THE NEW PASSOVER
Gospel Reading: John 13:1-15

Jesus rose from the meal and took off his cloak. vv. 3-4

In the midst of observing, with his disciples, the traditional Passover meal of the Jews to celebrate their supernatural deliverance from slavery in Egypt, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. The meal consisted of four cups of wine and three matzos (or unleavened bread); the paschal lamb; haroses (bitter herbs); green herbs dipped in salt water; and moror (a paste of fruit and bitter seasoning).

THE UNCHANGED PART OF THE PASSOVER

The first cup of wine was used in the Kiddish, or opening blessing, and was not the same cup used later as the cup of his blood.

The story of their deliverance was read from Exodus 12 and the meaning of the foods before them was given: Wine - God's providential care from the earth; unleavened bread - their departure in haste; bitter herbs - slavery; moror - the bricks and mortar they made as slaves. Most important was the paschal lamb, a symbol of the lamb eaten in sacrifice and the blood put on doorposts of their houses so the angel of death would "pass over" their houses as God showed his ninth plague to Pharaoh. Jesus kept all this unchanged.

Next was the singing of psalms or songs of thanksgiving. The meal was then solemnly blessed. At this point a second cup of wine was drunk and a matzo broken and eaten along with the above mentioned dishes, except for the lamb. (This was still not the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist.) After the solemn blessing, the paschal meal was eaten in celebration and memorial of the freedom of the Jews from Egypt.

THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

After the supper came a third cup of wine and a second matzo. This was when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. Here, after fulfilling the essence of the Passover meal in obedience to Old Testament Scripture, Jesus used the remainder of the service to symbolize something new: The sacrifice of himself as the eternal Paschal Lamb to bring all people from slavery to sin into spiritual freedom; he gave his own body and blood in death to bring life to all. This was the Christian Eucharist. (At the very end, the fourth cup of blessing was consumed.)

In this event we see our link with: (1) the Jews through Jesus, (2) the Catholic church, and (3) each other in Christ. We thank God for all three realities.

John Michael Talbot

Image: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, in the public domain