The Matins of Thursday

The readings of this watch speak of:

Passover is associated with the cross. (Prophecies).

The betrayal of Judas. (Psalm).

And the mission of Peter and John to prepare the Passover. (The Bible).

The book of Exodus (Ex 17: 8- 16)

This incident explains the connection of Passover and salvation with the cross, and just as Moses raised his hands on the top of the mountain in the conquest of Israel, so the son of God raised His hands on the cross on Mount Calvary for the salvation of mankind.

But the difference here is that Moses could not do this on his own, and therefore his hands were lowered at a certain time from fatigue, and he needed Aaron and Hur to support him, but the son of God’s hands were nailed and did not need a helper, but alone carried the cause of our salvation.

“So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

And in this Tertullian,the scholar, says:

[I’m surprised that at the time when Joshua was fighting with Amalek, Moses was praying sitting with his hands outstretched even though he was in critical conditions and rather needed to pray with bent knees, hands tapping on the chest, face down on the ground.. But it was necessary to carry the symbol of the cross so that Joshua would win the battle with the cross.] [3]

And also Origen ,the scholar, says:

[What I makes me wonder is why Moses was content with just praying, sitting with his hands spread out when Joshua was fighting Amalek?]! While it was very first, in such extremely dangerous conditions, to strengthen his prayer by bending knees, knocking the chest and bowing the head to the ground! However, there was the name of the Lord Jesus (= Joshua) the purpose of this talk, who was to enter the field alone one day against the devil, so the example of the cross was necessary, this is by means of which Christ won the victory over the enemy!][4]

St. Gregory of Nazianzus says:

[What is this that Moses should have defeated by spreading his hands over the mountain?] Except for the cross to appear and win through it, being photographed and represented ahead of its time][5]

The book of Exodus (Ex 15: 23- 27,16:1-3)

This prophecy explains how the cross became the source of healing and life.

When the people were very thirsty and were in danger of dying of thirst, Moses the Prophet cried out to the Lord, and He showed him a tree, so he threw it into the water, referring to the cross, so the water became fresh, and the people drank, and the Lord gave a promise to heal them from any of the diseases of the Egyptians (a reference to the pains of slavery).

“And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah….

 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them,

I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Father John al-maqari describes here how the fathers connected the tree with the cross[6]:

Tertullian the scholar:

[The water was renewed from the defect of its bitterness to the grace of its original sweetness by the tree into which Moses cast it. That tree is Christ; a witness to Him who renewed the veins of life that were poisoned for some time, turning it from bitter nature into the waters of salvation for baptism].

But the tree also points to the Cross of Christ, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.”(1 Peter 2:24)

Many Church Fathers saw in this water-Healing Tree a symbol of the cross that the baptismal water is crossed , in which the power of the new birth happens, which transforms our life from bitterness to sweetness and from the bondage of sin to the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Saint Ambrosius:

It was a very bitter spring, and when Moses threw the tree into it, it became sweet. Because water without preaching the Cross of the Lord is of no use for future salvation, but after it is sanctified by the mystery of the Cross of salvation, it becomes suitable for use in the spiritual basin (baptism), in the cup of salvation].

Saint Gregory of Nyssa:

[The one who left behind the delights of Egypt, the one that had a slave before crossing the sea, finds life at first difficult and unacceptable to be stripped of all the pleasures he used to find in it . But if the wood is thrown into the water, I mean, if Man is united by the mystery of the resurrection founded on the wood – where the wood turns out to be the cross – then virtuous life becomes sweeter than all the sweetness that the senses enjoy during pleasures].

Origen the scholar:

[What is this wood that the Lord pointed out?] Solomon teaches us about it when he spoke about wisdom, “She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.” (Proverbs of Solomon 3: 18). If the wood of Christ’s wisdom is put forth in the law… the bitterness of the letter of the law is transformed into the sweetness of spiritual understanding, and so the people of God can drink…

From this it becomes clear that if a person wants to drink from the letter of the law without the tree of life, – knowing the mystery of the cross, without faith in Christ, without spiritual understanding, he perishes from the severity of bitterness.

The Apostle Paul realized this and said:” the letter kills” (2Co 3:6), that is, bitter water kills if drunk as it is, without turning into sweetness].

Tertullian the scholar:

[It is not enough, then, for God’s people to drink from bitter water, although thanks to the “tree of life” and the mystery of the cross it has changed its taste to sweetness and has lost all bitterness of letter.

It is not enough to drink from the Old Testament alone, but, moreover, it is necessary to come to the new testament to drink from it without care, and without any difficulty to get watered from it] (Tertullian – in his reply to the Jews).

The book of Isaiah (Isaiah 58: 1-9)

This prophecy connects our Passover (or salvation) with the salvation of others and that the essence of salvation in worship lies in the mystery of the other and in our preoccupation with the salvation of our brethern, so the glory of His salvation will be revealed to us in every worship or work we do:

 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; “

The strange thing here is the connection between the cry to God and the healing of the soul and salvation in this prophecy and the previous one.

As Moses cried out to the Lord at Marah, he says here that man cries out, and the Lord responds and fulfills here the promise of healing that Moses and the people promised in the prophecy preceding it.

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “

The book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18: 20-32)

The prophecies are concluded with this prophecy, which declares how we accept our salvation by repentance and renewal of the heart and that the delight of God is our salvation:

 “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?”

Praxis (Acts 1: 15-20)

Therefore, the story of betrayal of Judas Iscariot mentioned by the Gospels on Thursday night is supplemented by what St. Peter said to the assembled people (120) after the Lord’s bodily ascension to heaven in the first chapter of the book of acts in Praxis on early Maundy Thursday.

Therefore, although the betrayal of Judas was completed by his extradition on Thursday evening (Friday night), the church made the topic of betrayal come up in the reading of the Matins of Thursday for more than one reason: [7]

Betrayal began before Thursday to agree with the high priests and get the price, and Thursday vespers readings are concentrated on this topic.

Giving the opportunity and fully concentrating on the foot washing readings (Lakkan), establishing the sacrament of the Eucharist (liturgy).

The reading of Praxis will not come again in the readings of Thursday night, Friday and Saturday night of joy.

This reading speaks of the meeting of the church together after the Lord’s bodily ascension to heaven and the choice of a replacement for Judas, and St. Peter explained that his betrayal was spoken of by the prophecies in confirmation of God’s prior knowledge of what Judas was planning of his own free will to do, and also why one hundred and twenty gathered.

This is what our father Anthony Fikri explains: [8]

[The Jews used to specify a number 120 as the smallest number that any Jewish group must have to take its collective status and have the right to manage itself, and this was a Jewish tradition.

Peter refers to the prophecies that prophesied about Judas to explain that Judas ‘ betrayal is not an accidental event, but a story with deep roots and with the eternal counsel of God. Peter’s leadership role is clear here, perhaps for his age or zeal. And we understand that since the Lord chose Judas, if he was good at the time of his choice, but later he deviated, so the Apostle Paul warns

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

He also explains that the prophecy mentioned here about the ruin of the traitor’s House is not only about Judah but also about the heads of the Jews:

Psalm is ( 69: 25, and 28; and 109: 8, 16, and 17). And Peter is thinking here of a person who takes responsibility for preaching. He considered that the Lord chose 12.

If he wants them 12. And in 69:25) we find the verse that their house is ruined. It’s not just about Judas, it’s about the high priests who crucified Jesus. This was already done when the temple was destroyed and the priesthood was stopped in the year 70 ad. Rather, Titus killed, slaughtered and burned the priests along with their superiors].

There may be more than one question here: [9]

Why did the Lord not choose for them the replacement of Judas at the time of the forty days after His Holy Resurrection?

This question is answered by St. John Chrysostom:

[Why didn’t they ask Christ (before His ascension) to offer them someone to replace Judas?] What had happened was okay, because they were busy with other things.

Secondly, the presence of Christ with them is the greatest proof that they can get this, as the disciples chose when He was in their midst (during His ministry on earth), He also continues to work while he is absent from them (in the flesh). This is not a small matter in offering condolences to them].

Also, why didn’t the Lord condemn Judas for his betrayal?

This question is answered by St. Augustine:

[St. Augustine believes that Christ chose him and did not condemn him even during the moments of practical betrayal in order to give the church a lesson not to be too preoccupied with trials, but with the positive work of evangelism, service and declaration of love, to give even traitors the opportunity to return to God by repentance if they want].

Perhaps the most beautiful thing we see here is the initiative of St. Peter in speaking and the silence of St. James despite his presidency of the Church of Jerusalem, as Jon Chrysostom said:

[Look at Jacob’s meekness, for when he received the bishopric of Jerusalem, he said nothing here. They also noticed the great meekness of the other apostles, how they entrusted him with the See, and did not talk to one another, for the church, as in heaven, was not practicing any of these works of the world, and it was not shining with walls, nor with numbers, but with their zeal that formed their meeting،

It was said that they were about one hundred and twenty. The seventy people chosen by Christ himself and others are very pious disciples such as Joseph and Matthias . Among them are many women, as was said about those who followed Him (Mark 15:41 ) .[ 10)

The psalm (Psalm 55: 21, 12)

“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him.”

And the speech here is not only about the traitor Judas, but also about the resistance of the Jewish leaders, as St. Cyril the great and St. Anthimus of Jerusalem say.[11]

[They approached him, to test Him (Matthew 16:1), hiding from him their deceitful goal. They addressed him with soft words, and they are like fierce beasts in lamb’s robes. Like these, the psalmist also scolded them, saying: ” His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords] (St. Cyril the great).

[Their words were as soft as oil, those who flatteringly said: “teacher, you really teach the way of God,” and many sayings like this, but in truth they were like jagged swords, wounding and killing us] (St. anthimus of Jerusalem).

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (Luke Cedarus)[12]

His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.(knives)….

