[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Maundy Thursday evening, the 13th of April, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
The Apostle Mark describes our Lord’s last meal before being hung on the cross, and some of the events that occurred before and after that supper which we will observe in a few minutes. Listen to Mark’s Gospel account from chapter 14, and I’ll be jumping around a bit starting with verses 1 and 2, then verses 10 and 11, then verses 12 through 26, and ending with verses 43 through 46, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible...
1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. 2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”
20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”
22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.
--Mark 14:1-2, 10-11, 12-26, 43-46 (NKJV)
Jesus and His disciples made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Passover.
One of the three principal celebrations of the Jewish people, Passover is considered by many to be the most meaningful and important. For it commemorates the night when the angel of the Lord swept through the land of Egypt killing the first-born sons of every household that was not marked by the blood of a sacrificed lamb. The angel passed over the homes of the enslaved Jewish people, taking the sons of Egypt, including the first-born of Pharaoh.
God, through Moses, instituted this remembrance, as noted in the Book of Exodus, chapter 12, from verse 1 through the first part of verse 5…
One of the three principal celebrations of the Jewish people, Passover is considered by many to be the most meaningful and important. For it commemorates the night when the angel of the Lord swept through the land of Egypt killing the first-born sons of every household that was not marked by the blood of a sacrificed lamb. The angel passed over the homes of the enslaved Jewish people, taking the sons of Egypt, including the first-born of Pharaoh.
God, through Moses, instituted this remembrance, as noted in the Book of Exodus, chapter 12, from verse 1 through the first part of verse 5…
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.’”
--Exodus 12:1-5 (NKJV)
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
--Genesis 22:6-9 (NKJV)
The Passover lamb, one without blemish, one that God provides. The Lamb of God. The Apostle John records the reaction of John the Baptist upon first laying eyes on Jesus as our Lord approached him at the Jordan River, coming to be baptized. In the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 1 verse 29, we read…
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
--John 1:29 (NKJV)
35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
--John 1:35-36 (NKJV)
Tonight we will observe the Passover meal our Lord observed during His final days before accepting God’s will on the cross. We will take the bread and the juice of the vine in observance of that last meal our Lord ate on this earth. We will take of His body, broken for us, and of His blood, shed for us.
We do it to remember Him, to honor Him and the sacrifice He made on our behalf. The Apostle Paul cautions us to not take Communion in an unworthy manner, for the wrong reasons, or with an unrepentant heart. Otherwise, he warns, we will be as guilty of the body and the blood of Jesus just as those who beat Him and hung Him on that cross.
We must examine ourselves, examine our hearts, to make sure we are right with God. And we need to do that right now, right here before we receive the sacrament.
In a moment we will confess our sins before God. This is a short and simple reading, easily done without giving it much thought. But we need to truly confess prayerfully. We must go past the words and lay our hearts out before God. We must take this time of confession to repent of any sin and promise anew to follow only Jesus. Because by taking of the bread and the juice of Communion, we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our Master. We recognize the bread is His body, broken for us. And the juice is His blood, spilled for us.
In this act - that we too often do without really thinking about it - we are signing the covenant God made with us through Jesus. We are agreeing to serve our Lord Christ, to dedicate ourselves to Him, to obey His commands, to love as He loved.
He gave His all to show His love for us. This beautiful, unblemished Lamb of God. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You looked down upon us when we were dead and lost in sin. You saw our state of depravity. And You knew that only a blood sacrifice could redeem us. You took pity upon us, Father, poor lost souls that we are, and provided for our sake the perfect Lamb without blemish for that sacrifice – Your own Son Jesus. Forgive us, Father, for being so disobedient. Thank You, Father, for offering us a Light in our darkness, a way to salvation, a means to atonement for our sin.
Lord Jesus, You held back nothing. Just as Isaac did not hesitate to do as his father Abraham commanded, even while being tied down upon the altar of sacrifice, You did not question our Father God or contest His will, even as You were nailed to the cross. You gave Your all, allowed Your body to be broken, Your blood to be spilled, just so that we might find forgiveness in belief, and in forgiveness, eternal life with You and God in heaven. Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for making You go through so much suffering and pain. Thank You for offering us God’s grace. Help us, please Lord, to always follow and obey You, and to love all others just as You love us so very much. In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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