PKLM Sermons

January 4, 2026 - Bobby Dagnel - A Communion Gone Bad

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Bobby Dagnel - A Communion Gone Bad

00:00 Introduction and Communion Reflection
00:55 The Last Supper and Judas' Betrayal
03:46 The Disciples' Reactions and Self-Reflection
08:26 Meaningless Membership and Evil Lurking Near
15:43 Jesus' Final Appeal to Judas
22:23 The Tragedy of Judas and Our Opportunity
27:07 Conclusion and Prayer

[00:00:00] Introduction and Communion Reflection

what a wonderful place for us to be able to gather and to reflect and to remember. And certainly we are doing that today as we observe, uh, the communion service together. And this is always a very special time to me, uh, in reflecting and remembrance. And really we are, what we are doing today is the anticip.

Patient of, uh, of our Lord, when he met with those disciples in the upper room, what would become a last supper? A last meal? They never anticipated that, uh, the disciples thought that they had just gathered with, uh, their master, their teacher, and, uh, for a. Passover observance. And, uh, little did they know that this would be their last meal together or that it would become a meal of commemoration that, uh, the body of Christ, the church would observe until the Lord comes again.

And so this is, uh, a very special time for us today, I think as, as the people of God. 

[00:00:55] The Last Supper and Judas' Betrayal

I want us to reflect upon this by opening our Bibles to John chapter 13. In John chapter 13, and, uh, our focal passage today will be, uh, verses 21 through 30, and it really, uh, kind of centers around, um, uh, a figure of, uh, treachery and betrayal.

Judas, uh, as he is there among, uh, the. 12, and I'm calling this a communion gone bad. And uh, but it centers around, uh, a Judas and that character, our Lord has already troubled in spirit. The text, uh, says there in verse 21, uh, he knows that his hour has come, an hour that he has alluded to back in verse one.

If you look back at the verse verse of John chapter 13, uh, he knows that the hour is coming for, uh, his. Departure and he knows that that window of time is closing. That you, we can only imagine the stress that, uh, our Lord must have been feeling, anticipating, knowing everything that, uh, was going to occur, that the son of man is to suffer and to die, and how all that is going to look.

And yet here, uh, he's troubled in spirit. Uh, because as he's gathering with his 12, his inner circle, there is one that is going to betray him. Of course, we know that to be Judas, which odd, oddly enough, is a name that means. Praise and that name of Judas would become a name that would become Exhibit A of betrayal.

Uh, treachery, uh, deceit. Uh, what I find interesting, I came across a bit of information some years ago that, uh, according to the soc, the Social Security, uh, agency, that there are still 10 to 20 families a year in the US that named their child Judas. I mean, who would ever anticipate that? I mean, uh, it was a common name back then in the ancient, uh, east and the ancient near East.

Uh, but none of us could ever imagine naming our child. Judas could we Apparently 10 to 20 families a, a year do that though here in, in the us. But, but Judas becomes Exhibit eight, if you will, of a communion that's gone bad. And uh, for me, I don't know about you. I've always been intrigued by Judas. I mean, uh, I mean, just thinking about how are you that close and yet you turn.

Um, you know, you start, your mind can go in all kinds of directions. You think, well, was he bullied as a child? Uh, you know, was he abused as a child? I mean, what was his family life like? Uh, what, what were the dynamics of his life that would bring him to this, this place? Because the text doesn't lend itself in any form or fashion.

We can't look at the biblical text and say, well, yeah, I knew it was gonna be Judas. You know, that guy? You just can't trust him. Uh. 

[00:03:46] The Disciples' Reactions and Self-Reflection

Not even the disciples themselves, the other, the other disciples, the other 11, they, when the Lord would say That one of you is going to betray me. I mean, it wasn't like the whole room just looked at Judas.

Uh, what we find in the biblical accounts is that Ju Judas was just always part of the 12 when he's mentioned he's always a part of the 12 that we're following the directives of, of Jesus following the directives of their Lord. There was never any indication that somehow Judas was going to go off the rails.

Uh, in fact, what I find, what I find intriguing here is that after Jesus makes the announcement there in verse 21, that one of you, uh, will betray me. The disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know of which one he was speaking. If you go back and look at a couple of the synoptic gospels, Matthew and Mark, it expounds upon that even further.

Each one of the disciples would go to individually, go individually to Jesus and say, Lord, is it me? So they didn't automatically think Judas. Every disciple at that table wondered if it might be me. They knew what they were capable of. Have you ever been in that position before? I remember before. Every year, before two a day started in football, the coach would always make that, uh, you know, they always try to build up the anxiety and the stress of what you're gonna go through in two a days.

