“And when the hour was come Jesus sat down with the twelve apostles with Him. Jesus said to them, ‘with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer'” (Luke 22:14-15).

Desire (Def:) (Gr.): Epithumia: A deep longing, to set the heart upon, i.e. long for

There was a deep longing in the heart of Jesus because the work for which He had come into the world was about to be completed. He expressed that deep desire and longing of His heart to His apostles at the Last Supper, the Passover meal. This Passover meal which was His symbolic Feast; He, being the very substance of it, was there partaking in this sacred and most holy day and most holy occasion where the Pascal Lamb was slain and consumed by all Israel.

The Desire of the Lord is the desire of the Father, as the Apostle John has written, quoting the words of Jesus to Nicodemus:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Being sent into the world by the Father, Jesus embraced the will of the Father and greatly desired to see it fulfilled. He said to His disciples:

“I have a baptism with which to be baptized and how am I straitened until it be accomplished” (Luke 12:50). Jesus was most constrained, most compressed in soul, most compelled and preoccupied; indeed, He was pressed beyond measure, and as He said, “straitened until it be accomplished”.

So, He sat at meat with them and having the Passover meal before them, He said to His disciples:

“‘I say to you I will not any more eat this meal with you until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’ Then He took the Cup and gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves. I say to you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God shall come.’ Then He took bread and gave thanks and broke it. He gave it to them saying, ‘This is My Body, given for you; this do in remembrance of Me’. Likewise, also the Cup, after supper, saying, ‘This Cup is the New Testament in My blood which is shed for you'” (Luke 22:16-20).

The Desire of the Lord has been fulfilled and His great desire is even now being fulfilled with us as we partake of His body and blood “new in the Kingdom of the Father” (cf. Matthew 26:29). For:

“The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

From the beginning Jesus taught the disciples to pray:

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

The Desire of the Lord is fellowship with His Bride, His Body, for whom He came into the world; for whom He gave His life and shed His blood to redeem, to wash, to sanctify, to cleanse and to present to Himself without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish (cf. Ephesians 5:22).

The desire of the Son is the great desire of the Father, that the Son be revealed in the world in Truth and Life and He be joined to His Bride, the Ecclesia, His Body, the called out one from the world, who have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and have been joined to Him in One Spirit to be to the praise, honor and glory of God, the Father, forever and ever, to reign eternally in the glorious Kingdom of God.

The Desire of the Lord is even now being fulfilled in the earth and in the heavens. Let all who would be part of it rejoice for the time has come and the hour is here for all to be accomplished as we are:

“Looking for that Blessed Hope and Glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Even so, for the Joy of Man’s Desiring has come.

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