Room of the Last Supper, The Cenacle.

The Cenacle

                On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters," The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there. The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover (Mark14: 12-17).

                Mark here spends quite a lot of time describing the arrangements surrounding the room of the last supper; more than either of the events which he goes on to describe, which have figured so prominently in the life of the Christian Church. I am referring to Jesus' announcement that one of the disciples will betray him and the institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion.

                So why does he go into so much detail concerning the arrangements? I am reminded of Mark's account of how the donkey was procured for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on "Palm" Sunday. Was this also following out something which had previously been arranged as appears to have been the case at Bethany? We are probably not to know for sure.

                There is ample instruction for the two disciples on how to get to this large upper room. This includes going into the city, locating a man carrying a jar of water, following him, giving a password to a householder who will then lead the two disciples to the allotted room. There is however no specific detail of where it might be located. Bible scholars have spent many long years (make that millennia) trying to find its original site. Mind you, its actual location is probably no so important. What is important for us is the significance the room has for the future Christian Church.

                Which brings us to the room actually visited by pilgrims in the twenty first century - the room called the Room of the Last Supper (the Cenacle). No one claims that this is the actual room in which Jesus met with his disciples. That room, wherever it may have been, would have been destroyed when the Romans razed the city back in 70 CE. This room was constructed during the Crusader period of Palestine's history, specifically as a pilgrimage site. It displays all the architectural characteristics of this era. The columns and inspiring arched roof give it a Gothic feeling. As a room it is quite startling.

                It is easy to see why it would have been used as a mosque in the period after the withdrawal of the Crusaders. The Mihral on one wall is still a reminder of Mecca.

Visitors to the Cenacle keeping a record of the columns and ceiling on smart phones and tablets. The Mihral is on the wall on the left.

A couple of thoughts.

                Let's go back a few thousand years. Here we have Jesus, a sincere, practising Jew making arrangements to celebrate the Passover with his close friends. According to Mark (14:17) the Twelve were there and I have read arguments which suggested that there were probably others as well. That need not really concern us.

                This gathering in the Cenacle was celebrating one of the high points of the Jewish religious calendar - the Passover. This was the very basis of the Jewish people. I have no doubt it was an important part of Jesus religious psyche as well. I do not see Jesus and his friends being there to establish a break-away religious sect. But according to St Paul and later gospel writers this is exactly what they have Jesus doing. They ignore the importance the Passover would have played in Jesus' life but have him establishing a rival celebratory/memorial meal.

                We are well aware that Jesus was upset about the behaviour of the Jewish religious hierarchy, and the questionable practices found in the temple, but his basic message of the coming of the Kingdom of God was always proclaimed within the bounds of his Jewish beliefs. Never had there been a suggestion that he renounce these beliefs and set up his own religion.

                And a second thought. Christian theologians have taken this Passover celebration of Jesus and his friends, retitled it the Last Supper and formulated from it  a sacrament - probably the most sacred act of the Christian Church. To me it is ironic that this sacrament, and the theology surrounding it, has caused the most strife and bitter arguments between the various streams of Christianity, especially after the reformation period of the sixteenth century. Jesus sharing food and wine with friends has now become a verbal battle with terms such as transubstantiation , sacramental union, real presence, symbolism and consubstantiation creating anything but love, acceptance and unity which one should hope for.

                Whether that original "upper room" which Jesus had organised for his Passover celebrations was also the scene for other significant events described in the Gospels has also generated debate. I'm speaking about events such as some resurrection appearances, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the election of Matthias to take the place of Judas. If people want to give a physical location to these or any other recorded event, the Bible is available for all to do the research. The spectrum for academic biblical studies, for individual research, for personal reflection is very wide. Conclusions reached by different students of the Word do, as we well know, vary widely. I can imagine Jesus smiling and shaking his head at some.