Brief Thoughts on Maundy Thursday 2020

Image credit: Last Supper by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese

The Passover with the Disciples Matthew 26:17-30 (NRSV)

17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve;[a] 21 and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Footnotes:

a Other ancient authorities add disciples

b Other ancient authorities add new

Some readers may not be aware of the word Maundy. There are actually three possible origins of the word. Perhaps the most widely held view is that it comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning “command,” as in Jesus giving his disciples a new commandment to love one another as recorded in John chapter thirteen on the last Thursday evening of Jesus’ life on this earth. Others think it may come from another Latin word mundo, meaning “wash,” as in Jesus washing his disciples’ feet on the last Thursday of his earthly life. A third possibility may be that it originated from the word maund, meaning “basket,” as in providing food baskets for the poor on this day.

    Maundy Thursday this year is certainly the saddest one that I can recall. Indeed, it may go down in the annals of church history as one of the most tragic ones of all time. Maundy Thursday, of coarse, is best celebrated in the community of faith—since our identity as Christians is collective. This year, Christians around the globe will not be gathering together because of the coronavirus.

    This year, as we celebrate Maundy Thursday alone in our homes, we are mindful of a couple very sobering realities. This day, just as centuries ago when the ancient Israelites celebrated the first Passover, the angel of death passed over their homes that had doorposts marked with the blood of a lamb. Tragically, because of the oppressive policies of the Egyptians, many of their people died. This Maundy Thursday, many people around the world will likely die of COVID-19. Some of the people who die today may be our friends, neighbours, members of our faith community, and even family members.

    So there is sorrow and grief in our lives this Maundy Thursday knowing that this was Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples; and knowing that for some people whom we love it may be their Last Supper too. In this context, we are in a state of lamentation; lamenting the loss of opportunity to gather together as a faith community to celebrate Maundy Thursday; lamenting the sorrow of that first Maundy Thursday which was our Lord’s Last Supper; lamenting the sorrow and tragic deaths of those who have died; who will die soon; and who are now suffering from the coronavirus.

    Be that as it is, we can celebrate Maundy Thursday in our homes by choosing to remember the great love Jesus had (and still has) for his disciples and for all future followers of Jesus down through the centuries up until today—including you and I. Focussing on Matthew’s account of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus taking bread, giving thanks to God, and then commanding his disciples to take and eat it, gives a new meaning to the bread. It becomes his body. Just as bread is a life-giving food for our physical body; so the body of Jesus is life-giving spiritually. By giving up his body in love for the whole world when he suffered and died on the cross; we have the gift of spiritual life; the promise of eternal life.

    After taking the cup of wine and blessing it, Jesus commanded his disciples to take it and drink from it, saying that it was his blood of the [new] covenant, which forgives sins. Blood is the symbol of life. Just as the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of the Israelites saved them from death; so the blood of Jesus shed on the cross saved humankind by forgiving sin and promising life-eternal.

    Then Jesus tells his disciples that he will not drink with them again until the life-to-come at the Messianic banquet in God’s realm.

    So, this Holy Meal is the Lord’s Supper because he is the One who instituted it; and he is the One who is present both as the Host and Guest of Honour. We also refer to the sacrament as Holy Communion—emphasising that the holiness of it is due to Jesus’ presence with us in, with and under the elements of bread and wine. The word communion also emphasises that we celebrate the sacrament together with other members of the faith community—hence the sacrament draws us closer to Jesus and one another. In addition to this, we refer to the sacrament as the Eucharist. The word comes from the Greek, meaning “to give thanks.” We are most grateful for what God does for us through Jesus in this Holy Meal—forgiving our sins, being present with us, and promising the gift of eternal life where we will eat and drink at the heavenly Messianic Banquet.

    With hope and longing, we anticipate the time when the plague/the COVID-19 pandemic is over and we can gather together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper with one another—not in virtual space, rather, in real, physical presence.

    Until then, in the midst of this sombre time of suffering and death, let us do as Jesus and his disciples did to lift their spirits and ours. Matthew tells us they sang a hymn. I encourage you dear readers to do likewise. For as Martin Luther once observed; next to the Word of God music is God’s wonderful gift to humankind.