And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:14-16
Jesus earnestly desired to share the Passover with His disciples before His crucifixion. He wanted to share those last intimate moments with His beloved friends before He faced the cruelest moments of His life. He knew He would be separated from them in only hours, and that they would have to endure their own kind of trauma…seeing Him whipped, beaten, spit upon, punctured with thorns, nailed to a cross and driven through with a spear.
Jesus earnestly desired to look into each of their faces, and to exchange loving glances with every one of them, so that when their horror and grief became more than they could bear, they could remember the love in His eyes, and the words He spoke to their heart without uttering a sound.
Jesus also earnestly desired to touch them in a way He’d never touched them before…by gently and tenderly washing their feet. He wanted to show them that love involves humble servitude, and a willingness to touch the dirtiest and most calloused parts of their bodies and spirits, and soften them with His love.
And He earnestly wanted to demonstrate to His beloved disciples how much He valued sharing the feast with them, and so He told them He would not drink wine again until He could drink it with them in heaven. This was not just any dinner; it was the Last Supper. And it was not just any wine; it was His blood of the covenant. These moments and this wine were sacred, and meant only to be shared between those He loved, and who loved Him. He would wait until they could all be gathered together again in the same sweet intimacy.
Today, as we remember our sweet Savior who earnestly desired to express His love for His disciples in His last moments during that Last Supper, let us earnestly desire to spend time with Him on this good, Good Friday.
