by Glenn A. GriffisFor several years I pastored a church that had a Maunday Thursday service instead of a Good Friday service during Holy Week. Maunday Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week celebrates Jesus and his last meal, which included his instituting the practice of the Lord's Supper. Celebrating it can give us a deeper connection with the Thursday events and the relationship between the Old Covenant, which Holy Week consummated, and the New Covenant which the Supper Celebrates. The church's reflections and considerations of Maunday service was very moving. It was an important part of the church's traditions. Like many church traditions, though, it had some very positive elements that reflected positive values and beliefs, but some of the practices were disconnected from the Biblical account of events that took place in the Upper Room.With the growth of Messianic Judaism especially in the United States many have read the Upper Room accounts from the perspective of Judaism. Others have focused on the Passion accounts in the Synoptic (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record of the events as John's account of the events in the upper room makes no mention of the Lord's Supper. The synoptics relate the events of Maunday Thursday to events of the Jewish Passover. Many Messianic Jewish congregations teach that the meal that Jesus ate in the Upper Room was a Sadr meal and that the Communion properly practiced is part Passover Feast with the Communion elements added. A more thorough examination from the 4 gospel accounts as well as the record of the way the communion was served in the early church makes clear that the Communion Service was separate and distinct from Passover, is a new ordinance given by Jesus:
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. (John19: 31) ESVJesus was crucified on Friday, the day of Preparation, the next day was the Sabbath (a high day), Passover. The Sadr is the Passover meal eaten on the Sabbath not on Thursday when the Lord's Supper was served. When Jesus serves the communion he institutes the New Covenant (Matthew 26:26-29), which is a replacement of something old with something new (Mark 2: 22). It is not an upgraded improved version of the Sadr. Far from being Passover 2.1 the Communion Service celebrates the fulfillment of the Law and the completion of the work of the Passover promise (1 Cor 5:7), and it replaces the Sadr.Many Hebrew Christians Congregations and other Hebrew Christian Organizations promote the integration of Communion and Passover elements. They believe the Sadr meal has similarities to the meal that took place in the Upper Room on Passover week. Some even publish a Haggadah (Passover liturgical guide) that includes the Communion elements for use in Christian Maunday Thursday services. A more careful analysis of the events that took place in Holy Week makes it unlikely that the first Lord's Supper was a Passover meal. While there are connections between the Passover meal and the Lord's Supper, combining the two diminishes the significance of both events. We can determine from the biblical record when the First Lord's Supper was instituted and when the Passover occurred.The account in the Gospel of Mark (14:12-16) says that on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread his disciples inquired of him where to go "to prepare for him to eat the Passover." The Lord tells them to go to a street and follow a man with a water jar and to say to him, "The Teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover." Following these instructions they go to the room for the preparatory Feast of the Unleavened Bread, and expect to eat the Passover there. In the gospel of Matthew the language is slightly different. Jesus tells the disciples to tell the man they meet, "The Teacher says, 'My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.' " On first reading Jesus seems to declare that he will eat the Passover meal with his disciples. While some will argue that Luke's view is in accord with the other two Synoptics, on closer examination it presents a problem for those who argue that the Lord' Super was a Sadr:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it." 9 They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?" 10 He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there." 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." (Lk 22:7-17 ESV)Luke, being the doctor and the historian records Jesus says he would delay eating the Passover meal, the Sadr, until his return:1. Matthew and Mark say the supper was during the feast of the unleavened bread. They refer to the “first day or the day the"Passover Lamb was slain,"which was the day before the Passover. The day of preparation is itself a feast day.2. Luke says the meal ocurred on the day "they prepared the Passover," the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. So it is clear from all three accounts that the feast was the “day of prepartion rather than the Sadr.3. Luke 22: 15 & 16 Jesus explains that while he would like to eat the Sadr with them his redemptive work requires that he suffer before eating the Passover. He says, "I tell you I will not eat it [the Passover meal] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God,” until the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Passover and the Communion will find their fulfillment in the final Marriage Supper of the Lamb only then will they be conflated. (Revelation 19).The simplest reading of the New Testament record reveals that it is unlikely that the the Lord's Supper was the Sadr meal. Many Hebrew Christian point to Joachim Jeremias book “THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS OF JESUS” where he identifies 14 distinct parallels in the gospel account s of The Last Supper with the Sadr. Yet more recent scholarship has shown that those similarities are simply common practices of any formal first century Jewish meal.
Yet more recent scholarship has shown that those similarities are simply common practices of any formal first century Jewish meal.
