It's Bound to Take Your Life

Maundy Thursday


Mark 14:32-35

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Maybe we should all recognize by this scripture from Mark that Jesus, the fully human and fully divine Son of God and Son of Man did not have a death wish. Jesus did not tell neither his Father nor the world, "Bring it on! You got something for me, I got something for you!" No, Jesus was grieved knowing what was coming. Jesus knew the pain, suffering, and shame the world would inflict upon him all too soon. He is Messiah, not masochist. Only a fool would say "Bring it on!" Jesus was grieved.

Jesus was grieved knowing that the heavenly Father, for whom nothing was impossible, would not take the cup of death from his lips.

Jesus prayed that this time, this hour, this trial, this disgrace, this indignity, this death, would pass him like the cloud of death on Passover. He prayed his friends would be strong enough to stay awake and pray, he even brought his three closest friends to be closer and do just two things: stay put and stay awake. They got it half right but if you fall asleep gravity does the rest.

Let this show us two things. The first is that we all fail Jesus. Let those who say they are without sin know that they fool themselves more than they fool anybody else. The apostles, the twelve, those closest to the Messiah fall short. If they fall short in the physical presence of the Messiah what does that hold for us.

The second thing is that Jesus perseveres. He is human enough to treasure life, a life so full of love and hope that only the most human person, the only fully human person can live it. But because Jesus treasured all life and worked for its redemption, because Jesus lived fully even in the hour of his arrest, only because he knew the bad moon was rising and it was bound to take his life; because of Jesus we live.

Teaching the Children

Maundy Thursday


John 13:34-35

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

"Teach Your Children" written by Graham Nash and recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

This was becoming a very different sort of evening. The first last supper had just been celebrated. Jesus had washed everyone's feet. In the ancient of days, you couldn't require a slave to wash your feet, you just had to do that yourself. Suddenly, the Lord is washing the feet of his disciples. True to his reputation, Peter tells the Lord not to wash his feet. Peter knows local custom and knows it's not right. That's the thing about God, God takes what's not right and makes it right. Like washing feet.

Since the Lord God can wash a disciple's feet, it's not below the vocation of any disciple to wash the feet of others. It's God telling us that there's no act that's "beneath them."

Judas was out the door. Satan had entered him and so time was short. God is eternal, but in this life Jesus only had the time it took Judas to round up the troops and come back. So time was short. It was the hour, both figuratively and literally. So Jesus gives his final instructions to his disciples.

Jesus teaches his disciples one more commandment. Love one another. Just as he loved them, they must love one another. This hasn't always been easy. Jesus' love included discipline. Peter found himself on the receiving end of this gem more than once. Jesus' love included sending the disciples off into the world to share the gospel. Jesus' love even let them stretch their wings beyond where they could fly-showing them that he would always be with them.

Jesus teaches that by this, everyone will know that they are his disciples. It is in their love that the world will know who his disciples are. It is also the way that the world will know who false prophets are.

Teach your children well. Teach them your dreams. Teach them that there is something wonderful in this life, and it is found in the font of many blessings. By this, our hell will go by. By this, there is new life--even in death.

Final words mean everything. Many want their last words to be profound and wonderful and glorious. People want their last words to be significant. Last words say to the world "If I had just one last thing to say, this is it." Jesus' last words are to love one another." That's it. He begins with love. From love, the same love he has shown his disciples, everything else will flow.

In love everything worth doing, everything worth having, everything worth sharing begins. Love is the beginning. Love is everything.