Wednesday of Holy Week
Posted on April 5, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 22:1-23 (NKJV)
22: 1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”
9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”
10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”
13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
Devotion
“With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Bible translators seek to display the strength of Jesus’s desire, shown in the literal expression He uses, combining two forms with the same root: “with desire I have desired.” It is even stronger than that, though. The word for desire is already indicating fervent desire and was used by philosophers to indicate one of the primal urges or driving forces of life—those that often lead to sinful thoughts and actions. Jesus is saying that He has desired to get to this Passover more than the grossest sinner desires his favorite sin!
Jesus’ desire is precisely because this will be the last Passover before the Kingdom of God is established, the exodus from this vale of tears initiated, by His being sacrificed as the Lamb of the New Passover (1 Cor. 5:7). The fulfillment of all things written of Him (Luke 18:31) is at hand, so that the types and shadows of the Old Testament would now be overtaken by their antitype—the reality they had always depicted (Col. 2:11-12, 16-17, Rom. 5:14, 1 Pet. 3:18-22). Jesus has this great desire because He longs to secure our salvation, to establish and confirm the joy of Heaven for us (Heb. 12:2).
No greater love is known than this: the High Priest who descended from Heaven, knowing our infirmities, so desires our salvation that He runs as eagerly to the cross as we have run to sin!
Prayer: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds are continually afflicted, may mercifully be relieved by the Passion of Thine Only-begotten Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and with the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
