Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Last Week - FIVE: Thursday

Key ideas from The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.

As might be expected, this chapter that looks at the Thursday of Jesus' last week is crammed with material for reflection and study. The "last supper" on Maundy Thursday is critical for the church's understanding of the ministry of Jesus. Disciples of Christ, who make the Supper central to their worship, will find much here to challenge and edify.

I will mention only one of the many ideas found in Chapter Five. That is that the account of the Last Supper in Mark's Gospel is significantly different than what is presented in John's Gospel. Christian tradition has "mushed" the two accounts together, thus making it more difficult for us to see how each author interprets this final meal.

Note: "Maundy" comes from the Latin "mandatum," which means "mandate" or "commandment." It comes from Jesus' words in John's account where Jesus says "I give you a new commandment, that you should love one another." (John 13:34)

No comments: