Maundy Thursday B, 2024

Maundy Thursday, Year B

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the night when we remember Jesus and his disciples preparing and eating the Passover meal, in obedience to God’s command, in Exodus 12:14

Exodus 12:14 (ESV)

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

This meal - still observed by Jews today - is one of the most important rituals in the Jewish faith. It is a remembrance of all that God has done for His people. The meal, called “the Seder” (which is Hebrew for “order”) is observed in 15 different stages, all having specific meanings to the Jewish people.

It begins with the first of four cups of wine, the first being the Cup of Sanctification. It is based on God’s statement, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” The wine is poured and these words are said: “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” Then is said the “Kiddush” or Thanksgiving. This is a remembrance and thanks to God for all that He has done for His people, beginning at creation, but especially for delivering them out of slavery in Egypt. The cup of wine is consumed while seated, reclining on the left side as a sign of freedom.

Next is the Urchatz - a ritual hand washing.

Step 3 is called Karpas - the “Appetizer”. A small piece of vegetable (an onion or boiled potato in Chabad tradition) is dipped into salt water and eaten (after reciting the blessing over vegetables).

Step 4 is the Yachatz - breaking the Matzah. Matzah is made of just two ingredients—flour and water—which are quickly mixed together and baked before the dough can rise and become leaven, which is strictly forbidden on Passover.

The matzah recalls how when our ancestors left Egyptian slavery they were in such a hurry that there was no time to allow their dough to rise.

Three matzahs are placed on the Seder plate, and matzah is eaten at 3 points in the meal (once by itself, once with bitter herbs, and once as dessert). The middle matzah on the Seder plate is broken in two, one piece larger than the other. The smaller part of the middle matzah is returned to the Seder plate. This broken middle matzah, the “bread of poverty,” remains visible as we tell the story of Exodus (in step 5) and will be eaten shortly thereafter. The larger piece is put aside for later use as the dessert (see step 12). This unusual action of breaking the matzah not only attracts the child’s attention once again, but also recalls G‑d’s splitting of the Sea of Reeds to allow the children of Israel to cross on dry land.

Step 5 is the Maggid - Retelling the Passover Story. Raise the tray with the matzah and say:

This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the Seder of Passover. This year [we are] here; next year in the land of Israel. This year [we are] slaves; next year [we will be] free people.

The tray with the matzah is moved aside, and the second cup - the Cup of Judgment or Deliverance is poured. It is based on God’s statement, “I will deliver you from slavery to them.” A child then asks: “What makes this night different from all other nights?” The adults then tell the story of the Passover Event, and the history of the meal, and how they were once enslaved, but are now a free people. After much of story has been told (there’s a lot), the Matzah is covered, and the cup is raised while four lengthy blessings are spoken to God. Then everyone says “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” and all drink that cup. This is the second cup.

Next is the Rachtzah - washing hands again before eating the matzah.

Step 7 is the Motzi - Blessing over the bread. All the pieces of matzah are held in the hand, and this blessing is said: “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

Step 8 the third matzah is put back down on the plate, and this blessing is said over the broken (2nd) matzah and the first matzah: “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of Matzah.” Then you break off a small piece (the size of an olive) and eat that.

Step 9 is the Maror - the Bitter Herbs. Take another olive-sized portion of matzah, say this blessing: “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of Maror.” and then eat the Maror, but this time without reclining.

Step 10 is the Korech - the “Hillel Sandwich” - this requires two pieces of matzah, dipped and put together like a sandwich. There is a remembrance of one of their ancient Jewish teachers who instructed them to eat matzah with bitter herbs. This is eaten in the reclining position.

Step 11 is the Shulchan Orech - the feast. The holiday dinner is now served. We begin the meal by eating the hard-boiled egg dipped into salt water. Traditionally associated with mourning, the egg reminding us that our meal lacks the sacrificial lamb.

Step 12 is the Tzafun - eating the “Afikoman” or dessert - the matzah that was "hidden” earlier. It symbolizes the Paschal lamb, which our ancestors ate at the end of their Passover Seders.

Everyone should eat at least 1½ ounces of matzah, reclining, before midnight. After eating the afikoman, they do not eat or drink anything except for the two remaining cups of wine.

Step 13 is the Berach - Blessings after the Meal. A third cup of wine is filled and Grace After Meals is recited. This is the Cup of Redemption, which is based on God’s statement, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.” After the Grace, they recite the blessing over wine and drink the third cup while reclining.

Now they fill the fourth cup - the cup of Elijah and our own cups with wine. This is the Cup of Praise or Consummation, based on God’s statement, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” They open the door and recite the passage inviting the Prophet Elijah, the harbinger of the coming of Moshiach, our righteous Messiah.

Step 14 is the Hallel - Songs/Psalms of Praise

At this point, having recognized the Almighty and His unique guidance of the Jewish people, they go still further and sing His praises as L‑rd of the entire universe. After reciting the Hallel, they again recite the blessing over wine and drink the fourth cup, reclining.

Step 15 - Nirtzah - Acceptance. Having carried out the Seder service properly, everyone is sure that it has been well received by the Almighty. They then say “Next year in Jerusalem.”

I apologize to our Jewish brothers and sisters if I skipped over any parts too quickly. I just wanted you all to get an idea of what Jesus and his disciples would have been doing on this very night. In particular, I want to put the parts that we read about in their proper context. When we come to the Lord’s Table tonight, we will hear the words “after supper He took the cup”. This is the third cup, the Cup of Redemption. It is a celebration of God’s promise that He will redeem us. The Jews used this cup (even then) to symbolize the blood of the Passover Lamb. It is significant that this is where Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” Hebrews 9:22 tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

At this point, the meal has been served and eaten. The story has been told, of all that God has done for His people. Of how He heard their cries, and He performed great signs and deeds of power to convince Pharaoh to let the people go. He parted the Red Sea to give them safe passage on dry land, and then drowned the Egyptian army with those same waters once His people were safe and free. God saved His people and continued to bless them. When they disobeyed Him, they would feel His punishment, and then when they cried to Him for mercy, He would come back to them, forgive them, and save them once more. This is the story that was told on that same night of Jesus betrayal, as it had been told for centuries before that.

Jesus then turned that meal into something new. Instead of symbolizing the blood of the Passover Lamb, he was now GIVING them the blood of the Passover Lamb - the TRUE Passover Lamb - himself. All the promises that God had made to His Chosen People were coming true in Jesus of Nazareth. In this one Passover Meal, God’s people would finally experience the deliverance and salvation they had been praying for and waiting for since the time of Moses. Salvation was finally theirs, and it was given to them as they drank that cup with him.

In the ancient tradition of dipping the bread into the wine, we will conduct this meal tonight in that same fashion. As we partake of the New Cup of Redemption, it will all be from the same cup.

When Paul says “16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” This is that cup of blessing. When we drink it, it is once again a joining of us to Christ. I’ve said often that in this meal, we come as close to our Lord and Savior as we can possibly come… until the Day of Judgment. And it is. We are literally receiving the promise of salvation in those elements - formerly bread and wine, now become Jesus’ own body and his precious blood.

And what does that mean for us? What do we do with that? Paul’s question here is a good reminder. We have been given a gift. We didn’t earn it; we are merely recipients of it. But we are more than recipients. We are participants. We have become part of something larger than ourselves. The gift is not for hoarding or sitting on. This gift grows as we share it. This gift gets better as we participate in the body of Christ…as we live out the life that God has called us to. This is the life we celebrate because of what Christ accomplished for us in his death and resurrection. It is exactly this life that we have worked on since Ash Wednesday.