Reading Luke Together #42 – Maundy Thursday/Jesus’ Intense Desire
Luke 22 narrates the solemn mystery of Jesus’ last night before his crucifixion. He’s not alone. He is with his disciples, although we are haunted by the idea that “Satan entered Judas, who was one of the twelve.” One of Jesus’ closest friends and followers lets the world, even evil (which looked like what was good to Judas, or he wouldn’t have done what he did!) sneak in to his heart and actions – a warning to all of us.
Preparations are made for the Passover meal. Jesus and co. will be using somebody’s room, someone’s house. I wonder about the ways we might rethink where we live and envision the space as hosting Jesus. I wonder if all our meals where we live might be understood mystically as re-enacting Jesus’ meals with his friends – for that is what all our meals actually are!
The Passover was (and is!) a festive multi-course meal celebrating what God did (delivering Israel from Egypt), and anticipating what God can and will do. It’s a long, joyful repast – although Jesus is in a more somber mood. His opening words once they’ve gathered move me: “How intensely I have desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer!” (verse 15). We might come to the Lord’s table, especially on Maundy Thursday, will an intense desire, a hopeful passion!
You probably picture the pastor (me maybe!) tearing a loaf of bread in half at table, as you should. When Jesus broke the bread, it was the matzot, the unleavened bread, which would more literally break, with a snap you could hear. That matzot was the “bread of affliction,” reminding Jews of the bread they ate in the wilderness which had no yeast, which they didn’t pack when they hurried out of Egypt. Jesus thought of that affliction – and I also suspect as he looked at that broken bread, similar in color to his skin, if he had a haunting glimpse of what would happen to his body soon. When he peered down into the cup of red wine, did he get a similar premonition of his own blood being shed soon?
{I love the image in this email, from Sieger Köder – seeing the Last Supper from Jesus’ perspective.}
What Jesus was giving them by being with them and passionately sharing in that sacred meal was nothing less than his self, his heart, his life and love. The disciples had to be dizzyingly confused… but they knew the moment was weighty, and they knew from that moment on that whatever it meant, they would forever be bonded with him.
We speak of following Jesus, or sticking close to Jesus. When I hand you a piece of bread, I try to picture me handing Jesus to you – and in that moment he is so very close to you.
He’s in your hands!! And then you take it into your mouth, and down into your body. You just can’t get any closer, can you? You are what you eat? When we share in this meal, we know we please Jesus, since he said “Do this.” We also come our closest to Jesus. We actually have now him living in me, in you, and in us.
Of course, when the Passover was over, they didn’t go to sleep, or go home. No. Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives to pray, to ask God to give him a reprieve from the horrible suffering to come, and yet to say Yes, I’ll do your will – while his friends fell asleep, then trembled in fear and even denied him. There’s the mercy: Jesus doesn’t excommunicate them. He loves. He understands. He goes forward for them, and for God. Beautiful. And hopeful. And causing me at least to try to have a little more courage in sticking close to him.