The Gospel speaks of the Passover slaughter on this day, since the Lord planned to offer Himself a sacrifice and break His body for the disciples on this day.

And the psalm speaks of another hidden slaughter, which Jesus inflicted with deadly blades. The Lord has gone through hidden pains of slaughter because of the betrayal of a disciple from among the disciples, and his soft words in front of the faithful master have a harsher act of the soul than knives. The pains caused by the betrayal of a disciple are much more severe than the master’s felt ones.

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it

Judas was counted among the beloved disciples until that hour, because the Lord says: “Where is my resting place to eat the Passover with my disciples”.

And let us imagine Jesus Christ washing the feet of the traitor Judas, knowing the secret of that terrible man, and knowing where those feet walked last night… and all that the master did at this moment was to give the traitor an ultimatum that he might return before he took his last steps, saying to them after washing their feet: “and you are pure, but not all of you”. Judas had it in the heart of the master, that if he had been an enemy, so the wound would have been less painful.

Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him.

The heart of Jesus was exposed in front of the disciples, including Judas… and the master did not hide anything from them and did nothing away from that treacherous disciple. The master prepares the Passover and sends the disciples to the city… was this treatment from the Lord another opportunity for repentance or for the perfection of judgment and a testimony against Judah?

And the Lord does not grieve for the fact that Judas will hand him over, but grieves because Judas loved the world more than Christ, and rejected Christ for another god.

 

The Gospel (Luke 22: 7-13)

The gospel concludes with the Lord’s mission to St. Peter and St. John to prepare the Passover and the response of the person holding a pitcher of water (most often the Apostle Mark) to the Lord’s words and his preparation for a large upper room for the Passover:

” Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John….

 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water;… Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”

And how beautiful is the Lord’s saying and asking him, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”

And this is what Origen the scholar commented on:

[Let us go up with the Lord, united with him, to the upper room

May the upper room of our homes be wide enough to receive within it Jesus the Word of God, who is realized only by those who have great understanding…

Let this upper room be prepared by the righteous owner of the house, so that the son of God may come there and find it washed and purified from all slag.

… We need to realize that no one goes up to the upper room who cares about feasts and temporal concerns, and does not have a share with Jesus in keeping the Passover] (Origen)[13].

The third hour of Maundy Thursday

The readings of this hour speak of:

The connection of Passover with the intercession for the father (prophecies).

And the conspiracy of the bosses (Psalm).

And the Lord’s sending of two disciples to prepare the Passover (gospel).

The Exodus Book (Ex 32: 30– 35,33:1-5)

This prophecy speaks of the intercession of Moses the Prophet about the people of God, his prayers and his cry which saved the people from annihilation, as an example of the Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane and His cry on the cross for forgiveness for the Resisters.

 “Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!

Yet now, if You will forgive their sin–but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

St. Augustine expresses this confidence by saying:

He knows that he is doing this in front of the Merciful One, who will never erase his name, but will forgive them for his sake.

And St. Ambrose reveals the reward that this prophet received:

[God has not erased his name, but Grace has overflowed upon him, for there is no evil in him.

Saints Chrysostom and Jerome also speak about the value and effectiveness of the intercession of the saints in this situation:

St. John Chrysostom:

[Truly, the prayers of the saints have their great power provided that we repent and repair our souls. Even Moses, who saved his brother and six hundred thousand men from the wrath of God, could not save his sister.

And in St. Jerome’s discourse on the intercession of the saints he says:

[If one man, Moses, won forgiveness from God for six hundred thousand men of war, and Stephen, The christian martyr, begged forgiveness for his persecutors, will their strength be less when they enter to Christ with their lives?]][14]

The unity of fate of the shepherd and his people is also manifested in this prophecy, and how he craves their salvation no matter how cruel they may be, perhaps this attitude reminds us of Samuel the prophet and Paul the Apostle:

When King Saul sinned and deviated, the prophet spent the whole night in prayer for him (1 Samuel 15: 11, 16: 1), and when Samuel the prophet spoke with the people, he thought that he would sin to God if he stopped praying for them. (1 Samuel 12: 23).

Paul was ready to be accursed from Christ for his brethren, his countrymen according to the flesh,(Romans 9:1-3)

Therefore, when the Lord spoke in the book of Jeremiah about these shepherds, their attachment to their people and the unity of their destiny together, He mentioned Moses and Samuel.

“Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth”. (Jermiah 15:1)

Joshua ben Sirach (Sir 24: 1-15)

This prophecy speaks of the person of the son of God and the wisdom of God, born of the Father, who is everywhere and will find His comfort in human beings.

Our father Tadros Jacob Malti makes a precise and beautiful comparison between what is stated in this prophecy about the son of God and what is stated about Him in the New Testament: [15]

A. “I came out of the mouth of God”; ” I came forth from God.” (John 16:27)

B. ” Like Steam I covered the Earth“;”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16)

C. “I pitched my tent on top”; You are from beneath; I am from above” (John 8:23).

D. “I have sought a place of rest”; ” but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt 8: 20).

E. “I have made my rest in the city and my authority in Jerusalem”; “the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17: 21), that is, in the heart of the believer is the abode of God.

Perhaps what is said at the end of this prophecy about God’s rest in the souls of His children corresponds to what is also said at the end of the first gospel of the hour “the teacher tells you where my resting place is

Zechariah the prophet (Zechariah 9: 11-15)

This prophecy speaks of the intercession of the blood of the Lamb, the Passover of the New Testament in the liberation of souls from the hell and from the captivity of Satan:

“As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”

And not only this, but also makes His children swords that break into the strongholds of sin and destroy them with the power of the blood of the son of God and give the soul the grace of inner enlightenment and the openness of the eyes of the heart, as St. Didymus the Blind says:

[Jerusalem is Judas… as the divine Arrow comes out of it like lightning, it illuminates the inner man and enlightens the eyes of the heart].[16]

This prophecy is explained by our father Anthony Fikri in some detail:

[With the blood of your covenant, your captives were released = in the Old Testament, the blood was the blood of animal sacrifices, and this did not save anyone from hell, but in the New Testament, the blood of Christ was released from the captivity of Satan from the pit in which there is no water = so the rich man asked Abraham to send him Lazarus to wet his lips with water. As for heaven, it is a place of a clear river of the water of life (see Revelation 22:1).

And in (12) they were in the pit, and that’s in the Old Testament, but they had hope, they were the prisoners of hope, and these were released by Christ. Here is a call for those redeemed to return to the fortress, and who is the fortress to which we turn and take shelter except Christ.

And the double is a sign of the share of the firstborn ( the firstborn were saved by the blood of the Passover lamb), and in Christ our Passover, we have become saved firstborn, we have the inheritance of heaven. And job doubly recovered what he had lost, for in his sufferings he was a symbol of Christ.

But why did these verses come after the previous joyful news, which talked about salvation?

The reason is simple that the battle with the devil did not end with the cross, the devil is still fighting the people of God, and therefore it was said about Christ that went out conquering and to conquer. (Revelation 6:2) and he overcomes by us, we are in His hand, like a bow and arrows, He pulled us like the strings to Himself to strike Satan by us. We are now like a sword in the hand of the mighty Christ against the devil, and as a horde that is led by Christ (Song of songs1: 9)].[17]

Proverbs of Solomon (Pro 29: 27; 30: 1)

The prophecies are concluded with this wonderful prophecy, which reveals the person of the son of God very clearly, and it is said that the Jews used to read this prophecy in the form of a dialogue between two people or two groups and one of them says:

“Who has gathered the wind in His fists?.. The other person replies “the Great Jehovah”.

“Who has bound the waters in a garment?.. The other person replies “the Great Jehovah”.

“Who has established all the ends of the earth?”.. The other person replies “the Great Jehovah”.

Then he asks: “What is His name ?’.. The other person answers “the Great Jehovah”.

And when he asks: what is the name of his son (and continues If you know).. He replies: This is a secret beyond the minds!.

The prophecy also concludes with the victory and salvation of the son for those who fear Him, “and he himself will help those who fear him”.

Psalm (Psalm 94: 21, 23)

“They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood.

 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.”

The psalm speaks of the treacherous disciple’s alliance with the leaders of the Jews, and the precious blood here is the blood of the son of God.

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (father Luke Cedarus) [18]

They gather together against the life of the righteous….

What strange paradoxes, when we find that the Lord cares about the salvation of Man, and He has forced Himself in His heart to give Himself away from him, and offers His body broken and His blood shed for Man’s sins, we see Man in a strange state of betrayal revealed by the psalm.

And condemn innocent blood….

The Lord gave Himself up and died for the world before the world crucified him. In their plots, they condemn innocent blood, and He willingly shed His blood before it was shed on the cross by the hands of the righteous.

And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.

Indeed, the bold one took the silver, and Satan entered him and separated him from the disciples. What is the use of this silver He bought a rope with it, because the one who sold the glorious master fell into the gallows… thus he received terrible retribution for his iniquity and gluttony.

The Gospel (Matthew 26:17-19)

The disciples here ask the Lord, saying, ‘ Where do you want us to prepare the Passover to eat?’.

Perhaps this reflects the fact that there was no a boarding house for the Lord and his disciples, as St. John Chrysostom says:

[From this it becomes clear that he had no home and no place to stay, as presumably they too were like that, otherwise they would have begged Him to go there].[19]

The sixth hour on Thursday

Spiritual preparation for Passover, and how to bring souls back with the true Passover away from the formality of worship and life. (Prophecy).

And the seriousness of the deviation of the goal and life. (Psalm).

And reward the soul in the purity of its readiness. (The Bible).

