Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and He return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end. A terrible, beautiful day, a sacred day in the history of humankind, a day of betrayal and selflessness, agony and sacrifice. And as you and I read together yesterday, great, great love, matchless love.
Today, we find Jesus and his disciples celebrating as they gather for the last supper, it was the Passover, and much is about to come. Let’s begin in John chapter 13.
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Transcription:
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It’s Holy Thursday on the Bible for Busy People. A terrible beautiful day, a sacred day in the history of humankind, a day of betrayal and selflessness, agony and sacrifice. And as you and I just read together, great, great love, matchless love. We’ve already begun reading our text together from chapter 13 in the gospel of John. But before we continue, before we pick it up in verse two, there’s something I would love to point out to you. Last time when we gathered, we remembered the Passover, God’s big first rescue of his people. He rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and to commemorate that, he asked them to celebrate the Passover perpetually, and this is what we find Jesus and his disciples doing as they gather for the last supper, it was the Passover. So John chapter 13, now verse two.
It was time for supper and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, you don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will. No, Peter protested. You will never ever wash my feet. Jesus replied, unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me. Simon Peter exclaimed, then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet. Jesus replied, A person who is bathed all over does not need to wash except for the feet to be entirely clean, and you disciples are clean, but not all of you. For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, not all of you are clean. After washing their feet, the son of God washing the feet of his followers and friends, he put on his robe again and sat down and said, do you understand what I was doing? You call me teacher and Lord and you are right because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
Ooh, those words pierce me. I don’t know about you. Let me read them again.
Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master, nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. I am not saying these things to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen, but this fulfills the scripture that says, the one who eats my food has turned against me. I tell you this beforehand so that when it happens, you’ll believe that I am the Messiah. I tell you the truth. Anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me. And anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me. Now, Jesus was deeply troubled and he exclaimed. I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. The disciples looked at each other wondering whom he could mean. The disciple Jesus loved,
That was John referencing himself
was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, who’s he talking about? So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, Lord, who is it? Jesus responded, it is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl. And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Jesus had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, hurry and do what you’re going to do. None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left it once. Going out into the night. As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, the time has come for the son of man to enter into his glory and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer, and as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I’m going. So now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
Help us to love like that Lord. Right? I would like to conclude our time together today in the gospel of Mark chapter 14, beginning in verse 22.
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciple saying, take it, for this is my body. And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and they all drank from it. And he said to them, this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Next time we’ll meet Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and we’ll go with him to the cross. But for now, when we remember the last supper on holy Thursday at my church, we leave in darkness and in silence as we contemplate what is about to happen to our precious Lord and Savior. And so, today we end with a moment of silence. Let’s just receive this moment and pray within our hearts a prayer of gratitude for what we’re going to remember next time together. Lord Jesus, we remember you.
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