Holy Thursday PART ONE: Reflecting on the Last Supper and Jesus' Sacred Sacrifice

Immerse yourself with me in the gravity of Holy Thursday as we recount the Last Supper and the intimate moments Jesus shared with His apostles in Luke 22. Discover the profound teachings and the heart-wrenching tensions that arise on this pivotal night, where the sacred and the historical interweave to bring us closer to understanding the sacrifice that changed the world. Join us for a narrative that not only explores the significance of the events leading to Good Friday but also invites us to reflect on the grace we've been granted through Christ’s ultimate act of love.

Let the Word of God be your guide through the complexities and the simplicities of faith, as we honor the tradition and embrace the comfort it brings on the journey towards Resurrection Sunday.

Now get out into the world and be a woman who intentionally encourages another!

#women #podcast

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:31

Good morning Encouragers. It's Jo. Welcome back to the Holy Week series. If you haven't been listening, we have been reading from the Word of God since Friday of last week, preparing our hearts for Resurrection Sunday. This coming weekend we are currently if you're listening in real time on Holy Thursday, if you're listening in real time on Holy Thursday. So far this week we have read about how Jesus arrived in Bethany and he was staying with Mary, martha and Lazarus the resurrected Lazarus. We see Mary anointed by Jesus and the crowd come to see Lazarus and Jesus. Jesus enters on a donkey in Jerusalem on ground covered with palm leaves. On Sunday, he weeps over Jerusalem and enters the temple. On Monday, we see him curse a fig tree and, with righteous anger, clear the temple and reclaim it as a house of God. On Tuesday, we saw the disciples see that very withered fig tree that had been cursed and we begin to hear the controversies arising in Jerusalem from within the temple based on Jesus' teachings. We hear the Olivet Discourse on his way back to Bethany with the disciples and yesterday we continued to hear about Jesus' teaching and the plot beginning to brew in the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus. Lastly, yesterday we began to hear about the preparations for Passover.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Today's Holy Thursday, will be broken up into two different podcasts because there is a lot of scripture to get through. I'm going to begin by reading in Luke 22, verses 14 through 30, around, or about, rather, the Passover meal and the Last Supper the Passover meal and the Last Supper. Then my next podcast for this Thursday will be the Upper Room Discourse and we will hear Jesus pray for Gethsemane. Let me open us up in a word of prayer. Dear Lord, thank you for Holy Week. Thank you for the word of God that we have in our hands. We have access to that. We get to read at any time, lord, to be reminded of the truth, to read a real account of actual events that occurred in our history. Thank you that it gets to be part of our history and our inheritance. As we've said many times this week, we'll never fully understand the gift of grace that you gave us on the cross. We know we don't deserve it, and yet you took all of it. You paid the cost for us. Thank you for this gift, thank you for new life and salvation, and thank you for the Holy Spirit that you left here as our helper to get us through this world, help us to discern and walk the path you've laid before us with wisdom and grace that we could only pull off because of you, lord. I thank you again for this day and all of our listeners. I pray that your word would hit just the right spot for them today, lord, that you know what they need. You know why they showed up to listen, lord. So provide what they need, help them to have a desire in their hearts to hear it, and then help us to turn around and be mindful and thoughtful of you, lord, today, and maybe say some prayers of gratitude, knowing that tomorrow is Good Friday In your name. Amen.

Speaker 1: 4:44

Luke 22, verses 14 through 30. And the apostles with him. And he said to them I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took a cup and when he gave thanks, he said Take this and divide it among yourselves. And when he gave thanks, he said, and likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. You is the new covenant in my blood, but behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table, for the Son of man goes as it has been determined, but woe to the man by whom he is betrayed.

Speaker 1: 6:18

And they began to question one another. Which of them could it be who was going to do this? A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest, and he said over them and those in authority over them are called benefactors. Not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader, as the one who serves. For who is the greater? One who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom that you may eat and drink at my table and in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Speaker 1: 7:37

Lord, we thank you for this beginning scripture from Passover. We know that this was the last meal that he ate with his disciples before being arrested and taken away away. It's amazing to hear him say that he looked so forward to eating with them before he suffered. Lord, you knew what was coming, and yet you continued on. Thank you for the vision of Jesus waiting to have a final cup of wine with us when kingdom comes.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Thank you for the lesson here. Your broken body, your blood, shed for us. Let us, as we partake in communion this weekend, be reminded of the sacrifice you made and gave for your brothers and sisters, for your kingdom come, for those in the moment and for all of us today and all of those who will come after us. Thank you again for this reminder, lord, and even challenge to not think of ourselves as great Lord, but to humble ourselves and to be servants of the kingdom, just as you did. Just as you did, lord. Thank you for all you've done and thank you again for this holy, holy Thursday. You are worthy of our praise. In your name, amen, you.