Matthew 26:26-30
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus gathered with his disciples for the passover seder meal, special time when Jews remembered God’s delivery of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
When the bread was lifted up at Passover, the head of the meal said: “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let everyone who hungers come and eat; let everyone who is needy come and eat the Passover meal.” During the Passover meal, every bite had symbolic meaning. The bitter herbs recalled the bitterness of slavery; the salt water remembered the tears shed under Egypt’s oppression. The main course of the meal – a lamb freshly sacrificed for that particular household was meant to remember the lamb’s blood spread across the doors of every household in order that they may be spared for the plague of the angel of death.
If you want to understand the story of the delivery of God’s people from Egypt, turn to the book of Exodus in the Bible, read chapters 8-13, focusing on chapter 13.
Consider the passover meal when you think of Jesus and his disciples eating together. Jesus didn’t give the normal explanation of the meaning of each of the foods. He reinterpreted them so that the meaning turned from God’s delivery from Egypt to God’s delivery from sin.
As the bread was broken, Jesus declared that it was his body, the bread symbolized that Jesus, the Bread of Life, would soon be broken for the delivery of humanity from sin.
As the wine was blessed, Jesus said. “This is my blood of the covenant.” What was he talking about? He was telling the disciples that Jesus, the lamb of God, would shed his blood for us. The spotless lamb whose blood was painted on the doorways of the Israelites in Egypt in order to be delivered was replaced by the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Maundy Thursday is the day we remember Jesus' last supper, the newly revised passover meal, with his disciples. We usually observe this day by sharing communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, we will not be meeting for that this year. Instead, let’s read part of our communion liturgy in order to remember Christ’s sacrifice of love in order to deliver us from sin:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image
and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity,
made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through the prophets.
And so, with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come
when you would save your people.
He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection
you gave birth to your Church,
delivered us from slavery to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant
by water and the Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus ascended,
he promised to be with us always,
in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us,
he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me."
And so,
in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God,
now and forever. Amen.
Pray: Lord, you sacrificed your life for me, to deliver me from slavery to sin and death. As I remember your gift of great love today, I am humbled at your act of salvation. Thank you. Amen.
