In our Christian Tradition “Maundy Thursday” is the Thursday of Holy Week before Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a day of reflection, a day to remember Jesus’ Last Supper, His betrayal and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The timing of Jesus’ Last Supper was perfectly choreographed by the Holy Spirit to happen at precisely the time Jews throughout Israel would have been celebrating their Passover Seder.
In addition to the traditional Passover Meal, Jesus shared an intimate moment with his closest disciples by humbly washing their feet.
He then closed the Passover Meal with a very significant alteration. He took unleavened bread, broke it, distributed it among His disciples and said, “do this in remembrance of Me”. Then He reached for a cup of the Red Passover Wine, offered thanks and said “this cup that is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood”. (Lk 22:17)
From there Jesus and His disciples proceeded to the lower reaches of the Mount of Olives, to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane was named after an “oil vat or olive oil press.” Here Jesus agonized before the Father, here Jesus resigned Himself to the Father’s will.
“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me;
yet not what I want but what You want.”
Matthew 26:39
How quickly things changed !
Upon entering Jerusalem crowds yelled
“Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.“
And now in the Garden Jesus is anguishing over the cup He is about to drink.
Consider these things with me today as we ponder His willingness to lay down His life for us.
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