Maundy Thursday “From Guest to Host” Day by Day of Holy Week: Thursday

​On Wednesday night Jesus was the guest at the home of Mary and Martha.  On Thursday, Jesus is the host to his disciples for the Passover Meal.  For those of you who believe in Jesus, the term “host” takes on special significance when we recall that the bread of communion is referred to as the “host.”

On Wednesday night, Jesus was being washed with the aromatic nard from Mary’s alabaster box.  On Thursday Jesus washed the smelly feet of his disciples and gave them a new “commandment” to love one another. We get the word “Maundy” from the latin of “mandate”  Loving each other and washing one another’s feet is the forever mandate of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Taking the Passover meal together is no mere coincidence.  The Passover represented the time when God brought his people out of Egypt with “a mighty hand.”  The hand of God was once more getting ready to act with the once for all sacrifice of Jesus the lamb of God for the sins of the whole world.  This is the passage from Exodus which was read during the Passover.  The four “I wills”  of the passage correspond to four cups of wine that were drunk during the Passover.

​Exodus 6:6-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt

Cup 1 : the cup of sanctification: “I will free you from your oppression.”    Coming out of Egypt

Cup 2: the cup of deliverance:  “I will rescue you from slavery.”  Egypt coming out of you

Cup 3: the cup of redemption:  “I will redeem you with a powerful arm.”  God buys his people back

Cup 4: the cup of fulfillment:  “I will claim you as my own.”  He gathers them for Himself

After the meal Jesus took the third up and said:

Luke 22:19-20

The Message (MSG)

 “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.

He left the supper to go to the Garden of Gethsemene.  He prayed and sweat great drops of blood and said “let this cup pass from me.”

In the garden, Judas led the soldier to Jesus and betrayed him with a kiss.  The cup was handed to Jesus. On Thursday,  history approached its culmination.  All eyes were on Jesus.  From the first Adam to the last man who will ever live on the earth, there was a cosmic pause.  Destiny hung in the balance.  Fight or flight seemed the only natural options while Jesus wrestled with an unprecedented third.