Communion With the Christ:: Holy Thursday: Jesus Poured Out

“Jesus poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sins of many, and made intersession for the transgression.” Isa: 53:12

Holy Thursday, along with Good Friday and Easter form a part of the Holy Week season known as the Triduum, which means the three days.

The Triduum focuses our hearts and minds upon the outward manifestation of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ in a way which we can almost understand what Jesus, through his incarnation, death and glorious resurrection has wrought on our behalf’s.

St. John and the other writers of the Gospels tells us that after Jesus’ entrance into the Holy city and his indictment of the religious establishment at the Temple of God and spending the week, which we now commemorate as Holy Week, teaching the people, that he gathered together in a rented upper room of a house, possibly owned by the family of the young Disciple John Mark. This Upper Room which has been referred to by some as the Cenacle, or Cenaculum which is from the Latin meaning “I Dine” or eating place. This room has been historically called by Christians the Upper Room.

The Cenacle, the Upper Room, is also thought to be the very same location where after the Ascension of Jesus into the Heavens that the one hundred and twenty Disciples gathered together and where the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them all and manifested the reality of the living Jesus to them and in them, empowering the Disciples to go forth and to proclaim the Gospel to all Jerusalem and to the ends of the Earth.

The Last Supper-First Supper

Jesus and his Disciples came together for his Last Supper before his arrest, trial and crucifixion and then his resurrection. This was in keeping of the Passover, which was enjoined upon the people of Israel under the Old Covenant.

It was this very supper, which Jesus himself shared with his closest disciples. This Passover which would be, not only his last supper before his death, which began as the commemoration of the pouring forth of the blood of the Paschal Lambs resulting in the national liberation of the people of Israel from Egypt with them, but would also become, through the transformational work of Jesus, the very last Passover Supper of the Old Covenant itself.

Through Jesus, this Old Covenant sacrament became the first Lord's Supper of the New Covenant which looks to, not the pouring out of the life’s blood of Paschal Lambs but rather to the very pouring out of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is simultaneously the Last Supper of the Old Covenant and the First Supper of the New Covenant

“this is the my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” Matt:26:28

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, the Communion, the Eucharist which Christians celebrate, is that supper given to us and that is empowered and given its transformational properties through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Poured Out

Jesus tells us, through the page of the Scriptures, that his very own life is “poured out” for us, in this, he is echoing the Prophet Isaiah who, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration foresaw this “pouring out” of Jesus’ life.

“he poured out his life unto death” Isa: 53:12a

The Prophet continues to tell us the divine reason that Jesus' has “poured out his life”. “For he bore the sins of many, and made intersession for the transgression.” Isa: 53:12b

This “pouring out” was to show us that our sins have been fully and completely dealt with in and through the person of Jesus.

The Eternal Son of God, the Second person of the Holy Trinity, in and by his incarnation, fully God, yet fully human has poured himself out for us.

This “pouring out” of the life of the humanity Jesus has been hinted at in many places found throughout the Scriptural record.

We see this even as the Patriarch Jacob “poured out” anointing oil and a drink offering upon his pillow stone after seeing the vision of angelic messengers descending and ascending the ladder between Heaven and Earth, erecting the stone as a pillar to stand as a memorial of the Lord’s divine work, calling it “Bethel”, where he said “Because God has spoken to me”. Gen: 35:14-15

We see this “pouring out” in the consecration of the Priesthood of Israel with anointing oil “poured out” upon them to set them apart for the service of the Lord, this was especially true for the High Priest.Ex:29:7 and Lev:8:12

David who was called to be King, rose to be anointed by the Prophet Samuel by having anointed oil “poured” upon him to consecrate him as the chosen King of Israel. 1Sam: 16:13-15

David gives us a prophetic glimpse into this “pouring out” of the life of Jesus through one of his Messianic Psalms. David gives utterance to the experience of Jesus’ Passion upon cross seven hundred years before it became a reality in the stream of human history.

“I am poured out like water” Ps: 22:14

All these “pouring out” in the pages of the Scriptures witness to us that the promised Messiah, was to be “poured out”, that is, his life would be given for us bring us to be able to experience the forgiveness and sanctification and even participation in and with our Lord Jesus.

