Thursday - Clear Creek Resources

SCRIPTURE TO READ

Matthew 26:26-30

²⁶Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” ³⁰And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Matthew 26:36-39

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ³⁹And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

CHILDREN’S BIBLE READINGS (OPTIONAL)

Big Picture Story Bible (pages 360-361)
The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible (pages 242-247)
Jesus Storybook Bible (pages 292-296)
The Gospel Story Bible (pages 222-223;226)

DEVOTIONAL: THE BREAD AND THE CUP

Today is Maundy Thursday, the fifth day of Passion Week.

The pace of events that lead to Jesus’ crucifixion accelerate today. Jesus arranges to eat the Passover meal with the 12 men he has loved and led since he began his ministry. It is during this meal that Judas is revealed as the one who would betray him.

It is also during this Passover meal that Jesus institutes what we now call the “Lord’s Supper.” He took bread and broke it saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He took a cup and gave it to the disciples saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In so doing, Jesus is proclaiming to them that he is the new Passover lamb. There is no longer a need to slay a lamb at Passover. His body would be sacrificed, his blood would be spilled. Jesus’ death would purchase the forgiveness of sin from that point on, for them and for us, for all who would believe in him, forever.

As Jesus drinks of the cup during this meal he looks forward to the day when all things are made new, and the feast is around the Father’s table. “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

But Jesus drinks from the cup at this sacred meal in dread of another cup – a cup from which he doesn’t want to drink. It’s the cup of betrayal and desertion, of thorns and derision, and ultimately of the wrath of the Father and punishment for sin.

Jesus knows he is about to endure something absolutely foreign to him – separation from the Father because of sin. The sinless Lamb would be put to death, in spite of his sinless holiness.

After the meal Jesus leads his disciples to the Mount of Olives and to an area around an olive oil press (Gethsemane). Matthew tells us Jesus was “sorrowful and troubled.” He separated himself from the disciples and fell on his face praying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The moment has come. Jesus is facing his coming betrayal, arrest, torture, and crucifixion, but he wants there to be another way. Three times he asked “…let this cup pass from me.” But as he has always done, in purity and devotion, he honors and submits to the will of the Father.

After rising from praying the third time he rouses his sleeping disciples so they can greet Judas his betrayer and the armed mob that has come to arrest him.

APPLICATION: THE BODY AND THE BLOOD

Judas had just been revealed as Jesus’ betrayer. Peter was soon to deny any relationship with Jesus. His beloved disciples weren’t about to defend him or suffer with him; they would scatter. The people he served, taught, fed, and healed would soon cry, “Crucify him!”

Jesus broke the bread and filled the cup of the Lord’s Supper knowing the people he was about to die for were the very people who would betray him. We have every spiritual shortcoming in common with them.

To truly appreciate the Lord’s Supper we have to appreciate how unworthy we are of it. When we eat this meal, we are compelled to confess how quick to betray, fleshly, and self-reliant we are. Only as we are aware of the depths of our depravity can we savor the sweet emblems of mercy and grace – the bread that represents Jesus broken body and the juice that represents his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sin.

Don’t miss an opportunity to eat the Lord’s Supper. And when you take part in it, remember your betrayal. Then give thanks for the faith of Jesus that conquered your sin. “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Eat. Drink. Obey.

PRAYER

Father forgive my sin! Let the blood of my Savior Jesus wash me clean that I might join him at the table in your kingdom. Help me to never forget how much I need your mercy and how much you have given for me at the cross. As I prepare to celebrate the resurrection, fill my heart with grief for my sin that caused my Savior’s agony and fill me with your Spirit that I may truly pray as he did, “…not as I will, but as you will.”

OPTIONAL FAMILY DISCUSSION GUIDE

Is there a difference in how the disciples and Jesus felt on Palm Sunday versus at the Lord’s Supper? What has changed? (Jesus was received as a king on Palm Sunday and everyone was excited. At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus was helping the disciples know about what was to come in the next couple of days.)
Do you think the disciples understood what Jesus meant when he said he would be the new Passover lamb?
We have pictures and videos to help remind us of people and events in our families. But Jesus didn’t have those things. He used the Last Supper to help the disciples remember him. Make a special meal together as a family and take pictures to remember it. Talk about how it would have felt to have been sitting at the table with Jesus.

SCRIPTURE MEMORY

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

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