The Lord’s Supper - April 17, 2025 - Maundy Thursday - Text: the words of institution (Matt., Mark, Luke, 1 Cor.)

We began Lent forty-three days ago. This year we have been standing at the cross listening to the words of Jesus from the cross. This evening we want to go back to the day before Jesus death on the cross. This evening we want to look at the specific event that happened on that first Maundy Thursday. This evening we come together to celebrate the giving of the Lord’s Supper to His disciples and His Church, to us.
 

The Lord’s Supper is what Jesus gives to us and is taken from His celebration of the Passover with His disciples. We read in Luke (22:7-13), “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’ ‘Where do you want us to prepare for it?’ they asked. He replied, ‘As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.’ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”
 

The Passover meal was for the children of Israel and any foreigner who might be in their midst. This was a meal to remember and celebrate the “passing over” of the angel of death in Egypt when the children of Israel were delivered from their bondage of slavery in Egypt. This meal was meant to remind the children of Israel to keep from straying and sinning, lest they be overtaken and put into bondage again, as happened many times throughout their history.
 

Although this meal was intended for the children of Israel and any foreigner in their midst, when Jesus gave His Supper He gave it only to those of His closest friends. He gave it to those of the same faith. As you read through the accounts of Jesus giving the Lord’s Supper there seems to be some uncertainty concerning whether or not Judas was there at the supper. If Judas was there then we would understand that his partaking of the supper would have been to his judgement as Paul describes in Corinthians. If he had left it would give a better understanding of the importance of faith and understanding of the supper before partaking. Either way, when Jesus institutes and gives His supper and He gives it as a closed communion, a right faith and understanding, recognizing His body and blood, and the added benefit of an agreement of faith.
 

Which brings us to the correct understanding that what Jesus gives us is the Lord’s Supper, that is, it is His Supper which means we do it best, we do it right, when we do it the way in which He has given it to us to do. For example, when you are invited to someone’s house for dinner you do not go in and say, “I do not want to do it the way you are giving it, I want to do it my way.” No, you sit and are given to as the host gives to you. Likewise, at the Lord’s Supper, you do not say, “this is a me and Jesus thing and so I should be allowed to come to your table.” No, instead you come as a poor miserable sinner, desiring to be given Christ’s body and blood and the forgiveness of sins. You do not come with the attitude that it does not matter what you believe, because we all believe something different about this meal, again, that is a “me and Jesus” attitude. No, you come in faith, believing that with the bread you are being given Jesus’ body and with the wine you are being given Jesus’ blood. You come, not to take, but to be given to. You come to receive. The word used, “‘take’ eat,” is the word, “take or receive,” or be given to. We do not take, we are given the Lord’s Supper. We are given His Supper in faith, preparing ourselves and being given in the way in which He gives it, in this way we participate in His death until He comes again.
 

Getting back to Jesus’ celebration of the Passover meal. During the Passover a lamb was selected. It was slaughtered and it was eaten. The blood of the lamb was painted on the doorpost and the lintel of the house, much in the way of making a sign of the cross, to mark the house so the angel of death would pass over the house. Notice that the people in the house ate the lamb so that the lamb became a physical part of them. They did not symbolically nor simply “spiritually” eat the lamb. No, the lamb became a physical part of them. As Jesus was celebrating, at the point in the meal when the bread was to be eaten Jesus give it to His disciples and tells them that the bread He is holding in His hand is His body. Jesus does not say it represents or is changed into, but is. And after He blesses the third cup of wine He speaks similar words, that the wine is His blood.
 

Thus, when we come to the Lord’s Supper we come to be given to and what we are given? We are given bread and body. This is what we call real presence. In, with and under the bread is the body of Christ, truly, really present, not symbolically present, nor simply spiritually present, but really present. We physical eat the bread, as we say in a physical way and we eat the body in what we call a supernatural way. As my favorite sainted professor would say, as the bread enters the mouth and God’s Word enters the ear we are given Christ’s body to eat.
 

We are also given wine and blood. This too is what we call real presence. In, with and under the wine is the blood of Christ, truly, really present. We physical, in a natural way drink the wine and as the Word enters our ear we are given Christ’s blood.
 

Through this is eating and drinking we participate in the Lord’s death. This eating and drinking are what we call remembering His death. We participate in His death meaning that His death becomes our death. Just as His perfect life becomes our perfect life. So, His prefect death and perfect resurrection become our perfect death and resurrection. Through this meal the forgiveness which He earned He earned for us and is ours.
 

In good Lutheran fashion we ask, “What does this mean?” This means that we take seriously our statement of our practice of the Lord’s Supper which is printed in the bulletin each week.
 

This means that we come prepared. We examine ourselves to make sure that we believe that we are sinners and are in need of forgiveness. That we are sorry for our sins. That we believe that through the Lord’s Supper we will be given forgiveness of sins.
 

This means that we come in faith, especially believing in the real presence of Jesus body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians (11:27-31), “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.”
 

This means that we come as a community of like-minded believers. That we come, not lying about our confession, but confessing together. In other words, if we partake of the Lord’s Supper at the table of other denominations then we are saying that we confess what they confess. If that is true, then we are lying when we come to our table, because our confession is not the same. Thus it is important that we make a clear and honest confession when we come to the Lord’s Table.
 

And this means that we come to be given to. We come to be given forgiveness, strengthening of faith and eternal life.
 

The Lord’s Supper is just that, the Lord’s Supper. It is not our supper. It is not for us to do as we wish or to do what we believe in our own eyes. It is not a me and Jesus thing. It is all Jesus giving and our being given to. He gives it to us and He gives it to us to be given in a certain way, according to how He has given it. The Lord’s Supper is where we go to be given the gifts which the Lord Jesus earned on the cross on Calvary. May the Lord prepare us to faithfully be given and make use of His most blessed Supper. To Him be the glory. Amen.