Maundy Thursday
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; (Isaiah 53:10)
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
On Thursday night, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus gathers with his remaining eleven disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has spent the day comforting, encouraging and teaching his disciples, washing his disciples’ feet, and instituting the Lord’s Supper — the meal that will serve as a continual reminder to his followers throughout the ages of what he is about to accomplish. Although the heaviest suffering ever endured by a human approaches on the near horizon for Jesus, he has continued to care for his disciples. Truly, he loved them to the end.
As the horrifying prospect of drinking the full cup of divine wrath against sin draws near, Jesus turns to the Father in prayer. Though desirous of his disciples’ support, their eyes are heavy with sleep and Jesus prays alone. The salvation of the world rests on Jesus’ faithfulness alone. With sweat like drops of blood falling from his face, he asks the Father, “Is there any other way?” But there is no other way. Indeed, it is the Father’s will to pour out the full measure of his wrath against sin upon His own Son in order to bring his people back to himself. And Jesus faithfully submits. “Not my will, but yours, be done.”
Prayer: Lord, you are a righteous God of steadfast love and faithfulness. Father, thank you for giving up your own Son Jesus so that we could be saved. Jesus, thank you for faithfully enduring in the face of unimaginable suffering for our sake. Father, help us to love each other as Christ loved us. Help us to faithfully follow and submit to you in the face of suffering and persecution. We ask in Christ’s name, Amen.