Today, on Maundy Thursday, we heed the haunting words of John the Baptizer, who saw Jesus and said, “See the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Today we remember that first passover night back in Egypt, when death did not have its way with God’s chosen people. Passover, if it is anything at all, is a life and death tale.
And it is in the feast of passover that Jesus washes the feet of the one who will betray him, and rips apart the bread while he says “this is my body that is for you”. “This cup is a new covenant in my blood” he tells them as he pours out and passes the wine. As we say so often at the communion table, “Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed for us.”
Here we come to the heart of the matter, to realities of life and death, his and ours. To the table tonight we can only come broken, sin-scarred, and repentant. We come to the table headed for death, hallowing this night on which Jesus was betrayed. Judas, yes, but all of them to be honest, and all of us.
Many recent communion liturgies have changed the word “betrayed” to “arrested”. The Lord Jesus, on the night he was arrested…. “Arrest” is administered by external authorities. “Betrayal” discloses a a breach among family and friends. Paul tells us that “Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread and broke it and gave it” to who? To the betrayers.
Christ’s greatest wound of all is administered by friends, not Roman executioners or religious opponents.
You and I, we cannot come to this table tonight any other way but broken. This is a table of only for sinners, for betrayers, for penitents who know well more than anything else their trespasses. t’s no wonder, then, that historically this is the moment when those identified by the Church as “penitents”, who have been separated from the church and doing penance since Ash Wednesday, are reconciled to the community. On the night Jesus was betrayed, sinners are welcomed back. Here is the account of a medieval Roman rite:
“The penitents lay prostrate outside the doors of the church. they are barefoot and have unlighted candles in their hands. The bishop sends to the penitents an old deacon who holds a very large, lighted candle. At the door the deacon chants — “Lift your heads. Behold, your redemption is at hand!” and the deacons light the candles of the penitents. The deacon continues, and chants — “Stand now in the silence and listen to what is said.” The deacon turns around and faces the bishop, who is at the communion table and chants — “The acceptable time has come. Now is the forgiveness of sins granted and the welcoming of those reborn in grace. The waters wash. So do tears. Blessed are those who weep, for they will be consoled.”
The bishop then comes out from behind the altar and goes to the door and chants: “Come, come, come children and hear me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” The invitation is repeated twice more, and then the penitents stand. The bishop takes one of them by the hand, and all of them join hands as in a chain. The people, as one, chant: “there is joy among God’s angels when one sinner repents.”
Then the bishop leads them, hand in hand, into the middle of the church. Everyone present then kneels or lies prostrate on the floor as psalms are chanted. Finally the bishop sprinkles the penitents with water and restores them to their baptism, and then leads them to the altar for the holy meal, where the reconciled take off their penitential garments and put on clean clothing. The bishop then says, “Come to the feast prepared for you.” (A Lenten Sourcebook, Liturgy Training Publications).
Whenever we come to Holy Communion, and especially on the holy night before us, you and I are among those penitents. We have no merit on which to stand.And this makes so beautiful, so wonderfully beautiful the welcome of Jesus, who says, “For you, a new covenant in my blood.” Grace abounds for sinners. The penitent find mercy in the wide open arms of God. See Jesus there looking into the eyes of Judas to say, “Come to the feast prepared for you.” Watch Jesus wash Peter’s feet.
As we gather tonight — hope you can join us! — tonight, on the night Jesus was betrayed, he will take the passover wine and bread and give it to us, and tell us that he is God’s passover for us. Come in humility, remembering that Jesus offers his life for us not because we are worthy, or charming, or faithful, successful or strong, but because we are none of those, because each of us in our own ways has betrayed him. As the deacon says to you, “The body of Christ, the blood of Christ, FOR YOU” — remember again that it is not some idea or philosophy or wonderful teaching that we receive from Jesus, but his own suffering and death for us, to set us free from our own slavery to sin and death.
Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Peter Hawkinson
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