Thursday 09 April 2009
- Bible Book:
- 1 Corinthians
"The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'" (v.23-25)
Background
Today is Maundy Thursday, which is also called Holy Thursday.Today, Christians all around the world will commemorate the LastSupper of Jesus Christ with his disciples. The name 'Maundy' isderived from the Latin word 'mandatum' which means 'commandment'.It was at the Last Supper that Jesus gave the disciples the newcommandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John15:12).
When Paul, the traditional writer of the letter to the Corinthians,was at Corinth, he told the Church the solemn history of theinstitution of the 'supper'. Such a sacred event was utterlyinconsistent with strife and disorder. In the verses before thispassage Paul has rebuked his listeners regarding their divisions -in particular warning them about acting selfishly and disgracingtheir observance of the Lord's Supper (verses 17-22).
Paul, in remembering the events of the night before theCrucifixion, recalls that Jesus was not only executed by a foreignpower but was betrayed by one of his own - a fellow Jew. Thebreaking of the bread and the taking of the wine were importantparts of the Jewish Passover celebration. Jesus took theseimportant images and reminders of Israel's deliverance from Egyptand added to them meanings connected with his own death on theCross for us.
In the recalling of the Last Supper we are reminded that Jesus'body was broken for us, and in drinking the wine we are called toremember the blood of Jesus and the new covenant which would changeour relationship with God. Paul reminds the Church that while theLord's Supper does look back to what Jesus did on the Cross, italso looks forward to the coming of Jesus at the end of time.
To Ponder
What are the divisions in your life, or yourchurch, that need addressing?
If you are a Christian, how do you prepareyourself to receive the bread and wine at the Lord's Table?
How can you change your relationship with Godtoday?