Links:
“My Time Has Come”
The Passover Meal
Texts:
Mark 14:12-26; Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:1-30; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Setting:
Jesus’years of teaching, healing and training his disciples is nearly over. Jesus is ready to enter Jerusalem – the heart of political and religious institutions of power. He entered the city on a donkey with crowds cheering him and waving palm branches. It was the time of the Jewish Passover. A sacred meal that was also known as the Feast of the Unleavened Bread eaten with bitter herbs as it recalled the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
Retelling the story:
What follows is a retelling based on the Biblical narrative. It is a composite rendering based on the accounts in all four Gospels and is an imagined creative reflection.
Sophia reflects:
We were preparing the Passover meal in my home when there was a knock on the door. It had been a busy time for us. Going with my children to cheer the man Jesus as he entered the City riding a donkey was stressful. I heard snatches of conversation on the street that the Governor Pilate had come into residency and that there was talk of arresting Jesus. I wondered if he knew this. Then my husband came home from the Temple quite agitated. Jesus had used a whip to clear the Temple of people buying and selling lambs and doves. He had also chased out the money changers. There had been pandemonium. Tension in the city was high. There were soldiers everywhere.
Now there were two men asking if we would permit them to use our upstairs room for the Passover meal. They claimed that Jesus had sent them. I recognised the two men as friends of Jesus. I let them in and offered my help to prepare the meal. But they seemed to know what they were doing.
I watched them prepare the table and carry jars of water into the room. I stood outside the door and watched as Jesus came in. It surprised me greatly when I saw Jesus kneel and wash the feet of each of his friends. I could see that the men were uncomfortable. Then they sat around the table. Jesus took some bread in his hands, broke it and said “Take this and eat it. This is my body”. Then he picked up a cup of wine, gave thanks to God and said “Take this and drink it. This is my blood. I heard him say that with the bread and wine he was making an agreement with God that many will have their sins forgiven. I was as puzzled as the men round the table.
My next surprise was to hear Jesus say that one of the men seated at the table would betray him tonight. I heard raised voices as each man assured Jesus that it wouldn’t be him. But Jesus continued to repeat the words and said: “The Son of Man will die just as the Scriptures say”.
I left them and slipped away. Little did I realise how his predictions would be played out in the days ahead.
Ponder:
Centuries after that Passover meal, it is memorialised today as Holy Communion or Eucharist or The Lord’s Supper. It continues to be recognised as a sacrament celebrated by Christian communities.
As a Christian how important is Communion to you?