Daily Devotional | Supper and a Song

Have you been to a festival or reception where the occasion was marked by both food and joyful music? Weddings are one example of a time where we use music as an important part of the celebration.

One night, Jesus and His disciples did just that. But it was no ordinary night. It was the same night that Judas dipped his hand into a bowl at the table as the one who betrayed the Son of Man (v. 23). It was the same night that Peter, another of the twelve, would deny Jesus three times (v. 34). And it was the same night that Christ knew what He would endure: being spat on, slapped, and struck with fists (Matt. 26:67), tortured, and beaten, suffering a criminal’s death on a cross the very next day.

Earlier that night, Jesus told His disciples to find a certain man in the city to make preparations “to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house” (v. 18). Even knowing what was ahead, Jesus chose to celebrate and obey His Father in observing the Feast of Passover. On that night, our Savior washed the feet and sang in worship with the same people who would soon betray and abandon Him. When they were done, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (v. 30), the very place the Bible tells us Jesus will set his feet on when He returns (Zech. 14:4). Oh, how marvelous, how wonderful is His love!

Some believe that what Jesus and the disciples sang that night were psalms of praise (Hallel), typical during Passover: texts such as “the LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad” (Ps. 118:24) or “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Ps. 118:29).