Luke 22 | The Compassion of Preparation

This devotion was written to accompany the Venture Church 2022 Bible Reading Plan.

There are not many moments more intense than those before company arrives at your house, or in the days leading up to a wedding or the anticipation of welcoming a baby home. There are final checklists and moments of panic along with excitement and joy for what is to come.

Luke 22 begins the journey toward the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In this passage, we see the how Jesus prepares for the coming days. But the characteristic I see most in Jesus' preparation is His compassion. Unlike with us, there is no panic, no last minute rush or even comments of stress. In fact, as Jesus prepared for His final days on earth, He did so with His closest friends and He extended a level of compassion and kindness compassion we can expect from our Savior.

Jesus was intentional in his preparation for gathering the disciples for what we call The Last Supper. His preparation was holy, it was obedient and it was prophetic. We see in verse 15 that He eagerly desired to be with His friends in the holiest of moments -- regardless of their ability to understand the fullness of what was happening or what was to come.

During the Last Supper, we see Jesus both teach and serve the disciples. He invited them into the story of God, teaching them to see how the prophesy was unfolding right before their eyes. Not only were they dining with their friend, they were participating in the very story of God's plan for redeeming mankind. Jesus taught them how to carry out the plan by serving them. He gave them the mission of the Kingdom and He displayed how God's mission would be accomplished through humility.

In verse 32, we see the compassion of Jesus in preparing Peter for his ultimate role in the Kingdom -- a steady faith to be used for establishing and strengthening the Church. And, of course, we see Jesus' compassion in the love He showed to Judas.

Following the dinner, we witness what may be the most impactful preparation of all -- preparing Himself for what was to come. How did Jesus prepare Himself? Through prayer, submission and obedience. Fully understanding the task before Him, Jesus went to His Father, spent time with Him, sought to hear from Him and surrendered to Him. He submitted to the will of God and willingly obeyed the command of God to give His life for ours.

Reflection & Response:

How can you prepare your family and loved ones to encounter God by the ways you lead and love them? Ask God to show you how your preparations may be more compassionate and intentional to point others to Him.

In what ways do you prepare to meet with God regularly? Ask God to help you have a heart like Jesus to pray, submit and obey.