Prophecies

Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 7: 2-15)

[Often the chapters (7-10) are one sermon that the prophet Jeremiah preached in the temple on the occasion of a feast where many people gather. By his words here he will arouse the priests, but he should not be afraid of them. And let’s note that in their saying the temple of the Lord is a protection for us, a kind of understatement, does the Holy God please with sin!]. (Our father Anthony Fahmy) [20]

Despite the beauty of the architecture of the temple, the Lord called it a den of thieves for the absence of truth and justice and peace to the nations, as St. John Chrysostom said:

[This temple was beautiful and wondrous, holy, but when those who used it were corrupted, it became despised, defiled and until before the captivity it was called a “den of thieves”… and then it was handed over into the hands of unclean, corrupted Barbarians].

He also warns of the danger of being proud of the form, saying, “This is the temple of the Lord” ” as Saint Jerome referred to this:

[It is proper for those who say: “the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord” (7: 4) to give ears to the words of the Apostle: “you are the temple of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6: 16), and the Holy Spirit”dwells in you” (Romans 8: 11). Access to the heavenly court is easy whether from Britain or Jerusalem, because “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17: 21).

Anthony and a group of monks in Egypt, Massiah, Bentis, Cappadocia and Armenia had never seen Jerusalem, but the door of Paradise was opened to them. Blessed Hilarion, although he is a Palestinian citizen and a resident there, has only seen Jerusalem for one day. As he was close to the holy places, he did not want to neglect seeing them, and at the same time he did not want to limit God to limited places].[21]

It is a wonder that the Lord considers the purity of His house that “innocent blood ” was not shed in it, as stated in this prophecy, which is the same reason why the psalm of the third hour rebukes those who handed over the son of God to death “and shed innocent blood to the judgment”.

And what is even more amazing is that the Gospel of the first and sixth hour is that the Lord also asks ” the teacher says Where is the place of rest” and He does not find rest in His house, and even considers it a den of thieves, how difficult is it for the Lord not to find His rest in His house and find it in the homes of His loved ones!!.

Ezekiel (20: 39-44)

Here God accepts offerings, first fruits, and the smell of incense when combined with repentance, change, and sanctification of life, and gives us His free salvation.

[After he presented a picture of Israel’s deviation towards paganism, being an ancient, violent and fatal deviation in its results, and despite the dark evil past, He shines on them in the same chapter with a future filled with hope for their return from captivity and reform as a symbol of the return of man from the captivity of sin and the reform of his corrupted nature.

He brings us to His” Holy Mountain”, the high mountain, that is, to the Church of Christ, where you worship God in Christ Jesus, and God smells our offerings as a smell of pleasure and becomes pleased with us. It is salvation not from our own merits, but through free grace, as he says: “neither as your evil ways nor as your corrupted deeds, O House of Israel, says the Lord God.” [Tadros Yaakob Malti] [22]

Joshua ben Sirach (C 12: 13-etc; 13: 1)

This prophecy speaks of betrayal, especially of those who are close to man, and what is more difficult and cruel is the Prophet’s saying: “he flatters with his lips and thinks in his heart, he promises to drop you into the hole, the hole of the enemy, and his eyes tear”.

How difficult it is for a treacherous man to try to drop his friend into a hole at a time when his friend sees him as if his eyes are tearing at him, and this is a clear sign of the treacherous disciple who approached the son of Man with a kiss!.

Psalm (Psalm 30: 18, 13)

” Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.”

This psalm is the one in which it was said: “Father, Into Your hand I commit my spirit;”

It is the psalm of severe tribulation and the psalm of human conspiracies and false slander, which happened with the Lord before the cross.

[The opening of the psalm also begins with the words “to the end, the psalm of David is in a state of amazement”. “To the end ” as a sign of Christ being the end and perfection of the law and the prophets.]. (father Jacob Malti) [23]

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (Luke Cedarus)[24]

Let the lying lips be put to silence

When a treacherous soul that has sold the Lord for the love of the world faces the infinite love of God in breaking His body.. What’re you saying?.

And when you face the master shedding His blood for sinners.. What are you talking about?

When the ungrateful soul is confronted with the kindness of Christ, it shuts up and does not speak “what you are doing, do it more quickly”.

For I hear the slander of many

Most of all the Lord heard is the most reproachful words… but for this reason He came down into the world to bear the sin of many… He heard the reproach from many and interceded in sinners because His holy nature was not commensurate with evil.

They live around me..

Many dwell around Christ but are far from knowing Him, many follow Jesus but few touch His power to heal “one has touched me because a power has come out of Me. It does not suffice The Lord that we dwell around Him, but wants us to have His thought “But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

And He also wants us “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)

” For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” (Ephesians 5: 30) “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3: 27).

The Gospel (Mark 14: 12-16)

The gospel refers to the Lord’s reward for those who have prepared their hearts for Passover, so they deserve the Lord to come to them and find His rest in their hearts, as St. Ambrose says:

[The furnished upper room indicates the greatness of the merit of its owner, so that the Lord Himself with His disciples could rest in it, or indicates the adornment of His high virtues].[25]

Father Theoflactius explains to us how our hearts and our lives become a furnished upper room prepared for the Lord:

[The Lord of the house is the mind that refers to the great upper room, that is, to the higher thoughts, which, although they are higher, but do not carry pride or vain glory, but are prepared through humility. There, in such a thought, the Passover of Christ is prepared by Peter and John, that is, through work and meditation].25

The ninth hour on Thursday

This reading talks about:

One of the symbols of Passover is in the story of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice. (Gen. 22: 1-19).

A prophecy about the anointed One for our salvation. (Isaiah 61: 1-16).

The priesthood of the Passover of the New Testament, of which Melchizedek was a symbol. (Gen. 14: 17-20).

The punishment of those who reject our Passover and the head of our salvation. (Job 28: 7-10).

And the reward, glory and riches of those who live in the Passover of the New Testament. (Psalm and gospel).

Prophecies

Genesis (Gen. 22: 1-19)

How beautiful it is for the church to choose God’s call to our father Abraham to offer Isaac his son as a sacrifice and how it became one of the greatest symbols of the cross and redemption, as St. Augustine and father Caesarius said: [26]

St. Augustine says:

[Isaac carried the wood on which he was offering the burnt offering to the sacrificial place just as Christ carried His cross].

Father Caesarius says:

[When Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering, he symbolized Christ Our Lord, who carried the wood of the cross to the place of His passion. This mystery was already revealed by the prophets, as they said:” And the government will be upon His shoulder.” (Isaiah 9: 5, 6 ). The headship of Christ was on His shoulders, carrying the cross in wondrous humility. It is not inappropriate to mean by the head the Cross of Christ, for with it Satan was overcome, and it invited the whole world to know Christ and enjoy His grace].

Therefore, the church, through her fathers, used to pray the fraction of the slaughter of Isaac on Maundy Thursday and can see in this fraction how the symbol is identical to who it symbolises.

We can also see, as our father Antonius Fikri said (in addition to what is stated in the fraction):

[Isaac was a young man and some estimate his age at 25 years, so Abraham put firewood on him as a symbol of Christ’s carrying the wood of His cross. “And the government will be upon His shoulder.” (Isaiah 9: 5-6).

So they both went together: Abraham gave his only son through Supreme love and Isaac gave himself in perfect obedience, so the sacrifice was cosidered to account for the two together. Thus the sacrifice of Christ is the sacrifice of the Father who gave His son as a ransom for it is the sacrifice of the Son who obeyed to death, death on the cross (John 3: 16) (Romans 8: 32); and ( Philippians

2: 8) His saying” they went both together” refers to the setting off the Father and the Son to the cross to the sacrifice of the cross, to offer the sacrifice of the cross because the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son.

Caughy in the thicket by its horns

The horns of the Ram are a sign of his power and here he is caught by his horns as a sign of Christ who gave Himself up by His will and authority (John 10: 17, 18). Christ caught or surrendered His power until He was crucified. And the thicket is a tree. The meaning is that Christ was caught on the cross. And the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice we see in Isaac and the Ram together. The Ram actually represents Christ in His death and Isaac represents Christ in His carrying of the cross and then in His resurrection. Let us also note that the Ram redeemed Isaac (the son of the free woman)and Christ redeemed his Free Church, which He liberated].[27]

But a question comes up here :

How did our father Abraham accept God’s request to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice? St. Paul the Apostle answers this question in his epistle to the Hebrews, saying:

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”

concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”

That is, our father Abraham knew very well that God’s promises of offspring that would be like the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea were promises related to Isaac (the son of the Promised One), and not to Ishmael, so it was the faith of our father Abraham that after the slaughter of Isaac God would raise him from the dead “since according to him God is able to raise from the dead as well ” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead”.

And what our early two fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did of completely submitting to the will of the Father, going to the Mount of offering (Genesis 22: 2) by the complete will of our father Abraham, complete obedience from the son to his father carrying the firewood of the burnt offering, looking forward to the resurrection of the son after his death, and returning the son alive on the third day (Genesis 22: 4)،

All this the son of God did in His cross as He came to the slaughter like a lamb until to the cross, and of His free will, and became obedient to death even death on a cross (Philippians 2: 8), and at the same time He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, (Hebrews 5: 7) [i.e., the Resurrection; the human nature that He took would not have the corruption of death – as Saint Athanasius the apostolic in explanation of this verse in his epistle to the Arians] and  was heard because of His godly fear so He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15: 20).

Perhaps another question comes up here:

What made God ask our father Abraham this strange request (to offer his son a sacrifice)? Although God was angry at His people when they were offering their children human sacrifices (2 Kings 16:3)?

Perhaps the reason is that God knew how deep and great Abraham’s faith was, which the world and all generations could not realize without this test, so this divine test came to bring this priceless pearl out as a lighthouse for all believers.

And perhaps also in the same sense we see the experience and test of Job and the jewel of his patience and endurance, which humanity can see only through a great test that brings this jewel to light to be a support and hope for all those who are in trials (James 5: 11).

Perhaps this corresponds to what is stated in the book of Tobit :

“But the Lord has permitted this experience to be offered to him, so that it may set an example for those who come after him to be an example of his patience, like Job “ Since he was a child, he has been devoted to God’s piety and has kept his commandments” (Tobit 2: 12, 13).

