Mark 14:22-24
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.
Maundy Thursday was the setting for the last supper, the final upper-room moment between Jesus and his closest friends. Maundy means “commandment” and represents the final commandments that Jesus offered his disciples around that table (John 14-16). The Eucharist that we hold in our hands today is linked to the bread and the cup that Jesus’ held that Thursday night. He was foreshadowing what was to come, preparing his family and friends for a weekend they never imagined. What those disciples were looking into we have the privilege of looking back upon—the tearing, breaking, piercing, spilling. It’s easier to remember than to internalize. It’s easier to recall what Jesus did on our behalf than to enter into a lifestyle of dying for the sake of others. The Messiah attracted many spectators, but only a few tasted the brokenness and followed.
God, how many times have I held the bread and the cup, and simply “remembered”? Forgive me for all of the ways that I choose to observe rather that engage. Run the cross through the center of my life, crucify me that I may live. Thank you for emptying yourself that sin might not have the last word. May my life reflect your sacrifice. In Christ’s name. Amen.
(Join us for our church-wide fast, from 7pm Thursday to 7pm Friday, water and juice only, we’ll break the fast together at the communion table in our Good Friday service)