Maundy Thursday, Facts About The Passover.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.

28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

29 I tell you; I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Maundy Thursday, our Last Supper.

Introduction

Maundy Thursday is the day we remember and celebrate the Last Supper; the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. It is recorded many times in the New Testament, and it occurs on the Thursday of what the church calls Holy Week, the last week in the life of Jesus.

It is a pivotal event which happened in either the year AD 30 or AD 33, (the jury is still out on that one), regardless however … it is the most talked about week in the history of mankind. … In fact, it has been estimated that about a third of all the events that we have recorded in New Testament concerning Jesus, occurred during Holy week and that quite amazing.

On that Maundy Thursday, back then, the disciples gathered in a home, (of whom we are not sure), but we do know that it had a furnished second floor, and tradition has it, it may have been the house of John Mark's mother – you know, the author of Mark's Gospel. Maybe!

So why did they gather, for a meal? … Well, it wasn’t any old meal, it was the Passover meal itself, (one of the highlights of the Jewish Passover festival), and this meal was ingrained in the life of the Jewish nation just as much as our Christmas dinner.

Passover History

Now this Passover meal, commemorated the time when the Jews were in slavery in Egypt, and we all know the story of how Moses had warned Pharaoh to let his people go, and how Pharaoh refused, and by doing so, God sent one plague after another until the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborns in Egypt … that is, except for the Jews, where the death somehow passed over them.

So, the Passover meal itself, was a symbolic representation; reminding the Jews of the sufferings of their forefathers, and the nations deliverance by the intervention and power of God. Now the food severed and eaten during that Passover meal were also symbolic of representing the Jews of their captivity in Egypt. For example,

1. The word for lamb 'Pesach', (for Passover) applies to the Lamb of sacrifice, as well as to their deliverance from Egypt.

2. The Unleavened bread (or Matzoh) meaning the “bread of affliction", because it recalls the unleavened bread prepared for the hasty flight by night, from Egypt.

3. The bitter herbs, (Moror), is a reminder of the bitterness of slavery and suffering in Egypt.

4. The green herbs which were dipped in salt water, are too represents the tears of sorrow shed during the captivity; remember we use parsley last time.

5. Haroseth, - a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine, representing the mortar used by Jews in building palaces and pyramids of Egypt during their slavery.

6. And wine from a common bowl, because there were four acts of drinking wine during the Seder feast – which is known as the 'Four Cups" … if you remember, they are: 1. Thanksgiving,

2. the Hagadah ('the telling of the Passover story'),

3. the Blessing, and the

4. Melchisedek (meaning 'righteousness').

Sacraments

And this was the basis of our Seder Meal two years ago, a similar meal to what Jesus and the disciples would had in that upper room that night … and it was at the conclusion of that meal that Jesus himself gave us two symbols which the Episcopal and Anglican church derived two Sacraments. The first is the obvious, our Communion, or Eucharist, and the second is our … baptism.