Rev. Charles Lehmann + Maundy Thursday + Matthew 26:17-30
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen
This is not the sort of Passover that the disciples signed up for. They
were looking forward to a nice cozy retelling of the Old Testament stories,
some lamb, and maybe a little horseradish on the side.
But all that’s missing when we read what the Scriptures say about this
night. We never hear about a lamb or bitter herbs or a recounting of the story
of Exodus. We have Jesus, and we have the Twelve. We have a warning of
betrayal. We have the drama of Judas leaving under cover of darkness.
But where is the Lamb? Where is the one whose sacrifice will cover the
sins of the family for the coming year? You won’t find a lamb mentioned in
Matthew, Mark, Luke, or in the Apostle Paul. Fluffy appears to be missing.
And how, dear Christians, can there be a Passover without a Lamb?
And what about this Man. He’s saying, “Take, eat this is my body.” Now
that’s wondrous strange. But it offers an interesting possibility, doesn’t it?
Could it be? Could it be that the Lord Himself is the Lamb? Could it be that
at this meal He is the host, the waiter, the chef, and the main course?
Yes, dear Christian. It could. It could be that that is just the sort of
Lord you have. The Passover is ended forever. No more will a little sheep
atone for the sins of the family. The true Lamb, the Lamb of God, is going to
the cross to be slain for the sins of God’s family forever. And so there’s
your Lamb, dear Christians. He’s the one talking. He’s the one giving His
body to eat and His blood to drink.
The Lord speaks. We listen. That is the way with the Lord. No
negotiation. No asking the Lord to give us His Words in another way. No
looking at the gift and saying to Jesus, “Oh, no… I don’t think so. You see,
Lord. It couldn’t really be that way. Have a go with these words.”
No, the Lord will not have do with what we try to push on Him. Instead,
we have to make do with His Words. He’s spoken them, and when the Lord speaks,
well… that’s something. Stars start shining. Planets appear. Comets streak
across the sky. Babies are born in feeding troughs.
So, no, we don’t ask the Lord for different words because we don’t like
the ones He’s given us. No… we don’t look into the words of Scripture and say,
“Jesus couldn’t have meant that. That’s disgusting.” No. None of that. It
won’t do at all.
The Lord speaks. We listen. He says, “Take, eat. This is my body.” He
says, “Drink of it all of you. This is my blood of the New Testament.” If
we’re listening to the Lord’s Words, then we’re believing them too. Not
believing is not hearing, and not hearing is not listening. If any word, dear
Christians, is in Christ, it’s a new creation. The old has gone. The new is
come.
And so when we look at the loaf, it looks like bread. When we sniff the
wine, it smells like fermented grapes. But it won’t do for us to throw that
wisdom in the Lord’s face. “Is,” dear friends, is a glorious word. The bread
is the Lord’s body. The wine is the Lord’s blood. The wine and the bread are
there, surely, Paul tells us that. But the Apostle has listened to the Lord’s
words, and so he teaches us the truth: Where the bread, there the Lord’s body.
Where the wine, there the Lord’s blood.
Sadly, some Christians don’t listen. They debate with the Lord. They
tell Him that He can’t mean what He’s actually saying. The gift is more than
they can bear. The Lord’s body in their mouth and the Lord’s blood passing
their lips seems perverse to them, and so they make the Lord’s Supper into
something less than it is. It’s a symbol. Jesus isn’t really there, they say.
The bread represents the Lord’s body and the wine represents his blood. When
they come to what they call the Lord’s Supper they say, “Oh, Lord… we’re glad
to celebrate your Supper today. But isn’t it a pity? You’re unavoidably
detained in heaven and won’t be able to attend.”
But the Lord didn’t say represents. The meaning of His Words is plain
enough. “Is” means “is.” The Lord’s Word is sure, even though we like chaff
can blow away. Our disgust at this can lead us astray. It can send us all
over the Gospels trying to find a way to take the “is” out of “is.” We can
find analogies, metaphors, and similes and then say, “See, it must be like
these, because Jesus couldn’t possibly mean what He said. That would be
nonsense.”
But we can’t do that, dear Christians. From the very earliest moments in
the church, and even in 1 Corinthians, we have the Lord’s Words confessed to
mean exactly what they sound like they mean. We must let our reason lie
crucified at the foot of our Lord’s cross.
This is the blood of the New Testament which is poured out for you for the
forgiveness of your sins. And though we throw around that word “Testament” all
the time, we don’t think about it very much do we. But most of you have
Testaments, and I’m not talking about your bible. I’m talking about the other
Testament… the one that’s in a shoe box at home or in safe storage at the bank.
Your “Last Will and Testament.”
The Lord has signed His Last Will and Testament in His own body and His
own blood. He has given you His Supper as a surety of the gifts He has won for
you on the cross. You can’t inherit the Lord’s gifts unless the Lord dies.
There is no blood of the new testament without the blood of the cross. And so,
dear Christian, the blood of the new testament, the blood which the Lord’s very
words declare will be in that cup on the altar, that blood was shed for you
when Jesus went to the cross, suffered, and died there. He did it all for the
forgiveness of your sins and to give you life and salvation. That life is
guaranteed. Even as the Lord is risen from the dead, so shall you rise and
live to all eternity.
And now you are an heir of life. He has given His life for you, and now
His life is yours. And this is never more tangible, more sure, or more certain
when you stick to the Lord’s Words.
The Lord speaks. We listen. He says, “Eat. Drink. It is My Body and My
Blood, given for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” And now that, dear
Christians, leaves us with very little to say, but I have a suggestion. “Amen,
Lord Jesus. I have received the gift you have given. It is your body, given
for me. It is your blood, shed for me. I am forgiven. I am free.”
And you are, people loved by God. You are forgiven. You are free. You
are bodied and blooded together by your very Lord’s body and your very Lord’s
blood. You receive the Giver when you receive His gifts.
Praise to you O Lord for your holy condescension. Praise to you O Lord
for coming to us by the humble elements of bread and win. Praise to you O Lord
for giving us your body to eat and your blood to drink.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Charles R. Lehmann
Assistant Pastor, Youth and Education
Peace with Christ Lutheran Church
Fort Collins, CO
http://wickedbutforgiven.blogspot.com/
http://believeloveprayfight.blogspot.com/
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