The Sadr ritual he compares to the Upper Room events to are from a Haggadah that was never used before 70AD. Biblical History Daily, the web-site of the Biblical Archeology Society finds more similarities between the Upper Room Meal and Graeco-Roman mystery rites than with the Jewish Passover. Those who argue for the conflating the Sadr meal with the Lord's Supper point to the language of the synoptics, and argue that the gospel language demands that Jesus ate the Sadr meal. To account for the apparent contradiction with John some argue that Jesus knowing he was going to die, ate the Passover one day in advance with his disciples. We have already examined the Lukan language, showing that Luke present Christ saying that his work had be completed before he could take the Passover. His Sadr meal will be delayed until the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Neither the language of Matthew or Mark requires that Jesus eat the Passover meal nor that he served communion as part of the celebration:In both the Matthew and Luke the meal in the Upper Room takes place on “the day of Preparation.” All three synoptics put it on the "First Day of the Unleavened Bread.” The Feast of the Unleavened Bread is a seven day long celebration ending with Passover Meal (Ex 13:3-6; Leviticus 23: 6-8; Deuteronomy 16:8). The Day of Preparation reminds the celebrants that the Jews did not allow their bread to rise and that they cleaned their houses on the day before the Death Angel passed over their houses. On this day the lamb was slain for preparation at the Sadr on the following day. The day of preparation was a feast that occurred one day in advance of the Passover. But what can we understand from Jesus' instructions the disciples were to pass to the owner of the house,"...The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my discples?’ (Mark 14:14 ESV). Does the Lord's request to use the house for the Passover imply that he intended to eat the Sadr their? Do his words contradict the view of Luke that Jesus will refrain from the Passover until the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?
When interpreting scripture, especially the record of dialogue, we have to take into consideration the normal understanding of words at the time the text was written.
When interpreting scripture, especially the record of dialogue, we have to take into consideration the normal understanding of words at the time the text was written.
The New Testament is written in Koine Greek, the common language. Common language is fluid, when people speak conversationally they seldom consider precise meaning or usage. We see this in contemporary references to holidays. In many Christian traditions Christmas is the entire period from the Advent (which begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas Eve) through Christmas ending with Epiphany on June 6.When someone says, “I am coming to your house for Christmas," they may use the word "Christmas" to mean anytime during the season. Passover was the most important celebration in the Jewish year. Few people when speaking colloquially identified each feast day. It is possible that this is how Jesus was using the term Passover as recorded by Mark. This understanding of the language can be supported when we observe the way the church celebrated the Lord's supper after Pentecost.
The disciples were commanded to continue the preserve and repeat practice of the Lord's Supper just as he had done it until Jesus returned (when he would eat the Passover with them). The record of the New Testament church seems to separate the Lord's Supper from Passover. Rather than celebrating it as part of the Sadr, the First Century church took the Lord's Supper, daily (Acts 2:46). The way the Supper was practiced in the first congregations appears to be very different from the Sadr meal, or any Jewish meal for that matter.So the weight of evidence appears to favor that the Lord served the firsts communion on The Day of Preparation because he was unable to celebrate the Passover Sadr until his suffering was complete. The Lord's institution of the Supper distinguishes it from Passover. ”Forthe law was given through Moses;grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (Jn 1:17 ESV) The Passover represents the age of the Law; the communion instituted the New Covenant; it represent the age of Grace.The Lord's Supper is wine in New Wine skins, The Passover is the old, shadow of things to come. Jesus is the Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7). So should we conduct a Sadr's to celebrate Maunday Thursday in Holy Week?Since the themes of Maunday Thursday are similar to those of the Passover; since the Lord's Supper took place during the Feast of Unleavened Bread the Sadr can promote appropriate reflection on Holy Week themes. However, if the event is hosted as an accurate depiction of what the twelve did at the Last Supper and as an authentic Lord's Supper it confuses the separation between law and grace. Combining the Passover and the Communion on a regular annual event diminishes the full rich experience of both events.
Combining the Passover and the Communion on a regular annual event diminishes the full rich experience of both events.
The Passover looks back to God's redemption of Israel and his preservation of the nation. The Communion recognizes that Jesus fulfills the Passover, and looks forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where Jesus will eat the Passover and Communion in celebration of the completed redemptive work of the True Lamb.Should Christian's celebrate the Passover? Absolutely. The Old Testament is part of our tradition, and we can celebrate any of the Jewish Feasts, celebrating how each one points to the Messiah. (Col 2:16 &17). Neither does the command to take the Lord's Supper proscribe the regular consistent practice of the the Sadr meal. "Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us." We are no longer prohibited from eating unleavened bread. Jesus fills our hearts and lives with the power of the Passover (John 7: 37- 39). We have no need to wait every year for the occasion of the Passover to know the reality of redemption. He is with us always, so we can celebrate the Lord's Supper at anytime.
