Maundy Thursday Reflection
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26).
This verse is part of the epistle reading for Maundy Thursday. The verse comes from Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper to the Corinthian church. I think it is interesting that Paul writes that when we eat this meal we "proclaim" something significant.
When the disciples gathered around the traditional Passover meal they proclaimed the primary surprise found in the Old Testament - that God is on the side of the enslaved. Most of the world believed that god or the gods were obviously on the side of powerful rulers like Pharaoh. The Passover meal proclaims that God is the one who hears the cries of the broken and is symbolized most fully in the sacrificial lamb.
The Lord's Supper proclaims the great surpise of the Gospels - that the Lord and Messiah is a suffering servant. I'm not sure we are able to fully appreciate the power of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. When we eat this meal we are proclaiming that the love of the Lamb is the defining characteristic of the followers of Jesus.
But we proclaim this meal until he comes. I believe the third great surprise of the scripture is when the Revelator discovers that the Lion of Judah who is worthy to open the scroll of history is the Lamb that was slain. I am one who believes that Revelation teaches us that the Lion is forever the Lamb. It is difficult for us to imagine that love can and will ultimatey overcome evil with good, but we keep eating this meal as our way of proclaiming that self-giving love is the center of all things - until he comes and his kingdom is established on earth as it is in heaven.
"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
I've been doing some thinking this week after reading (a very good) issue this month of Atlantic Monthly, which deals with religion in America and the world. One of the more insightful things I read was this quote from John Wesley:
“I do not see how it is possible, in the nature of things, for any true revival of true religion to continue long. For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger and love of the world in all its branches.”
It's another way of looking at your point, that "God is on the side of the enslaved." The difficulty is in not losing focus on God when I'm not enslaved. Wesley explains the tension well--what the solution is, though, I'm not sure.
As an aside, the magazine also has interesting reading on our suburban way of life, which for many reasons will likely be disappearing over the next 40 years. It's not the first time I've read/heard this, and I believe it's right. Upon reflection, I'm not sure I'll miss the suburbs much either. One of my thoughts was of all the talk I heard growing up in Bethany Church (Sierra Madre) in the '70s about missions to the "inner city." I guess later generations will have a heart for the lost and needy in the "outlying areas."
Posted by: Chris Johnson | March 21, 2008 at 11:34 AM