Dead Man's Casserole
It's long-standing tradition that when someone dies, friends will bring food over to the family of the deceased. We find something of this even in Shakespeare's Hamlet from five hundred years ago, when Hamlet observed, "how coldly do the funeral meats furnish forth the wedding feast." I have observed this carried out countless times in my life, both in my ministry and personally. As most of us know these meals are sometimes very somber morose affairs, but may occasionally be quite rollicking.
My own personal introduction to this practice came in childhood lo these many moons ago. Being the generous and thoughtful person that she was and still is, my mother always carried food over to the home when someone we knew had died. It became her custom to make a delicious casserole with meat, pasta noodles, and cheese, etc. In fact, she made this so frequently for funerals that when the rest of the family saw her making it we asked who had died. The casserole that the grieving relatives in the community enjoyed, but which we seldom actually ate at home became known in the household as "dead man's casserole."
As I've been reflecting upon the Last Supper, the events of the passion, and the Passover that was it's precursor, I couldn't help but think about "dead man's casserole." On that Thursday night, on the eve of the Passover so many years ago Jesus hosted one last supper with his closest friends. For Jesus, who had never married and never had children, these men were his family. That night he did as faithful Jews have done for millenia, he gathered with his family to celebrate the Passover. What these disciples did not appreciate at the time, was that this was in essence a funeral meal. For the only time in history the deceased was present and was host of his own funeral meal.
I doubt that some devout Jewish woman in Jerusalem made a kosher version of "dead man's casserole." The fair that night was much simpler. No casserole, no fried chicken, green beans, pecan pie, or pasta salad. Instead there was unleavened bread and possibly the other traditional elements of a Passover meal were on that table. No coffee or iced tea, instead red wine the color of blood. These simple elements became the funeral meal for a savior and king.
In a sense when Christians gather around the Lord's table on Maundy Thursday, or in their worship services on Sunday we are gathering for a funeral meal. At a much deeper level, when we eat the bread and drink from the cup we are brought into the very presence of the deceased who is dead no longer. Here, the bread in some sense becomes the body of Jesus, the wine his blood. Be assured though that this meal though is not just a funeral meal. Here we also look forward to the great family reunion at the end where Christ himself will be host once again for his faithful from all the ages.
My own personal introduction to this practice came in childhood lo these many moons ago. Being the generous and thoughtful person that she was and still is, my mother always carried food over to the home when someone we knew had died. It became her custom to make a delicious casserole with meat, pasta noodles, and cheese, etc. In fact, she made this so frequently for funerals that when the rest of the family saw her making it we asked who had died. The casserole that the grieving relatives in the community enjoyed, but which we seldom actually ate at home became known in the household as "dead man's casserole."
As I've been reflecting upon the Last Supper, the events of the passion, and the Passover that was it's precursor, I couldn't help but think about "dead man's casserole." On that Thursday night, on the eve of the Passover so many years ago Jesus hosted one last supper with his closest friends. For Jesus, who had never married and never had children, these men were his family. That night he did as faithful Jews have done for millenia, he gathered with his family to celebrate the Passover. What these disciples did not appreciate at the time, was that this was in essence a funeral meal. For the only time in history the deceased was present and was host of his own funeral meal.
I doubt that some devout Jewish woman in Jerusalem made a kosher version of "dead man's casserole." The fair that night was much simpler. No casserole, no fried chicken, green beans, pecan pie, or pasta salad. Instead there was unleavened bread and possibly the other traditional elements of a Passover meal were on that table. No coffee or iced tea, instead red wine the color of blood. These simple elements became the funeral meal for a savior and king.
In a sense when Christians gather around the Lord's table on Maundy Thursday, or in their worship services on Sunday we are gathering for a funeral meal. At a much deeper level, when we eat the bread and drink from the cup we are brought into the very presence of the deceased who is dead no longer. Here, the bread in some sense becomes the body of Jesus, the wine his blood. Be assured though that this meal though is not just a funeral meal. Here we also look forward to the great family reunion at the end where Christ himself will be host once again for his faithful from all the ages.
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