The Last Supper of Jesus

the last supper jesusIt was supposed to be their last meal together with Jesus before he died, but the disciples didn't know it. They thought they were eating together to celebrate great events of the past without knowing that a much bigger event was happening before them. An event that fulfilled everything that the past had indicated.

It was a very strange evening. Something was wrong, the disciples could not guess what it was. First Jesus washed their feet, it was breathtaking and amazing. Sure, Judea was a dry and dusty area outside the rainy season. However, even a truly devoted student would never think about washing his teacher's feet. Peter did not want to know that his master washed his feet until Jesus explained the purpose of this project.

For a moment Jesus was visibly moved when he told them that one of them would betray him. What? From whom? Why? Before they could think about it further, he said that he would be glorified by God to his father and that he would soon leave them all.

Then he continued: I give you a new commandment, love one another as I love you! Now they understood that these were weighty words. Loving God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. But what Jesus said is new. Peter was often difficult to love. John was not called the son of thunder for nothing. Thomas questioned everything and Judas led the cash register suspiciously. Their love for one another was closely linked to Jesus' love. This seemed to be the core of what he wanted to explain to them. There was a lot more. Jesus called them his friends; he did not consider them his servants or followers.

They ate a meal of roast lamb, bitter herbs and bread, followed by prayers to commemorate God's great salvation in the history of the people of Israel. Sometime in the evening, Jesus got up and did something completely unexpected. He broke bread and told them this was his broken body. He took wine and told them it was the cup of the New Covenant in his blood. But they knew of no new covenant, that was amazing.

Jesus said to Philip: If you saw me, you saw the father. Say that again? Did I hear that right? He continued: I am the way, the truth and the life. Then he emphasized again that he was leaving her but not leaving her as an orphan. He would send them another comforter, a counselor, to be with them. He said: On this day you will see that I am in my father, you in me and I in you. This was a riddle that overwhelmed every poetic fisherman.

Whatever the full meaning, he made some surprising claims about the dwelling of the Spirit in Christians. He connected this fact with the oneness of the father with the son and them. They were still shocked at how Jesus called himself God's Son throughout his work. He explained to them that, as his disciples, they share in the relationship with the son as the son in the relationship with the father, and that was closely related to his love for them.
The metaphor of the vineyard, the vine and the vines was alive. They should live and live in Christ, just as the branch in the vine has life. Jesus not only gives orders or examples, but offers them an intimate relationship. You can love how he does it by sharing his life and love with the father!

Somehow it seemed to peak when Jesus said that knowing the Father and the Son was eternal life. Jesus prayed for the disciples and all who would follow them. His prayer was about unity, being one with him and God the Father. He prayed to the father that they may be one, just as he is one in him.

That night he was actually betrayed, kidnapped by soldiers and officials, mistreated, subjected to a pseudo-trial, and finally he was flagellated and handed over to the crucifixion. It is the worst kind of death for criminals. The disciples' hopes and dreams were completely destroyed and destroyed. Completely devastated, they retreated to a room and locked the doors.
Only the women went to the grave early Sunday morning crying and heartbroken, but they only found the empty grave! An angel asked them why they were looking for the living among the dead. He said to them: Jesus has risen, he is alive! It sounded too good to be true. No words could describe this. But the male students simply didn't believe it until Jesus miraculously stood in their midst in his glorified body. He blesses them with the greeting: "Peace be with you!" Jesus uttered the hopeful words: "Receive the Holy Spirit". This promise remained. Through his union with mankind, through his coming as a human being and his acceptance of the sins of all human beings on himself, he remained connected to them beyond death. The promise remained in his new risen life, for he paved the way for the reconciliation, salvation, and acceptance of humanity in his relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit. The resurrected Jesus offers all people the opportunity to directly participate in the Trinity community.

Jesus said to them: As the Father sent me, I send you. In the grace of God and the fellowship of the Spirit, the first disciples did just that. Joyful, thankful, and prayerful, they proclaimed the good news of the risen Jesus and the new life in the New Covenant, life in Jesus Christ.

Dear readers too, through the Holy Spirit you can have the same relationship that the son shares with the father. A life in love. He blessed them with the unity of God, in communion with people and with the triune God for all eternity.

by John McLean