The Night Before

It is the night before the day of the Last Supper and, as I walk through the darkened sanctuary after making final preparations for Maundy Thursday Service, I pause before the cross.

What was it that Jesus was thinking that night before? Knowing what was going to happen, knowing who He would have prepare the upper room, knowing that He would celebrate the Passover feast a night before anyone else? What was Jesus pondering as He recalled that first Passover and the lamb which was slaughtered for every household, as He recited the passages about the blood of the lamb being placed on the doorposts of every Jewish home, as He pictured them sitting down as a family to eat the roasted lamb, being careful not to leave anything that was not consumed or burned? What sort of images crossed the mind of the Living Word as He lamented the death of the firstborn in every non-Israelites household and the depth of the cost of Israels freedom?

What was Jesus thinking as He wandered among His sleeping disciples, their laughter and certainty about life and ministry quieted by the stillness of the moment? How long did He look into each of their faces, remembering their questions, feeling their handshakes, lingering on their innocence? What thoughts paraded through His mind that night as He remembered the Palm Sunday revelers, His disciples among them, welcoming Him with joy . . . knowing that many of them would call for His death? What did Jesus ponder as He paused to look into Judas' face and considered the coming betrayal? Where did His mind wander as He stopped by Peter, laughing to Himself about Peter's boldness and aware of his impending denials?

What was He thinking about His mother and her life and all that she had seen and pondered in her heart? How could He protect her? Who would stand with her? Who would take care of her? And what of Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome? Who would dry their tears and calm their grief as they waited?

How deep was Jesus' conversation with God that night before the day He was betrayed? How long did He pray for you and me, that it would all make a difference? That maybe, somehow, we would 'get it' and be willing to follow? What was it that Jesus was thinking that night before?

Standing below the cross in a darkened sanctuary the night before Maundy Thursday is fraught with unanswered questions but, of this one thing I am sure: However hard the journey before Him, however deeply connected to the joy of the ministry He had shared, however intimately tied His heart with those who called Him 'friend', the Lamb did not turn away from the Passover Feast.

The night before, He looked deeply into our souls and moved forward in faithfulness and love. I pray the courage and faith for us all to walk with Him into the tomorrow of God's Passion for all creation.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don