Holy Week Devotional | Thursday

Thursday of Holy Week

On this day, Jesus observed the Passover meal with his disciples. Passover served as a means of remembrance for the Jewish people. Packed full of symbolic imagery, the meal was celebrated to remember God’s saving work. Many years before, God’s people were slaves in Egypt. In their distress, they cried out to him and God remembered his covenant with Abraham and stepped in. 

God loved his people. They were meant to be free, not slaves. He raised up Moses and caused a series of plagues to come upon the Egyptians that would loosen the grasp of Pharaoh's hand around their neck. Plague after plague came, but Pharaoh would not relent. The night of the final plague proved too much for Pharaoh's hardened heart. Why was this night different from other nights? The angel of death would visit all the firstborn in Egypt. Only homes with doorposts covered by the blood of a sacrificed lamb would escape death. Covered by the blood, God’s people were spared death, delivered from slavery, and finally free. This great Exodus was cause for yearly celebration and remembrance.

The thing is, God knew his people had a more problematic enemy than Pharaoh. This enemy lived not in a palace, but in their very hearts. It enslaved them from the inside. It made them hate God, not love him. It made his people into his enemies. It brought chains instead of freedom and death instead of life. This enemy is sin and it has wreaked havoc on all that God has made and all whom God has loved. Regardless, God always keeps his promises. He was about to step in.

Fully aware that his hour had come, Jesus used the context of the Passover celebration to reveal his identity as the Lamb of God. He took Passover bread, broke it, and said, “This is my body, given for you.” Taking a cup, he put it to their mouths, saying, “This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.” In just hours, Jesus would give up his body to be sacrificed and his blood to be poured out on the cross. His body and blood would come like a plague against our sin, destroying it.

Until he returns, Jesus commanded that his church observe the Last Supper and be reminded of God’s saving work in Christ. We need to be consistently and constantly reminded of the cross as redemption’s crowning event. Much of the Christian life is that of remembrance. We are forgetful people. We struggle with short-term spiritual memory loss. Preoccupied with the cares of the world, busyness, and sometimes even sin, we forget. We forget the redeeming work of Jesus on our behalf. 

Throughout today, make the conscious effort to ponder on and remember Jesus' sacrifice for you. Over a meal with friends and family or in the car headed home from work, make the intentional effort to remember the sacrifice of Jesus.

““Lord, I caused your sorrows. My sin brought about your shame, my failings your injuries. I committed the fault, and you are plagued for the offense. I am guilty, and you are charged. I sinned, and you suffered the death. You hung on the cross. Oh, the deepness of God’s love, the wonder of his grace! Mercy without measure! What can I say? I was proud; you are humble. I was disobedient; you became obedient. I ate the forbidden fruit; you hung on the cursed tree. O Lord, let me not forget your infinite love. Amen.”

prayer by Lewis Bayly