Sidney UMC - Maundy/Holy Thursday - 04/01/21 - Sermon - “2,000 Years Later!”

Maundy/Holy Thursday 4/01/21 - 6 pm - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:            “2,000 Years Later!”                          

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19                                        

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Gospel Lesson: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

On this night, almost two-thousand years ago, Jews from all over the then Roman Empire were in Jerusalem. These Jews and others from all over the then Roman Empire were in Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday or festival of the Passover. The holiday of the Passover is the one where the Jews in the Book of Exodus celebrate leaving slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt through the Red Sea, and then receiving of the Law of God, including the 10-Commandments.

The Passover holiday traditionally goes on for a week. During the Passover holiday Jews celebrate a Seder dinner. This dinner includes various things such as egg, bitter herbs, lamb, and etc., as explained in the Book of Exodus. The Passover holiday commemorates when death “passed over” the houses of the Jews while in slavery in Egypt, as well. The Jews were instructed to kill a pure, white, spotless lamb, and to smear the blood of that lamb over their doorposts and lintels. The blood of the lamb would save their first-born child, and thus death would “Passover” there first born (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV).

Further, during Jesus’ life the Passover happened only in Jerusalem, because this is where the great temple of God was. Further, the Jews had been celebrating Passover long before and Jesus and his disciples arrived on this earth. Tonight, we pick up with this Holy Week on this our Maundy or Holy Thursday. On this night we are in the Upper Room with Jesus and his disciples sharing what we still call almost two-thousand years later, “The Last Supper”. This Last Supper is a Jewish Passover Seder. We have every reason to believe that Jesus and his disciples ate the other Passover foods, as well, but we tend to hon in on what Jesus does at this supper with the bread and a cup of wine.

In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us specifically of this night in the Upper Room, this Last Supper. In our reading for tonight from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, it says of the bread and cup:

^“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that 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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”                            (1 Cor. 11:23-26, NRSV).

On this night almost two-thousand years ago, Jesus sits with the disciples, his friends, and he tells them that he is the new Passover. The lambs that were slain in Egypt, so that death would Passover there first born, have now all turned into him. He is the new sacrificial lamb, and his body, like the bread, and his blood, like the cup will be broken and poured as an offering for all of humanity. This new covenant or agreement is not like the old covenant or law of Moses, as this covenant is established through the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Christ dying on the cross, tomorrow on Good Friday, protects not just the first born for a night, but all of humanity past, present, and future, forever. All we need to do is repent of our sins and turn to Jesus Christ, and eternal death will pass us over.

What Jesus is telling his disciples almost two-thousand years ago on this night, is that the bread and cup represent what will happen to him tomorrow on Good Friday. I do not think at this point that his disciples fully understand this, or fully understand why Jesus took bread and wine and said this to them. Yet they soon will understand this sacrament, this gift of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. In fact, as my sermon title says, “2,000 Years Later” we will still celebrate Holy Communion or the Lords Supper.

So, as we see once again in our Gospel of John reading for tonight, Jesus is in the Upper Room with his disciples. Yet our Gospel of John reading does not mention the Last Supper, but the other three gospels do. This gospel does talk about how Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and Jesus still offered him communion.

While our Gospel of John reading once again does not talk about the Last Supper itself, it is implied as the scripture says that Jesus got up from the table. Clearly this table, was the table of the Last Supper. Jesus then washes the feet of his disciples, and Peter wants no part of this initially. Jesus then gives his disciples a new commandment, to love each other. Jesus says that the world will know that we are his disciples by the love that we have for one another.

This day of Holy Week is generally either called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. I generally call today Maundy/Holy Thursday. Why do I do this? The term Maundy Thursday connects to the end of the Gospel of John reading for tonight, where Jesus once again gives his disciples a new commandment to love each other.

In fact, in Latin the word “Mandatum,” means commandment or mandate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday). In English “Mandatum” translates to Maundy. So “Maundy Thursday,” emphasizes Jesus’ commandment or mandate that we should all love each other, as Jesus modeled for us.

Holy Thursday, however, historically more emphasizes Holy Communion and the washing of the feet. I call today Maundy/Holy Thursday, as I think that this whole night and its events are important. The Last Supper or Holy Communion is important. The washing of the feet and the commandment or the Maundy to love each other is important to.

          On this night, this Last Supper, we receive Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, we receive the example of the washing of the feet, and commandment, mandate, or Maundy, to love each other.

          One of the reasons that we have our Sharing the Peace of Christ portion of our church service after the washing of the feet or hands in this case, is because that’s when Jesus gave us the commandment or the Maundy to love each other. Normally during the sharing of the peace of Christ we can shake hands, hug, etc. Right now, because of the Pandemic all we can do is stand and wave, but we can still love each other.

          So tonight, on this Maundy/Holy Thursday, Jesus and his disciples eat the Passover Seder, Jesus institutes Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper with the bread and wine. Jesus washes the feet and gives us the Maundy or the commandment to love each other. As my sermon title says, even “2,000 Years Later” will still tell this story, we still partake of Holy Communion, we still do the washing, and we still love each other. Friends, Happy Maundy/Holy Thursday! Amen.