Maundy Thursday – Be Still…

Read Mark 14:22-42

Jesus spent his last evening with his friends celebrating the Passover meal together. That’s where our story picks up. As we walk through Holy Week, this reading falls on Maundy Thursday. Imagine you were there with Jesus. There’s a lot happening, and we only scratch the surface of what’s yet to come for Jesus that night.

This is a story we read each year during Holy Week, and perhaps other times if we happen to be studying one of the gospels. It’s a story that never gets old. It’s the buildup to what becomes the foundation of our faith. Every second matters. Every second is holy.

Read Luke 22:7-62
[long reading alert!]

What would you have to eat if you knew it was your last meal? How fitting that the Passover meal would be Jesus’ last meal! As we continue to journey with Jesus to the cross, today we read about Jesus’ final meal with his followers, also celebrated as the “Last Supper.” You can imagine the aromas of roasted lamb, herbs, and wine mixed with the smoke of the oil lamps lighting the space. Remembering this intimate time Jesus spent with his friends is referred to as “Maundy Thursday” in the Lutheran tradition I’ve known since childhood.

The verses that precede the ones you just read in Luke’s gospel reveal how Satan entered Judas Iscariot to be the one who works with the chief priests to plan Jesus’ arrest. We’ve already seen how those religious leaders have been obsessed with ridding themselves of Jesus. You can imagine how thrilled they were to have one of Jesus’ own followers come forward offering to help…for a price.