Thursday 21 April 2011
- Bible Book:
- Exodus
"This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance." (v. 14)
Background
Maundy Thursday is the day when Christians traditionallyremember the humble actions of Jesus washing his disciples' feet(John 13:1-17) as they met together for theirtraditional Passover Feast.
In today's passage, we read the precise instructions for the veryfirst Passover celebration. This is the recipe book - the writteningredients and method by which the Passover meal was to beprepared and carried out.
The Passover is a unique festival. The details are significantbecause of their distinctiveness.
The Passover was inaugurated by the Hebrew People who were enslavedin Egypt. This is in a time before a priesthood and a monarchy hadbeen established. It was a ritual that demanded the equalparticipation of the whole of the Hebrew People. All the elderswere involved in the preparation of the lamb; and all the peoplewere involved in the preparations to leave captivitytogether.
It would have been chaotic! So often we think of rituals in waysthat are routine, uniform and organised. This Passover ritual is sosignificant; but it is also rushed and full of excited andfrightened preparations to leave finally the land of Pharaoh.
The institution of blood as the means of purification, protectionand participation in God's kingdom begins here. It is through theblood of the lamb that the Hebrew people were freed from the plagueof death. Christians remember that it is through the symbol of winethat Jesus recognises that his blood is the means of purification,protection and participation in God's kingdom (see
Not one bone of the animal is to be broken - drawing a parallelwith1 Corinthians 5:7 and Jesus' owncrucifixion (John 19:33).
The command is given that all are to participate, for all are toeat the animal which has been prepared. No-one is exempt from thePassover feast. It is through the feast, all the Hebrew people aresanctified and set apart.
To Ponder
What is the most important festival for you?Why?
How do you feel about God requiringsacrifice?
Do you think the details here are important? Why?Why not?