Today's reflection brings to mind several concepts. The first being that of basking in the love of family and friends - with the foreknowledge that what comes after will be much less pleasant. There's the knowledge that at this point in time, as Thomas states, they are willing to die with Christ. They are united.
The words that came to mind about not wanting to rise from the table were "Let us eat, drink and be merry; for tomorrow we die." Those words occur two places in the Bible. The first is in Isaiah 22:15 and the link takes you to the whole chapter, because reading the context is important. In verses 1 through 15, Isaiah is seeing in the Valley of Vision that what should be a time of mourning, as decreed by God is instead a time of feasting, with the attitude that they should eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow they die. The warning in the very next verses is that should you continue to disobey God, the death will be eternal.
The second place the quote occurs is at 1 Corinthians 15, verse 32. Again, in context, Paul is telling the Corinthians that if they do not actually believe that Christ rose from the dead, that there is life everlasting through belief in Christ, and that Christ died for the sins of all that we may have that hope - then they may as well follow what Isaiah said, and eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die without the hope of rising in Christ.
As the apostles spent their evening with friends, and basked in the warmth and love surrounding them, only Christ had the knowledge of what was to come. Knowing that He could live in the present, take joy in good company, good food and fellowship - but that to protect all from the eternal death of "tomorrow", He would have to leave the table, and continue His mission.
Could you follow him?
The words that came to mind about not wanting to rise from the table were "Let us eat, drink and be merry; for tomorrow we die." Those words occur two places in the Bible. The first is in Isaiah 22:15 and the link takes you to the whole chapter, because reading the context is important. In verses 1 through 15, Isaiah is seeing in the Valley of Vision that what should be a time of mourning, as decreed by God is instead a time of feasting, with the attitude that they should eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow they die. The warning in the very next verses is that should you continue to disobey God, the death will be eternal.
The second place the quote occurs is at 1 Corinthians 15, verse 32. Again, in context, Paul is telling the Corinthians that if they do not actually believe that Christ rose from the dead, that there is life everlasting through belief in Christ, and that Christ died for the sins of all that we may have that hope - then they may as well follow what Isaiah said, and eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die without the hope of rising in Christ.
As the apostles spent their evening with friends, and basked in the warmth and love surrounding them, only Christ had the knowledge of what was to come. Knowing that He could live in the present, take joy in good company, good food and fellowship - but that to protect all from the eternal death of "tomorrow", He would have to leave the table, and continue His mission.
Could you follow him?
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