Today is Thursday.
For some of us, maybe you woke up and rushed out the door to get to school, work, or maybe an appointment or meeting of some sort. Or maybe you’re still in bed, avoiding all the to-do’s and social obligations of the day.
My hope for this maybe mundane Thursday, is if you haven’t yet, I want to encourage you to learn something about the heart of Jesus today. Whatever your Thursday’s typically look like, this Thursday in particular is the Thursday that changed everything. EVERYTHING.
Today, Jesus would have His final meal with His disciples.
Today, Jesus would soon be betrayed by one of His own.
Today, Jesus would be one step closer to death.
Today, Jesus would meet with His Father in lament and distress, fully aware of what was to come, but fully willing to obey His Father’s Will.
Today, I’m sitting and reading this remarkable story with such a heavy heart. I can’t even begin to fathom what being a witness to Jesus’ final days was like, much less what it was like to actually be Jesus.
To best understand what’s going on read Luke chapter 22!
But for some context, around 1,993 years ago, Jesus was nearing His final days here on earth. He has just performed His “last” miracle in a town called Bethany by raising a man named Lazarus from the dead after 4 days. Jesus spent His life working miracles–raising a paralytic man, healing the sick and terminal, turning water into wine, and feeding thousands with just rations. But God didn’t send His Son to only work these miracles. He sent Jesus to perform the ultimate and final miracle–to defeat death and open the floodgates of Love.
During this time period, the Israelite people were worshiping idols, trying and trying to save themselves through laws, burnt offerings, and other religious practices.
But as Jesus lived His life in accordance to what God had promised His people, they realized that Jesus was their awaited Savior and Messiah who had come to free them and offer them eternal Hope.
We see God’s people acknowledge Jesus as King in John 6:15 it says “Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
I find this so fascinating. Jesus in this verse had just fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The people were amazed and began to believe that this was the Messiah they had been searching for. People were convinced, people were willing to make Jesus King. But in this verse, we see that Jesus withdrew. Withdrew?
Why wouldn’t He just let them worship Him? He could have been recognized as the Savior of the world in that very moment. He could have chosen glory over grief and agony.
I mean if you asked me to choose between being worshipped or dying a crazy painful death, you can immediately assume I’d let the people worship!
BUT JESUS CHOSE TO KEEP OBEYING! He chose to take steps further and further to the cross He would soon carry. He chose His Father’s glory and Kingdom come over His rightful thrown of honor and adornment.
As the story goes on Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem where He enters on a donkey. This is also known as Palm Sunday. In the few days between Palm Sunday and today, we see Jesus’ heart for His people so much deeper through His encounters with the people of Jerusalem.
But what we see today is special.
In Luke 22 we read of the moments leading up to the Romans arresting Jesus. In the events leading up to Jesus’ arrest we see how faithful He is to His Father. But we also observe His emotion in complete humanness. In verse 42 Jesus goes to pray alone and says, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me–nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” This acknowledges Jesus’ aching heart. I’m sure He desired to not go to the cross, no one in their right mind would WANT to go to the cross, but Jesus said “Your will be done Father” and He trusted that His Father was going to see this through. We see that Jesus’ WANT, His deepest desire, was for us to know LOVE. He so greatly wanted us to know Love, that He just said “yes and Amen!” to what God was telling Him.
Jesus was then betrayed and denied by Judas and Peter, whom He deeply loved.
Have you ever been hurt by someone you love deeply?
Would you have ever thought they would or even could hurt you in the ways they did? Probably not.
Imagine knowing that before you chose to love someone, you knew that one day they would deny even knowing you. Would you still choose to love them? Personally, I don’t know if I can give a church answer to that question.
Jesus did.
I can’t imagine the betrayal, heartbreak, and lament Jesus was feeling.
So today, on this day of grief, we sit at the table with Jesus. We share in His sorrow, we share in His hope He has in His Father, we share in His empathy to the people He loves so deeply, and we share in His pain that He knows He will endure in the coming hours.
But the story isn’t over!
I know these words are very weighty. Without diving deep into historical context and an understanding of the Good News of Jesus it’s hard to see how this is suppose to be encouraging or offer any sort of hope.
Oh my sweet friend, you just wait! Yes, this is such a heavy story from the Bible, but there is so much to come, so much more sorrow, but even more hope, joy, and victory we will soon see.
So stick around for the next couple of days as we walk through together, what Jesus will go through and what God will do in His final days on earth.
Jesus is changing EVERYTHING.
In the meantime, as we anticipate Jesus' death,
set your heart on God's love & compassion—
Psalm 116
"I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord."
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Xx,
MM & Laurel
