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Easter Story: Maundy Thursday Posted: 21 Apr 2011 04:43 AM PDT The plot for Jesus' life comes to a head on Maundy Thursday. Listen to it here.   On Maundy Thursday... "This is my blood..."   Listen to the Story -Audio from The Bible Experience   Read Along (Luke 22:7-65) Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.   When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!" They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.   A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.   "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me..."   Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors''; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied.   Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."   While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."   Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.   The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" And they said many other insulting things to him.   Question Jesus says "the one who rules" should be like "the one who serves." What's one way we can be like the one who serves? Join the discussion on Facebook There's More to the Story Come back to Zondervan Blog tomorrow to hear part six of the Easter story. Want to receive the Easter story by email? Sign up here   About the Audio Clips This series uses audio clips from The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible. This award-winning audio Bible is fully dramatized, featuring a cinematic musical score and voice talent from stars including Blair Underwood, Jeffrey Wright, Kirk Franklin, Nia Long, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and many more. You can purchase The Bible Experience in The Complete Bible on Audio CD or The Complete Bible, Audio MP3 Downloads on CD. Related  Resources Companion Bible Old Testament New Testament

...And Therein Lies the Truth, by Alison Strobel Posted: 21 Apr 2011 05:07 AM PDT   In this guest post, novelist Alison Strobel discusses her latest book The Heart of Memory and how it explores the difference between emotional faith and life-giving truth. Also, don't miss the Heart of Memory eBook Giveaway. Through May 2, you can download the eBook free wherever eBooks are sold.   One of the themes of my latest novel, The Heart of Memory, is that of the nature of truth. In this postmodern age, truth has been discussed to death—is there absolute truth, can we really know truth, what is truth in the first place? One of the most damaging realities that has arisen from this discussion is the emphasis some people place on emotion as an indicator of truth, especially as it relates to faith and religious belief. Nowadays there are some who teach that if a particular truth hurts your feelings, or doesn't feel right, or seems unfair, then it must not be true. But is this—well—the truth?   Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things. We can all think of a time when our feelings led us down wrong, even destructive, paths, or when our emotions did not support the idea of doing what we knew was right. Relationships that are formed on nothing but feelings will crumble beneath the weight of discord or tragedy. And a faith that is contingent on feeling God's presence is a faith without the foundation of Scripture, and is likely to dissolve in the face of persecution or doubt.   Watch Book Trailer Learn More In The Heart of Memory, the main character, Savannah, finds her faith disappearing. Instead of returning to the unchanging Word of God, she allows her emotions—inexplicable as they are—to guide her. Sadly, this doesn't only happen in novels. I'm sure we can all think of someone (maybe even ourselves) who has turned their back on God because they let their emotions determine what was true. A life lived that way—ruled by feelings and not by truth—will always come to ruin eventually. Savannah was saved from the natural consequences of her emotions by a friend who cared enough to say, "Hey, I think you're making a mistake." Do we have it in us to be that friend when we see someone making the same poor choice? Or do our own feelings—of fear, of pride, of embarrassment—keep us silent?   If you decide to give The Heart of Memory a try, I hope its examination of the true nature of truth will be an encouragement to you as you navigate your own faith. I know God gives me these stories for a reason—perhaps your own life is why The Heart of Memory was written.   Download the Heart of Memory eBook FREE through May 2 Download it from Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Sony.com, or anywhere else eBooks are sold. This is a limited time offer, so download it now!     About Alison Strobel Alison Strobel writes novels that explore life, love and faith. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two daughters. Visit her at www.AlisonStrobel.com.

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