I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won't eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Luke 22:15-16 NLT
Can’t you feel the love and emotion in Jesus’ voice? It’s Thursday. The fulfillment of His time here is just hours away. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead of Him to the Upper Room to prepare for the Passover feast. So many things happened in that room, each an intentional, loving, teaching step. As they gathered after sunset, Jesus shocked His disciples by washing their dirty, dusty feet, the job of a servant. Jesus taught by words and example how His followers must serve each other.
Then, Jesus shared the Passover feast with them. John the Baptist first introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now Jesus was about to fulfill the meaning of Passover by giving His body and blood as the pure sacrificial Lamb, freeing us from sin and death. During this Last Supper, Jesus changed the meaning of the sacred Passover from commemorating the wondrous exodus from Egyptian slavery to an ongoing remembrance of His body and blood providing the freedom for us. During dinner, Jesus said one of them would betray Him. Judas added to the sense of turmoil by leaving. Then Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times that night. Deny Him? To whom? Can you imagine the confusion they felt?
Oh, the beautiful, wonderful words, the love shared for all of us, the intimate picture of Jesus and His Father, and the struggle of His soul. Give yourself a grand gift and find a quiet place to read John 13 through John 18 sometime before bedtime. Read the last words of our King who became our Savior to His followers, all of us. He spoke of the home He was going to prepare for us. He promised the Holy Spirit would come, our teacher for all we need, and remind us of all He had taught. Jesus was giving us a gift that the world could not give – peace of heart and mind. He is the Vine, and we are the branches. As long as we remain in Him, we will thrive. Remaining in His love will keep us living in joy.
He said we must love each other in the same way He has loved us. We can expect to be hated by the world that opposed Him, but He will never leave us. The deep sorrow they would soon experience would turn to joy. Then they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed. John 17 shows us the intimacy of Jesus with His “Holy Father” as He reports on His mission, and prays for His followers, including us – those who would believe for all time. The other three gospels tell of His agonized “not my will” surrender prayer. When He was finished, He led the disciples into a grove of olive trees where they were met by the mob. He was immediately betrayed by the kiss of Judas and taken away, the disciples fled, and Jesus’ long lone night of suffering and trial began. He would not sleep until His eyes closed in death on the cross.
- All of that in one evening. Then, “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). For us. Think of it. Speak to Him.