Maundy Thursday April 14, 2022

Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-15, 34-35

April 14, 2022

“On the Night When He Was Betrayed”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Tonight I plan to do a slightly different sermon than usual. I usually pick one major theme and doctrine to cover on this night like, for instance, the Lord’s Supper or the commandment Jesus gives, “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” But there is so much that happens on this night when Jesus was betrayed that never gets mentioned at all. So this year I’d simply like to give you all the facts and the Holy Spirit will use them in your heart tonight as He knows best to do. I have the outline or timeline of all the moments I’m going to take you through right there in the bulletin.

So we have come here once again to this most holy night of our Lord’s suffering and death. The sun has set on Thursday thus beginning the day of Friday in Jewish reckoning. We are here on this very night our Lord Jesus gathered with His disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem. Earlier in the day on Thursday He had sent Peter and John to make the necessary arrangements for them to eat the Passover meal. Although, they didn’t have to do much of anything. Jesus, in His Divine omnipotence and omniscience, had taken care of most everything. Peter and John find a man just as Jesus told them they would who shows them an upper room all furnished and ready. Many have speculated that this house belongs to Mark’s father. This would make much sense as this room becomes a sort of gathering place hereafter.  All that’s left then for Peter and John is to make sure the lamb is there for the meal.

So now it’s evening and they’re all coming together in this upper room but upon entering the disciples immediately start bickering again about who’s the greatest. No doubt they were all jockeying for the best seats next to Jesus. Everyone senses that this night isn’t any ordinary night. And they all want the best seats and the most honor. So Jesus must rebuke them and remind them that Jesus, who is the Greatest, has, in fact, come as One who serves. And so should they. It seems everyone finds their seat eventually. John is sitting at Jesus right as we know from his leaning on Jesus. And it would seem Judas Iscariot the Traitor is on Jesus’ left. Peter, as we learn later from his yelling across the table, must have taken Jesus’ words to heart and sat at the lowest seat.

Now the meal has begun and the mood is quite somber. All of time is slowing way down as Jesus says in so many words, “This is it! I’ve longed to eat this meal and I won’t eat it with you again until it’s fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice. All sacrifices and all Passovers are all coming together for all time in this one gift and sacrifice of God’s Son.

It’s now the time of the meal for the host to go around and wash everyone’s hands. Only Jesus now takes this opportunity to practice and teach what He just preached on humility and service. He gets up and wraps a towel around His waist to do the dirty work of a servant. Because Jesus is a servant. Our feet must be washed by Jesus Christ that they may carry the good news of the Gospel into the world. And as Jesus has loved you, so you are to love one another. This is His solemn commandment and commissioning. As the Father has loved Jesus and Jesus has loved you, so you are to love one another.

But there is one at the table whose feet can’t be cleansed. His heart is foul and hardened. And he will betray Jesus. As the meal begins with various prayers, blessings, cups of wine, and foods passed around—Jesus makes it clear than one of them this very night will betray Him. It really shows just how intense the night is that each of the disciples starts asking if it will be him? Can you imagine? What state of mind they must be in to not even know if they’re going to betray Jesus?! Perhaps we may be gentler on them for all their confusion, their cowardice, and their failure. It’s a night of great trial for all of them. By God’s grace they’ll all make it through this night except for Judas.

Now coming to the end of the meal Jesus gives the greatest gift of this Last Supper—He institutes the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion. And through this gift we, 2,000 years later, are connected intimately to all of them in that Upper Room. There’s one Lord Jesus, one cup, and one bread—and we, who are one body in Christ, partake of the very same body and blood of our Lord Jesus. He took up the unleavened bread and said, “This is My body, given for you,” and then He took the cup and said, “This is the new testament in My blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” And so, in a moment, we’ll join with the disciples in receiving this great gift of our salvation.

Now the hour is hastening on and Jesus once again brings up His imminent betrayal. He also warns all of the disciples that they’ll be scattered on this night. That prompts Peter to boldly proclaim that He will never, ever deny Jesus! And Jesus says, “Truly, truly, before the rooster crows you’ll deny Me three times.” Jesus calls out Judas secretly as the betrayer and tells him to be gone about his business.

Now we’ve come to those four chapters of St. John that only he records. John 14-17. The meal is finished and Jesus seizes some last moments to teach the eleven disciples His final sermons and to pray for them. You may or may not remember that in these last sermons come some of our most favorite words from Jesus of all. In John 14 He tells us that in His Father’s house are many rooms and He goes there to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. He is the way to the Father.

He gives many promises to us concerning the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus will be no longer physically present with us, He’s sending another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will bring everything to our remembrance. Jesus is even now present with us in His Spirit. Just how close is Jesus connected to us? So close that He is the vine and we are the branches—John 15. We are united with Him by the hearing of His Word and the keeping of His commandments. By loving as He loves us. And since we are united so closely with Jesus, that means we are dis-united with the world. The world will hate us because the world is under the power of the evil one. But for this Jesus has precisely prepared us. In this world we will have trouble, but take heart, He has overcome the world. “My peace,” He says, “I give you but not as the world gives.”

And finally, He ends all His sermons with a prayer, the High-Priestly Prayer as it’s called. I give you the final words of His prayer, “O righteous Father, although the world hasn’t known You, yet I’ve known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I’ve made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Now they’re making the way outside of Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane. Go to dark Gethsemane, all who feel the tempter’s power.  Jesus felt the tempter’s power. He battled that tempter. Three times in deep, agonizing prayer to His Father He battled the tempter. He asks the disciples to watch saying, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and watch with Me.” But Jesus is alone in this battle. They all fall asleep.

No one of us can understand death the way Jesus does. We’re born dying. But not Jesus. He is life itself. So He prays. And the Father answers and sends Him an angel to strengthen Him. His prayer is so fervent that His sweat is like great drops of blood falling on the ground. But He emerges victorious. The Father’s will be done! Jesus must drink the cup that has been prepared for Him.

But now the betrayer is at hand! Judas arrives to kiss Jesus. A large crowd of soldiers arrives with swords and clubs. Peter impulsively draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus. But Jesus will not fight that way. He heals the man’s ear and asks why they’ve come out against Him as a robber? But this, Jesus says, is all to fulfill the Scriptures. This is the house and the power of darkness.

And so all the disciples left Him and fled.

God give you all His Holy Spirit tonight through this Word of God to take Jesus to heart, to repent of your own sin, betrayal, and straying, and to find comfort in the body and blood of Jesus given and shed for your forgiveness.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.