The Lord’s Evening Meal

Christmas, Easter, “saints’” days. Many holidays and feasts are celebrated by the churches of Christendom. But do you know how many celebrations Jesus Christ commanded his followers to observe? The answer is, Just one! None of the other feasts were authorized by the Founder of Christianity.

Clearly, if Jesus instituted only one celebration, it is very important. Christians should observe it exactly as Jesus commanded. This observance was introduced by Jesus the day he died. He had commemorated the Jewish feast of the Passover with his apostles.

Then he passed some of the unleavened Passover bread to them, saying: This means my body which is to be given in your behalf. Next, Jesus passed a cup of wine, saying: This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf. He also said: Keep doing this in remembrance of me.This observance is called the Lord’s Evening Meal, or the Memorial. It is the only celebration that Jesus commanded his followers to observe.

Many churches claim that they hold this observance in conjunction with all their other feasts, but most commemorate it differently from the way Jesus commanded. Perhaps the most noteworthy difference is the frequency of the celebration. Some churches celebrate it monthly, weekly, even daily. Is this what Jesus intended when he told his followers: Keep doing this in remembrance of me? How often is a memorial or an anniversary observed? Usually, just once a year.

Remember, too, that Jesus initiated this observance and then died on the Jewish calendar date of Nisan 14. That was the day of the Passover, a festival reminding the Jews of the great deliverance they had experienced in Egypt in the 16th century B.C.E. At that time, the sacrifice of a lamb resulted in the salvation of the Jewish firstborn, whereas Jehovah’s angel struck down all the firstborn of Egypt.

How does this help our understanding? Well, the Christian apostle Paul wrote: Christ our passover has been sacrificed.Jesus’ death was a greater Passover sacrifice, giving mankind the opportunity for a far grander salvation. For Christians, therefore, the Memorial of Christ’s death has replaced the Jewish Passover.

The Passover was an annual celebration. Logically, then, so is the Memorial. The Passover—the day Jesus died—always fell on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan. Hence, Christ’s death should be memorialized once a year on the calendar day that corresponds to Nisan 14.

There is no doubt that during the first century C.E., those guided by Jesus’ apostles celebrated the Lord’s Evening Meal exactly as he had commanded. However, during the second century, some started to change the time of its commemoration. They held the Memorial on the first day of the week (now called Sunday), not on the day corresponding to Nisan 14. Why was that done?

For the Jews, a day started at about six o’clock in the evening and ran until the same time the following day. Jesus died on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., which ran from Thursday evening to Friday evening. He was resurrected on the third day, early Sunday morning. Some wanted the commemoration of Jesus’ death to be observed on a fixed day of the week each year, instead of on the day on which Nisan 14 happened to fall. They also viewed the day of Jesus’ resurrection as more important than that of his death. Hence, they settled on Sunday.

Jesus commanded that his death be memorialized, not his resurrection. And since the Jewish Passover falls on a different day each year according to the Gregorian calendar that we now use, it is only natural that the same would be true of the Memorial. Many therefore stuck to the original arrangement and observed the Lord’s Evening Meal on Nisan 14 each year. In time they came to be called Quartodecimans, meaning “Fourteenthers.”

Some scholars recognized that these “Fourteenthers” were following the original apostolic pattern. In the 2nd century these churches at their Pascha on the 14th of Nisan commemorated the redemption effected by the death of Christ.

After all these years,’ you may ask, ‘does it really matter when the Memorial is observed?’ Yes, it does. Changes were made by strong-minded men striving for power. People followed their own ideas instead of obeying Jesus Christ. Clearly fulfilled was the apostle Paul’s warning: I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you Christians and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.

At issue is the matter of obedience. Jesus established just one celebration for Christians to observe. The Bible clearly explains when and how it should be observed. Who, then, has the right to change that? The early Quartodecimans suffered persecution and excommunication rather than compromise in this matter.

You may be interested to know that there are still Christians on earth who respect Jesus’ wishes and commemorate the Memorial of his death on the date that he established. This year, Jehovah’s Witnesses will meet together in their Kingdom Halls all around the earth. By being present, you too can show your respect for the wishes of Jesus Christ. Remember he said to keep doing this and thus we do what he asks.

We remember Jesus in all that he has done for us. We remember the pain he suffered so that we can gain everlasting life. We must also remember just how hard it was for Jehovah to send his son to die in our behalf. Jehovah loves us so much. He gave us a place to live. He allowed us to love. He allowed us to have children. There is so much he has given us. All that he asks is that we listen to him.....................