THE KIDUSH AND THE LAST SUPPER
The origin of the East Supper itself is a question that may with profit be briefly discussed at this point. Until recently the traditional view was that the Last Supper was the Passover, celebrated by our Lord with His disciples for the last time on the night of His betrayal. But the evidence has been re-examined, and another view has been put forward, and is now commonly accepted as more nearly explaining the facts. It may be summarized as follows. The Last Supper is held to derive from a simple repast shared weekly by small groups of male Jews, very often by a rabbi and his disciples.
Its purpose was to prepare for the Sabbath or a festival, and it was religious in character. It consisted of religious discussion followed by a simple meal of common bread and wine mixed with water, the cup being passed from one to
another, and prayer offered. This meal was known as the Kiddush, and it was commonly observed in pious circles of the day, especially in Messianic circles. It is almost certain that our Lord and His disciples were accustomed to partake
of this meal of fellowship on the eve of every Sabbath and festival: the last supper’, therefore, was the last of these meals that they shared together.
There are many indications, as we examine the narratives, that we have here the origin of the Last Supper:
If the Passover had begun on ‘the night on which He was betrayed our Lord could not have been tried and executed that day, for it was against the law of the Jews to hold a trial or execution during the Passover. But the Last Supper took place, according to Jewish reckoning, on the same day as the trials and crucifixion. This alone is really sufficient to prove that it was a pre-Passover meal that our Lord shared with His disciples, and not the Passover proper; although, being closely associated with the Passover as a normal part of its celebration, it is not unnatural to find it called the Passover in the narratives it would be clear enough to a Jewish reader what was meant.
Further, the character of the Last Supper was fundamentally different from that of the Passover. The Passover was strictly a family festival; the Kiddush was always observed by a group of male friends. At the Passover the paschal lamb was offered ; this is missing at the Last Supper, yet it was essential to the Passover. Unleavened bread was required for the Passover; but ordinary leavened bread was always used at the Kiddush, and all the narratives specifically state that ordinary bread was used at the Last Supper.
Several cups were used at the Passover; at the Last Supper, as at the Kiddush, there was only one cup. At the Passover the passage narrating the exodus from Egypt was invariably read ; there is no mention of this having been done at the Last Supper.
There is a further point relative to the subsequent history of the Eucharist which may also be mentioned. From the beginning the Lord’s Supper was celebrated frequently, a weekly celebration soon becoming the settled practice. The Kiddush, too, was observed weekly, but the Passover only yearly. Yet their subsequent practice clearly shows that the disciples understood from our Lord’s words and actions that they were to celebrate the Eucharist frequently; this would have been unlikely if the Last Supper had been the yearly Passover and not the weekly Kiddush.
In conclusion, it may be noted that at the Kiddush water was mixed with the wine in the ordinary eastern fashion; and this, apart from the Armenian Church, was the universal practice of the Church in celebrating the Eucharist. These points, taken separately and together, demonstrate conclusively that the Last Supper derives from the Kiddush.
Taken from the book Development of Christian Worship in History, its Development and Forms by William D. Maxwell
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