…all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. Colossians 1:20 (MSG)

Eat and Drink – The Holy Week Series – Part 5

Go to PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |  PART 6

In the Gospels, whenever Jesus had a meal with someone, it was almost always controversial. He was either eating at someone's house who was socially unacceptable, not abiding by purity laws, or welcoming anyone who wanted to come. He did not eat as you would expect a King would. He didn’t request royal garments, exclusive guests, or rare delicacies.

He had meals that he, probably, shouldn’t have had. He sat down with tax collectors and prostitutes, had a picnic with five thousand plus people (which was somewhat of a peaceful protest of their Roman occupiers), and on the night of Passover, he didn’t observe the proper rituals and rites one usually would.

He made the meal about himself. With hindsight and history on our side, we get it – of course, he made the night about him! He’s the savior of the universe, he had important things to say! But put yourself back in that time, in that political, social and religious climate. The meal Jesus shared with his disciples that night subverted the dominant paradigm. It broke away from all that they knew and pointed toward something different. Something that had, yes, been promised and foretold, but was yet to be revealed in the world.

The Jewish community was bubbling with the possibility of change, they longed for freedom. Revolution was whispered in the alleys and filled dreams at night…. But they believed their freedom would come through domination, control, and conquering.

And in the middle of it all, Jesus had dinner with his friends.

Bread and wine.

There was an expectation that if he were the Messiah, he would lead the revolutionary charge against the Roman Empire, or call on Heaven's Army to come and vanquish their foes. Then, there were those who wanted to him to walk a straight line, be a good Rabbi, keep the status quo. And again, there were the Romans who were happy to use him as a pawn in their game of domination, control and conquest.

But he defied all expectations. He broke bread and wine, said it was his body and blood, and asked his friends to eat and drink of it. He was about to submit himself to whatever the powers of the day, would do. He knew his body would be broken, he knew his blood would be poured out, he knew he would die. He never intended on dominating anyone with force and weapons and war and death.

Jesus method of conquering takes place on a deeper, more intimate, yet simple, level. Bread and wine. Tables and chairs. Lives and meals. A walk to a hill where he would be murdered. And he let it happen because there is a better way than violence and “us versus them.” Jesus had to let them kill him so that he could show them the New Way.

It started with a meal. A table. An invitation to eat and partake of his body and blood – his essence and life.

There is no “us versus them.” There is only a Divine AND.

Richard Rohr says, “Eucharist is presence encountering presence – mutuality, vulnerability. There is nothing to prove, protect, or sell. It feels so empty, naked, and harmless, that all you can do is be present. The Eucharist is telling us that God is the food and all we have to do is provide the hunger. Somehow we have to make sure that each day we are hungry, that there’s room inside of us for another presence. If you are filled with your own opinions, ideas, righteousness, superiority, or sufficiency, you are a world unto yourself and there is no room for “another.” Despite all our attempts to define who is worthy and who is not worthy to receive communion, our only ticket or prerequisite for coming to Eucharist is hunger. And most often sinners are much more hungry than the saints.“

Jesus is our good gift, our Eucharist. And our response to this gift of himself? When we eat and drink him in? Mix him into our lives? We become Eucharists too… Our bodies and lives broken and poured out. Perhaps not to the point of death, but poured out in kindness, broken in humility, spilled into forgiveness… For the healing and redemption of the world. For resurrection.

World repair through bread and wine.

“Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.” Col 1:20 (MSG).

This is our Holy Week Series from 2017 – Join us in our App for a fresh look at the week leading up to Easter.

Go to Becoming One With Us – The Holy Week Series – Part 6

Written by Liz Milani
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