But I've never had TOA days where a coach didn't say, some of you aren't gonna make it through the day. Some of you will not be here at the end of the day. And I would always, in my mind, as practice got started, I would, I would always think if my best friend or someone would quit, I'd probably go with them.

I thought, and I always had that wondering, am I going to be the one that doesn't survive When I started? Graduate school when Southwestern Seminary was fully accredited, fully esteemed seminary, world renowned faculty. Uh, I'll never forget that first gathering, that first day of orientation, where the president of Southwestern Russell Deal Day at that time said, I want every one of you in this, in this auditorium.

I want you to look to your left and to your right. Neither of those will graduate with you. Only 33% of you will graduate that are in this room. I thought, oh my soul, is that gonna be me? Another telling statistic we have now is that out of those 33% of students that graduate today from seminaries, 85% at the end of five years are no longer in the ministry.

And I always wondered, Lord, is it going to be me? So don't make this mistake. This is one of these kinds of passages where if you only make this about Judas, you miss a wonderful teaching opportunity because at every turn we see Jesus being betrayed. Or remember Peter, Peter would, would deny the Lord three times in the night that's coming when Jesus needed his friends the most.

They ran off into the night. So if it, if it wasn't about Judas, then it was Peter. If it wasn't Peter, then it was the other disciples, and if it wasn't those other disciples, then it was you. And if it wasn't you, then it was me. I've always found in my own personal Bible study. When I'm reading accounts and narratives, especially stories that involve people where one kind of person is contrasted against another kind of person, I've always deliberately in the reading of scripture, made myself, not the protagonist, but the antagonist in the story.

I think our tendency is when we read scripture, we want to make ourself the good guy. Oh, I'd never be the one to do that. In fact, what we most often do, we say, well, I hope so-and-so's listening to this. But I've found that I've gained far more and found it far more challenging in my own faith journey in reading scripture if I make myself the, if I allow myself to be the bad guy.

In the story instead of always being the good guy who would've never done these kinds of things. Because what we have here now in this account of Judas is certainly applicable to all of us, and there are, I think, some takeaways for us to consider of how a communion can go bad. 

[00:08:26] Meaningless Membership and Evil Lurking Near

You know, the first thing I, I would highlight for you.

In this that, uh, we're certainly representative of, of Judas, it is a possibility for any of us, and that is meaningless membership. Judas proved to have a meaningless membership among those who were counted as as disciples. Listen to verse 21. It says, when, when Jesus had said this, he became troubled in spirit.

And testified and said, truly, truly, I say to you that, that one of you will betray me. Now that word trouble is a word that means disturbed, agitated, uh, something that that is has become unsettling in your spirit. It's the same word that is used over in chapter 11 in previous chapters in chapter 11 in verse 33, at, at the Tomb of Lazarus.

When Jesus saw the Sisters of Lazarus, when he saw the others that, that were gathered with these sisters offering emotional support, it says that Jesus, Jesus became troubled. The same word is used in, in chapter 12 in verse 27. Uh, Jesus says it this way. He says, now my, now my soul has become. Troubled.

It's disturbed. It's, it's bothersome, it's agitated. We know in chapter 14 verse one, as those disciples were grieving, as Jesus continues to talk about it being appointed under the son of man to suffer and to die, Jesus notice their, their angst. There are anxiety. And he said to the, let not your hearts be troubled.

And now Jesus' heart is troubled. Again, and you know what I think is most bothersome to Jesus, I think what is most troubling to Jesus? When you think about his mission and his purpose, when you think about his, his, his life and what he has poured into these disciples, I think what is most troublesome for for Jesus is that he's worried about Judas.

I think he's troubled for Judas. 'cause Judas, as we see, Judas is a lost sheep, and Jesus is a loving shepherd. And Jesus also knows that, that the opportunities for salvation are not endless in that window of opportunity. Jesus recognizes that, that this window is closing. Upon Jesus, upon Judas, and he says so, so one of you will betray me, one of you will betray me, and they looked at one another.

Now what it, what it says, or what, the way it challenges me is I never want to get to a place of being self satisfied. I never want to get to a place in my faith journey and my relationship with the Lord, where I'm self satisfied with what I know, with what I think. I know what I've experienced in life, being self satisfied with where I am in this station of life.

