Maundy Thursday (3)

Luke 22:7–20 (NIV84)

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” 9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. 10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.” 13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

We have to ask, though, what Jesus’ Last Supper actually was. And how did it acquire its undoubtedly early attribution of Passover character? The answer given by Meier is astonishingly simple and in many respects convincing: Jesus knew that he was about to die. He knew that he would not be able to eat the Passover again. Fully aware of this, he invited his disciples to a Last Supper of a very special kind, one that followed no specific Jewish ritual but, rather, constituted his farewell; during the meal he gave them something new: he gave them himself as the true Lamb and thereby instituted his Passover.

In all the Synoptic Gospels, the prophecy of Jesus’ death and Resurrection form part of this meal. Luke presents it in an especially solemn and mysterious form: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (22:15–16). The saying is ambiguous. It can mean that Jesus is eating the usual Passover meal with his disciples for the last time. But it can also mean that he is eating it no longer but, rather, is on his way to the new Passover.

One thing emerges clearly from the entire tradition: essentially, this farewell meal was not the old Passover, but the new one, which Jesus accomplished in this context. Even though the meal that Jesus shared with the Twelve was not a Passover meal according to the ritual prescriptions of Judaism, nevertheless, in retrospect, the inner connection of the whole event with Jesus’ death and Resurrection stood out clearly. It was Jesus’ Passover. And in this sense he both did and did not celebrate the Passover: the old rituals could not be carried out—when their time came, Jesus had already died. But he had given himself, and thus he had truly celebrated the Passover with them. The old was not abolished; it was simply brought to its full meaning.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 2. The Last Supper (22:7–38)

The “bread” (arton, v. 19) was the thin, unleavened bread used in the Passover. “Gave thanks” translates the verb eucharisteō, the source of the beautiful word Eucharist, often used to signify the Lord’s Supper. Luke alone has “given for you” (hyper hymōn didomenon) in the saying over the bread, as well as “poured out for you” (to hyper hymōn ekchynnomenon) in the cup saying (v. 20).

“In remembrance of me” (v. 19) directs our attention primarily to the person of Christ and not merely to the benefits we receive (of whatever nature we may understand them to be) from taking the bread and cup. The final cup, following the sequence of several refillings during the Passover, signifies the “new covenant” (v. 20) in Jesus’ blood. The disciples would have been reminded of the “blood of the covenant” (Exod 24:8), i.e., the blood used ceremonially to confirm the covenant. The new covenant (cf. Jer 31:31–34) carried with it assurance of forgiveness through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross and the inner work of the Holy Spirit in motivating us and enabling us to fulfill our covenantal responsibility.

Meals

The events of Maundy Thursday are highlighted by what happens during Jesus and his disciples gathering for the Passover meal.

Before we dive into that, consider this question: What special meals or foods do we eat to celebrate key events or as part of a holiday?

Fourth of July: hot dogs

Thanksgiving: Turkey

New Year’s Eve: Lutefisk and Leftsa (Be glad you are not Norwegian)

Christmas: Christmas cookies, candy canes

Easter: Easter eggs and ham

Birthday: cake

Cake is also a centerpiece food at weddings. One tradition is to save the top tier in the freezer for the newly weds to eat on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary.

For some newlyweds, celebrating their first anniversary means eating a helping of their preserved wedding cake together. The cake-freezing ritual stems from a 19th-century convention in which partners saved the top tier for their first child’s christening (with some believing it to be an omen of good luck).

Nearly 46 percent of brides and grooms who married in 2019 saved or planned to save the top tier of their wedding cake for their one-year anniversary, according to a 2019 study based on data from the 2020 Wedding Wire Newlywed Report, where more than 25,000 couples in the United States who were married in 2019 were interviewed.

The practice of eating designated foods for special occasions is very old. It was an integral part of the first Passover and of Passover observances since that time.

Over the past 3,000 years, Passover has endured as the most celebrated and widely observed holiday in the Jewish tradition. The Passover holiday commemorates the seminal event in Jewish history — the story of the Exodus which led to the birth of the Jewish nation, Israel. In addition, the most basic and fundamental principles found in Judaism — faith, prayer, deliverance, freedom, and service to God — are woven into this timeless story.

It is one of the foundational stories in the Hebrew Bible (which Christians know as the Old Testament) —  Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt, away from Pharaoh and out of slavery. The suffering of the children of Israel and their deliverance from slavery reaffirms our faith that God protects, provides for, and deeply loves His people and that He hears our prayers.

Learn more about the story of the Exodus with our Bible study: The Passover Experience

The command to observe Passover is found in Exodus 12 which reads:

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron  in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…  That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast… Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.” (Exodus 12:1-3, 8, 11)

Once a year, Jews devote an entire week to recalling the events of the Exodus, internalizing these messages, and growing in their faith. One way they do this is through the ritual Passover meal known as the seder, which is the heart of the Passover celebration. At the seder meal, the Haggadah is read. This is the text that has been used for all of these generations to guide the seder, saying: “For God did not redeem our ancestors alone, but us, as well.”

What Is the Seder Plate?

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The most visible part of the seder dinner is the plate of food eaten by those in attendance. The foods eaten at the seder all symbolize different parts of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt.

