Celebrate God’s deliverance. What is so significant in Maundy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper by Jesus and His disciples. The Last Supper made by Jesus and His disciples was a celebration of the Passover Festival which is one of the most important festivals of the Jews to commemorate how God “passed over” the houses of Jews and delivered them from Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13). In the Passover Feast, God commanded the Jews to take a perfect lamb and to kill it at night. The blood of the lamb should be placed on the two door posts of their house and on the lintel. The meat, roasted with fire, is also to be eaten with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs in the evening.
“Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.” – Exodus 12:5 (WEB).
Where is the lamb? The Last Supper, therefore, points to Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. He is the perfect lamb, without blemish, for there is no sin in Him.
“You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him.” – 1 John 3:5 (WEB)
To this effect, Jesus’ commemoration of the Feast of Passover in the Last Supper was to point out that He is the Lamb whose blood cleanses us from sin and whose death and resurrection will deliver us from unrighteousness.
“The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29 (WEB)
Look upon this day with this truth. Celebrate it with the knowledge that Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb, came to die and shed His blood on the cross to deliver you from sin and death.
Jesus’ blood was poured out to save you. Why do you need saving? Why does it have to be Jesus? First, because all of mankind, is sinful (Romans 3:10-12). Second, because the requirement of the law is a perfect lamb. Because all of man is sinful, no one is perfect. Therefore, no one is ideal to be put to death and shed blood to save himself from his sins. Each one of us, definitely, needs saving by Jesus Christ. No man can do it by his own.
Was Jesus forced to do this? No! Because of God’s great love and rich grace for sinful man, He gave up His own life so man can enjoy freedom from sin. Jesus said,
“Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.” – John 10:17-18 (WEB)
“For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8 (WEB)
This now becomes the new covenant of blood. The new covenant of blood is the blood poured by Jesus that can wash away sins and forgive the sins of mankind. No sin is too great and no guilt is too deep for the blood of Jesus. He can clean it and wash it as white as snow.
Come now, and let’s reason together, says Yahweh: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” – Isaiah 1:18 (WEB)
What is the implication of this? Give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and start living a new life that reflects His righteousness. Depend on God’s abundant grace for you to live each day according to His will. Bask in the marvelous love of God for you. Let it be your motivation to love Him back as long as you live.
“Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place. Therefore let’s keep the feast, not with old yeast, neither with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 (WEB)