Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the last day that Jesus lived on earth, and there are a bunch of things that He left us with. There are three things that always stick out to me when I think about this day: the washing of the disciples' feet, the Lord's Supper, and Jesus praying in Gethsemane.

John 13:7-Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

Jesus washed the disciples' feet during the Passover meal. Foot washing was something reserved for gentile slaves, if someone had slaves. If there were no slaves then everyone washed their own feet. What Jesus was doing was exactly what Paul describes in Philippians 2- humbling Himself. He is also showing them what the command He gives them- to love one another- looks like. Another thing He is doing by this is pointing to the cross. Death by crucifixion is usually reserved for slaves- no one that was high on the social ladder was ever crucified. So what Jesus is showing them is that He will humble Himself from King of Kings and Lord of Lords to a slave. He is telling the disciples at the time of the foot washing that they don't understand what He is doing now, but later they will. By later, He means the crucifixion.

Matthew 26:26-28- While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Jesus then institutes the Lord's supper. He takes the bread, gives thanks, then breaks it and tells us to eat it and that it is His body. Jesus says in John 6:51, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Jesus is laying down His body (the bread) to be crucified (broken). He then holds up the cup and tells the disciples to drink from it and that it is His blood of the new covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. During the Passover feast there are three cups used. The one Jesus used for this was called "the cup of redemption." This is symbolic of Jesus' blood being shed for the remission of our sins. What makes this amazing is that right now, through Jesus, God is instituting a new covenant. God knew that the old covenant (the Mosaic Law) would never work, but it was used to show the people that they need a Savior. The new covenant is between Jesus and God with the disciples as witnesses. It is saying that we are saved by grace, through faith in what Jesus has done on the cross out of love for us. 

Luke 22:41-44- "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

After all of this took place, Jesus took His disciples and went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. In Matthew 26:38 Jesus tells Peter, James, and John that His soul is "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Jesus' sorrow was dangerously close to shutting down His bodily functions. Luke 22:44 says that He was in "anguish". Jesus was experiencing a level of spiritual conflict that none of us could ever comprehend. Matthew 26:37 tells us that Jesus was "sorrowful and troubled" at the level of intense spiritual conflict that He was experiencing. None of us have ever experienced the level of agony that Jesus is going through at this moment. No matter what kind of anguish any of us has ever been through, we have never experienced what was going on in the body, mind, or spirit of Jesus at this time. What amazes me about this is as He is going through all of this agony, He went and prayed. He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." The "cup" Jesus is talking about isn't about dying a premature death, it might have a little to do with the fear and pain of dying on a cross, but it was mostly the realization that for the first time ever, Jesus would be completely detached for His Father. What amazes me about this prayer is that Jesus really doesn't want to be separated from the Father, but in the end He wants the Father's will to be done. Jesus is going to become a curse (Galatians 3:13) and sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) on our behalf. Luke 22:44 says that Jesus' sweat was "like drops of blood falling to the ground." This phenomenon is called hemohidrosis. The agony was so great that the capillaries of Jesus' skin burst and blood actually seeped through His pores. That is how much agony Jesus went through the day before He was crucified.

Remember what Jesus went through for us, and thank God for it everyday. It was all out of love for us. The least we can do is love Him back.