Am I still stretching myself? Am I still challenging myself to understand more about my Lord? And so they are perplexed. Is it me? I think the apostle Paul gives us a, a wonderful portrayal of the attitude that, that, that should be, that should be ours. When he talks about that kind of, of arrogance, that can, can over, that can so easily find its way in where he tells us to be careful to be on, to be on guard lest we, lest we fall, therefore, let him.

One Corinthians 10, 12. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation is overtaken you, but such as his common to man. So it's a reminder that each and every one of us are are, are vulnerable notice as the passage continues on here in verse 22, the disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know of which one he was speaking.

There was reclining on Jesus. There was reclining on Jesus' bosom, one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him and said to him, tell us who it is of whom he is speaking. He leaning back. Thus on Jesus' Bo Bosom said to him, Lord, who is it? Who is it? Think about the intimacy of that, of that room.

I mean, by that time, the Jews had had adopted the, the, the Roman Trilenium table, which was kind of, was a low profile, U-shaped table. And you would sit, you would lie on your, your left elbow, left forearm, on the, on the outer edge, your feet behind you. And servants would serve in that, that U shape, that middle area.

But you envision these, these individuals who are, who are leaning in close proximity, breast to breast, uh, resting on their left arm and legs, extended behind them, eating with their, with their right hand. And you think about how, how could he be that close? How could you be in that intimate of a setting and things go sideways?

Judas is our example of someone who can have, who can have a meaningless membership. I've always said there's nothing easier than joining a church in America. I mean, you really don't have to be a Christian to join a church, and I mean, you may be asked if you're a Christian. Uh, you may fill out all the, the right blanks when they give you a membership card, you'll check the box that, that you're a Christian, but, but it, it's really nothing rigorous.

There's, there's, in our tradition, certainly no catechesis that, that you must endure or go through. It's a very real possibility that, that you can know the pastor but not know the master. Judas is an example of someone who has membership among the disciples, but he has no real relationship with Christ.

Another thing I've gleaned from this is not just the possibility of meaningless membership, but also how, how evil lurks so near. It's a good warning, I think, to each of us of just keeping, I always call it, keeping our head on a swivel. Being aware of the world around us, what is happening and the circumstances around us so that when things go sideways, I can make the right choices and determinations for my life as a follower of Christ.

Now, notice how this unfolds in verses 26 and 27. 

[00:15:43] Jesus' Final Appeal to Judas

Jesus then answered That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him. So when he had dipped the morsel, he took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Ariat. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore, Jesus said to him, what you do do quickly, you in the ancient Near East, and I think this is at play here in the ancient Near East, it was not uncommon for a host to offer a piece of food to a guest that was being honored.

Think about that, the imagery of that Jesus as the host of this meal, offering a morsel to food to Judas as if he is an honored guest. I think it was Jesus's final appeal to the conscience of Judas trying to quicken the conscience of Judas. Judas, you're at a turning point. Judas, you're, you're at a crossroad.

Like you would say to Peter, to Peter, Satan has desired to sift you. Like, like we, Judas, you're, you're at a crossroad. Uh, I want to offer you this. You need to be reminded of, of what you're a part. You have opportunity to be a part of something that, that is, that is significant. I think it says to us always be, be alert.

Be aware. Of how close and how powerful the opportunity to betray Jesus really is. It's not just betraying Jesus like, like Judas. I mean, you think about it. I mean, you had Peter who denied him. You had the disciples who ran into the night. We have opportunity. We have, we have 1,001 opportunities every day to betray Jesus.

Don't. Think about how easy it is for us to betray Jesus, whether it's in our home, whether it's in the workplace, in our daily business affairs, all kinds of ways to betray Jesus. And what's interesting to me, it says in this account that after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. You think about Satan lurking near, what was it?

Satan was looking for? Was it already predetermined? I think what Satan was looking for is he was lurking in that room as he was observing. I think he was looking for that one disciple. Who is it that is disgruntled? Who is it that doesn't like the way things are going? Who is it? Who is that one disciple?

That is, that is dissatisfied, that is restless, that is thinking in terms of a Messiah who is upset that Jesus keeps talking about a Messiah that is to suffer and die when what I've always wanted and what I've always expected. Is a Messiah that was going to establish an earthly kingdom, that was going to be a political ruler, a militaristic ruler that's going to restore Israel as, as a socioeconomic presence in the world.

Looking for that one disciple that had his own agenda, that had his own desires, who had his own preferences, who hadn't really grown. In his relationship with Jesus, he's looking for that one who is no different today than he was three years ago after he started following Jesus. And you know who he found in that room?

