March 24, 2005


“Jesus Slept Here”
by John Fischer

The Last Supper, which Christians celebrate tonight in what is traditionally called Maundy Thursday, has been immortalized in countless paintings and displays and acted out in famous plays, films and musicals. It is significant because it is when our most revered sacrament was first administered. It is also where Jesus gave his final instructions to his disciples, recorded in the Gospel of John and labeled by biblical scholars as “The Upper Room Discourse” (John 13-17). But rarely do we stop to think about that room and how it came to be such a sacred place. It belonged to somebody. Somebody donated it to the cause.

Somebody donated the donkey that Jesus rode in on for the Triumphal Entry, and someone prepared the meal for that famous supper. Think of how many different houses Jesus and his disciples slept in over three years of ministry. Think of how many meals were prepared for them. Think of those who contributed to their treasury so their basic needs could be met. Then there was Joseph of Arimathea who contributed his tomb as a burial place for Jesus, Nicodemus who helped prepare the body for burial, and the women who got up early on Resurrection Day to anoint the body because they could not do it on the Sabbath. All these people served Jesus and His cause, and without them, the work would not have been able to be accomplished. Yet we hear so little about them. Many remain nameless. They are always in the background.

That’s always the way it is with servants, but they don’t mind because it’s not about them. They are serving a higher cause and a greater one than they. Their job is to serve and get out of the way, and they do this with great pleasure. Their reward is in knowing that God sees their work, and in watching what their work has made possible in the lives of others. Servants are bent on pleasing God, and their own needs are minimal.

When you think about the Lord’s Supper, remember that someone set the table, and someone picked up afterwards, just as someone will have prepared the Last Supper celebration you might be experiencing tonight. Ministry doesn’t take place without service, and we are all called to play a part in serving each other. Make yourself ready.