Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-15, 34-35 & 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

St. John wrote at the beginning of this evening’s Gospel,

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

This is an intimate statement, “Having loved his own who were in the world.”

“His own”

From this, one can surmise that there are those individuals who do not share in Christ Jesus and who are not His.

But these words also speak to the exclusiveness of being a disciple of Jesus, which conflicts with today’s world, where everything is to be inclusive. But is anyone or anything ever truly “inclusive?”

Can anyone simply enter your home unannounced, make themselves comfortable, and take a place at your table for supper?

Absolutely not, because the table is reserved for the family or invited guests. It’s a place of intimacy, where there is trust among those who converse, and the deepest matters of life and faith are discussed, prayer and supplication are made on behalf of the family, and Jesus is revealed in the breaking of the bread.

For this reason, the table is a sacred place.

Likewise, the table before the Lord’s altar is also a sacred place set aside for Christ’s body and blood. In fact, it’s His table where His meal is served; for this reason, the meal has been called “The Lord’s Supper.”

He is the one who prepares the meal. He invites us to partake, but only if we are His.

As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread… You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 21, KJV)

The word communion here comes from the Greek word Koinonia, which means fellowship, proof of unity, and the intimacy of a shared confession of faith.

This shared confession is confessed externally as we partake of the bread and receive from the one cup because this meal is a familial meal among brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

For this reason, Paul warns not to participate in a table of demons and pagan worshipers. Meaning you cannot worship and participate in a table of unbelievers as the world does.

You cannot have it both ways; you cannot be a child of the devil and a child of God. Where you eat and partake of this holy meal instituted by Christ confesses whose family and table you belong to.

Sadly, this understanding can rip the earthly family apart because the world does not appreciate the exclusivity of being God’s children. We no longer fear nor respect evil, let alone the judgment of God.

But what did Paul say in this evening’s Gospel?

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord... For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27,29)

These are legal declarations of sin and disobedience, the breaking of God’s Word, where the bonds and unity of God’s table are broken.

This not only happens when we commune at another table of another church, or someone approaches this table unworthily, or another confession, but it also occurs when we approach the table of the Lord without first being made worthy.

So, where does worthiness begin?

The Small Catechism states,

“That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’”

But what about the forgiveness of sin between the brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus?

Jesus said,

“If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Where there is no forgiveness, there is no unity and no family.

It’s for this reason, Jesus says in tonight’s Gospel,

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

How did Jesus love you? He loved you by humbling Himself to the point of death upon the cross to grant you His forgiveness and His life.

Likewise, you are to have this same form of humility and love among one another.

It begins where the benefits of Christ’s cross are present for you now: at the Lord’s table, the place of true fellowship and love for one another - the forgiveness of sin.

You see, this table is where we as a family are intimately and exclusively connected beyond human understanding, carrying the burdens of one another’s life, rejoicing with the brother who has been reconciled, and crying with your sister who grieves.

It’s the location where faith’s deepest conversations occur, and prayers and supplications are made on behalf of you, God’s family. Because it’s where Jesus continues to be revealed in the breaking of the bread, and the joys of heaven are present, even now.

All because Jesus loved you, His own, to the end. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI