Prayer Room 2

The prayers that covered the walls have bled up to the ceiling now.

God, let me get to Sunday, but do not allow me to ignore the significance of these nest days. In 48 minutes, Good Friday begins. God, let me not pass over this day without mourning, without appreciating with all that I have, the sacrifice made for me on that Friday, two thousand years ago.

Today, Holy Thursday, was a beautiful clear day, filled with many smiles, but tears as well. A friend of mine was having a particularly hard day. So many of my friend's questions brought me to my heart's knees.

Holy Thursday we remember as the night that Jesus and his disciples, his closest friends gathered, and he gave them communion. The Last Supper.

Thanks to BibleGateway.com, here's the text of it that passage in Luke 22.

"14When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."

17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

Jesus is so human in these last moments before his arrest. I can see him leaning forward in his seat, gazing intently at his disciples, his closest friends, saying, "I've been waiting for this moment." He thrives on their presence, needs them near him in these last, tense moments. And though he is probably distracted by the knowledge of what he will endure the next day, Jesus takes the bread and wine, taking physical objects to foreshadow the events of Friday, trying to tell his friends that what would take place would be done for them and for the world. "This is my body, broken for you. This is my blood pored out for you." I can imagine the emotion choking his voice, the fear pounding against his ribs, his imploring gaze piercing his friends.

And not only this, but in these last moments with his friends, he already knew that one trusted man had betrayed Him for profit. I can see Christ's impassioned, maybe even teary gaze falling on Judas in that moment. "This is my blood, poured out for you." I can imagine Judas squirming, can imagine the chill he must have felt.

What I can't imagine, what is too wonderful for me to fathom, is that Jesus Christ truly did love Judas. He was a trusted friend, which makes the betrayal all the worse. But I believe he really did lay down his life with even Judas in mind.

Then, late that night, they went up to the Mount of Olives to pray.

Now, it's late, nearing midnight right now, as I type this blog entry in the prayer room. The clear sky of this morning has clouded over slightly, and a chilling wind beats at the door. Perhaps this night might not be so different that the night Christ experienced so many years ago.

The Words says that Christ told his disciples to pray, pray that they would not fall into temptation, then withdrew a stone's throw away from them, and knelt to pray. Even before the horror of Friday, this image of Christ on Thursday night breaks me every time I visit it.

Jesus is kneeling, trembling, feverishly praying. And in a moment of pure humanity, Jesus Christ says, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me!" I wonder if he already heard the whip snapping, if he already heard the clatter of the dice the soldiers used to gamble for his clothes, if he could taste blood, if he could smell the approach of death. I wonder if he could already the crown of thorns being pushed into his skin.

The Word says that even with these images, even with the fear shaking in his limbs, Jesus Christ prayed, "But not my will, but Yours be done." And in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like drops of blood."

And then, he came to find his closest friends sleeping, exhausted by grief, and soon later, a mob, led by Judas came to arrest him. And he said to them, "This is your hour-- when darkness reigns." (Luke 22:53)

And so began Good Friday.

But as heavy as my heart is, when reading over these passages of Holy Week, I know Sunday waits on the horizon. Praise God!