John 13:12: After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?”
Do they know what he has done to them? As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, they probably were astounded that their Teacher would stoop to such a lowly and menial task. They didn’t know what he had done to them. They didn’t really understand his teaching, and by the time they experienced Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, they certainly didn’t understand what he had done.
They began to understand later, after Jesus had been crucified and was laid in a tomb. In John 20, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the Beloved disciple went to the tomb and found that the stone had been tossed aside from the tomb. It wasn’t just rolled aside, as if a bunch of guards or disciples took it upon themselves to roll aside the stone. It was flung aside. Thrown aside. That’s the awesome power of God; flinging aside the stone, and throwing conquering sin, death, and the power of the devil.
Pause for a moment on this Maundy Thursday, and ask yourself, “Why was the stone thrown aside?” Did Jesus need the stone rolled aside so that he could get out? As the Resurrected Lord, Jesus somehow walked through the doors where the disciples were huddled, and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” None of us will ever know how Jesus did that, but we can know that the stone was not removed to let Jesus out.
The stone was removed to let you in.
The stone was thrown aside to let you and the disciples in. We need to know that the tomb is empty. Jesus didn’t need to be “let out,” but we needed to be “let in.”
When Jesus asked the disciples in our Bible reading today, “Do you know what I have done to you?”, the answer is no. They really didn’t know what he had done in washing their feet, in serving them, and in being willing to go to the ends of the ends of the earth, and to the depths of death, to let them know how much he loved them.
And the stone was rolled away; thrown aside to let you in. How awesome is that!
Questions to Ponder:
- Today is Maundy Thursday. It’s the day when Jesus instituted the Last Supper. What have been your most profound experiences receiving Communion? When has it been most meaningful to you?
- What kind of disciple would you have been? If you were one of the 12 disciples, at what point do you think that you would have really deeply believed in Jesus? And why would that have made a difference for you?
Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, I believe, but help my unbelief. I understand, but help me with what I don’t understand. I see you, but open my eyes that I might see you more. In the Holy Meal today, as I receive the bread and wine, help me see it as your body and blood, and help me experience you in new and fresh ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
In a recent "Brazil's Got Talent" this yound kid sings Agnus Dei.
Holy, Holy. are You, Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb!
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