Jesus commanded his disciples on this night to “love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus gave this command in the context, not only of washing the disciples’ feet, but also in the establishment of the Lord’s Supper (something that John only alludes to).
The Lord’s Supper, anticipating the cross and resurrection, is ritualized love. To say that it is “ritual” doesn’t mean that it is empty, a mere rote repetition of what Jesus commands us to do. God’s rituals, formed by his word, are creative; God’s rituals form us into people he wants us to be through the words and actions that he prescribes. Responding in faith means submitting to the ritual in totality. This includes meditating on what you are doing and seeking to conform your life to the meaning.
The meal that Jesus gave us is ritualized love, his love for us and our love for one another. Every time we perform this ritual, we are to be formed into the community of love that Christ intends us to be. This ritual demonstrates in word and deed how Christ loves us and, therefore, how we are to love one another.
This Holy Week we are focusing on how God became King; that is, how God took up the kingly vocation of fallen man and fulfilled it. With the fall of man, the world was torn apart. Initially there was enmity between the man, the woman, the serpent, and the rest of the creation. God reconciled the man and the woman to himself and to one another but placed enmity between them and the serpent and his seed. The serpent was among the beasts of the field over which Adam was to take dominion. Instead, Adam submitted to the beast, and the beast took dominion, taking creation down the wrong path.
Everything was upside down. From this point forward there would be conflict between two ways of ruling the world. Kingdoms would be in conflict.
When God restored the man and the woman, they were set back on track to reflect his image, and integral to that image-bearing was love. God is love (1Jn 4:8), so his image should be love as well. The kingdom of his faithful son is a kingdom that is characterized by love. It is a love that is in conflict with the kingdom of darkness and hate, but it is a kingdom whose citizens love one another and love those non-citizens and the rest of creation in the way that God loves them.
Jesus the King ritualizes this kingdom love in the memorial meal he gives us, loving us through meal as well as teaching us how to love in the meal. We love one another in the midst of the conflict with the kingdom of darkness and as a weapon against the kingdom of darkness.
To say that this is a love feast is not contrary to this being a war feast. You fight for what you love. Jesus is fighting for what and who he loves, and he expects us to do the same. This meal teaches us much about the life of love in the kingdom.
Kingdom love is love for this world
Jesus didn’t come to provide an escape pod from the creation. Rather he came to redeem God’s original creation. He loves his creation. All of his creation.
This kingdom meal consists of bread and wine, earthly substances that have been transformed by man’s work. Wheat has been transformed into bread, and grapes have been transformed into wine.
Not only does Jesus use bread and wine in the ritual, he identifies his body and blood with them. He is united to his creation. Then he gives himself to imperfect, real people, people made from the dust of the earth. The kingdom is not some immaterial, other-worldly reality that is God’s escape plan. The kingdom is this world transformed.
Kingdom love is grateful love
Love is characterized by gratitude, acknowledging the grace given to you. Jesus gives thanks to the Father for the bread and wine, acknowledging creation as his gift. Our love for God and for one another is expressed in gratitude. The idol-worshipping world, Paul says in Romans 1, refuses to give thanks. We know that we love God when we express our gratitude to him. We know that we love one another when we express our gratitude to and for one another as well.
Kingdom love is serving love
Jesus identifies his body and blood with the bread and wine, telling his disciples to eat and drink. He gives himself for the forgiveness of sins, so that sin’s curse will be exhausted, his people will be free, and creation will reach God’s purpose for it.
Jesus willingly expends himself for others, not putting his comfort above the needs of others. If we love one another as he loves us, we will do the same.
Kingdom love is forgiving love
Jesus sheds his blood for the forgiveness of sins, a reality conveyed in the cup. He bears the burden of the debt that we owe so that we can be released from the penalty of our sins. If we love as Christ loves us, we will bear the burden of the debt of others, forgiving them just as Christ forgave us. Instead of a kingdom in which everyone seeks absolute retributive justice for every crime committed until everyone is consumed in its fires, we demonstrate the love of restorative forgiveness.
In a world in which people are divided into oppressors and oppressed from which there is no escape–you are immutably one or the other–there is no forgiveness. There are only grievances and bitterness from which there is no escape. Jesus loves us by forgiving us, and we are to love one another by forgiving one another, eliminating the enmity. We demonstrate through our forgiving love what it means to be truly human.
Kingdom love is communing love
Jesus gives the bread and the wine to all of his disciples … all of them, including Judas, the one who would betray him … including Peter, the one who would deny him three times … including the other ten who would forsake him when he was arrested. These aren’t perfect people.
Love must draw proper boundaries to be sure. Jesus does that. But love also endures the weaknesses and sins of others appropriately.
Kingdom love is hopeful love
Jesus is facing the cross when he has this meal with his disciples. This is the darkest day in the history of creation. But Jesus trusts the promise of his Father that he will drink the cup of the kingdom anew with his disciples in the newly established kingdom on the other side of his death. Our hope drives our love to persevere in trusting God and loving one another knowing that God will fulfill his promises to renew everything.
Kingdom love is a celebratory love
This is a feast, and feasts are times of celebration. Jesus is celebrating even in the face of the cross. His Father prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies.
In world gone mad with rage and vengeance, everyone being angry believing that they are victimized and never being able to genuinely enjoy anything because of the envy that fills their hearts, God’s love enables us to celebrate with genuine joy as we share with one another.We share that love with one another when we celebrate with one another, having forgiven one another and serving one another as we ought.This joy of the Lord that springs from love is our strength, fortifying us against the attacks of the enemy.Do you want to be counter-cultural, engaging the world? Genuinely enjoy yourself, free from the rage that consumes so many. Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved us.
We are to love this creation, being grateful, serving one another, forgiving one another, welcoming one another, anticipating our final victory, and celebrating even in the midst of the war. When we love this way, we follow our King. When we follow our King in love, we follow our King into battle and certain victory.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
