Maundy Thursday
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1 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. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has 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.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 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. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
John 13:34–35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Maundy Thursday comes from that Latin for New Command… Mandatum Novarum
Jesus doesn’t give a suggestion - this is a MANDATE that we love as he has loved us. This isn’t just in washing feet and serving - the full extent of Jesus’ love was demonstrated later. When he declared that he IS the great sacrifice...
13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...
Isaac was not sacrificed - a ram (or male lamb) took his place.
People, Priests, God
The priests offer the sacrifice of a ram on behalf of the people unto God.
A ram takes their place.
We don’t drink from the cup of God’s wrath - we don’t drink from the plagues - because judgement was poured out on the ram...
But, our High Priest is different!
Hebrews 10:10–13 (NLT)
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet.
Our high priest offered himself as the sacrifice. He allowed God’s judgement to be poured out on HIM.
Now we can better understand Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane… He was going to receive the cup of plagues… We won’t have to drink from God’s judgement (at ALL because Jesus allowed that cup to be poured on him).
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
Jesus would not drink the Hallel cup...
Matthew 26:26–30 (NLT)
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus would not drink the cup of Praise until IT IS FINISHED!
After offering himself as a sacrifice, after completing his task, then he would drink the cup....
Lambs for sacrifice would be slaughtered ALL day on Friday...
When the last lamb was slaughtered, and that last lamb was the lamb chosen from the Bethlehem heard that would be the lamb chosen for the people (and he had to be slaughtered at 3pm), the High Priest would yell, probably with a sigh of relief, “IT IS FINISHED”
Does that sound familiar?
Our great High Priest, who offered himself for sacrifice, cried out, propably with a sigh of relief...
John 19:30 (NLT)
30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Sacrifices at the Temple took place for another 40 years, as a grace from God for that generation of people to turn to Jesus the Messiah. But, those sacrifices meant NOTHING. For Jesus, the Great High Priest, declared that the sacrifice of himself as the Lamb had FINISHED/COMPLETED the necessary requirements. IT WAS FINISHED...
Although Jesus did not drink from the Hallel cup, he did sing the Hallel Songs
After the cup was drunk the hallel songs would have been song.
Those are found in the book of Psalms (113-118 to be exact).
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
What hymn would they have sung?
They would have sung all the Hallel Psalms, but the last one is of great significance...
Psalm 118 (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
May this give us a new understanding as we prepare for Resurrection and go throughout Good Friday and Holy Saturday. May we have a deeper understanding when we receive communion on Sunday and hear again that this is Christ’s Body and Christ’s blood.
May we give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, his love endures forever!
How I deal with the discrepancy of John and the Synoptics
How I deal with the discrepancy of John and the Synoptics
I believe John’s timeline is correct. The Last Supper was the before the lambs for sacrifice were slaughtered. Therefore, it might not have been an official passover seder. But, it might have been “passover like.”
Some have said that Jesus may have celebrated passover at a different night following a different calendar. It is possible that it was a “regular” meal that Jesus infused with Passover overtones - possibly without a lamb.
This could be like a Rehearsal Dinner for a wedding. Jesus is going over the script, so to speak, so that the disciples would better understand who Jesus is at the “official” Passover.
This would allow for John’s timeline to be accurate, and for Jesus to be sacrificed at the exact time the passover lambs were sacrificed (specifically the lamb form the Bethleham heard)
This also allows for some clarity in Jesus’ statements about “My Time” to make sense, not only in light of the cross, but also in light of the Jesus’ passover celebration. He did it on a DIFFERENT timeline.
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ”
Also, Jesus says something interesting in Luke’s account that could be interpreted as Him operating, or utilizing, a different day/time for His passover celebration with the Disciples...
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
It can be interpreted that Jesus is saying He chose this time to celebrate passover with his disciples BEFORE his suffering began. In other words, He clarifies to them why they are celebrating passover on an earlier day - so Jesus could celebrate BEFORE his sufferings...
It is possible that this meal was on TUESDAY or Wednesday and Passover began Wednesday or Thursday...
We really do not know the exact day of Crucifixion. We assume it is Friday. We know Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week, while it was still dawn… But, we do some interesting things to say it was Friday that Jesus was crucified.
Some say, well, there was the Sabbath the day after his crucifixion - therefore he had to be crucified on Friday.
However, if Jesus was crucified on Passover, when the lambs were crucified, then we have to take into account that the day after Passover was a holy sabbath.
4 “In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year.
5 “The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8 For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”
16 “On the fourteenth day of the first month, you must celebrate the Lord’s Passover. 17 On the following day—the fifteenth day of the month—a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten. 18 The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.
31 It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.
So, Jesus could have been crucified on Wednesday
Thursday was the Passover Sabbath
Friday was a business day
Saturday was the regular sabbath
Jesus would have been in the tomb Wednesday night, Thursday Night, Friday Night
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
And resurrected Sunday morning (on the Feast of First fruits)
4 “In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year.
5 “The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8 For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. 11 On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf.
40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.