Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 on biblegateway.com
Devotion
It is odd when a condemned man’s final meal is also the feast of liberation of his people, a little like Easter dinner in a death chamber ... unless the celebration originated in death and deliverance in the first place. “I will strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals… The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you…” (Exodus 12:12-13). This feast of Passover, initially sustenance for the escape of slaves, becomes a perpetual ordinance representing God’s deliverance from ultimate bondage. Now, Jesus makes it the seal of a new relationship between God and creation: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). The sign of this new covenant is not circumcision but servant-like love. Thus we move on from death to life eternal.
Prayer
O Lord, let our last meal be of your love poured out through us to others through Christ our Lord. Amen.