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MORE THAN BREAD AND ROOSTERS

In recent years a television network has used it as their tag line. This or that television program was "Must-See TV." It would be absolutely fatal, socially speaking, if you were to miss watching what the "Friends" were doing, or what Niles Crane and Daphne Moon were up to. Around the water cooler the next morning, how would it appear if you were the only person on the planet who didn't see something that was "Must-See"? And of course, if this particular network could string together enough high-rated "Must-See" TV programs in a row on a certain night of the week, well, then, that entire evening became "Must-See." A must-see Thursday night, for instance. To be a good citizen, you simply must cancel all other plans, so that during the entire prime-time scheduling hours, eight to eleven p.m. Eastern, seven to ten Central, you could be a part of the "Must-See Thursday Night."

Well, friend, there's actually something to that concept. Sometimes in life things are so important that they are "Must-See." I don't know if television events have ever qualified, and I've struggled not to get my ego too bruised when some little TV projects I've appeared on weren't taken as seriously as I might have hoped, even by my relatives. But there are moments in life when something very, very important is taking place. And it's vital to see it.

All this week we want to prayerfully approach the video screens of our souls, and think about a "Must-See Thursday Night." Certainly the most important Thursday evening lineup there has ever been in some 6,000 years of reality programming. So many things of great importance happened on this particular Thursday night, and the videotape is still available for viewing. The events that took place, the words that were said, the decisions that were made . . . all of these are in the vault, in the archives for our consideration.
We came across a line by the great Winston Churchill recently, and it goes like this:

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."

And you know, that could so easily happen here. There are four accounts of this vitally important Thursday evening, four different videos, from four different camera angles.

ou'll find them in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Of course, I'm thinking of the Thursday night before Jesus Christ was crucified. That final evening in the Upper Room with 12 disciples. They had the Last Supper. Jesus washed the feet of these 12 pride-filled men. He prayed out there in the Garden of Gethsemane, battling Lucifer and all his forces almost to the point of death. The mob came; Peter chopped off Malchus' ear. John infiltrated the high priest's palace. Peter denied Jesus three times. The rooster crowed. And on and on went this "Must-See" night until it all ended up at Calvary.

But I ask this question — and really, I ask it of myself. What if I know about the washing of feet and the denials and the roosters . . . but I don't really SEE what this night is all about? What if I see without seeing? What if I do like the fools Winston Churchill talked about, where I stumble over TRUTH, real truth, lasting truth, truth of eternal importance — and all I see is dirty feet, and some bread and wine, and a mob in the garden? And all I hear is a rooster crowing? What if I miss it? What if I just pick myself up, flip over to the next page in my TV Guide, and say to my wife, "Okay, honey, now what's on TV the next night?"

In a book entitled The Nature of Christ, which I want to return to later on this week, Pastor Roy Adams makes this bold statement:

"The struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane represented THE final, titanic showdown of Christ's earthly ministry."

In other words, this was it! Everything boiled down to this Thursday night. It all happened on this Thursday night. And if we miss it, if we don't tune in and see the entire, panoramic, digitally-enhanced picture, then friend, we've missed it all.
Back to those Friday morning water-cooler discussions where some poor misguided soul didn't see the vitally important NBC hit from the night before. "How could you possibly miss it?" you berate them. But I'd like for you to consider the global, even universal audience that saw, and has seen, and continues to see this one particular Thursday evening in the year 31 A.D.

You see, for centuries beforehand, men and women of faith looked forward to the coming of this Redeemer, this Messiah. The Old Testament prophesied about this Thursday night. Now, some 2000 years later, we look back. We study and replay it; we explore it for meaning . . . or at least we should.
And think with me about those who saw this event live. Can you imagine that? They were right there in the upper room, in the garden, in the courtyard. The disciples, the Roman guards, the citizens of Jerusalem, the visitors who came to the city for that year's Passover, and saw the three crosses.

