This year the reading plan I’m using for my Lenten devotions focuses on the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. One passage might be the story of Jesus washing His disciple’s feet from Matthew, then for the next few days, the readings will be about the same event or teaching. Depending on the incident or words being conveyed, we might read the same passage as written in other Gospels. The plan has a reading for each of the forty days of Lent. I find it fascinating to read two, three, or four passages from God’s Word all about the same event. Reading about the suffering Jesus endured for our sake always impacts me, but the impact is even stronger when I read each Gospel account of the event over a period of a few days.
In addition to all the emotions these passages bring forth, another thing that really caught my attention is how much happened on the day before the Crucifixion. In this plan, we have been reading about this day—Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday—for a couple of weeks. Jesus preached to the crowds that day and spent a long time that evening in the Passover dinner with His disciples. He seemed to be preparing them for an exam. He reminded them of His teachings and told them He would send the Holy Spirit to guide them into truth and bring to mind the things Jesus had told them.
I have written devotionals or posts for Maundy Thursday for several years. Search for Maundy Thursday on my blog to find them.
ALMIGHTY Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, did institute the Sacrament of his Body and Blood; Mercifully grant that we may thankfully receive the same in remembrance of him, who in these holy mysteries giveth us a pledge of life eternal; the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.