Maundy Thursday Rememberance

Church tradition celebrates the Thursday before Easter as Maundy Thursday.  What is so special about this day?

For the Jewish calendar, this date was also the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread- the day of the Passover Meal.  The Passover meal was to be celebrated to remember how God delivered the people of Israel from slavery, out of the hands of Pharaoh (Exodus 12). If you recall the night of the first Passover, the people of Israel had to find an unblemished, year-old, male lamb. They were to sacrifice the lamb and then wipe the blood of the lamb above their doorpost. The angel of death visited on that night and killed every first born- except for the people who were living under the blood of the lamb.

It is on this Passover night that Jesus shared the very first, 'Lord's Supper' (Communion, Eucharist) with His Disciples.  

Keeping the perspective of the dual-celebration going on here (Passover Meal and Lord's Supper), of which the Disciple's couldn't see the correlation, we can see the importance and prophetic message of the cross of Jesus Christ shine through with the connection to the spotless (sinless) lamb as the sacrifice. It is as if Jesus is standing at the crux of time affirming the sacrifices of the Old Testament and Tradition and then instating Himself as our the new sacrifice- our ultimate sacrifice.

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Mt. 26:26)

"Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Mt. 26:27)

Then one of my favorite parts, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Mt. 26:30)

From the meal together, the Disciples headed to the Mount of Olives (Garden of Gethsemane).

Here, in the garden, Jesus prayed.  If ever you questioned if Jesus was fully human, while simultaneously being full-God, read the prayers of Jesus at this critical time in His ministry.  You can hear Jesus wrestling with his humanity and His Father's will.  

Here are some of my favorite lines from Jesus' prayers at Gethsemane:

• "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death."
• "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
• "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." 
• "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

He was then betrayed by one of His disciples with a kiss (Judas) and then arrested.  Jesus' journey through government leaders and false accusations goes on through the dark hours of night - each step closer to the cross...

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