And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:19-20
Read Luke 22:7-46. Here is some background: Maundy is an old English word for mandate. It reminds us of Jesus’ command to, “Do this in remembrance of me”. This is a time when we focus on how Jesus lowered Himself to wash the disciple’s feet, demonstrating the role of servant.
Then they celebrated Passover, recalling when God, through Moses, delivered the Hebrews out of slavery. The night before, they put the blood of a lamb on the door mantle so the angel of death would pass them by. This was a foreshadow of how Jesus – the Lamb of God, would deliver us from the slavery of sin through His death on the cross.
Finally, they followed Jesus into the garden where Jesus prayed for strength to endure what was to come. As He prayed and before He was arrested, the disciples had the problem of falling asleep.
As you were reading this passage from Luke, you probably recognized the events. After all, we talk about it every year. But think for a moment. The disciples couldn’t stay awake even one hour to pray with Jesus. How often do we fall asleep – literally and figuratively, when we pray? Can we spend an hour in prayer with Jesus? Or like the disciples, our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. Tonight, commit to spend an hour in prayer. Make a list if it helps. Organize your prayer into sections (Thanks, Family, Health, Needs, Areas in your life that need forgiveness, etc…). Let Jesus speak to you today.