Thursday

We expect loyalty from friends. We expect friends to have our backs when life turns sour. And in the same way, we want to be loyal to our friends. We want to give the gifts of support and presence when our friends face hardship. We want them to know that we will be there for them. They can count on us when the chips are down.

Jesus’ Thursday revealed friends who were NOT there for Him. On Thursday we get a glimpse of the lonely road He travelled to meet His destiny with torture and crucifixion.

With little more than twenty four hours of life left, Jesus gave His disciples orders to prepare a room for them to enjoy a meal together. All thirteen of them gathered in that upper room in a home in Jerusalem to eat. During supper, Jesus rose to take care of the important detail that none of the twelve had wanted to do. He - the Lord and Master - washed their dirty, grimy feet.

Then, resuming His place at the table, He spoke of a betrayer in their midst. He predicted loss of courage for them all. He predicted Peter’s denials. He told them of His own soon-to-come departure and of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He told them of persecutions to come and of their secure future in Him. (See John 13-17)

Late on that Thursday night, they moved from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemene. There Jesus prayed, asking Peter, James, and John to watch and pray for Him. They promptly fell asleep - x3.

When a mob of soldiers and priests and servants came to arrest Jesus (Judas’ kiss of betrayal identifying Him as “the one”), the disciples all fled into the night, leaving Him alone to stand trial all night long where He suffered numerous indignities and illegalities.

The indignities included mocking, blindfolding, and slaps in the face. Certainly mild physical abuse compared to what He would suffer later. The illegalities included the place and time of the trail, a too-quick verdict, conflicting testimony by the witnesses, and much, much more. While His trials were going on, Simon Peter - Rocky! - was denying that he even knew who Jesus was.

On Thursday we look at Jesus and see raw courage and undeterred resolve and unalloyed love.

No doubt Jesus would have enjoyed prayer support in the Garden.
No doubt watching the disciples flee into the night was painful.
No doubt that listening to Peter deny Him wounded Him deeply.

But none of that trumped His loving commitment to continue with the plan that would have Him offering Himself on Friday as a perfect sacrifice for people like me and you, people who so obviously need deliverance from the power and penalty of sin.

Today, we worship a loving Savior who was willing to go it alone, to bring us to God.