Luke 22:14-30
Holy Thursday, April 1, 2010
"Remember "
Jesus sat at the table that night and said, “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.” Jesus desired the intimate fellowship that came with this meal. Jesus knew what was coming but the disciples as a whole could not hear what he plainly said, “He was to suffer, one would betray him, he came to serve.”
Plainly he spoke of what was to come but they could not and would not hear what he said, instead they argued over who was to be the greatest in the Kingdom.
Passover meal is a time of remembrance. It is a time to remember the 400 years the Israelites spent in Egyptian slavery. It was a time to remember the 10 plagues, the stubbornness of Pharaoh, the deliverer sent from God: Moses and Aaron his right hand man.
Each and every aspect of the meal was symbolic in nature and recalled to mind some aspect of the saving acts of God. The very name of the meal “Passover” was a reminder of the angel of death passing over the children of Israel who had their doorposts marked with the blood of a lamb.
I can’t tonight go into all the aspects of the Passover ritual but in it some are significant that have lent themselves to new meaning for Christians. During the Passover meal 4 cups of wine were used. We hear of two of them. The one at the beginning and the one after the supper called the cup of “redemption”. This cup took on new meaning when Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” This cup of redemption became then more than a remembrance of the Israelites redemption from Egypt, it became a remembrance of a new covenant in Jesus blood that bought back the whole world from its sin.
A meal is a time of fellowship, closeness, and bonding. Most family reunions occur around a table, a meal. These meals deepen and strengthen our relationships with each others. God know the value of meals. Our Jewish brothers and sisters have a running joke about their holidays. They often say, “The Jewish holidays all follow the same pattern: They tried to harm us, they failed, lets eat.”
We Methodist say, “We meet to eat and eat to meet.” Some kid our religious symbol shouldn’t be a cross and flame but a potluck dish.
But the close human bond that is developed and strengthened during meals is why Judas’ betrayal is so complete. While Jesus and his disciples ate and fellowshipped together Judas met with those who would demand Jesus blood and break all the bonds of fellowship for awhile.
We humans have a hard time wrapping our minds around that kind of betrayal. It general we are repulsed by disloyalty and faithlessness, which makes it hard to comprehend. This is why at that meal it was so hard for Jesus to get his point across that he came to serve and suffer and die.
His disciples were oblivious to this for they simply questioned each other as to who it would be and then began arguing over who would get the corner office in Jesus’ new kingdom. Jesus was straight up with them. He said, “Yes, you will get that corner office, you will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.” But they missed his point that they were going to have to serve like him even unto their own deaths.
In most stories we identify with one of the characters. The story told on Passover night is meant to have the hearers and participants identify with the Israelites who are redeemed from their slavery in Egypt. The disciples that night I believe where putting Jesus in the role of the new Moses for he miraculously fed the crowds, he healed with the touch of his hand, he gave a new commandment that night to “Love one another as I have loved you.” And he even raised people from the dead. Surely he must be the new Moses the disciples thought and one of us the new Aaron and the rest the new elders.
Jesus though with all this talk of “giving his body” and talk of “the new covenant in his blood’ was telling them that he most identified with the poor lamb who was slaughtered and eaten and its blood smeared on the doorposts so the angel of death would pass over.
But the disciples couldn’t see it or hear it for they argued over who was the greatest. Jesus tried to pull them back by telling them that the greatest was the one who served the most, that greatness comes through service but all they heard that night was, “new covenant, thrones and judging others.” They missed his words on “suffering, serving and giving his body.”
A man recently reported that he saw a string of graffiti messages in a bathroom stall. The first line read “What would Jesus do?” the next line said, “Wash his hands.” The third line read “And your feet too.” We all miss that third part that greatness comes by service and often is accompanied by great suffering.
Tonight this sanctuary is darkened and the Chancel area up here or the “Upper Room” in your imagination is in great light. This is to remind us that you as the various members of the body of Christ have come out of the darkness of the world to worship Christ tonight. You have come to remember who Jesus is and when you remember who Jesus is you come to remember who you are as one of his followers.
We also come out of the darkness of the world to be re-membered into the Body of Christ. Each one of you are the hands the eyes the arms, the legs, the feet of Christ. When we come together for Holy Communion the Body of Christ comes together again before it is once again scattered into the darkness of the world. We come to be re-membered into the Body of Christ and remember who Christ is and through this rediscover who we are and what we are called to do.
We are servants, the hands and feet of Christ. We remember who we are and the message we proclaim that Jesus is the Savior of the world and whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
Let us remember then as we join together in our Holy Thursday sacrament of Holy Communion. Please turn to page 13 in your hymnals.
