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Thursday with Jesus

Luke 22: 19-20
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”

“Tuesdays with Morrie,” by Mitch Albom, is the story of Professor Morrie Schwartz’s last “class.” Morrie chats with his former student, Mitch, during regular Tuesday visits in the weeks before Morrie’s death. Through those chats, the dying Morrie gives lessons to Mitch on how to die—but more so, how to live.

Maundy Thursday—one of the less understood days of the church year—might be seen as “Thursday with Jesus.” Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples before His crucifixion. No one knew how to die and how to live better than Jesus did. Jesus knew that He was about to die and that His death would throw the disciples into a crisis. They would feel afraid, baffled, abandoned, and more than a little lost. So in advance, He gave them something to hold onto—sharing the Passover meal with them.

The word Maundy comes from the Latin word maundatum, which means “command.” During His final Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus gives them the command to remember Him in the breaking of the bread and drinking of the cup, as we still do in communion.

The Passover meal was all about remembering God’s faithfulness in rescuing His people out of captivity in Egypt. The Marror, or bitter herbs, reminded Jesus’ disciples of the bitterness of the Israelites’ slavery—as it reminds us of what it’s like to be in bondage to sin. The wine (Yayin) was a symbol of the blood of the sacrificial lamb, brushed on the door post so that the angel of death would pass over the house. The Mei Melach, or salt water, testified to God’s caring about the tears of his people, as well as to God’s parting of the Red Sea to let the Israelites cross into freedom. Every element of the meal, along with the accompanying Scripture that was read, served to remind the disciples that God never abandons His people, no matter how bad things look.

God knows that we fear because we forget. Jesus knew that when He died in order to complete His mission on earth, His disciples—and we—would need to follow His command: Do this! Remember God’s faithfulness! Remember My love for you. He did not want them to forget, and thus to be afraid.

Do you remember? What are some of the ways that God has been faithful in your life? When hard times in your life cause fear? Take time to remember incidents of God’s faithfulness in Scripture and in your life.

I John 4:18
“Perfect love drives out fear.”

God loves perfectly.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for loving us perfectly, especially through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Help us to remember Your faithfulness, so that our fear of the known and unknown is cast out. Let us glorify Your name by living boldly as Your children, confident in Your grace and sharing Your love. In Jesus Holy name, Amen!