He found Judas. I've always tried to defend Judas somewhat. In that. I've always believed that in Judas mind, I think in his mind he had noble intentions. I think Judas was trying to force the hand of Jesus. I think Judas was so locked in on understanding the kingdom of God only in terms of earthly models, political models, militaristic models.

I, I believe that if that Judas in his mind believe that if I can force this, if I can, if I can set Rome or if I can set the Jewish religion, if I can set Rome against, against Jesus, Jesus will respond and call down legions of angels. But it ultimately came down to Judas having his own desires, his own agenda that stood in conflict.

Jesus. And it's a, it's a powerful reminder of how close evil works, of how it is around us at any moment desiring to tempt us to betray our Lord. The final thing I want us to see that deliverance is at hand. It was there for Judas. The opportunity for deliverance was at hand notice it says in verse 28.

Now, no one of these reclining at the table knew for what purpose. He had said this to him. Remember, Judas has left the room and I like what Jesus said back in back in verse 27, where he said to Judas, what you do do quickly. You know Jesus still has authority, doesn't he? Even though Satan is lurking near, even though Satan has filled Judas to do his deed, Jesus still controls the room.

He's still an authority. He says to Judas, what you do, you do quickly. He's still in charge of everything. You see, Satan thinks he's thwarting the purposes of God. He's just initiating the purposes of God. Satan thinks he's doing something to undermine it. He's just initiating. What God is going to do. So no.

Now no one of them reclining at the table knew for what purpose. He had said this to them for some were supposing because Judas had the money box that Jesus was saying to him by the things we need for the feast or else that he should give something to the poor. 

[00:22:23] The Tragedy of Judas and Our Opportunity

Now whether Judas left that room with that morsel still in his hand or whether he had ate it, what, what is, what is a powerful portrayal to me is how close he was to Grace, how, how close he was in proximity to mercy, to deliverance.

I mean, that's the tragedy of Judas. What might have been for Judas if he had just waited. We know what he did. He ultimately went out and took his own life. But I've always wondered what might have been for Judas. What if he had waited? What if he had just waited for the story, the narrative to continue to unfold?

Well, I, I, I think Judas could have experienced that same restoration that Peter experienced. I think he could have been restored and forgiven just like those, those disciples who fled in fear out into the night. But we'll never know about Judas. We'll never know what might have been because he didn't wait.

See, I, I think Judas underestimated his value. Judas, like most of us, we are so haunted by our failures, the miserable failures of our life that we allow to define us, that we allow to tear us down internally, emotionally, mentally, so that we think less of ourselves, so that we think we're not redeemable.

And I think that's what happened to Judas. Judas thought he was unredeemable, and Judas frankly thought the value of his soul and the value of his life was just about 30 pieces of silver, and he underestimated his value.

General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. He tells a wonderful story and probably his most popular fundraising speech, general Booth told the story. He would tell the story in that, in that message, in that sermon and that appeal. He would tell the story of of Judas and he would always say to those crowds that were gathered, he would say, if you ever find yourself in hell, he said, you'll notice that over in one corner there is a solitary.

Tragic figure. And he is humped over and stooped over. And he said if you, if you get closer, the closer you get to him, you can, you can hear him counting. 1, 2, 3, 4 27, 28, 29, 30.

He's counting his silver. He said, if you get close enough, he will look up and say to you, I sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. What did you sell him for?

Judas didn't sell Jesus. He sold himself. He esteemed his own worth and value as being 30 pieces of silver as nothing

powerful. Verse verse 30. So after receiving the morsel, he went out immediately and it was night, the night of opportunity. Closed for Judas. But it is the daylight of our opportunity that you and I now have opportunity because we are on the other side of the story. We are on the other side of what God's love has accomplished and what God's love has now made known through Christ Jesus fully.

And now the daylight of opportunity is for each and everyone at a time of communion. To embrace and to experience that relationship that our Lord desires with each and every one of us. 

[00:27:07] Conclusion and Prayer

Let's pray together our Father, how grateful we are for the good communion that is ours. How grateful we are to be the beneficiaries of your grace and your mercy.

A grace and mercy that is rejected by so many. So tragically, and yet, Lord, as believers gathered this day, not around tables, but in this room, father, we, we are no less mindful that, that, that we are all vulnerable, that we all fail to measure up in so many ways, and yet we find our identity in you. We are not defined by our mistakes and our failures.

Our identity defines us as followers of Christ. And so it is in you that we find our wholeness and our completeness and our fullness. And Father, this morning as we reflect upon these elements, father, I pray that it might fill us all the more with the spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving and appreciation.

For what you have accomplished and what you are accomplishing for each and every one of us as your people, as the body of Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.