Lenten reflections - Last Supper 

This is the first of our weekly Lenten reflections run on a Wednesday for five weeks of Lent.

Today my friends, I invite you to become one of the disciples present at the Last Supper. Close your eyes, find a comfortable position and immerse yourself in 1st century Jerusalem.

At this point the evening has started. Amongst the various dishes served there's plenty to choose from. 

Some unleavened bread with olives perhaps? Or maybe bitter herbs and roast lamb. Also likely on the menu is a bean stew. Largely fava beans sauteed in olive oil with onions and garlic, seasoned with a drizzle of honey. 

It's passover week. The week you are commemorating the Jews’ escape from Egypt. As a Jew yourself you'll have been to evenings like this before. But this one will definitely stay in your memory. 

To begin with everyone is seated and chatting with each other in small groups. All 12 disciples are present as Jesus walks in. The room gradually falls silent as you begin to notice Jesus standing there. As he surveys the room, a gentle smile grows on his face. With outstretched arms he welcomes you all to this, his Last supper. 

You expect Jesus to come and sit down amongst you. Instead he goes to a corner of the room and brings out a bowl and jug of water. After tying a towel round his waist, Jesus takes the bowl and jug and kneels down at the feet of the disciple on the end. That disciple is John. Looking to Jesus, then to the others and back again, John isn't sure what to make of this. This is generally a servant's job of foot washing, not a job for the master. 

Undeterred, Jesus gestures to John to present his feet. John does so. Praying quietly, Jesus took the feet of John and washed them one at a time. The rest of the room was silent and eyes fixed on what Jesus was doing. After carefully drying his feet, Jesus smiled. It was a serene, warm smile, full of caring and  gentleness. A smile of love in action. One that teaches us to be humble in service to others. 

Jesus moves to the next disciple, and the next. Now it's your turn. Jesus takes your foot and places it in the water. The water is warm and soothing after a day on your feet. Jesus takes care to cleanse the sole of your foot, on top, and between your toes gently massaging as he does so. The care Jesus takes with your foot washing is very humbling and beautiful. It will stay with you and you smile back as Jesus repeats the process with your other foot. Even drying your feet with his towel is done with gentleness and respect, like a mother with her newborn. You look straight into the eyes of God and he smiles back.

Up next is Peter. A proud man, Peter resists to start with saying to Jesus you will not wash my feet. But Jesus reassures him that Peter needs to trust him on this and that he will understand later. Peter agrees and the others also have their feet washed by Jesus. 

Once cleaned up himself, Jesus joins everyone at the table. The meal progresses and everyone dives in to the spread on offer. Several groups are chatting together. Mostly about the last few days and the foot washing that just happened. Then Jesus breaks bread. The room falls silent again as everyone turns to the centre. As he does so, Jesus passes round pieces of bread for everyone. Then he says something that will be uttered around the world for thousands of years to come. 

After giving thanks to God he says:

"Take. Eat. This is my body. Broken for you. Do this in memory of me."

Then he took the cup of wine. Again he thanked God and said:

"This is my blood, poured out for you. It is the blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in memory of me."

Right there in that moment, around that table you have just witnessed the first Eucharist. Jesus himself sharing bread and wine with you. Such a profound moment to be part of. Your understanding of this evening however is something that will be appreciated over time. After all, the miracle of the Eucharist is a moment of intimate love that you share with God every single time you receive him. That unique bond with your creator whom you trust implicitly. The father feeds you through his son, of himself. 

Back in the upper room the feast is coming to an end as Jesus urges everyone to finish up and accompany him to the garden of Gethsemane. The garden is around half a mile away from the Upper room. The journey takes around 15 minutes to reach on foot. In the fresh night air, the mood has changed somewhat. While there was moments of peace in the upper room, now there is more a sense of urgency. Jesus leading from the front is quiet and focused on getting there. Tension builds as you can feel something is afoot. No one is talking now. You all follow in silence. You arrive near the back of the group. Jesus seeks some space to be alone. He asks everyone to pray. You close your eyes to pray. The carbs and alcohol however from the feast are taking effect. Soon, like the others you drift off to a restless doze...

Questions to provoke thought and conversation:

• How would you have felt having your feet washed? Why?
• What does it mean to you that Jesus declared his body would be broken for you, and his blood shed for you?
• How does imagining yourself in the story give a different glimpse into Jesus and a relationship with him?