I even like to consider the expanded, universal audience viewing by satellite. Do you believe that holy beings from other worlds watched that garden called Gethsemane on that dark Thursday? I certainly do.

Our writer and producer, David Smith, wrote a book back in ‘94 that we've given to quite a few of you listeners. He tells the science-fiction story of a couple, a king and queen of an unfallen world named Senteria. And these sinless beings are part of heaven's councils; they're present when Lucifer rebels. They watch as Adam and Eve are created. They say goodbye to their King, Jesus Christ, as He departs heaven to begin this long, dangerous mission to the rebel planet.

Let me quote a few lines that talk about Thursday night. The title of the book is most appropriate: Watching the War.

"It was . . . the darkest of midnights on Senteria, and despite the fact that the sunset had been many hours before, every being watched with breathless intensity as the Son wrestled alone with the dark one in Gethsemane. Pershia sat by herself, her eyes blazing with anxiety as the still form of her beloved Lord lay prostrate on the dew-soaked ground. The moment of decision seemed to linger an eternity before Jesus looked through the darkness of death and the hordes of gathered demons to utter, ‘Not My will, but Yours be done.' A muffled cheer went up from the watchers on Senteria."

Friend, I truly believe that other worlds were indeed "watching this war." They looked at this horrible, wonderful, destiny-altering Thursday evening on the television screens of their holy worlds. This was something you just HAD to watch.
In fact, David describes crucifixion Friday with this:

"The horrors of the next day were almost beyond viewing. Indeed, most of Senteria could not bear to watch. Only Malachon and Pershia and chosen others, sensing that to understand this drama was in part the very reason for it, stolidly remained at the view screen."

Especially in the upper room, where Jesus was spending His final evening with His closest friends, we find Him almost pleading with them to GET it. The bread and the wine were a lesson, a teaching tool! Luke 22:19 has Jesus saying this to them:

"This broken loaf of bread represents My body which I am willing to have broken for you. So, whenever you eat together like this, REMEMBER ME."

Listen, they didn't have bread and wine because of hunger and thirst. These were teaching tools; this was a must-see moment. I don't believe for a minute that Jesus washed those men's feet to save money, or because of a little dirt. He was teaching them, begging them to look, to comprehend, to understand principles of the kingdom.

In his exceptional book, Descending Into Greatness, Pastor Bill Hybels visits this all-important Thursday evening, and he expresses the importance of GETTING it. Notice:

"I can imagine Jesus grabbing Peter by the shoulders and shaking him. ‘Pay attention, Peter. Listen — really listen this time — to what I'm trying to tell you. Look at My hands, Peter. Watch what they are doing. Let the meaning of this lesson seep into every pore of your skin and touch your heart with understanding." And then Jesus really leans in until their faces are so close. "Unless you grasp the meaning of this lesson, you cannot be My follower; you will play no part in My redemptive plan. You must learn to be a servant, Peter. A servant."

Really, everything that happened that night was for the purpose of being seen. This happened for us to see it, and learn it, and understand it. In Philip Yancey's bestseller from 1995, The Jesus I Never Knew, he quotes from John Howard Yoder, who writes how this Thursday night was absolutely pivotal. Christ could go through with this, or He could turn away. He could go to the cross or He could go home. But then he adds this great line:

"The cross, the ‘cup' that now seems so terrifying, was the very reason Jesus had come to earth. . . . The cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom, nor is it even the way to the kingdom; it IS the kingdom come."

The Bible tells us Jesus came to give His life "as a ransom for many." He didn't come here for some other great purpose, and then accidentally stumble into the problems of this Thursday night and tragically get killed. He came here for Thursday night! He came here for the cross! And what a tragedy, what a Churchillian waste, if we stumble over these four quick Gospel stories, hear a rooster crow and hear the pounding of some nails into wood, and then flip with our remotes to some other television drama on some other, happier channel of entertainment.

So let me ask you: "Hey, did you see what happened on Thursday
Night?"