Thursday, March 24, 2016

Today is "Maundy Thursday". The word Maundy comes from a latin word mandatum which means "command". This stems from John 13:34 where Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another." 

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup," saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
- Luke 22:14-20

I want to draw your attention to the very first thing Jesus says to His disciples in the passage above. He says that He has eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with them before He suffers. 

Why do you think Jesus says this? Is Jesus just really, really hungry? He has eaten many meals with His disciples and they have shared Passover suppers together every year. What is so special about this meal? 

This is the Passover meal at which Jesus would introduce the concept of the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Of course His disciples would not fully understand the meaning of His words until after His death and resurrection. The Passover was a celebration of God’s deliverance of His people from slavery and oppression in Egypt. Jesus was showing His followers, through the elements of the Passover meal, how He was the fulfillment of all that it symbolized. He (Jesus) was to become the source of God’s deliverance for all people from the power of sin and death!

One reason then that Jesus was so eager to eat this Passover with His disciples was that He knew He would be introducing a whole new purpose and understanding for this meal which would be celebrated by His followers all over the world for centuries to come.

But there is another reason for His eagerness to eat this meal with His followers. These men were His closest friends. Jesus had chosen each one of them to follow Him. He had walked, talked, laughed, cried, ate, slept, taught and prayed with these men. They had spent years sharing their lives together. Now it is the eve of His suffering and death. His arrest, trial, and execution await Him. It only makes sense that He (Jesus) would want to be with those closest to Him in a moment like this. Wouldn’t you want the same?

When we come to the Lord’s Table, we do so not just as isolated individuals, but also as a community of people in need of grace. What we have in common far outweighs all of our differences: we are all followers of Jesus!

Do you believe that Jesus eagerly desires for you to come to His table?
Do you, like Jesus, eagerly desire to take communion with those closest to you?
Do you look forward to coming to His table together?

Lord Jesus, we praise you for the beauty of your sacrifice and we know that we are hopelessly lost without you. We thank you, Lord, that you eagerly desire for us to come to your table and share in your grace and mercy. Amen

Pastor Jeff Frazier