About verse 7. I'm gonna turn there in my Bible too. Okay. Just to begin, I think the way I would like to think of and frame what the events that happened on Thursday. Thursday is a day of preparation. Thursday is a day of preparation which we began in Luke 22 with Jesus instructing the disciples to prepare for the Passover.

This momentous occasion for every Jew of the nation of Israel to remember and to celebrate that God in his love delivered the nation of Israel from the oppression that existed in Egypt but more so the wrath of God that was going to come upon all the people there. And as Jesus is preparing the disciples to have this Passover with them, Jesus is also preparing the disciples for what's to come.

And what's more I believe Jesus is this day is a time in which Jesus is preparing even his own heart. Jesus is preparing even in his own self for the suffering that's to come. And then as we know what's gonna happen later into the evening as they have the Passover, as they have the Last Supper, as Jesus instructs the disciples to prepare them and that even Christ will go to the garden to pray before God, this day is a day of preparation.

Now what's interesting though is as Jesus instructs the disciples in Luke chapter 22 to go and make preparation with the celebration, to grab the materials, to secure the location and all sorts of things, we realize something that Jesus says that reveals his heart. So if you look down, I'll just start reading from verse let's say 14.

Okay, verse 14, short passage here where it says, "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.'" Now what's very interesting about this passage is in this time of preparation Jesus reveals his heart.

He says, you know, we're having this Passover but it is my earnest desire to eat this with you. And what's very interesting about that is the construction makes it incredibly emphatic. He uses the same word in the Greek epithumia twice but one in an adverb sense and one in the verb putting it together doubly emphasizing I have strongly desired to have this with you.

And what's more this term epithumia is often used in other passages. Apostle Paul uses it synonymous with lust, something that you're craving, something that you're like you cannot let go of almost. So here's a question, why? Why would Jesus Christ want to have this Passover with them prior to the suffering?

Christ is on his route to incredible pain, to his sacrifice. Why does he so desire to have this meal with them prior to doing all that? And my case is going to be that right now we're taking a look at a narrow portion of what happens on Thursday. There's so much that happens on Thursday but we're taking a narrow portion to realize the heart of Christ for his disciples.

You know what's really interesting is Jesus telling his disciples and explaining I want to share this with you. I want to have this time with you and I'm not gonna have this again essentially what he's saying. He's describing and pouring out his heart, having a heart-to-heart with them, essentially preparing them and saying I'm going away, right?

I'm going away. And as with a lot of other occasions in the Bible, the disciples don't get it. Later on in the passage I'm just gonna summarize for you a little bit but starting from about verse 22 Jesus Christ is explaining to them in greater detail what must take place and why all these things must happen.

But starting from verse 44, I'm sorry from verse 24, the disciples actually began to argue with each other and what they argue is which one of us are greater? If this is the time when Jesus is kind of culminating all things about the things that were prophesied and promised then that means we're all gonna be kings.

You know the disciples were more so thinking about their position. They're vying for positions of authority, positions of stature and glory. All while Christ was trying to explain to them I really really want to have this time with you. And I ask the question why? Why would Jesus Christ want to have this time with them?

If you guys have ever cooked a meal, you know, whether it's for family, for friends or roommates, whatever it may be. If you've ever cooked a meal but then nobody comes to the table, you're just like forget it I'm gonna dump this in the trash, you know. If you've ever began a conversation or started telling a story and you realize they're just on their phone and they're not listening, forget it.

I don't want to go on with the story. This scenario is a lot like many other scenarios where Christ is pouring out his heart. He's describing to them what kind of suffering he needs to endure and how he's fulfilling all that is promised. These are like epic things but the disciples don't get it and when I see that I ask this question why?

And the answer really is it's not so much what this event affords for Christ but this is the heart of Christ desiring so eagerly to prepare his children, his disciples. What I see for me is a lot like when a parent is about to leave their children for a long trip or if you know if a child is going away for a college, if a child is going away on a long trip and the parent is so eager wanting to come over and say hey did you check the pressure of your tires?

Did you have enough oil? Do you have snacks for the ride? Do you know where you're going? Do you have directions? Do you have a map? And it's just this non-stop like do you have everything? You see that heart of Christ when he's looking at his disciples. I want so eagerly to have this with you.

I want to prepare you. And so if you go over to the book of John that's exactly what happens. We're starting from probably the end of chapter 12 or chapter 13 all the way to chapter 17 is many chapters revealing to us the heart of Christ and his love for the disciples.

So eagerly wanting to prepare them and to show them what to expect to give them his heart, to give them prayer, to give them love, to give them an appropriate expectation of each other even. An appropriate expectation of the world. And what you see is a revealing of his heart and how he desires to love his disciples.

And what I really love about this passage if you turn your Bibles to John chapter 13 is at the beginning of this time in which Jesus has this last supper with his disciples and he prepares them by teaching them the scriptures commentate on Christ's heart for them. And if you take a look first chapter 13 verse 1 he says now before the feast of the Passover Jesus knowing that his hour had come that he would part out he would depart out of this world to the Father having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end.