That is, the experience of Tobias (and Job too) was not caused by his actions, but by God’s economy for him to be a “role model of patience” for all generations, and perhaps in the same sense also to be our father Abraham a “role model of faith”.

Therefore, God wanted to show the great faith of Abraham and the great patience of Job to all mankind through a difficult test that probably does not indicate to man whether he is worthy or not as much as it indicates God’s plan in the life of His children to make His glory seen on them (Isaiah 60: 2).

And also in the same sense (with the difference in analogy) how we realized the love of God the Father only through the cross, without which we would not have seen, understood or experienced the meaning of “this is how God loved the world …” (John 3: 16).

Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 61: 1-6)

[This is the part that was given to Christ to read in the temple (Luke 4: 16 – 21) so He read and stood at a word of a year acceptable to the Lord. He didn’t complete after that, because the previous one indicates the first coming, the acceptable year, and so far we are in the acceptable year, and everyone who repents is accepted. What is next.. And the day of vengeance of our God = this will be at the second coming, and Christ has not read it, the time has not yet come] (Father Anthony Fahmy).[28]

And we see in this part who is anointed for the sake of our salvation, in whom everything written has been fulfilled with salvation, and the Reading explains the gifts of His salvation to us:

The joyful good news of the poor of God (the poor in spirit).

healing the brokenhearted from sin.

liberating souls from the captivity of sin and its consequences from sorrow, fear and despair.

Enlightening the soul to realize its share and richness in Christ.

consoling the mourning.

Filling with joy and the richness of the glory instead of the gloom of the heart.

Justifying them and planting them as branches of glory.

Renewing them and compensating them for what has been ruined since ancient times.

Genesis (Gen. 14: 17-20)

This story and this encounter between our father Abraham and Melchizedek provide a powerful symbol of the New Testament Passover of our Lord Jesus Christ as explained by the church fathers: [29]

[Who is more the priest of the most high God more than our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered a sacrifice to God the Father, offering the same things that Melchizedek gave, bread and wine, namely His body and blood?]! As for Abraham, the blessing he received belongs to his people [Saint Cyprian].

[This is our Melchizedek who made the holy sacrifice that we have. He is the one who says: “ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood” (John 6: 56), giving us this mystery on the order of Melchizedek] (St. Jerome).

St. Ambrose explained that Melchizedek was a holy man and a priest of God, symbolizing our Lord Jesus Christ, and was not an angel, as some Jews claimed.

And the personality of Melchizedek, about which the Jews disagreed and whose mystery was revealed by St. Paul the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, as our father Anthony Fikri says:

[The story of Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek represents a mystery to the Jews, for whom they do not know an explanation (Hebrews 5: 11) and they said that it is a dysinterpretation. How did Abraham, the father of the fathers, with the Levite priesthood at his loins, offer tithes to a strange man, and why did this man suddenly appear in the book and suddenly disappear and no one knows his father, mother or lineage, and why did he not offer a bloody sacrifice as was the custom of that time?. As an attempt to explain, the Jews said that Melchizedek is Sam, the son of Noah!!

But what changed his name and what brought him to Canaan!! There are many questions that Jews cannot solve. The secret was revealed by the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews and he said that Melchizedek is a symbol of Christ. Here we find the word priest and the word of the most high God for the first time in the book, for Christ is the most high, who will offer Himself as a sacrifice as a priest.

He also explained the similarities between the two characters:

Melchizedek means the king of righteousness (Romans 3: 24) This is from the point of view of the name.

The king of Salem means the king of peace (John 16: 33) from the point of view of work (and Salem is often Jerusalem).

He was a king and a priest at the same time, and this does not happen among the Jews, for the Kings are from one tribe and the priests from another tribe. David came from the tribe of Judah, and the priests from the tribe of Levi.

He offered bread and wine and so Christ offered His body and blood on this image in the Eucharist.

We know nothing about his father and mother, and he has no beginning to his kingdom and no end is mentioned, a reference to Christ, who is fatherless physically and motherless in terms of theology, without the beginning of days, eternal.

Christ came as a priest with the order of Melchizedek. It is as if the Levite priesthood has come to an end, so that a new priesthood will arise that will provide bread and wine.

Abraham, from whose offspring the Levite priesthood collects tithes, himself offers tithes to Melchizedek, who is he who accepts tithes from Abraham?He is none other than God himself or whoever symbolizes him].[30]

The book of Job (28: 7-10)

This prophecy speaks of:

Resistance to superiors and their fate:

”I do not know that I have done anything evil or unjust, but my enemies will become like the fall of the hypocrites and those who rise against me will become like the destruction of the violators of the law”.

The betrayal of Judas:”Behold, all of you know that it is invalid the lot of a hypocritical man by the Lord, and the shame of the mighty comes upon him … his house has become like a moth and like a spider”.

The glory of the son of God in His children:

“He stretches out His hand, demolishes the mountains from their foundations, overturns the power of the rivers,and showed them every glorious deed that their eyes saw and revealed His power with light”.

Psalm (Psalm 22: 1)

Lord is my shepherd I shall never want

This psalm comes after the psalm 22 which tells of the sufferings of the cross and begins with the verse of the cross “My god, my God, Why Have you forsaken me ” as if this psalm is the entrance to the glories of the New Testament Church, the place of greenery and the water of rest, as Our Father Tadros Jacob Malti says:

[In the previous psalm we see a wonderful image of the suffering shepherd, and here we find a delightful image of the flock filled with joy and satiety.

In the previous psalm, we see the shepherd hung on the tree in order to carry the pains of His people, and crossing them through His cross to the glories… here the shepherd leads His flock to enter them into the benefits of His blood to green pastures, which is His Paradise satisfactory to the soul, He enters them into flowing streams of water in the middle of the pastures, the streams of His Holy Spirit that irrigates the inner depths.

We could not have enjoyed this psalm, the “jewel of the Psalms”, if we had not accepted the salvation work of Christ and entered the former Psalm as the “most holy of Holies”. We would not have experienced the sweetness of Christ’s care if we had not recognized His shed blood for us.

The soul cannot chant “my dwelling is in the House of the LORD all the days” unless the Savior cries out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (PS 22: 1). He became forsaken even as from the Father and He is one with Him in essence and equal to Him, inseparable from Him so that we won’t become eternally forsaken of Him.

St. Gregory, Bishop of Nicaea, says:

It is in these waters that we find our rest, being buried with Christ in the likeness of His death, but we do not enter into death, but into his shadow, like the saying of the psalmist.] [31]

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (Luke cedarus shirts)[32]

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The psalm is spoken by the tongue of the disciples who gathered in the upper room with the savior to eat the Passover. The upper room has been prepared with the slaughtered Passover lamb, with bitter herbs and with the juice of the vine.

And when the Good Shepherd and the disciples enter this upper room, which has become the Church of Christ and the sheepfold, the sheep will discover that the Lord who led them to this upper room at this hour is what the psalm was written about literally.

The Lord is my shepherd

He took the disciples to the upper room according to His intention and said about it : “my resting place”, because the Shepherd relaxes in sacrificing Himself and fulfilling the Father’s will, and relaxes when He unites with His children and dwells in them when they eat his Holy Body and drink His precious blood. Thus, every time we eat the body and drink the blood of the Lord, we feel that we are rich in Christ and do not lack anything from the falsehoods of the world, but consider everything a waste.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

The upper room is equipped with bitter herbs with the Passover lamb, and although the path of walkers with Christ is not without suffering, it is a place of greenery for the growth of sheep “and all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus are persecuted” (2 Timothy 3: 12).

He leads me beside the still waters.

The Lord dug a spring in His side for the sheep before the soldier stabbed Him with a spear, and He quenched the thirst of His disciples from it, and it is the water of rest that comes out of a blessed spring, from which all creation drinks, and they find peace and contentment in it.

The gospel (Matt 26: 17-19).

How great the reward is that the Lord gave to the owner of the upper room!.

I will keep the Passover at your house””

Lakkan of Maundy Thursday

The readings of Lakkan speak of:

Washing and cleansing as a necessity for salvation, and its sign.

Therefore:

In the Lakkan readings we see how our Savior washes us with the water of the spirit.

We see the symbols of this washing in the prophecies and readings of the Old Testament.

We also see the Lord charting a way and a method for us to wash the feet of others and embrace their salvation, just as the Lord washed our filth when He bowed down at the feet of His disciples and showed the righteousness of humility and the glory of love.

That is, the essence of today’s readings is what the Lord is doing in us and what we are doing towards our brethern in order to live a constant and renewed washing from God and serve the washing of others in their weakness.

Prophecies

In the readings of Lakkan, there are eight prophecies that can be divided into four in two:

The first two prophecies tell:

The revelation of the son of God in the ministry and the washing of feet (the first prophecy).

And in the church, its altar and the table of life in it (the second prophecy).

The second two prophecies tell:

The act of baptism as salvation and deliverance from the power of the devil (the third prophecy).

And as an entry into the new life (the fourth prophecy).

The third two prophecies tell:

God’s work in washing and purifying man in the fullness of time (the fifth prophecy).

And man’s acceptance of this divine work (the sixth prophecy).

The fourth two prophecies explain:

Douching water for purification (the seventh prophecy).

And the water overflowed to the fullness (the eighth prophecy).

The Book of Genesis (Gen. 18: 1-22)

The readings of Lakkan begin with our father Abraham and his meeting with the Lord when he hosted strangers and washed their feet.

What our father Abraham did, we must stop at a little to see how does a human being serve others (whom he did not know)?.. And how does washing happen?.

” he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree…

 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”

 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf,.. and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.”

So what did he get from washing the feet of others with such humility and showing the fullness of his love for them?.

