Scripture: Psalm 100; Mathew 26:26-30

It was Passover.  As luck would have it, Jesus and his disciples had actually made it to Jerusalem – the holy city of God – in time for the celebration!  This would be, by far, one of the most memorable evenings of their lives.

If only they knew how memorable!Jesus had tried to tell them several times that this would not be an ordinary trip.  He tried to tell them what was going to happen but they refused to listen.  As a matter of fact, at one point Peter just stopped short of calling him a liar!  Give it a break, Lord, he said.  You’re the Son of God!  Nothing is going to happen to you.  You know it as well as I do!  Then, just to add insult to injury, James and John had started arguing over which one of them would be seated at his right hand when God’s kingdom finally came.  He tried to tell them they didn’t have a clue as to what they were asking.  They wouldn’t listen.  Jesus couldn’t figure out if they didn’t care or if they just didn’t want to know.

Oh well, none of that really mattered now.  Things would be what they would be.  His only hope was that someday they would all understand.

As for this night, it was Passover – a time to remember, to celebrate, and to give God thanks for bringing their ancestors safely out of Egypt – for delivering them from the bondage of slavery.  Tonight they would celebrate one last time and, much to everyone’s dismay, it was Judas who was seated at his right hand!

Yes, Judas knew.  That is why he had been given the seat of honor.  Oh, he didn’t know everything but he knew enough.  So, when Jesus dipped the piece of bread into the bowl and offered it to him, he couldn’t play the game any longer.  If Jesus wasn’t going to act like the Messiah, what better time was there to force his hand?  So, when Jesus told him to go and do quickly what he was about to do, Judas took him at his word.  Maybe someday the world would thank him. 

As Judas disappeared into the night, Jesus knew the end was near.  He also knew that what was about to happen was not what Judas intended but there was no stopping it now.  It would be what it would be.

So, what should a person do when he knows that in only a few short hours he will be betrayed, deserted and denied by all of his very best friends?  What would you do if you knew that you were about to be arrested, tried, beaten, and crucified for a crime you never committed?

Well, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus turned back to the table, finished the meal, sang one last hymn then walked out of the room into the arms of certain death.

So, how did he do it?  How could Jesus continuing singing and giving God thanks when he knew the agony that awaited him?  It’s a question I ask myself when innocent people suffer through no fault of their own.  How can children sing when the money the money their parents should spend on food, clothes and rent is used for alcohol or street drugs instead?  How can someone who is being abused or misused by others sing praises to a God who seems so far away?  How can we sing when our jobs are eliminated but the bills keep pouring in?  How do we sing when someone we love is hurting and there is nothing we can do to stop the pain?

These were the same questions the psalmist asked when, in the midst of a long and cruel exile, he cried out:  By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.  There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’  How can we sing the sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

How do we sing?  How do we sing when our hearts are breaking, when our minds are racing, and when our future is filled with uncertainty and doubt?  We must do exactly what Jesus and the psalmist did.  We must trust God!  We must trust God enough to be painfully honest - to poor out our pain, grief, anger and disappointment.  Then, we must be patient enough to wait in silence for the answers we want . . . need . . .and deserve. 

How can we sing our songs in a foreign land?  We must trust the One who created the melody and the words for our lives.  And, in the words of the Sesame Street gang:  Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear.  Just sing; sing your song.

To God be the Glory!