What a amazing short little commentary on what Christ is doing this day on Thursday. His loving his disciples and while they don't get it while they're fighting for position Christ is loving them and he explains to them I am I am here serving you. And so in the next passages of John he's gonna wash the disciples feet showing them aren't I greater aren't I the teacher but here I am serving you.

And I'm gonna do this thing with you a little bit just summarizing by taking a look and flipping through the chapters a little bit and looking at certain verses that reveals more of Christ's heart of love for them. If you look over at chapter 13 verse 31 through 35 he instructs them therefore when he had gone out Jesus said now is the son of man glorified and God is glorified in him.

If God is glorified in him God would also glorify him in himself and will glorify him immediately little children I am with you a little while longer you will seek me and as I said to the Jews now I also say to you where I'm going you cannot come but a new commandment I give to you that you love one another even as I loved you that you also love one another by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

Just like when a parent is leaving and departing for some time he will tell the brothers up in the home you need to love each other take care of each other scroll down to chapter 14 verse 1 and says do not let your heart be troubled believe in God believe also in me as he's departing he understands that even though they don't get it right now that he's leaving that they are going to be troubled they are going to be dismayed they're gonna be in chaos but he instructs them don't be troubled.

If you look over in verse 18 of chapter 14 verse 18 he says I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you after a little while the world no longer see me but you will see me because I live you will also live and as you know in this and the gospel of John this is where he just tries to describe to the disciples look it's almost better for me to go because the helper is going to be sent to you I truly won't leave you alone the helper is gonna come and teach you and then later on in chapter 15 he instructs the disciples to abide in him in verse 1 he says I am the vine and my father is a vine dresser and he just describes the scenario in which they need to make sure that they are rooted in him and then in chapter 15 verse 18 he describes how the world is going to treat them what they're supposed to expect that as he departs how the world is going to persecute them to hate them and then in chapter 16 verse 1 this is what Christ says to them verse 1 he says these things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling go to verse 4 but these things I have spoken to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them that these things I do not say to you at the beginning because I was with you first five but now I'm going to him who sent me and none of you asked me where are you going but because I said these things to you sorrow has filled your heart but I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away for if I do not go away the helper when I come to you but if I go I will send him to you I hope that little exercise shows to you the heart of Christ to me that's that's profound because we typically think of Christ as like God divine who never worries we typically think of Christ as the you know the God of the world who knows all things who knows the beginning in the end and so he never worries but what I see in Christ's heart for his disciples as he departs as he so eagerly desired to have this Passover so that he might instruct and love his disciples and prepare them and what I see then is a heart of perhaps a parent who is so concerned and in love with his disciples he can't just leave parents when they leave a house you know sometimes we ask people to come to the house and and babysit our kids the first couple times we did that we couldn't leave we're at the door like okay guys listen to the babysitters you know you just go through all this list and you tell us and compelled babysitter okay we have this schedule you have to make sure they eat this thing and you have to do this thing and you just keep going why because your heart of love for your child can't just leave and then when I see Christ almost it through all these verses so concerned for the disciples I just kind of go through that emotion like yes I know Christ is divine but look at his heart of love he's so concerned from them and sometimes I have worries I have worries for my children I have worries for our church people I have worries for you guys and it just keeps me up and that's a heavy burden to carry but Christ and his love for them scripture says he loves him to the end he carries that burden to the end and what's more profound to me is this in this moment and in this distance does Christ not have concern for his own life does Christ not have right to be worried I'm gonna suffer scripture says that he that his heart as a matter of fact is troubled and that is stirred within him almost like a storm on the insides does he not have a right to be like disciples you don't care about me who's gonna be with me who's gonna encourage me and strengthen me as I go to the cross but he loves his disciples so much he is concerned over them and his heart is revealed as he so eagerly desires to prepare them but I want to leave you with this but our Lord truly is divine and if you look over in chapter 17 what he does is he's praised to the father and he places his disciples in the place that is most secure and the place that is absolutely grounded and that is in the hands of God if you look over at verse 11 of chapter 17 he says this I am no longer in the world he knows he's going to depart and it says yet they themselves are in the world and I come to you Holy Father keep them in your name the name with which you have given me that they may be one as we are while I was with them I was keeping them in your name which you have given me and I've guarded them and not one of them have perished but the son of perdition so that the scriptures would be fulfilled a short little verse tells me this that Christ and his love guarded the disciples all the way through they might not have seen it they might not have understood but since the beginning Christ has guarded them and the only reason why they didn't fall it because of the love of Christ and here and now as he's about to depart where does he place them he places them in the protection of God Almighty what an amazing scene of Christ preparation of the disciples but more so revealing the heart of Christ I think for us it just behooves us that you know a lot of times when we remember each year you know the disciples had Passover each year but they kind of didn't get it as we remember each year the things that happen in Passion Week we have to all the more acknowledge how deep is this love of God that when we say a simple statement that God so loved the world that we sit there on the soul and realize that talks of depth and degree the extent of love and for us as children of God and one of the things that we really need to do is simply acknowledge and recognize that when we see the intricacies of how one would prepare how one would with God how one would pray how one would accomplish all these things on our behalf that we will recognize my God you truly love me beyond what I understand let's pray father God we we hear in your word that you love your disciples