One of the first steps Jews take to begin the seder, after the opening blessing and ritual hand-washing, is to dip vegetables into saltwater. Any vegetable can be used for this symbol known as karpas, but it is customary to choose something green such as parsley, celery, or cucumber. The saltwater recalls the Israelites’ sweat and tears shed in slavery under Egyptian oppression. But the karpas also symbolizes spring, which is when God redeemed the children of Israel and when Passover is celebrated.

Zeroah is a piece of roasted lamb meat that reminds Jews of the lamb God told the Israelites to prepare the night before they were freed from slavery. It also reminds Jews that during the plague of the firstborn, God passed over the houses of the Israelites who had placed the blood of a slaughtered lamb on their doorposts. Finally, the roasted bone encourages Jews to remember that just as God saved the Israelites thousands of years ago, He can do the same for us today.

The article continues to describe the other foods and drinks used in the meal.

In some Christian churches, members will still gather (usually the Bible class) to observe a Seder meal but with an emphasis on how The Lamb of God has already come (which the Jews deny). But for most non Jews, the Passover may be something they know about but have never experienced.

Jesus certainly observed the Passover meal. As the one sent by God to be born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, we can assume that every year he would have participated in this observance wholly and completely. The only record we have of him doing it; however, is on Maundy Thursday.

Although some commentators argue whether or not this Last Supper was the actual Passover meal, our interpretation has always been that it is. So the bread and fruit of the vine that he used would have been two of the ingredients used in the Passover meal.

Jesus did something during this meal that serves as transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, the emphasis had been on what God did for his people and how they were to respond under the law. The Old Covenant promised blessings to those who obeyed and warned of curses to those who disobeyed. It also pointed ahead to the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Jesus is that Lamb of God. He was sent by God to take on humanity so that he would have a body to sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Hebrews 10:1–10 (NIV84)

1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’ ” 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 NIV84

6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

So as Jesus was celebrating the Passover with his disciples for the last time (Hence Last Supper), he would have been focused on the sacrifice he was about to make the next day.

This most critical event in the history of the world is key to our salvation and is worthy of observing and remembering throughout our lives.

How do we do this?

Special worship services: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Special “meal” that Jesus has given to us.

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 (NIV)

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Almost is not all commentators agree that this eating of bread and drinking of wine does not refer to every time we eat bread and drink wine we remember Jesus and his death but every time it eaten and drunk in the context of a worship service or private communion.

11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” As Jesus had taken the bread, had given thanks, and had broken it (11:23–24), in the same manner He also took the cup. The “cup” represented the new covenant in [Jesus’] blood. What is this new covenant? In the old covenant (the promise of God with his people before Christ came), people could approach God only through the priests and the sacrificial system. God would forgive people’s sins if they would bring animals for the priests to sacrifice. When this sacrificial system was begun, the agreement between God and human beings was sealed with the blood of animals. The people of Israel first entered into this agreement after the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 24). But animal blood did not in itself remove sin (only God can forgive sin), and animal sacrifices had to be repeated day by day and year after year.

Jesus’ death on the cross ushered in the new covenant (or agreement) between God and humanity. This concept is key to all New Testament theology. Under this new covenant, Jesus died in the place of sinners. Unlike the blood of animals, Jesus’ blood truly removed the sins of all who put their faith in him. And Jesus’ sacrifice will never have to be repeated; it is good for all eternity (Hebrews 9:23–28). The new covenant completes, rather than replaces, the old covenant, fulfilling everything the old covenant looked forward to (see Jeremiah 31:31–34). Now people can personally approach God and communicate with him. Eating the bread and drinking the cup shows that God’s people are remembering Christ’s death for them and renewing their commitment to serve him.

TWO-WAY REMEMBERING

Jesus said, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” How do we remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper? By thinking about what he did and why he did it. Further, the remembering has both a backward and forward look. We remember Christ’s death, and we remember that he is coming! If the Lord’s Supper becomes just a ritual or a pious habit, it loses its significance. But when we appreciate what Christ has done and anticipate what he will do when he returns, the Lord’s Supper takes on a profound sense of purpose. Take time to prepare yourself spiritually for Communion. Gratefully recall Christ’s loving sacrifice for you. Let the reality that your sins are forgiven motivate you to love and serve him better.

11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. The eating of the bread and drinking of the cup are to be done on a continual basis in the churches until the return of Christ (till He comes). By observing this special meal, the believers proclaim the Lord’s death. By partaking of the body and blood of Christ, they personally show their participation in the Christian community and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. The periodic, solemn celebration of the Lord’s Supper among believers reminds them of Christ’s suffering on their behalf and of his imminent return when he will take them with him.

Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). 1 & 2 Corinthians (pp. 162–164). Tyndale House.

As a sacrament, the Lord’s Supper does even more than held us remember Jesus and proclaim what he has done. In the sacrament Jesus gives us his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. We have this very personal way in which God bestows on us his grace.

Preparation.

Because of the significance and blessings of the Lord’s Supper, it is important to approach it with reverence and focus. St. Paul warns about those who did not do so in the early church.

1 Corinthians 11:27–32 (NIV84)

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

We understand the importance of preparing for special foods that we eat for celebrations and remembering historical events, how much more so should we not prepare our hearts for a worthy reception of the Lord’s Supper?

I would like us to do that now by turning to page 156 of our hymnal for Personal Preparation for Holy Communion.