Jesus Christ invited Judas to this meal, knowing what was in his heart. Jesus Christ warned Judas about his peril, in much the same way that God warned Cain about sin lying in wait for him. And the greatest possible grace and the greatest act of treachery met together.
But the Table was not defiled. God’s holiness is never defiled. The treachery of Judas was used by the sovereign hand of God to accomplish the salvation of the world, and when it was used, it was discarded. The Table is still here, and all over the world God’s people are streaming to it, while the 30 pieces of silver have long vanished.
Along the shoreline, waves pound the rocks, but we should not worry about the rocks. Rank hypocrites by the thousands have come to this Table, only to break themselves on it. We do not need to worry about the Table.
We preach the gospel, we admonish, we warn—but we do not fence the Table for the sake of the Table.
Hearing these words, mindful of our own remaining sinfulness, we might be tempted to shrink back. We don’t want to be broken on this Table. But yes, you do. That is precisely what you want. You don’t want to be broken as Judas was, fair enough. But you should want to be broken as Peter was.
We are sinners, and God is holy. There is no way to come to Him without being broken. In just a moment, I am going to break the bread, in imitation of how Jesus broke the bread. If you are broken there, that way, in Him, the end result is resurrection and everlasting communion. But if you are here without trust and faith in Jesus, and you partake, then like Judas you have no choice but to go out into the night.
But you are invited to stay. You are invited to trust. You are invited to repent. You are invited, warmly and cordially, to believe in Jesus Christ, genuinely, from the heart.