Luke 22:14-30
Maundy Thursday 2009

One of the family traditions I grew up with was that before any trip out of town for any member of our family, we always had a meal where every member was present. The other important occasion for all the family members to be together for a meal was when the family member returned from the trip. Many things happen around dining tables, and one of the most important things that happen when we get together for a family dinner is the nurture of our sense of belonging to each other. It is always a good thing for a family to eat meals together. But, it makes even more sense to capture that sense of belonging just before one takes off on a journey, because it is our rooted-ness, our remembrance of relationships that not only sustains us as we travel alone, ultimately it is what brings us back home.

As Jesus and his disciples gathered in the upper room for the Passover meal, Jesus knew that it was going to be the last meal with his closest friends before he was betrayed and later executed. He tells his disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." In a sense it is like the kind of longing we have to fellowship and eat with our family and friends before we go away somewhere far for a considerable time. But even more than the longing to relish friendships, Jesus definitely meant to redefine relationships, memories, hopes, and expectations.

In the first Passover meal in Egypt, as the Israelites prepared to embark on their journey toward the Promised Land, the slaughter of the lamb for the meal and its blood smeared on their door posts was the sign of salvation from death. Not only were they passed over by death but that meal represented for the Israelites God’s promise of freedom from oppression and slavery. Forever more the Passover would become the reference point for the Jewish people of their identity as God’s chosen or covenant people. In other words, God entered into a bond with the Israelites just like two people would when they enter into a marriage relationship. Every Passover begins with the youngest asking the question: Why is this night different from all others? And the story of how God saved his people from slavery and death gets told every year in the same way as it has been done for generations. That Passover ritual always ends with the passionate cry by all: Next year in Jerusalem! Which is not only a prayer, but also an affirmation of the fullness of God’s promise to be completely present with His people, Jerusalem being the symbol of God’s seat.

Our own ritual of remembering the institution of the Last Supper is based upon the Passover, but at the same time the last supper of Jesus and his disciples symbolize more than the remembrance of the Exodus for the Israelites. Like the Passover, the Last Supper is also about bread or sustenance, it is about justice or freedom from oppression and slavery, and it is about hope for the coming power of God into the world with freedom and lasting justice for those who cry out for help. But unlike the Passover, the Last Supper encompasses a vision that extends way beyond just the people of Israel. The Last Supper calls the whole world to participate in that story of redemption and yet at the same time it is profoundly personal because the bread, the lamb, and the blood are the person and the body of Jesus. Not only are we called to remember Jesus’ sacrifice of his own life for us, we too are meant to be transformed into the body of Christ in the world.  The Body of Christ in the world is called like Jesus himself to be a source of freedom and hope in the midst of terror, suffering and death for all those who continue to cry out to God. 

We remember on this night the suffering and death of Jesus and his last and most precious offering for us all, which is his own flesh and blood. What is different about the Last Supper is also the reminder that in the midst of betrayal and suffering the story is about forgiveness, reconciliation, and atonement of our sins and the promise of a new and transformed life. The sacrifice of the unblemished Lamb Jesus is offered on the cross, and the promise of eternal life becomes a reality in his Resurrection. The remembrance of this night cannot be complete without the remembrance that the “Body of Christ” describes not just the Eucharist but also us, the children of God. If at all we have forgotten or our memories have faded, this is the night to remember that we are to become bread for the world with the bread that we share from this table. And as we share from the cup, which is the blood of Christ, we must remember also to offer ourselves as an offering of worship before God. By the pattern set for us in the Last Supper we are reminded that the core meaning of being called to be the people of God lies in our worship, shared lives and communities, and in sacrifices that bring forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and freedom for all. As we come together around this table, let us continue to proclaim the redemptive suffering and death of Christ until he comes again. In his death and resurrection the power of death is undone and he has shown us that there is love and forgiveness in the midst of betrayal and sin. Amen.