March 6, 2022
Momentous Moment in History
The Bible teaches us that God plans well. During the
last days before his crucifixion, Jesus executed a careful plan to celebrate
the Passover in secrecy with his disciples.
His
plan unfolds like a John Grisham novel. Peter and John are sent to prepare the
room for the supper, though the location is unknown even to them. They learn
the location by finding and following a man carrying a jar of water on his
head. The man led the two disciples to a home with a large upper room. Peter
and John found everything just as Jesus said it would be.
Preparing
the meal was not an easy task. The Passover lamb had to be roasted. Unleavened
bread, without yeast, (matzah) had to be baked. In addition, they had to secure
a bowl of salt water (to remind them of the tears of slavery), bitter herbs
(reminding them of the bitterness of slavery), a sauce made of fruit, nuts, and
wine (charoset). Peter may have said to John, “We could have used Martha’s help
with all this!”
The
meal was ready when Jesus and the other disciples arrived. As they began to
eat, what Jesus said saddened their hearts. Rather bluntly, Jesus said that one
of them would betray him. One by one, the disciples asked the sobering question,
“Is it I?” Since none of the disciples said, “Say it isn’t so, Judas!,” we may assume they did not understand that Judas
was the betrayer, even though Jesus intimated the traitor was Judas.
The meal they shared that night is what the church
calls “the institution of the Lord’s Supper.” Jesus takes the bread and, after
giving thanks, he gives it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my
body.” Then he takes the cup, and again giving thanks, he passes the cup among
them saying, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for
many.”
With these words, Jesus gave rich, new meaning to the
traditional Passover meal. On that historic night, a new covenant superseded
the old covenant. The new covenant signaled the arrival of the Kingdom, which
offered a new relationship between God and his people. Jesus was the new Lamb
of God; henceforth no other lambs would need be slain. Since that momentous
moment in history, the followers of Christ have celebrated this meal in
obedience to his command, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As Christians of many traditions, we have our
differences about the meaning of Holy Communion and the rudiments of serving
it. However, without question, the Lord’s Supper remains the central worship
experience of Christendom. There is general agreement that in the observance of
the Lord’s supper, the living Christ is present, so we can joyfully sing, “He
is here, Hallelujah!” He is the Host of the meal, and lay and clergy alike are
blessed by this sweet communion with our Lord. With sobering gratitude, we
sing, “He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own; He bore the
burden to Calvary, and suffered, and died alone.” Again, and again, we remember
His sacrifice for our sins!
Often wonderful experiences occur as we partake of
the holy sacrament. It stirs the sensitive soul to hear, as you take the bread
and the cup, the solemn words, “Jesus died for you.” Many times, as a pastor, I
have had someone kneeling at the altar to look into my eyes, their own eyes
filled with tears, and say words like Catherine said one time, “Please ask the
Lord to heal my broken heart.”
I am uncertain about some things, but I am absolutely
confident that the living Christ has healed many broken hearts during Holy
Communion. Believe this: Our Risen Lord is ready to graciously meet all our
needs when, accepting his invitation and repenting of our sins, we meet Him at
His Table. + + +