As I think about the next 48 hours of Jesus' life I can't help but wonder which day was worse for him. Today, the day that He had to spend waiting of things to begin, or tomorrow once it all started? There is no doubt that Friday would be physically worse than anything...but I can't help but think that today would have to have been some of the worse mental torture.
When we read the Word we know a lot of facts that took place on the last day before His death. We know that Jesus had sent the disciples into the city to borrow a room to have a dinner. To them though, this was to celebrate the Feast of The Unleavened Bread. They had no idea that they were about to have their last meal with their friend. They had no idea that the man they had been walking with for years was about to give them their last teaching. And because of that, I can't help but again think of how His words to them must have been someone confusing. He was talking about taking the cup and it representing His blood, and eating the bread that represented His body. Like I've stated before, we get to read to the end of the Book, so when we read these things they make sense to us. But to be sitting there that day hearing Jesus speak these things had to have been very deep..and somewhat confusing. Then to also think that Jesus sat at a table loving and teaching them all, yet knowing not just "that" one of them would betray him, but He knew exactly which one. And He loved Him anyway. Little did these men know that the dinner they sat at would be a tradition that would carried on for thousands of years...little did they know it would be "the" last supper.
From there we know the group went to the Mount of Olives and Jesus spoke to them about how they would each disown Him. As hard as this was for Jesus to explain, it was probably pretty tough for them to hear. Each of them had walked away from the life they knew just to follow Jesus and after all this time He is telling them that they are all going to quit on Him. And Peter being Peter even arguing that the others may, but "I" never will. They still just didn't get that Jesus wasn't saying these things "might" happen....He was telling them that this is all about to happen. Yet what does Jesus do? He continues to spend time with them, teach them and love them.
God's Word tells us that by the end of the day Jesus had taken the men to Gethsemane. He had some stay way back and He had 3 go in closer with Him..and then He went in even deeper on His own to pray. And we see where Jesus cried out to His Father asking for another way, but continuing to walk out the path God had laid out for Him. He had asked the men to stand watch and pray, but all they could do was sleep. Three times it says that Jesus came out to check on them...and 3 times He found them asleep. Again, this is my own speculation here, but I just can't imagine the sadness in Jesus to think "I'm about to die for you...and I can't even get you to stay awake and pray with and for me." And I'm sure those men had to have thought back to that night later and think "all He needed us to do was stay awake and pray, and we couldn't even do that". If you were them, how could you not think that later? I find it interesting that we don't get told that Judas came up missing, but we do get to see that He returns with those who had come to arrest Jesus. And the very man that walked with Jesus...watched ALL that Jesus had done...chose to betray Him with a kiss, and gave Jesus over to the very men who would have Him killed. All while Jesus stood and allowed it to take place. Knowing these things MUST happen so the scriptures can be fulfilled. And I find it amazing that it is recorded that Jesus even took the time to heal one of the guards that was there to arrest Him after Peter had harmed the guard. And even though they all witnessed this, they arrested Him anyway.
And so a day that began with friendship and fellowship for Jesus, ends with each of His friends scattering and Jesus being left to stand alone....betrayed, arrested and mistreated for doing what?....Speaking truth in love...Loving and healing people...And not conforming to the world He was in.
What do we see on this final day before His death. A man who loved everyone. A man who passionately taught His friends up until the very end. A man who cried out to God and asked if there could be another way, but accepted it when God said it must be this way. A man who cared for and healed the very man who came to drag Him away. And there is no doubt in my mind that He felt human emotional pain at the end of that day....but He had already chose to love and forgive the very men who were doing this all to Him. In one day I see enough out of Jesus that I could try to spend the rest of my life being just the way He was on that ONE day!
God, I again thank You for the gift that you have given this undeserving world. Your love, Your compassion, Your Forgiveness, Your Grace and Your mercy is beyond our understanding. But it is my prayer that people will receive Your gift and allow it to fully to change their life. Holy Spirit help those of us who have received that gift to be a light to this world, just as we saw Jesus was the day before His death. In Jesus name, Amen
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