I love Holy Week. It gives us the opportunity to join with Christians all over the world in preparing for Easter. To help us make the most of Holy Week I’ll be writing some Harry Potter Holy Week reflections. Today we reflect on Maundy Thursday.
Food is central to so many of the Harry Potter books and movies. Some of the most memorable scenes take place around a meal.
One of the series’ most memorable moments takes place in the Great Hall, when Harry and all of his friends are sorted during their first year.
Our first introduction to perhaps one of the series’ greatest villains, Dolores Umbridge, takes place at the inaugural feast.
So much of what we learn about the Weasleys and their love for Harry takes place at a Christmas dinner.
Food is also central to the Last Supper, which we remember on Maundy Thursday. As Jesus and his disciples gathered for their last night together before Jesus’ crucifixion, they shared for a meal. They celebrated the Passover, the ultimate symbol of God’s deliverance. Yet, sitting at that table, was eternal deliverance from sin, death and darkness.
Along with the meal, though, Jesus also used the Last Supper to impart his final words of wisdom to his disciples.
This aspect of the Last Supper brings to mind Harry and Dumbledore’s trip to find a horcrux. Like Jesus, Dumbledore knew that his end is near. Wanting to maximize his time, Dumbledore took his most special student on a very exclusive field trip. None of my field trips ended surrounded by a bunch of water zombies, but I also attended a stupid Muggle high school.
I often think about sitting at the table during the Last Supper. I’ve read a lot of Jesus’ words and heard a lot of sermons, but I obviously never had the opportunity to hear from Jesus himself. I like to think that my faith would be so much stronger if I had shared that meal with Jesus. If most of the disciples scattered after that dinner, though, then there’s no chance I would have stuck around.
Harry actually did better in that department. He listened to Dumbledore, followed instruction and didn’t abandon his headmaster. We should strive to be like Harry, and trust in grace when we end up like the disciples.
Even though I’m sure the disciples would want to have another opportunity to stick with Jesus, their abandonment and especially Peter’s denial brought us one of the most beautiful moments in the Bible.
Standing on a beach after his resurrection (spoilers), Jesus reinstates Peter and forgives Peter’s denial. Of everything that Peter saw and experienced, that moment probably solidified his faith in Jesus more than anything. After looking a beaten, bloodied Jesus in the eyes immediately after his denial, Peter was embraced and forgiven by the one he had denied.
So on Maundy Thursday we should definitely have a good meal. We could also benefit from thinking through how we can be obedient like Harry. And, when we screw up, we can remember that that one who broke bread on Thursday, offered up his broken body on Friday, also broke the power of sin on Sunday so that we can always come back to him no matter how far we stray.
Leave a Comment