From the upper room to the bedroom : Christ in the last supper as an exemplar for spousal sexual intimacy

Abstract

This article employs the exemplarist moral theory approach to propose that Christ’s behaviour during the Last Supper serves as an exemplar for spousal sexual intimacy. It begins by presenting the theory underpinning the exemplarist moral framework, which states that individuals held as good and virtuous are held up as persons to be emulated, thereby guiding others toward morally commendable behaviour. In this context, Jesus is portrayed as the supreme moral exemplar, with a specific focus on his attitudes, actions, and gestures displayed in the Upper Room. Subsequently, the article identifies and explores five key dimensions that emerge from this behaviour, namely, ordinariness, vulnerability, coherence, friendship, and fruitfulness, and applies these dimensions to spousal sexual intimacy. In conclusion, the article underlines the relevance of its argument, giving two reasons: because it affirms the sacredness of conjugal sexual intimacy by bridging the conceptual gap between sexuality and the 'eucharistic' dynamic, and because authentic moral exemplars could be quite absent from the public sphere.