He received the resurrection of the dead, received enlightenment and the glory of realizing the divine economy:

When the Lord gave him the promise of offspring from the deadness of Sarah’s womb. (Romans 4: 19) He had taken the power of the resurrection to receive a life from death, a living being and a child from a dead womb that is, here the promise of the birth of Isaac is a promise of a life from death.

He also received the grace of realizing and knowing God’s plan when God revealed it to him

“And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,

since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”

It is in this sense that our holy fathers, such as the scholr Origen and St. Ambrose, speak: [33]

The scholar Origen says:

[He knew that the mysteries of the Lord can find their perfection only if we at least wash the feet].

St. Ambrose says:

[Good is the secret of humility, for when I wash the sins of others, I wash my sins.)

The book of Proverbs (9: 1-11)

This prophecy explains:

How God washes us through His church, its worship and sacraments.

And how He fills us with the fullness and richness of His grace and love for free.

“Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table……

 “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.”

The house that wisdom has built is His body in the fullness of time, His Holy Church and the table of life that is in it.

This meaning is also indicated by the teaching of our holy fathers: [34]

[But we say that in the first part of the book, where he says “wisdom has built her own house,” he refers in a vague way during these words to the preparation of the body of the Lord, since the Super-wisdom did not dwell in another dwelling, but built herself a dwelling from the body of the Virgin.Thus we can see in this phrase Solomon moves in the spirit of prophecy and hands over to us the perfection of the mystery of the incarnation] (St. Gregory Bishop of Nicaea).

[Here we certainly realize that the wisdom of God, that is, the Word partner with the Father in eternity, has built for Himself a house, that is, a human body in the bowels of virgins, subjected the church to Him as members of the head, martyrs were slaughtered as sacrifices. He prepared a table with bread and wine, where He highlighted the priesthood on the order of Melchizedek, invited the simple and the insensitive, and as the Apostle says: “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27)(St. Augustine).

[The sacramental table is the body of the Lord who sustains us against our lusts and against Satan.

The devil truly trembles from those who solemnly partake of these sacraments] (St. Cyril the great).

The book of Exodus (Exodus 14: 29; 15: 1)

This prophecy speaks of the salvation of the church by baptism, for which the crossing of the Red Sea by God’s people and their deliverance from Pharaoh, who is Satan, was a clear symbol of the baptism of the New Testament and our salvation in Christ as explained by St. Paul (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

As St. Augustine also explained:

[The people of God were freed from Egypt (symbolizing the love of the world) with its greatness and vastness and were taken to the Red Sea, so that the end of their enemies (Demons) would be in baptism, because with this sacrament – as in the Red Sea – they are sanctified by the blood of Christ while the tracked sins perish..].[35]

The book of Joshua (Joshua 1: 1-3: 17)

This prophecy also proceeds to proclaim the salvation of the church by crossing the water, but here is the entry into the Promised Land, the previous prophecy from the book of Exodus tells the baptism of salvation and this prophecy tells the glory of baptism entering the new life (Romans 6: 4) the previous baptism is the baptism of Moses with the people for salvation, and this baptism with Joshua for Glory, which together were fulfilled in the baptism of the New Testament.

The book of Isaiah (Isaiah 4: 1-4)

This prophecy refers to what will happen in the fullness of time and the washing of all believers through the salvation of the son of God.

 “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, To take away our reproach.”

 In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.

 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy–everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,”

The book of Isaiah (Isaiah 55: 1- 13, 56:1)

This prophecy complements the previous one from Isaiah،

The previous prophecy spoke about the work of God in His children, and the work of His grace in them in salvation،

This prophecy, after God has completed the plan of His salvation, invites every human being to come to the waters of the spirit and the richness of grace, and to accept the covenant of Eternal Love, which God the Father showed through the salvation of his son His sincere and Supreme mercies.

 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price…..

 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you– The sure mercies of David.”

That is, it is an invitation to the waters of the New Testament (baptism) to accept the glory of the Trinity as St. Gregory the Nazarene says about the gift of baptism:

[Do not hesitate no matter how long the journey is, whether by sea or by land, as long as the gift is given to you, no matter how many or few obstacles, Isaiah calls you: “thirsty, all come” Oh, the speed of God’s mercy, Oh, the ease of the covenant! You get this blessing as soon as you want it. He accepts your very desire as a great price. That he thirsts for your thirst, watering all those who desire the mystery. He offers kindness to all those who ask kindly. He is ready to give generously, rejoices in giving more than the joy of those who receive it].[36]

The book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36: 25-28)

This prophecy tells of the water of purification and renewal and the action of the spirit, and when a person accepts the gift of God and keeps His commandment, he will live renewal and permanent purification:

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh.

I will put My Spirit within you Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

The book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 47: 1-9)

What is also surprising about this reading is that it is complementary to the previous one from Ezekiel.

The previous reading tells of the water of purification and renewal, and this prophecy tells of the water of filling and overflowing, as if the two readings explain the work of the Holy Spirit in believers from cleansing, renewal and permanent purification for the keepers of the commandment (the previous prophecy) and filling, richness and overflow for those who cross and enter into the depths of divine love.

Also, this prophecy can tell the stages and degrees of fullness of the soul in the hearts of believers:

Source of filling:

“The water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.”

That is, the church, its sacraments, worship, communion and service.

And water to the heels:

The beginning of the filling is keeping the commandment and behaving according to His commandment and holy word.

As David the Prophet said “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (PS 119: 105); and (PS 17: 5); and (2 Samuel 22: 37).

The water was to the knee:

“A reference to the life of prayer and constant conversation with God (1 Thessalonians 5:17,19) because the knee means the depth of our prayer (2 Chronicles 6: 13); and (Daniel 6: 10); and (Luke 22: 41); and (Acts 9: 40); and (Acts 20: 36); and (Eph 3: 14).

The water was to the waist:

It is a reference to the power of the testimony to truth and evangelism (1Kings 18: 46); and (Jermiah 1: 17); and (Proverbs 31: 17); and (Nahum 2: 1); and (Eph 6: 14); and (Acts 4: 8).

That the water was too deep , water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.

It is a reference to being filled with the Soirit (Acts 4: 31).

” When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.”

A reference to the talents and fruits of the soul (1Corinthians1:7); (Galations 5: 22).

Pauline Epistle (1 Timothy 4: 9- 16,5:1-10)

Pauline Epistle speaks of salvation, the hope of the shepherds in their fatigue and the clear purpose of their service:

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe….

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

He also draws a comparison between a servant who does not take care of his household (here we mean maintenance and care), which makes him worse than an unbeliever, and a widow who humbly serves the needs of others.

” But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever…

if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet,”

Psalm (50: 7-10)

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The psalm here shows the washing of repentance, and how much the blood of Christ works in cleansing man.

Hyssop is a plant that id dipped in the blood and sprinkle the houses, the luggage and people for the purfation from the impurity (Exodus 22:12), (Leviticus 14: 4 – 6), and (Numbers 18:19).

[St. Cyril believes that the chanter’s cries to God asking to wash his heart and conscience indicate baptism by washing).

St. Basil the great says: there is a cleansing of the soul from the defilement that has accumulated on it from carnal thought, and as it is written: “wash me, I shall be whiter than snow”. We do not wash according to the Jewish rite, whenever a sacrilege befalls us, but we receive baptism for salvation.

St. Ambrose explains it in more detail: after that I gave you white clothes as a sign that you had taken off the garment of sins, put on the garment of purity and innocence, about which the prophet spoke: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51: 7) because whoever is baptized becomes pure according to both the law and the gospel. According to the law, because Moses sprinkled the blood of the lamb with a bouquet of hyssop (Exodus 12: 22). According to the gospel, because Christ’s clothes were snow-white when He showed the glory of His resurrection in the gospel. So the one whose sins are forgiven becomes whiter more than snow, that’s why God said to Isaiah:” Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; ” (Isaiah1: 18)].[37]

The Gospel (John 13: 1-17)

The story of washing the disciples ‘ feet came only in the Gospel of John and came after the quarrel that occurred between the disciples about who is the greatest. Therefore, the Lord gave the practical answer to the meaning of greatness and who could be the greatest in them, the situation that St. Peter did not tolerate and tried to apologize for, but the Lord’s resolution of the situation made it clear to the disciples how to serve others:

 “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.

After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded….

 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

He also raised the dignity of slaves, as Father Antonius Fikri says:

[It was the custom for one of the slaves to wash the feet, and if there was no slave among them, perhaps everyone expected that the least senior or status would do this work, but the master himself performed this role. In this way, he raises the dignity of slaves, as they practice this work forcibly through their social status, while the master did it with full freedom and pleasure, through his humility and love. Thus, the slave no longer regrets doing any work, he does it for the sake of the Lord, not out of fear of people. As Saint Paul recommends them

This situation also explained the difference between the washing of baptism, and the washing of permanent repentance:

“The one who has been washed has no need except to wash his feet”.

As for whether the Lord washed Judah’s feet or not: [39]

We find two different opinions of the scholar Origen and St. John Chrysostom:

The scholar Origen sees that Jesus did not wash the feet of Judas, since he had no share with Him because of his insistence on his wickedness.

While St. John Chrysostom sees that the master began to wash Judas’s feet first to offer him every act of love until the last moments before his betrayal, perhaps he will review himself and retreat from his evil:

It seems to me that he first washed the traitor’s feet by saying: “and he began to wash the disciples ‘ feet”.

Look at how Jesus showed the way of humility, not only by washing their feet, but He also explained it in another way by getting up after they had all reclined. Then He did not wash their legs on a simple spot, but washed them after taking off His clothes.

And He didn’t stop there, but He took a towel and girded Himself., and he wasn’t satisfied with this, but He filled the washbasin Himself, and He didn’t order another to fill it. He did all the washing Himself so that we could practice our work not in formalities, but with all our activity.

And St. Augustine is not surprised at what the Lord did in washing the feet compared to what He did with His cross:

[What Wonder is it that He pours water into a washbasin to wash the feet of His disciples, the one who poured His blood on the ground to wash away the defilement of their sins?]..

