The Season of Lent - Maundy Thursday
We remember the Passover Supper that Christ celebrated with His disciples, the night before He was crucified.
Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) is the day that we remember the Last Supper. It is the Thursday immediately preceding Easter. "Maundy" comes from the French word "mande" (meaning "mandate") and has reference to the washing of the Apostles' feet by Christ on Thursday evening before His death, and the institution of the "Eucharist" (i.e. "Lord's Supper", "Last Supper", the Mass, Holy Communion). From the fourth century up to around 1754, a foot-washing ceremony was traditionally practiced by washing the feet of the poor and partaking of the Mass.
The Last Supper was the Passover Supper (or Feast of the Unleaven Bread) eaten by Jesus and His disciples in the upper room:
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.
Luke 22:14-23
The Passover was a remembrance of the way God saved His people, Israel, when they were enslaved in Egypt. An unblemished lamb was used in the Passover meal, which was sacrificed to be eaten. The blood of the lamb was put on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where the lambs were eaten.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:1-13
Jesus said that he eagerly desired to eat that Passover meal with the disciples before he suffered. He explained that He would not eat the Passover meal again until the Passover finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God.
We recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed to pay for our sins (the wages of sin being death and the life of a creature is in the blood). Jesus told His disciples, "This is My Body. This is My Blood." We recognize His Body and Blood in the sacrament of "The Lord's Supper" (or "Holy Communion"), as we take the Bread and Wine. The fulfillment of the Passover meal is the wedding supper of the Lamb.
And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’
Revelation 19:9
The wedding supper refers to the day when Christ Jesus returns to bring His "Bride", the Church, to Himself on the Last Day. The Church refers to the body of believers who are saved through the gift of faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord, as our Savior. From that day for all eternity, the believers of all time will praise God in communion with Him.
