Thirsty Thursday — Holy Thursday

Thirsty Thursday is what they call our social every Thursday night where I live. We are offered many beverages of choice to quench our thirst along with snacks to satisfy our hunger. Jesus had our thirst and hunger in mind on this Holy Thursday.

Once upon a time, on social media, we would classify Thursdays as #TBT aka Throwback Thursday. We would add an image of an old memory to our posts. I’m bringing back Throwback Thursday today to highlight the beauty of the brilliance of Jesus to show us what a true servant looks like. One who places His desires on hold to teach us well through another one of His illustrated sermons.

Part 1 of that sermon on this Holy Thursday was to show us what a “full meal deal” really looks like. Not just a snack but a meal that would quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger. This Thursday of Holy Week we recall Jesus providing the Last Supper and invoking the beauty of Holy Communion.

It was at this Passover meal that we hear His words: “As often as you do this, you do it in memory of Me!” (Luke 22:19-20) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

And if that wasn’t the pinnacle of illustrative sermons, He stepped it up again when the One celebrated as King on Palm Sunday, became a Servant when He washed His disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service.

Part 2 of this Holy Thursday
There Jesus, with His wash basin and His towel, knelt in front of them one by one and washed their feet — calluses and all. When He was finished, He told them why. “I’m setting an example for you. You also should do what I have done to you.” In that moment, I wonder if the disciples finally ‘got it’. They had been hand-selected by Jesus from the crowds, so they were special. But Jesus didn’t call them from the crowds so that they would enjoy a greater status. He called them to serve, to carry on His ministry of loving and caring for people.

Jesus prepared His disciples to carry on. I think that is Jesus’ message to you and me, too. Today, we are the ones standing in front of people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, who are all suffering from their own brokenness and in need of a Savior. Surely there are those in our world that cause irritation in our lives. In fact, like Jesus, they may have denied us, deceived us, rejected us, spoke evil against us, and completely disappointed us.

Doesn’t it cause us to have a great sense of awareness that He Who was perfect and knew no sin, could set the example for us on how to deal with hurting and even honorary folks in our lives? To be like Him, we SERVE. We serve by loving, sharing, and giving, for in that serving, we become like Him.

The disciples wondered how they would carry on without Jesus. Jesus showed them precisely how. We, too, may wonder how we can carry on and be an example of God’s grace and mercy. Like the disciples remembering His example, with His wash basin and towel, so also remember. He’s saying, “See? It’s simple. I’m sending you out into the world, into those crowds of people from whom I called you. YOUR job? Just love them.”