Is there any wonder that He wiped the feet with the towel with which He washed His feet, that with His very body with which He created a constant passage for the steps of the evangelists who are for him?

In order to take a towel and gird Himself, He threw aside the clothes He was wearing, but when He freed Himself (from the glory of His divinity) in order to take the form of a slave, He did not throw away what He had, but accepted what He did not have before] (St. Augustine).

Maundy Thursday Liturgy

The readings of the liturgy are oriented towards confirming the truth of the sacrament of the Eucharist and the Lord’s foundation of it, the life of the church in it, and the texts of the book are away from any symbolism or historical memorial of what the Lord did with the disciples.

Therefore, the readings speak about the fact that the sacrament of the Eucharist is:

Apostolic tradition (Pauline Epistle).

And the table of life (Psalm).

The forgiveness of sins and the revelation of the Kingdom (Gospel).

Paul (1Corinthians 11:23-etc.)

Pauline Epistle speaks about the apostolic tradition of the Lord to Saint Paul personally, and as we know that the Lord is when He appeared to Saul on the Damascus Road and that visiting and sending him to Ananias to accept salvation to be baptised and Ananias would explain faith to him (Acts 9: 10) and then be care for by the Apostle Barnabas (Acts 9: 27), and then goes to the apostkes the fathers (Galations 1: 18, and 19)

Despite all this, we see that the Lord Himself hands over to him the sacrament of the Eucharist as a truth, a life practice and the essence of faith, and St. Paul considers that this delivery from the Lord personally is honesty, responsibility and an apostolic duty to hand it over too to all those whom he preaches the way of eternal life:

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

This is confirmed by the teaching of the Holy Fathers:[40]

[Declaring the death according to the flesh of the only son of God, that is, Jesus Christ, and recognizing His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven, we celebrate the bloodless sacrifice in churches. This is how we approach spiritual blessings and become saints, partners in the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ Our Savior [(St. Cyril the great)

[How he says,” For I received from the Lord, ” even though he was not present at the time, he was one of the persecutors. He said this in order to know that the first table is no more than the one that came after. It is even until the day that he does it (Christ himself) and delivers it as he did then] (St. John Chrysostom)

How can some people say that the sacrament of the Eucharist is just a historical memory and not a real body of the Lord, while St. Paul warns the faithful with a stern warning that whoever eats it unworthy is a criminal in the body and blood of the Lord!, And notice how he speaks about the body and blood of the Lord.

And how can something be not real and because of it a person is exposed to illness, weakness and death if he underestimates it!.

 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

The word “remembrance “also carries the meaning of a living memory, as the Lord once said at the beginning of creation to man” Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth ” (Genesis 1: 28), and He did not need to say it every time when having a new child, but the power of His Divine Word has been extended to all mankind until now.

Our father Anthony also explains the meaning of the word ” for my memory.”:

[For memory = in Greek it is “Ana mensees ” and is translated in English as RECALLING, not remembrance, and the meaning of the word is a real entry and a real restoration of what we remember, a real entry in all its capabilities and circumstances. It does not mean just a memory of something absent that we are looking forward to, but that the living presence of God working in the life of believers may be realized, the presence of what we are making a memory of.

The Eucharist, then, is a true, present and active sacrifice, an effective Remembrance, a practical preaching of the Lord’s death, by which alone salvation is achieved.

As an example from the Old Testament, when Moses saved a portion of the manna to show it to the children of Israel, it is a kind memory, that is, of the same thing that is referred to as the memory, that is, the bread here is the same body of Christ and the wine here is the same blood of Christ.

There is no place for the Protestant belief that bread and wine are just a memory or are a symbol of body and blood. The memory here is not abstract, but a real memory with all its effects. If it had been just a memory, The apostle would not have been angry at their neglect, and the undeserving would not have had to be a criminal, get sick and die. And now the speech is addressed to the people of Corinth … … Do you remember and tell about the death of the Lord and his cross in your strife, disputes and gluttony?[41]

Psalm (ps23: 4, 5; PS 41: 9)

 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

It is well known that the psalm 22 (or 23) is the psalm of the church and its sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it speaks here about the table that God has prepared for his children.

And also Psalm 40 (or 41) speaks about the treacherous disciple who took the bite and went outside where the forces of darkness and their authority are ,therefore he perished.

As St. Augustine says:

[“Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”.. Who is his own familiar friend in whom he trusted?.. Judas.. He betrayed Him with a false kiss (John 6: 70), to show what was said about him: “my own familiar friend in whom I trusted”][42]

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (father Luke Cedarus)[43]

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

In the Gospel of the liturgy we see how the Lord broke His body and gave His blood to the disciples and they are around Him. And so the broken body of the Lord lay on the table with His shed blood before all those who annoy me.. before the pains of the world and its impurities that stand opposite me and entice me and change my attraction. The table of the body of the Lord before me became a turning point between me and sin. The Lord’s table has become the strength and ammunition of the Church against the persecutors in every time and place .

Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

The bread of the Lord is his flesh, which He gave to Judas the traitor as a last chance to repent and return, but he became a criminal in the body of the Lord, having eaten undeservedly, his heart changed, Satan came into it and Grace went away from him.

The Gospel (Matthew 26: 20-29)

Today the Lord has established the sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread of the coming eternity, to instill in us a constant and renewed thirst and longing for the kingdom:

There is a beautiful saying by Sawiris Ibn al-Muqaffa, which is one of the rare words in the Arab era that has a high spiritual meaning, in which he resembles the Eucharist with clusters of grapes brought by Joshua Ibn nun and Caleb Ibn yifnah from the Promised Land in order to thrill the people and encourage them to enter it:

[Just as the spies who were sent to the land of Canaan brought to the Israelites the fruits of the Earth, so also the priests who learned the knowledge of Christ, the Heavenly King, come to the believers with the fruits of the king of heaven, that is, the body and blood of Christ

Because this good fruit that the spies have brought is such a simple thing from the grace of the Earth, so that the children of Israel may see it and taste it and know its goodness, and they long for the king of the Earth so that they may enjoy his abundance, just as the priests come to the people of believers in the body and blood of Christ to see and taste them, and they long for the kingdom of heaven where they live an eternal life.. The Eucharist is a guarantee of the fruits of the kingdom of Heaven by which the believer lives there].[44]

And also the Gospel speaks of the betrayal of Judas, despite the Lord’s repeated and full warnings that are full of His love for him, but because of his repeated betrayal, hardness of heart and closure from accepting the words of divine love, he surrendered himself to Satan:

“The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

As the Lord proclaims the truth of His body and blood in very clear words that bear no doubt:

“Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body….”Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, “

The eleventh hour of Thursday

The readings of this watch speak of:

The Lamb of God and the father’s economy in the salvation sufferings (Isaiah 52).

And the altar of God in the New Testament and the blessings of salvation (Isaiah 19).

And the pains and wounds of the cross and the beginning of a new era (Zechariah).

And the fulfillment of prophecies in the betrayal of the disciple (Psalm and gospel).

Prophecies

Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 52: 13) – etc.; 53: 1-12)

It is one of the strongest and clearest prophecies of the cross, which was read by the Abyssinian eunuch, Saint Philip preached the good news of salvation to him, so he believed and asked to be baptized (Acts 8: 36-39).

The clarity of the prophecy is shown in that:

He is exalted above men: “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.. ” (Mt 12: 18).

He bears the sins of everyone: “this is the one who bore our sins”.

His sufferings are because of our sins: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities”.. For the sins of the people He came to die.

His pain is the path of our healing: “ The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”.

His suffering is the Father’s plan to suffer in stead of us: “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”.

He endured the pain with complete silence and wondrous patience: “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”.

Without blemish and without sin “Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”.

He accepted the Cross of his own will: “Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors,”.

And how beautiful the saying of the prophecy is : “the Lord willed to heal Him of wounds “(according to the Coptic translation), which, unfortunately, is translated in the Peruvian version:” the Lord willed to crush him with sorrow”, and what a difficult and great difference is between the pleasure of the father is in crushing and in healing!!..

The title of my servant was referring to the Messiah according to Jewish belief (you can compare (Isaiah 42: 1 and 52: 1) (Matthew 12: 18).

[There is no doubt that the servant of God here is Christ, and so the Jews interpreted Him until the 12th century, but as a result of their arguments with Christians, they had to look for another interpretation . Some said that the servant of the Lord was the people of the Jews, some said that he was Jeremiah, and some said Josiah.

Many Jews believed in Christ by reading this chapter and meeting it with the New Testament, and in modern days the Jews have dropped this chapter (52: 13-53: 12) from the selected readings for weekly reading, as it is a complete prophecy about the passion of Christ about 700 years before Christ. And these sufferings were to redeem His people, He made His soul an offering for sin (53: 10) and with this prophecy we draw closer to God and look at the mystery of redemption] ( Father Antonius Fikri)[45]

And the one whom men see despised by the cross, in which he proclaims divine glory, as St. Augustine said:

[The one who is the most beautiful of the Sons of men was seen by men on the cross with no form and no beauty; his face was bent, and his posture was indecent. However, this lack of beauty of your Savior has added a price to your beauty that is inside you, “The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace (Psalm 45: 13)] (St. Augustine)[46]

Important note: in recent years, unfortunately, Coptic editions of the Bible have been published according to the Peruvian translation (cut and paste from the Bible) in books, or electronic copies, which threatens the safety of preserving the Coptic Orthodox heritage, and if the situation continues like this, the Coptic translation, which corresponds to the translation used by the church fathers in the early centuries, will be lost!!.

Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 19: 19-25)

The word “on that day” came in this prophecy four times:

The first and second times refer to the fullness of time, the achievement of salvation by the cross, the faith of the Gentiles, the existence of an altar to the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, and the Lord is known in Egypt.

