3/24 Luke 22:15

¹⁵ And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer".

Jesus' desire to share the Last Supper with His disciples speaks of His passion to worship the Father with those who come to the Father through Him. Jesus' life was worship of the Father. His consistent obedience and love for all people was an act of worship. The Passover meal was one of the great unifying feasts of Israel. It reminded the people of their common past and the love of God that miraculously delivered them from their captors. It was a meal of remembrance and worship as they applied the lessons of old to their present relationship with God.

Jesus could see how He was the fulfillment of the greater deliverance pictured in the Passover. He earnestly desired that, during this time of worship, the disciples would see that He was about to give Himself to set them free from the bondage of sin and death. He longed for them to see that He was the Lamb of God who would take away their sins. Though they did not know it yet, his act of service in washing their feet was going to be followed by the greatest act of humility-giving Himself as the Passover lamb for all who would partake of Him. The Old Covenant was about to reach its culmination. History was about to meet its turning point. Death was about to die.

What do you earnestly desire? Jesus' passion for the glory of the Father and the coming of the Kingdom sets before us the greatest longing. Every other desire should be a distant second. Our desires reveal our spiritual maturity.

Prayer: Lord, give us Your own passion to glorify the Father. Help us to be most passionate for what is eternal and keep the temporal in its proper place. Order our priorities in life according to what is really of value.