“Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, He said unto them, ’verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me’.” Matthew 26:20-21 KJV
Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” Matthew 26:20-21 NASB
There likely has never been a room that was so charged with emotion as the upper room in which the Lord and the disciples kept Passover and then instituted the Lord’s Supper. The mention of the betrayer in their midst, the darkening clouds, the symbols of His death, and His forecast of their being scattered all combined to create an atmosphere which must have been laden with grief and apprehension.
Look at some of the elements present:
The Symbols
The symbols of the Passover having been dealt with, a loaf of bread and a cup became the focus of their attention. The lamb of which they had partaken to commemorate the Passover would have pointed back to the lamb in Egypt and a redemption accomplished. But the bread was not an emblem of another bread but of a literal body. The cup, likewise, was not a reminder of a past cup or even a future one, but of literal blood which was going to be shed for them.
The Strife
Luke tells us of the strife which broke out amongst the disciples as to who would be the greater. The Lord Jesus had just told them of the depths of His self-humbling and they were intent upon places of prominence. It must have brought grief to His heart to see the sinful propensity of their hearts, and find no comforter among them who understood anything of what awaited Him, and to face the dark night without “some to take pity.”
The Scattering
He advised them all that when the Shepherd was smitten, Scripture foretold that the sheep would be scattered (Matt 26:31). He had always been there for them. He was the “Rock Unfailing” to which they could always resort amidst their trials and problems. But He was to be smitten and they were to be scattered. Like men bereft of an anchor on a storm-tossed sea, perplexity and fear must have gripped them. Did they hear the second part of His words? “After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”
The Supplication
And what of His words to Peter? “I have prayed for thee.” Peter, the one who was always in the forefront, the unofficial leader of the band whose name is always listed first in the naming of the disciples, He was destined to deny His Lord! Little wonder there was searching of heart among the disciples that night as they asked, “Lord, is it I?” (Matt 26:22).
The Song
Finally, before exiting that room, the disciples, with the Lord as the Song Leader, raised their voices to sing together the Psalm which ended the Great Hallel. The words of Psalm 118 filled the room and the heart of the Lord Jesus: “The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner” (v 22). And then, although it pointed to a future day, it still must have had a great significance to the Lord’s heart, “This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad” (v 24). And with the strains of His worship, He left the room and went out to face the night.
Consider:
Think of the potential grief that must have filled the hearts of the disciples as they looked back to see their own insensitivity to the Lord and His sorrows. Yet they did not allow that to paralyze them in their service for Him in the future.