The third and fourth times may refer to God’s visitation of peoples at the end of days, and the unity of faith among the Egyptians, Assyrians and Jews.

Our father Antonius Fikri says :

[But this verse indicates a strong faith that reaches the borders of Egypt in the last days to reveal the truth of the beast, who is the Antichrist and who is in Jerusalem at the end of days (Revelation chapters 11, 13). A book published in Europe in 1992 stated that the number of Jews who believed in Christ and went to Israel and were baptized in the Jordan River was 60,000 people who called themselves Masonic Jews (currently in 2016 the number reached 350,000).

These are the ones who need support from the strong church that Christ is now establishing in Egypt, so that it will become a pillar for the Lord = a pillar for the Lord at its border. The border means the border between Egypt and Israel. And the altar here means nothing but an altar on which the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered (the body and blood of Christ)] [47]

The prophecy of Zechariah (Zechariah 12: 11-etc, 14:1-3,6-9)

Our father Anthony Fikri explains the relationship of this prophecy to the cross:

[Megidon spot = where Josiah the Good King was killed, the people mourned for him, as they were told that he died because of their sins, and they cried out “the crown on our head has fallen. Woe to us because we have sinned ” (Lamentations 16:5). Their grief was so intense that it had not been the same since the creation of Israel, when the royal chariot carried Josiah’s body through the streets of Jerusalem, and the mourners lamented him

Josiah the King was a sign of Christ, who died and was mourned by all, and He really died for the sins of all. Every believer who meditates on the image of the crucified Christ, let him weep for his sins that caused this to Christ. And this cry may be the cry of the rest who believed in Christ for what the fathers did with the crucifixion of Christ, and for their previous unbelief.

Some have seen in the names mentioned that they represent the leaders of Israel.

The House of David = represents the leaders, that is, the leading groups in the nation.

The clan of the House of Nathan = represents the royal descendants or prophets, for Nathan was the prophet in the days of David the King (2 Samuel 1:12).

But here it speaks of false prophets who mislead (note that the Jews will accept the Antichrist in the last days and the destruction of this liar) (Rev. 20: 10; 1: 19).

The House of Levi = they are priests and clergy.

The tribe of Shammai (Shimon) = and the scribes and teachers came out of this tribe.

Thus, all those mentioned are the leaders who guide the nation, and they were the reason for the Jews ‘ nation to go astray, they are the ones who pointed to the crucifixion of Christ…

I was wounded in the House of my loved ones = that is, they will deny their wound during their practices of idolatry.

Note that this verse was mentioned immediately after the subject of the stabbing, therefore it is a reference to the wounding of Christ in the House of His loved ones.

Note that the talk about false prophets, and this is because Christ was considered misleading by the high priests and they called him so, while He was pleased to call them his loved ones. Then he continues to talk about the wounded Shepherd.

There won’t be light.. Neither day nor night.No day no night. The time of evening is light = and this happened on the day of the cross, when it became dark on the Earth, and the lights of the sun and the Moon went out.

There was no day because darkness like night came, and it was not night as it was the time of day. The darkness of the Old Testament was broken by the cross, and the light of the New Testament was…

As for eternal life, there is an image that John the seer draws of a clear river of water of life to give life to believers (Rev. 22:1). In summer and autumn = in English “in summer and winter ” in winter the water freezes, in summer the streams of water dry up, but in the church the Holy Spirit always overflows without hindrance (Rev. 7:16, 17)].[48]

Psalm (Psalm 50: 17-18)

“Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?

When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.”

In this psalm there is a clear reference to Judas the traitor.

The link between the psalm and the Gospel (Luke Cedarus)[49]

Seeing you hate instruction

The psalm speaks with the tongue of the Savior, directing His words to the treacherous Judas. that when the Lord told the disciples that one of you would deliver me. Judas asked the Savior, ” am I, lord?”. The Savior answered him: you say…, that he might turn back from his betrayal, but Judas did not heed the Lord’s chastisement nor his words. Then the Lord said to him: “because you hated my instruction” (“what you are doing, do it more quickly”).

And cast My words behind you

The commandment of the Lord is loved by His children, despised by the perished, and when the Lord spoke His words in Deuteronomy, he said, “let these words be on your heart,” and Judas listened to the Savior’s teachings. But the master’s words had no place in his heart.

When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.

What a miserable, torn soul that wants to be with Christ and with the thief and the lecher at the same time, wants to take the body of Christ and at the same time asks for a share with the lecher, saying: “what you give me and I hand Him over”.

Poor and naughty is that soul that wants to be in the company of Christ, the disciples and the apostles at the Lord’s table (in the church) and also seeks to be with thieves and adulterers (in the world).

It was said in the beatification of the man that” walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; “. As for Judas, he did not despise the portion he chose… they gave him the price of the gallows and the field of blood after he lost the love of the Lord and lost his crown.

The Gospel (John 13: 21-30)

We see in this gospel that God does not stop offering love to the traitor until the last moment, and man’s complacency and betrayal continue until the end.

And how clear the Coptic translation of the verse declaring the betrayal of Judas is “and after dinner, when the devil was finished with what was thrown into the heart of the one who delivers Him, who is Judas Simon Iscariot ” (John 13: 1 – 17)

It is clear from this verse that Judas ‘ betrayal was not a weakness or an attitude, but a life of multiple and continuous betrayals to the end (see the explanation in detail in the Gospel of Lakkan on Maundy Thursday).

 

Witte Donderdag (voetenwassing) – van Zijne Eminentie, Bisschop Athanasious van Beni Suef en Al-Bahnasa

Afscheidsrede:

 

De afscheidsrede begint vanaf hoofdstuk 13 tot en met hoofdstuk 16 (Evangelie van Johannes) met een totaal van 4 hoofdstukken, waarbij de laatste ontmoeting tussen Jezus en zijn discipelen plaatsvond. Jezus verklaarde vervolgens zijn geboden aan de discipelen vóór de kruisiging. Zoals staat geschreven in de bijbel:

 

“En vóór het feest van het Pascha, toen Jezus wist dat Zijn uur gekomen was dat Hij uit deze wereld zou overgaan naar de Vader, heeft Hij de Zijnen, die in de wereld waren en die Hij liefgehad had, liefgehad tot het einde.” (Johannes 13:1 HSV)

 

Hoofdstuk 13 vertelt over hun inspanningen als het gaat om de kerk en het zuiveren van de zielen. Hoofdstuk 14 vertelt over zijn betrokkenheid bij en successen voor de kerk. In hoofdstuk 15 worden de invloeden van de kerk op de hele wereld benoemd. Tot slot gaat hoofdstuk 16 over de volharding van de kerk in tijden van volharding.

 

(Johannes 13:1-17):

Sommigen beweerden dat de voetenwassing een ceremonie was die werd uitgevoerd door de Joden tijdens Pasen, wat verwijst naar het symboliseren van hun aankomst in het beloofde land na de uittocht uit Egypte. Ondanks het feit dat Jezus dit ritueel heeft uitgevoerd voor zijn discipelen vóór het jaar dat Petrus verbijsterd was.

 

Jezus sprak over volledige baden en voetenwassing, verwijzend naar een gewoonte uit de tijd waarin mensen baadden in openbare badplaatsen. Hij bedoelde dat mensen die zo’n bad nemen alleen nog hun voeten hoeven te wassen wanneer zij thuiskomen van de modder/stof van de weg. Dit deel had 2 belangrijke betekenissen:

 

Ten eerste: Het zuiveren van de ziel is een van de functies van de kerk, zoals het geval was bij geestelijken toen zij dagelijks offers brachten namens de mensen, waarbij mensen veel waarde hechtten aan offers om hun zonden te verdelgen. Op gelijke wijze dient de kerk haar volk aan God voor te leggen om hun zonden te verdelgen door middel van het eeuwige offer dat voor de wereld is gebracht en wie dit verwaarloost zal zijn aandeel en fortuin verliezen.

 

Een dergelijk proces bestaat uit 2 stappen. Allereerst, wanneer het aankomt op het geloof dienen wij Jezus te accepteren als onze verlosser die onze zonden wegneemt en een nieuw wezen in ons schept door het heilige mysterie.

“En de zaligheid is in geen ander, want er is onder de hemel geen andere Naam onder de mensen gegeven waardoor wij zalig moeten worden.” (Handelingen 4:12 HSV)

 

Dus elke gelovige dient uiterst voorzichtig te zijn en vast te houden aan de Heilige Geest, want wie berouw toont zou nooit moeten terugkeren naar het zondige verleden.

“Of weet u niet dat wij allen die in Christus Jezus gedoopt zijn, in Zijn dood gedoopt zijn? Wij zijn dan met Hem begraven door de doop in de dood, opdat evenals Christus uit de doden is opgewekt tot de heerlijkheid van de Vader, zo ook wij in een nieuw leven zouden wandelen.

