Icon of the Mystical Supper (Vatopedi – 1312) – F146

Description

The Lord sits with His Twelve Disciples at the Passover meal on the very night that He will be betrayed by Judas, with Judas’ dark heart and mind hidden here in profile, as he reaches for the dish on the table.  The other Disciples are shown with both eyes visible, to indicate that they are open to God and have nothing to hide before Him.  To be in a healthy relationship with Our Lord, we, too, have to have open hearts, so we are not double-minded.

All of the Apostle recline at the table, and Peter sits on Jesus’ right hand here, while Saint John the Beloved leans on His breast.  The curtain touching the walls in back indicate that this event is happening indoors.  After this supper, which was His last on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ instituted something completely new, sharing with His Disciples His very Holy Body, and His very Holy Blood in Holy Communion.  This is the Mystical Supper which is beyond earth, yet performed on earth, for we, too, then can become “partakers of the Divine nature” according to Saint Peter, by adoption in His mercy.  In Holy Communion we enter the Kingdom by anticipation, and the rounded table has room for all.