Passion Week Devotions 2021 – Thursday

Thursday April 2, AD 33

Today is a busy day for Jesus and his disciples.  In Jewish culture, a new day began at nightfall, which meant that Wednesday nightfall to Thursday nightfall was the official day of preparation for the Passover meal.  The first day of Passover began on Thursday nightfall, the beginning of a new day. On this day, Jesus instructs his disciples to go into the city where they will find a certain man who will show them the place for the meal.  The disciples gather together for the meal and you can imagine every element of the meal bursting with significance.  The lamb that was slaughtered on the first Passover with its blood painted on the doorframes, and as that cooked lamb was presented on the table before the disciples, it pointed to the other Lamb in the room who would take away the sins of the world.  The bread symbolized Jesus’ body.  As it was torn, so, too, would his body.  The wine represented his blood, and as it was poured, in just a few hours, it would pour from the wounds of the Lamb.  The first Lord’s Supper had been eaten, a holy ceremony that would be repeated in every church for all time. 

That evening Judas had decided to betray Jesus, so he left the meal early to meet his co-conspirators and we mustn’t forget that it was on this evening that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, telling them to go and do likewise.  This event is recorded in John’s gospel and is part of the longest record of the final evening of Jesus’ life.  We call it the Upper Room Discourse where he taught about loving one another and remaining in him.  He, then, offered up his high priestly prayer, as well.  It was here that he also predicted Peter’s denials.

When the meal concluded, they all went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus devoted himself to intense prayer.  Here, he prayed for the cup of suffering to be removed, but he ultimately submitted his will to God. 

Reflection:

The Lord’s Supper is such an important ceremony for Christians.  It is one of two sacraments or ordinances of Christ’s church, the other being baptism.  It is one of God’s many means of grace, which are the means by which we participate in and receive God’s blessings.  Our church has not taken the Lord’s Supper for over a year now, so for all of us, we should be sensing a feeling of loss, being deprived of this supernatural source of spiritual nourishment.  May God quicken the day when the church can gather and take the Communion together.