Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday
Notes
Transcript
We just ended our hymn quite oddly. We left out the climactic finish to this hymn. With ceaseless voice they cry… what? What? What do they cry?
In each of the gospels there is an equally climactic promise from Jesus- that He will always be with us. But then He leaves. He ascends. How do we hold those things together? The God whose name ‘Immanuel’ means God with us but then leaves. Lutherans embrace the awkward tension. The church has always done this.
St John Chrysostom, a 4th century bishop of Constantinople said this about communion.
For what is the bread? The Body of Christ. And what do they become who partake of it? The Body of Christ: not many bodies, but one body.
Communion is about being ONE body. With each other. With our God.
What is this?
What is this?
Exodus 24 records a unified Israel (for once) standing before Moses, their elders, and most importantly YHWH ratifying a covenant.
In short this covenant is summed up all the way back in chapter 6 of Exodus, before the, exodus from Egypt:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
A demonstration of what it means to be the people of God is to follow the statues and rules of God. From Exodus chapters 19-24 we have an exposition of the law in 7 parts. These form the habitus, the pattern of living, for the citizens of Israel.
The Symbol and the Saints
The Symbol and the Saints
Where this gets interesting is in verse 4
And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
He sets up this symbolic thing where all the twelve tribes of Israel are represented in stones around an altar to God.
In verse 6 he takes the blood from the sacrifices and throws half of it on the Altar.
Then rather than throwing the blood at the stones, the symbol of Israel what does he do?
And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
It’s no symbol. It is the same blood that is on the Altar of God that is now ON THE PEOPLE. It is FOR THEM.
-The symbol is right there. Moses could’ve splashed the blood on the stones but he put it on the people.
Then, in verse 9-11 you see an even stronger connection-
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
They ate and drank with GOD!
In the OT - rarely do you have a theophany an encounter with God and have it be a GOOD thing. But here it is.
Recap: the people have been covered in the actual blood of the covenant and then they journey up to go see God and Eat and Drink with Him.
The later Saints
The later Saints
A lot of times in the church you hear conversations about ‘the early church’ what they did and how we should be like them. I don’t think they’re wrong- they just didn’t go far enough back.
I think the early church was Moses and the 12 tribes of Israel and I believe this is what Paul and the not so early church thought too.
So by the time we read 1 Corinthians 10:16 we should have a vivid image in our mind - something like what we saw from Exodus.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
When you come up here the scriptures point us to a real event, not just a hollow ritual. The Israelites repeatedly relived the Passover, the covenant of deliverance.
This is what Jesus is doing in Mark 14 - re-delivering the passover - the deliverance from death.
The Passover of Christ
The Passover of Christ
Marks gospel does not make it clear what the bread and the wine were. It’s a narrative.
And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
It’s easy to read too much into this passage. Catholics and Lutherans want to say LOOK IS MEANS IS!!!
Except this was likely said in Aramaic and the verb ‘to be’ wasn’t necessary and may not have been said at all.
However, when you look at John 6 you get a different picture. Jesus has just fed 5000 when he says:
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
Thats fine. Still bread. Good. Significant bread but just bread.
Then Jesus doubles down:
For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Ok. maybe there’s something more-
This sets up this crazy exchange with some grumbling Jews in v 51 because He said “I am the bread of life”
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
My question here is - where is the symbol? What is he referring to? At this point in the story of Jesus either His flesh is a symbol of bread or the bread is a symbol of His flesh OR maybe, just maybe, it’s both. Maybe there is something bigger than just bread and body.
This confuses the people that heard it- like it does us. So, Jesus becomes quite literal and quite clear.
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
For 500 years we have used the words “real or true presence” in regards to the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Somehow, some way, Christ is bodily present in with and under the bread and the wine.
I love those who have differing views than us, and I get it. Here’s where we stand though.
We’re not catholics, Jesus didn’t just then decide to turn a loaf of bread into his arm nor a bottle of wine into a vase of blood. This denies an objective reality.
We’re not baptists or presbyterians- Jesus doesn’t promise that we must conjure him in our minds or hold him in our hearts. This is too subjective.
We are sacramental. The scriptures talk about Jesus as God with us.
Recalling the Moses story, Paul in Corinth sees Communion as a meal with God.
Immanuel means God with us. Why would he ever stop residing with you?
Objectively Jesus is present. Objectively bread and wine are present. It does not depend on your perspective. Jesus has finished the work.
This meal is our deliverance meal. In it we receive Jesus. The one who delivers us from Sin, Death and the Devil.
When we offer communion at church- it is the main thing. It’s a big deal.
The prayers, the liturgy around this holy meal are not said because I like them and think they’re pretty. They’re pretty hard and time consuming. It’s because when God shows up we act accordingly.
I’ll leave you with this image. Think of a dearly loved member of your family or friendships that is not here. Would you rather remember a loved one? Have a strong symbol of them in your house? A favorite sweater, their beloved pancake recipe? Or, would you rather have them bodily with you?
And lo I am with you always declares the lord.
Jesus promises to be with us. In Communion, and in His edible word, He is. Amen.