Maundy Thursday

Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:38-39 (NASB)

When Jesus goes to the garden to pray, we see the submission of Jesus to the will of His Father. If it had been me, I would have examined all the angles to find an adequate path to accomplish the mission with the least amount of discomfort. However, the mission for Jesus, and quite frankly the mission for us, is to submit to the will of God no matter what the cost. Jesus knew tis all too well. He was selfless and I am selfish. I must remember that the sun does not revolve around me.

Dr. Tom Long writes the unforgettable story of visiting a small, but impressive Prayer Chapel that featured a life-sized rendering of Jesus with a sign on it from Matthew 11:28-30 which says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” In a semi-circle facing the painting were twelve chairs each with a name of one of the twelve Apostles on the back of the chair. As Dr. Long looked at the chapel, he noticed that one chair was sat in more than the others. It was the one that bore the name “Judas”. It is hard to understand the infinitely larger wonder of Jesus forgiving those who crucified him if we have never sat in the chair of Judas figuratively speaking.

However, some people never sit in that chair because they go through life like Dennis Lee Curtis an armed robber arrested in 2002. In his wallet, the police found the paper on which was written the following personal code:

I will not kill anyone unless I have to.

I will take only cash and food stamps-no checks.

I will rob only at night and not wear a mask.

I will not rob mini-marts.

If I get chased on foot, I will get away.

If I get chased by a vehicle, I will not put the lives of civilians on the line.

I will rob only 7 months of the year.

Dr. Brian Burrell writes this about Dennis Lee Curtis, “this thief had a sense of morality, but it was flawed. His focus was only on the ways that he was acting honorably, and that kept him from seeing the ways he might have acted even more honorably. Mr. Curtis did not understand that when he stood before the court, he would not be judged by the standards he set for himself but by the laws of the state.”

And more to the point, we all will be judged by the laws of our Creator, God. It will not be enough to think we are good enough. Our standard will not be what others are doing, but the standards God has set. This Easter, read His Word and live by His Standard. Trust that He will give you strength for the journey and when you don’t measure up, forgiveness.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

When I survey the cross of Jesus, I am struck by how I live by my standard of “good enough” and not by Your standard of Holiness. Please forgive me. Thank you for Your selfless gift of sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for the forgiveness that can only come through You. In Jesus Name, Amen.