Want als wij met Hem één plant zijn geworden, gelijkgemaakt aan Hem in Zijn dood, dan zullen wij ook aan Hem gelijk zijn in Zijn opstanding. Dit weten wij toch, dat onze oude mens met Hem gekruisigd is, opdat het lichaam van de zonde tenietgedaan zou worden en wij niet meer als slaaf de zonde zouden dienen. Want wie gestorven is, is rechtens vrij van de zonde. Als wij nu met Christus gestorven zijn, geloven wij dat wij ook met Hem zullen leven. Wij weten toch dat Christus, nu Hij is opgewekt uit de doden, niet meer sterft. De dood heerst niet meer over Hem. Want wat Zijn sterven betreft, is Hij eens en voor altijd voor de zonde gestorven, en wat Zijn leven betreft, leeft Hij voor God. Zo dient ook u uzelf te rekenen als dood voor de zonde, maar levend voor God in Christus Jezus, onze Heere.” (Romeinen 6:3-11 HSV)

“Daardoor heeft Hij ons de grootste en kostbare beloften geschonken, opdat u daardoor deel zou krijgen aan de Goddelijke natuur, nadat u het verderf, dat er door de begeerte in de wereld is, ontvlucht bent. En daarom moet u zich er met alle inzet op toeleggen om aan uw geloof deugd toe te voegen, aan de deugd kennis, aan de kennis zelfbeheersing, aan de zelfbeheersing volharding, aan de volharding godsvrucht, aan de godsvrucht broederliefde en aan de broederliefde liefde voor iedereen. Want als deze dingen bij u aanwezig zijn en toenemen, zullen ze u niet doelloos en onvruchtbaar laten wat de kennis van onze Heere Jezus Christus betreft. Immers, bij wie deze dingen niet aanwezig zijn, die is blind en kortzichtig, omdat hij de reiniging van zijn vroegere zonden vergeten is.” (2 Petrus 1:4-9 HSV)

Het reinigen van de zonden in de naam van het bloed van onze Verlosser begint met de doop en het geloof en strekt zich uit voor het hele leven. De kerk zou een constante preek moeten zijn voor haar volk, voor continue reiniging en verdelging van hun zonden. Dat is de reden dat Jezus zijn discipelen heeft geadviseerd, zoals staat geschreven in het Evangelie van Johannes (13:14-17 HSV): “Als Ik dan, de Heere en de Meester, uw voeten gewassen heb, moet ook u elkaars voeten wassen. Want Ik heb u een voorbeeld gegeven, opdat ook u zult doen zoals Ik voor u heb gedaan. Voorwaar, voorwaar, Ik zeg u: Een dienaar is niet meer dan zijn heer, en een gezant niet meer dan hij die hem gezonden heeft. Als u deze dingen weet, zalig bent u als u ze doet.”

De tweede betekenis illustreert duidelijk de mysteries van de doop en de biecht. Zoals Simon Petrus tegen Jezus heeft gezegd: “Zo kwam Hij bij Simon Petrus en die zei tegen Hem: Heere, wilt Ú mij de voeten wassen? Jezus antwoordde en zei tegen hem: Wat Ik doe, weet u nu niet, maar u zult het later inzien. Petrus zei tegen Hem: U zult mijn voeten in der eeuwigheid niet wassen! Jezus antwoordde hem: Als Ik u niet was, hebt u geen deel met Mij.” (Johannes 13:6-8 HSV)

Dit bevel was erg belangrijk, aangezien Simon Petrus niet alleen zijn voeten aanbood, maar ook zijn hele lichaam. “Simon Petrus zei tegen Hem: Heere, niet alleen mijn voeten, maar ook mijn handen en mijn hoofd. Jezus zei tegen hem: Wie gebaad heeft, heeft slechts nodig dat zijn voeten worden gewassen, want hij is al geheel rein. En u bent rein, maar niet allen.” (Johannes 13:9-10 HSV) Jezus benadrukt dus dat het tweede type reiniging is vereist.

De eerste reiniging is de doop, wat niet herhaald hoeft te worden, maar de tweede reiniging, de biecht, dient regelmatig herhaald te worden. Jezus adviseerde de kerk daarom om dit te blijven doen, zeggende: “Was elkaars voeten”. Deze les is niet alleen bedoeld om de discipelen nederigheid te leren, want Hij heeft hen al veel geleerd over nederigheid, maar Hij geeft hier Zijn laatste geboden mee om de zonden van de gelovigen te blijven reinigen, wat de voornaamste en enige functie is van de kerk. “Voorwaar, voorwaar, Ik zeg u: Een dienaar is niet meer dan zijn heer, en een gezant niet meer dan hij die hem gezonden heeft. Als u deze dingen weet, zalig bent u als u ze doet.” (Johannes 13:16-17 HSV)

Hij heeft hen deze regel één dag voordat Hij werd overgeleverd, en voordat Hij hen instructies heeft meegegeven over de biecht in de naam van Zijn Vlees en Bloed, meegegeven.

Daarom moet elke celebrant de leiding nemen over de gelovigen, want als zij geen berouw tonen zal hen deze genade worden ontnomen. Daarnaast zal hun volharding in berouw hen uiteindelijk garanderen dat zij worden verlost. Deze zaak dient erg serieus genomen te worden om de veiligheid van het volk van de kerk te waarborgen voor verdoemenis. “Voorwaar, voorwaar, Ik zeg u: als iemand hem ontvangt die Ik zal zenden, ontvangt hij Mij, en wie Mij ontvangt, ontvangt Hem Die Mij gezonden heeft.” (Johannes 13:20 HSV)

Elke gelovige zou de anderen moeten leiden naar berouw, zoals God ons heeft bevelen. “Wie dan weet goed te doen, en het niet doet, voor hem is het zonde.” (Jakobus 4:17 HSV)

Waarschijnlijk zaten Jezus en Zijn discipelen op kussens op de grond of op een bank, want zij leunden achterover en zaten niet rechtop als op een stoel. “Toen Hij dan hun voeten gewassen had en Zijn kleren weer had aangedaan, ging Hij weer aanliggen en zei tegen hen: Ziet u in wat Ik aan u gedaan heb?” (Johannes 13:12 HSV). Vervolgens, in vers 28, wordt dezelfde beschrijving benoemd. Het was dus waarschijnlijk een gewoonte in die tijd om op deze manier te zitten. Daarom is het makkelijk geweest voor de 2 vrouwen die parfum hebben gegoten over de voeten en het hoofd van Jezus, zoals staat vermeld in Lucas 7 en Johannes 12. Ook was het makkelijk voor Johannes om tegen Jezus aan te leunen. (Johannes 13:23)

Jezus wist dat Judas de intentie had om Hem te overleveren, daarom zei Jezus “Ik zeg dit niet van u allen; Ik weet wie Ik uitverkoren heb. Maar de Schrift moet vervuld worden: Wie Mijn brood eet, heeft zich tegen Mij gekeerd.” (Johannes 13:18 HSV)

In het evangelie van Johannes staat niet geschreven wat Jezus heeft gedaan tijdens het laatste avondmaal of tijdens het overhandigen van Zijn Vlees en Bloed, want dit staat al geschreven in andere evangelies. Echter, Johannes benadrukte andere dingen die anderen niet hebben beschreven, zoals de voetenwassing. Zo is Jezus een gesprek aangegaan met Petrus en Johannes. Johannes vroeg Jezus wie hem heeft overgeleverd en naar het vertrek van Judas. Sommigen hebben aannames dat Judas het mysterie van de communie niet heeft bijgewoond en dat Jezus hem enkel brood had gegeven, aangezien in de bijbel staat geschreven: “Wie de hand met Mij in de schotel indoopt” (Mattheüs 26:23 HSV), in plaats van beker of glas, waaruit blijkt dat zij op dat moment nog aan het eten waren. Echter, in het evangelie van Lucas wordt duidelijk dat de discipelen zich afvroegen wie van hen Jezus zou verraden nadat Hij hen deze mysteries heeft overhandigd. (Lucas 22:23) Er wordt aangenomen dat Judas zijn hand naar de schotel toe heeft bewogen waarin Jezus het brood had gelegd. Dit werd die nacht gezien als een overtreding en een schending van de regels voor het uitvoeren van deze mysterie. Alleen Jezus had het recht om dit te doen: “Want wie op onwaardige wijze eet en drinkt, die eet en drinkt zichzelf een oordeel, omdat hij het lichaam van de Heere niet onderscheidt.” (1 Korinthe 11:29 HSV)

Mogelijk onderschatten sommige gelovigen de consequenties van het ontnomen worden van de genade van de kerk en het geïsoleerd worden van de kerk en haar mysteries. Of zij zouden de risico’s van het overtreden van deze mysteries kunnen onderschatten, zoals Judas heeft gedaan. Dit was ook het geval met Korach en zijn mannen toen hij het mysterie van het priesterschap heeft geschonden. Hier zijn zij ook voor veroordeeld. (Numeri 16) Wij dienen daarom erg oplettend te zijn dat wij de zegeningen en de genade van het gezelschap van de kerk blijven ontvangen. Want Paulus, de apostel, heeft eens bevelen da teen man uit de kerk werd verbannen, wat hij beschreef als het ontnemen van de genade van het gezelschap van de kerk. “hem die dat zo gedaan heeft, … over te geven aan de satan, tot verderf van het vlees, opdat de geest behouden zal worden op de dag van de Heere Jezus.” (1 Korinthe 5:3;5 HSV)

Jezus werd onrustig toen Hij wist dat Judas Hem ging overleveren. Hij raakte bedroefd, want een van Zijn discipelen zou Hem verraden. Het moment van onrust dat Jezus had over het verraad van Judas staat beschreven in vers 21. Jezus zei over hem: “De Zoon des mensen gaat wel heen, zoals over Hem geschreven staat, maar wee de mens door wie de Zoon des mensen verraden wordt! Het zou goed voor die mens zijn, als hij niet geboren was.” (Markus 14:21 HSV)

Maar nadat Judas was vertrokken, zei Jezus “Nu is de Zoon des mensen verheerlijkt, en God is in Hem verheerlijkt.” (Johannes 13:31 HSV) Hier werd de Zoon des mensen verheerlijkt door Zijn dood en werd God verheerlijkt door Zijn offer. Jezus predikte vervolgens aan Zijn discipelen over het liefhebben van elkaar, wat een belangrijk fundament is van het christendom. Toen Petrus aangaf dat hij zich zou willen opofferen in plaats van Jezus, zei Jezus tegen hem dat het vertrouwen in zichzelf hem niks goeds zou brengen en dat hij die nacht gevangen zou worden genomen. Toen Petrus werd vervuld met de Heilige Geest heeft hij geconcludeerd dat wij te allen tijde dienen te vertrouwen op God alleen. Jezus was op Zijn reis naar de kruisiging waar Petrus niet klaar voor was.