Thursday, April 2, 2026
Maundy Thursday
Text: Matthew 26:17-30
Sermon Audio
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We conclude our sermon series, “for us” as we see that everything that Christ has done in His ministry has been for me and for you. During Holy Week, we focus especially on the last moments of Jesus’ life wherein He offers Himself up as a sacrifice for me and for you, and He rises again to eternal life.
On the night of the Passover, Jesus institutes a new Passover, something that is “for us” in a greater way than any previous event in the history of the world. I. The cost of the Passover points to the cost to Jesus.
To understand Holy Thursday, we need to understand the Passover. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt. The Lord raised up Moses as a prophet who would free them from the bonds of slavery. The Israelites witnessed nine plagues to terrify the people of Egypt and to convince Pharoah to let God’s people go.
It took the tenth plague finally to convince Pharoah. The Lord instructed the Israelites to slaughter a lamb without blemish and roast it over a fire, and to use its blood to paint the doorposts and lintels of their houses. The Lord then instructed them to have a meal together of unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and lamb being ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
The Angel of Death would go through Egypt that night and kill the firstborn sons of those whose houses were not marked with blood. The Egyptians lost their firstborn sons that evening, and Pharoah let the people go.
Livestock were valuable in those days, and the value of a lamb was not insignificant. The Passover marks the cost of a lamb for those Israelites who left Egypt during the Passover. It marked the loss of their homes as they wandered in the wilderness. It marked the deaths of many Egyptians, both to the Angel of Death, and those of Pharoah’s army in the Red Sea.
At the same time, there is a great benefit, the Passover marked the freedom and salvation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. A lamb per household was a small price to pay.
How much more of a cost was paid for us during Holy Week? Jesus Christ, the Son of God gave His life as a ransom for us all. God sent His Son who had never sinned, the unblemished spotless lamb to pay for the sins of the world.
How much more of a benefit do we realize this week? This salvation is not just for a people from a faraway land a time long ago, this salvation is for the whole world.
Second, II. “For many” means for you. Jesus said, “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In one of our darker days, we may think that “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” really means “not for some.”
The Lord Jesus died for those real Christians, but not for me, who is still trapped in my sins. The Lord Jesus gave the cup of His blood for Christians who are better than me, but if only you knew the things I did. I’m here because I feel like I should be here tonight, but I’m not really feeling it.
Yet Jesus said, “Drink of it, all of you.” This blood is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. In this case, many means all. Many means for you, for us!
Elsewhere, Jesus said, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” His death pays for the sins of the world. John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus’ sacrifice for sins is for everyone. Many means all! Many means for you, for us!
Isaiah told us, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Many means all! Many means for you, for us!
Moreover, we read in Daniel chapter 12, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” It is not as though the Lord will forget some people on the day of His return. Paul speaks in the book of Acts of a resurrection of the both the just and the unjust. Many means all! Many means for you, for us!
Thus, we can talk all about what Christ has done for us, but in the Lord’s Supper, it’s where the rubber meets the road. It is where this forgiveness of sins is applied to us regularly and abundantly.
Thus, III. Purified by baptism and faith, this meal makes us holy. In the Old Testament, only those who were brought into the family of faith could partake of this meal. For the Israelites, that meant the men were circumcised. It meant you were ceremonially clean, not having done something like touched a diseased person or eaten an unclean animal or touched a dead body.
I get it that this is the elephant in the room. Some might be sitting here and saying, ‘For many actually means for you only if you’ve done the class and signed the membership form.’ It’s true that in some cases, I have asked you not yet to commune with us at this altar. But “not yet” doesn’t mean, “not for you.”
Some grandparents set aside money for their grandchildren for college in a 529 plan or other such account. If grandpa is saving up money for little Laurie, it doesn’t mean Laurie can withdraw the funds at age 16 to buy a Corvette. The funds are still for her but are for her college education.
Esteemed guest whether you’re a return guest, this is your first time, or you’re even in the process of completing a new member class. Understand that this meal is for you for the forgiveness of your sins. In order to obtain that forgiveness of sins, you need faith in these words, “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” because the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.
In the same way that a granddaughter withdrawing funds from a college savings account before the right time could incur detrimental effects such as a tax penalty or inability for her to pay for college later, we want to make sure all who come to this altar receive Christ’s body and blood to their benefit for the forgiveness of their sins and not to their detriment. This is done as we believe Christ’s body and blood are truly present in this meal and we go forward as those who confess and believe Christ’s teachings.
No matter who you are, I’m happy you’re here. The Holy Spirit is working in your heart to have you grow in faith. If you have not yet been admitted to the altar, let’s keep the conversation going and I want you to be able to receive these blessings at the altar to your benefit.
You can invite friends and family to church services where the Lord’s Supper is offered, even if the friends and family do not receive the Lord’s Supper. If there was no benefit to attending worship without receiving the Lord’s Supper, we would kick out kids from church which is obviously absurd. Worship is still an opportunity to pray together, sing together, and hear God’s Word together. It is an opportunity to confess what we joyfully believe as LCMS Lutherans, and a chance for them to come and see, telling them not “no”, but “not yet” to the gift of Christ’s body and blood given and shed for them.
Nonetheless, this sermon is also for those who have been baptized, have been confirmed in the Lutheran faith, you believe that Christ’s body and blood are truly present, you believe what the church teaches, but somehow you feel like this applies to someone else. You feel less than or you feel like your doubts and sins might overwhelm you.
As baptized Christians who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ through the waters of baptism and through trusting His word, we receive this gift gladly. Having been thus purified, we are ready to come forward as those who participate in a holy meal. In this meal, not only do we receive forgiveness, life, and salvation, but we also receive holiness as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself touches us.
Perhaps you feel shame this day over what you’ve done and what has been done to you. Perhaps you think that this meal is for other Christians who live a holier life than you. Fear not, in this meal, the Lord Himself makes you holy. Your shame is covered with Christ’s holiness. If you think you aren’t enough, or if you’re not feeling it, or if you are just going through the motions, receive the body and blood of the Lord for you to be strengthened and to have your shame replaced with honor.
Luther said in his Large Catechism “If you could see how many daggers, spears, and arrows are aimed at you every moment, you would be glad to come to the sacrament as often as you can. The only reason we go about so securely and heedlessly is that we neither imagine nor believe that we are in the flesh, in the wicked world, or under the kingdom of the devil” (LC V 82). What a wonderful blessing we have to receive the Lord’s Supper frequently as a tool against the devil who wishes that we doubt that this powerful meal is for us.
Finally IV. As His holy ones, we now receive His body and blood with thanksgiving. Being made holy by His body and blood, we receive this meal with thanksgiving. In ancient times, the people of Israel would make sacrifices of animals and grain to ask for forgiveness, to demonstrate their dedication to God, but also, to give thanks for all that the Lord has done.
The Lord’s Supper is sometimes called the Eucharist which literally means thanksgiving. In this meal, we receive with thankfulness the blessings the Lord bestows from Mount Calvary to us.
Paul quotes Jesus in 1 Corinthians saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” We participate in this meal not only on Holy Thursday around the Passover, but frequently. We remember what the Lord has done for us, and He remembers us and His promises to us as we rejoice in this meal of blessing.
As we celebrate this meal, we can go forward with thanksgiving, appreciating Christ’s sacrifice poured out for the many which means for us which means for you. Amen!
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard and keep you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.