Jesus Poured

St. John, in his Gospel account, now brings to us a view of our Lord Jesus acting out his being “poured out” for us and to us. There in the Cenaculum , that Upper Room, after the sharing of the transformed and elevated sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus arises , and removing his outer garment, symbolizing the temporary setting aside of the radiant glory of his eternal deity, yet still retaining his full undiminished divinity through the incarnation. Jesus , the Son of God humble himself and taking on the posture of a household servant, symbolized by a towel , takes a foot washing basin and “poured water” into it and then proceeds to wash the Disciples’ feet .This is demonstrating to each and all of us why Jesus’ is “poured out” .

“(Jesus) got up from supper, and laid aside his garments; and taking a towel, he wrapped it around himself. Then Jesus poured water into the basin, and began to wash the Disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded” Jhn: 13:4-5

What our Lord has done is far more than may at first appear. Jesus is not just modeling a way of life, that of being a servant to others, which in truth he is doing, but rather, Jesus is showing the means by which this way of life is entered in upon.

Those Disciples in that Upper Room would not have fully understand their Lord’s actions. Jesus then proceeds to explain what he has done for them and to them and each and all of us.

“he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you” (10)

Jesus now asked the Disciples, and all of us a monumental question to-which we all need the answer, that is , the answer as to why Jesus has removed his outer garments and "poured" the water and took the servants towel and washed them.

“Do you know what I have I have done to you?” (12c)

Jesus now elaborates.

“If I then, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example that you should do as I did to you. Truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one sent greater than the one who sent him. I you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (14-17)

What is Jesus showing us? Jesus is telling us that he himself would through his own would being “poured out” through the Passion of the cross, as David had wrote in Psalm :22 “I am poured out like water” unto death, that is , Jesus would die through the Passion of the cross to manifest the washing away of humanities sins, making us clean completely, forgiven. This is the heart of that New Covenant which our Lord has made for us, of which the sacrament of the Communion speaks to us regarding This Forgiveness was demonstrated through Jesus’ divesting himself of the glory, that is the removal of his outer garments, and becoming as servant even to the point of being “wrapped” in burial shroud of death, as the towel “wrapped” about his waist.

When we come to see, that is “know these things”, that Jesus has “poured out” his own perfect holy life, for us, we are then are called and anointed as a Priesthood and sent forth to proclaim this message to the world around us, that they too, as St. Paul speaking of the Church, wrote that it is through the “washing of the word” they can experience this forgiven and be washed clean through Jesus' "pouring out" his own life for us all.

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word, through the promise of free justification and sanctification in Christ, received……walk in love, as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us” Eph:5:26

What we are being told is, that Jesus “poured out” his life like water so that we might be experience the completed work of salvation that he has accomplished for us, and that we in turn proclaim that message to any around us. When others hear that message and believe it, they then are to be transformed.

Jesus Still Poured Out

Those Disciples who gathered in that the Cenaculum, the Upper Room, were then given an even greater experience of the Lord Jesus’ holy life being “poured out” to them. This “pouring out” on the Day of Pentecost empowered them, and all believers to go forth as we are sent.

This “pouring out” was shown as the Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Trinity, manifest himself in the very Upper Room where they gathered, the very same place where Jesus “poured water” and washed their feet after he had instituted the Communion of the New Covenant.

St. Luke in his account, records the words of St. Peter in his reference to the Prophet Joel, explaining to the multitude of Jews from around the Roman Empire what was taking place that day on streets of the Holy City.

“And it will be in the last days; God says I will pour out my Spirit upon you all, and your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams; even on my bound slaves, both men and woman, I will in those days pour out my Spirit “Acts: 2:17-19

In the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has and is still “pouring out” his life to us and in us; as Jesus had told the Disciples only hours before his arrest and crucifixion and he being “poured out like water” in the Passion of the cross, that he would himself, come to them, and to we all, in through the agency of the Holy Spirit speaking of his “pouring out” to them shortly after he “poured water” into the basin.

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” Jhn: 14:18.

Jesus has and is still “poured out” to each and all of us to sanctify us and send us forth into the world around and proclaim to each and all, that Jesus has poured out his life for, to and in us and even now “pours” himself into our very being so that we might have eternal fellowship with our God, the Holy Trinity.

The message we are consecrated to and sent forth to proclaim is, that Jesus’ is “poured out like water” that we might experience the forgiveness to each and all who will but freely be receive it.

Benediction: May we each and all experience our Lord Jesus’ “poured out” life and be forever transformed, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.