Maundy Thursday

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[1 Corinthians 11:24-26] “…and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

[John 13:34-35] “…A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“Do This in Remembrance of Me”

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” Jesus instituted Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, on a Thursday night – the night He and His disciples celebrated and ate the Jewish Passover meal together.

Passover was a meal of roasted lamb eaten in remembrance of God’s work of saving the Israelites, the Hebrews, from slavery in Egypt and from the death of their firstborn – many centuries before, as recorded in the book of Exodus.

And Passover, as God intended it, was a teaching moment from parents to their children. Moses gave the people God’s instructions regarding the Passover, then told them, “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” [Exodus 12:26-27] 

In other words, as the dads prepared that meal year-after-year, eventually, as the children got older, they would start to pay attention, and wonder, and ask, “Why do dad and mom do this?” 

Why? To remember. To remember God’s work of salvation. “In remembrance of that day when death passed over our houses because the blood of the lamb was on or doorposts. And then God did more! He brought us through the parted Red Sea and delivered us from our slavery.” They remembered, gave thanks, and believed when they ate that meal.

On the night when Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples, He taught them about the greater salvation which He was about to accomplish by giving His own Body and Blood on the cross – to die, to offer Himself up, as the true Passover Lamb – to die for the sins of His people – to become “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” [John 1:29] – to save us from eternal death.

Jesus, therefore, instituted that night this new and true Supper to replace the old Passover. This new Supper in which we receive the true Lamb, Jesus Himself, as our food and drink – for our soul and faith – to sustain us on the way – Him making Himself the true and present remembrance of what He has done for us.

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” If your sons and daughters, young or old, ask you, “Dad, Mom, why do you do this?” What would your answer be? What are you remembering in this meal?

This Supper is not just an occasion for past memories – nor are the bread and wine mere symbols of what Jesus did for us – but Jesus is truly present, living, His body and blood, in and with this bread and wine. As we truly receive Him, we remember Him.

We remember that the Son of God has become our Bread of Life [John 6:35]. We remember that we are sinners who need the Lamb who is slain for our offenses – that we were enslaved by sin and darkness, until our Savior Jesus set us free – that we were held captive by death, but our Savior Jesus has conquered death.

We remember – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

And, brothers and sisters, Jesus made it clear on that night in which He instituted this Supper, in His long conversation with His disciples that night [John 13-17], that, in this meal, you have one more thing to remember:  To love one another as He has loved you. With this Supper of His New Covenant comes also the life of His New Commandment.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” 

Remember how He has loved – in His agony and bloody sweat – in giving His back to the whips – in giving His beard to be pulled out – in giving His face to be spit upon – in the beatings, the mocking, and in the piercing of the nails through His hands and feet – in the crown of thorns on His head —  

— in His prayer for the forgiveness of those who did these things to Him – in suffering this for His disciple who denied Him – and in giving His life for all, for you and I, who have truly sinned against Him, by sinful thoughts, sinful words, and sinful deeds.

Remember how He gave everything for you – and forgive each other from the heart. Forgive – not just friends, but people who have really wronged you. Take up that cross and forgive as He has forgiven. Love each other from the heart.

This love, lived, teaches: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Remember that this night in which Jesus instituted this Supper is the same night in which He took up a towel and a basin like a servant and washed His disciples’ feet: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example.” [John 13:13-15]. Remember His example.

Feet are gross. So is sin, and that’s what Jesus was talking about. “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…” [John 13:10]

You are all clean because you are bathed in baptism – But we all still come here with dirt, with sin, clinging on our feet. Remember Jesus who stayed, who stooped down, plunged His hands in that water, and washed His disciples’ dirty, unpleasant feet.

Remember, and therefore bear with one another. Wash their dirt from your vision – because this same body and blood was given into death for their sins.

As you gather around one body and one blood, remember that you are all called the body of Christ. “Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

That means recognizing this bread as the body of Jesus and treating it as such, with all the respect owed to His body. And it means recognizing these imperfect people as the body of Jesus and treating each other as such, with the respect owed to Jesus’ body – not because of each other’s works or merit, but because of Jesus.

“Let us recall” – let us remember – “that in our midst Dwells Christ, His only Son; As members of His body joined We are in Him made one.”

“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” [1 Corinthians 11:28]. There is a lot that goes into teaching and training the young people to prepare them for this very serious Supper.

There’s the doctrine of this Supper, that it is Christ’s body and blood, which must be believed. There’s instruction in the faith to come together in unity of belief. Instruction in the Ten Commandments, to examine ourselves to come in purposeful repentance. Instruction in the knowledge of the Gospel, to come for forgiveness.

There’s the development and maturing of the heart and mind to be able to “discern”, and to “do this”, thoughtfully and purposefully.

And there’s the instilling of this new commandment in them, to love and forgive as they are loved and forgiven by Jesus. What we teach others, let us remember to do ourselves.

Finally, let’s remember that the Lord alone is perfect. He forgives the imperfect, me and you. So, let’s set the example of coming to Him for our forgiveness in this Supper. Amen.