thoughts on the news of the day: last supper

hmmm…..

            Does the date of the Last Supper matter?  In Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels, it coincides with the Jewish feast of Passover.  In John’s gospel, it takes place a day earlier.  Professor Colin Humphreys, who is a scientist at the University of Cambridge, says that it is all due to a calendar mix-up and claims that a case can finally be made for a fixed date for Easter. It’s a complicated formula, but when it’s all said and done, Humphreys says that there were two calendars in use at the time of Jesus’ death and this essentially accounts for the difference in time.

            We have lots of these inconsistencies in the Bible.  But I have to ask the question, does it really matter?  Does it make us doubt the gospel as a whole because there are two different dates for Jesus’ last meal with his followers? 

            The part of the Last Supper that is important for me is the meal shared together.  Jesus took the unleavened bread in his hands and he blessed it and he lifted it up and he broke it into pieces.  He said to those gathered around the table, this is just plain old bread, but it has become sacred because we share it together around a table.  Remember me when you break bread together.

            This time of year, I want to remember especially the life story of Jesus.  I want to remember his healing touch, his gentle spirit, his way with people.  I want to remember that he loved everyone.  But most of all I want to be like him: giving, serving, dying to self, and rising again. 

            hmmm…..