Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Many people call today “Maundy Thursday”, for the events of this day, 2000 years ago, set in motion the most significant weekend in all human history! Jerusalem and surrounding villages like Bethany and Bethpage, were crowded beyond capacity for the Passover week festivities. The disciples had asked Jesus where they were going to experience the Passover meal together.
He had sent two of them, Peter and John, into Jerusalem saying: “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.’ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So, they prepared the Passover.” (Luke 22:10-13)
I presume Jesus and His disciples likely spent that Wednesday night at the home of their friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. I doubt Jesus slept much. Perhaps He spent much of the night out under the stars speaking with His heavenly Father about the cataclysmic events of these coming days. This was the ultimate aspect of His earthly mission. Jesus, God the Son, had left the indescribable glory of heaven to come to earth, be born in a stable, grow up in a normal Jewish family in Nazareth, then spend these past 3 years traveling around Israel proclaiming God’s truth and showing God’s power.
Why? Because He was obedient to God the Father and God’s eternal plan for offering Redemption from our sin slavery to the human race. But that Redemption plan required Jesus God the Son paying the sin death price for rebellious, sinful human beings, all of whom HE had created in God’s image!
It is almost beyond our human comprehension, and sadly the vast majority of human beings, down through every generation, have either disbelieved or refused God’s offer of salvation from our sin condemnation, which Jesus purchased by His atonement death and victorious resurrection, in these days, 2000 years ago!
Now Thursday, perhaps sometime in the afternoon, Jesus and His disciples began their journey toward that upper room in Jerusalem. Once again, they would have walked over the hills called Mount of Olives, down through the Kidron Valley and up the steps, through one of the great city gates, into Jerusalem.
The great Temple, which rose up as the tallest building, built on the highest point of the city, towered over everything this weekend, as Passover lambs were being sacrificed and, in every house, people were gathering for this annual, historic, profoundly significant evening which defined their uniqueness as a people of God, once delivered from Egyptian slavery. (Exodus 12)
As they walked, unseen by any person, in the air above them, a great battle was raging. Evil demons were gathering with one assignment… stop Jesus from accomplishing His God given mission. Holy angels were also gathering with one assignment…support Jesus however He might need their help, to accomplish His mission. In the busyness of Passover Jerusalem while everyone was near frenzy making preparations for their great spiritual celebration, none of them had any idea of the reality of what was really happening among them… none of them except Jesus.
The disciple who knew Jesus best, John, gives us 5 chapters of great detail relating what took place in that upper room that remarkable evening with Jesus, John 13-17. John writes: “Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, Jesus loved them to the end.” (John 13:1) It seems clear to me that of all the attributes of Jesus, His miraculous power, His divine incarnation, His prayer relationship with His Father, His ability to defend Himself and others from attack of the dark kingdom, John was most impacted by the LOVE of Jesus the Son of God, for a human race who every day, always, turned their back on God!
My friends, what extent of understanding do you and I really have of the unconditional, unwavering, undeserved, unearnable love of God for us, sinful human beings?
John continues, “The evening Passover meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God, so Jesus got up from the meal, took off His outer garment and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:2-5)
Do you see John’s description of the spiritual battle raging in that upper room? Have you learned that one of the most powerful ways of defeating Satan’s schemes is to humbly serve others? It’s also one of the powerful ways to bring healing to your broken heart, have you learned that lesson yet?
Let’s not concern ourselves with whether or not a servant had been available to wash their feet as was the custom. It really doesn’t matter, does it? The feet washing Jesus was doing here had little to do with dirty feet and everything to do with defeating the enemy of our souls, Satan and his demons who are always trying to draw us toward Pride, Self-reliance, Greed, Self-advancement, and other attitudes which are defeated by humility in serving others, especially serving those who have wronged you or are in some way opposed to you!
Can you imagine the tension in the room as Jesus approached Peter and later Judas to wash their feet? Can you imagine the battle raging in the air above those disciples, between the demons and the angels?
When Jesus finished washing their feet, He gave them the first of many great challenges that evening: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…” (John 13:14,15) Now do you suppose Jesus was calling His disciples to become frequent feet washers, or was Jesus calling them to serve each other and those they are seeking to bring to Jesus?
John writes that a few moments later the look on Jesus’ face changed noticeably. “Jesus was troubled in spirit and said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray Me!’ His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which one He meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was next to Jesus. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask Him which one He means’. Leaning back on Jesus, he asked Jesus, ‘Lord, who is it?’ (John 13:21-25)
The Passover meal was a somber, reflective meal with every part of the meal pointing back to that first Passover in Egypt and God’s remarkable deliverance of those Hebrew slaves who trusted Him and killed the Passover lamb, sprinkled its blood on the doorframes of their homes and ate their meal in haste, having great faith they were miraculously going to leave slavery that night! (Exodus 12)
At this moment, I suspect Jesus paused, His gaze slowly moving from one man to the next, all around the table, every man whose feet He had just washed. Perhaps His gaze roamed back and forth for an extended time, as He reached for a piece of bread and said: “It is the person to whom I will give this piece of bread, after I have dipped it in the dish.”
Look at them. 12 men who had walked with Jesus for nearly 3 years. They knew each other well. Their eyes watched Jesus as He tore a piece of bread, and His arm began moving toward the dish. They each gulped. Their throats dry, their hearts beating rapidly, their hands suddenly clammy, their stomachs churning. No one looked at Jesus in the eye, anxiety was turning to fear, fear bordering on terror. The question ‘Who is it” turned to “could it be me” for each of them!? Jesus dipped the bread, several times, then His eyes fixed on Judas and Jesus offered the bread to Judas.
Relief turned to confusion for 11 men in the room. Anxiety turned to anger inside Judas. John describes this moment: “Then dipping the piece of bread, Jesus gave it to Judas, Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread Satan entered into him. So, Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’ (John 13:26,27) It was as though the air was sucked out of the room. No one moved, no one hardly breathed. All eyes were fixed now on Judas. What did it mean, what did Jesus know Judas was going to do? How could Jesus have just washed his feet, and now served him bread, all the while knowing Judas was going to betray Him? But betray Him to who? Why? What was about to happen?
We pause right here. I invite you to find time today to read as much as John 13-17 as you are able, and stop often, putting yourself in that upper room, at that table with Jesus and 11 men who are about to hear some of the most amazing words ever spoken by anyone in the history of humanity.
No song today… instead I urge you to read and reflect. Your life and mine, your eternal destiny and mine, all hinge on the words spoken and the actions taken over those next 18 hours, 2000 years ago.
Today’s Scripture is John 13-17.
Choose below to read or listen.
Read John 13 Listen to John 13
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Listen to John 14 Listen to John 15
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Listen to John 16 Listen to John 17
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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