and wood carvings. 

The image is iconic.  It is the depiction of what is found in Matthew 26:14-30. Most people can recognize this famous work of DaVinci at a mere glance.  Yet, I wonder how many people would be able to actually name and identify each character in the piece?  When I was in college, I was required to write an extensive history paper on the painting of The Last Supper.  In doing so, I had to identify each character and assign reasoning as to what they may have been thinking, saying or acting at the captured moment within the painters mind. 

Even to this day, I remember…absolutely nothing…about what I had learned.  In fairness, most of my research was probably done in the final 24 hours of the deadline and I deserved every bit of grace I received to get a C- on the assignment. 

What has struck this week, as I have reflected on that famous painting of the 12 men with Jesus, is that from a distance, Judas could have been any of them.  As you get closer to the work you can identify Judas by the money bag in his hand but you still cannot see what is in his heart.  In truth, who’s to say that the betrayer couldn’t have been any one of them?  A quick look reveals nothing about what’s in a person’s heart. Of the 13 images in that picture, only Jesus knew who the betrayer was and what was in his heart, but for the rest of us…it could have been anyone.

We know that it is Judas, I am not arguing that.  What I am saying is that, who’s to say that, I wouldn’t have the same tendency within me.  The same could be said for Thomas, Matthew, Peter or even John. 

Each one of us is born with that nature…the sin nature…within us.  We are born to be betrayers…but Jesus changes all of that.  He takes me…a sinner…a betrayer…a denier, and he covers me in his goodness, not because of what I have done, but rather because I have said yes to what He has done.

May we come to see how the goodness and grace of Jesus can cover all of our depravity.