THE MEANING OF THE LAST SUPPER
LUKE 22:14 20
Knowing that the weather forecast for today was pretty rough, and knowing that many would not make it here this morning, I decided late last night that I would do something different than I had planned.
Since today is the first Sunday of the month, we are going to observe Communion...the Lord's Supper. For some this is a very sacred time with great meaning and importance. For others, it is just a ritual we go through that wouldn't be missed if we never did it.
There have been suggestions that we observe this too often, and that it loses its significance. Others would rebel at the thought of not having it monthly, and some wish it could be held even more often, perhaps weekly.
But why do we even do it in the first place? Does it really have that much significance? In our day and time we seem to want to remove all the trappings of formal religion and do something more in keeping with the times.
So many today want to remove any reference to the blood of Christ... or suffering...and even sin has been reduced to nothing more than low self esteem. So why bother with all this focus on brokenness and shed blood?
This morning I want to take a look at why this ordinance was instituted and just what it really means to us today. And to begin, the main reason we do celebrate Communion is because of the instruction Jesus gave as he observed His last Passover with the disciples.
That was a very special time for Jesus and His closest followers, the twelve who had been with Him since the beginning of His earthly ministry. READ 22:14 20
As we look at the whole idea of communion, I believe we need to ask the same question that came to be the traditional Passover question... "What makes this night different from any other?"
That was a question that was truly appropriate for Jesus and the twelve on that memorable night. And if we read this passage carefully, we get the impression that the Supper was more significant to Jesus than even we can grasp. But why?
We first need to consider the sequence of events that Luke describes in chapter 9. And the first of these is the transfiguration. That was where Jesus took Peter, James, and John His closest friends, up to the mountain to pray.
And while they were there they had a supernatural experience...unlike anything they had ever been a part of before. They had a glimpse into another world.
And in the midst of this experience, we find a very curious event. Moses and Elijah were there with Jesus, and they were speaking of His departure which was about to take place in Jerusalem (9:31).
Now, the 3 disciples didn't know what to say...they didn't know for sure what was going on. That's when Peter, for lack of something worthwhile to say, said "Let us make 3 tents...one for you, Moses and Elijah. They failed to understand the significance of that event.
Well, sometime later, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." But just like on the mountain, they didn't have a clue as to what He was talking about. And it was very soon after this that Luke said about Jesus, "He resolutely set out for Jerusalem."
It is clear here that Jesus understood His destiny...He was committed to His Father's will...and He knew all that was involved in the whole process. But the disciples were still unable to understand what Jesus was all about.
We find a similar description of events sometime later in the ministry of Jesus where He takes the twelve aside and speaks to them about the suffering that awaits Him in Jerusalem, according to what the prophets have said.
But Luke tells us again, in 18:34, that the disciples understood none of these things...and the truth of His words were hidden from them and they didn't comprehend the things that were said.
With these things in mind, we look at Jesus' words in verse 15 of our main text, where He said, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you." And in the Greek, those words "eagerly desire" are very emphatic...I wanted so much to eat this Passover with you...."
But why was this night so much different from all the others? It was !now„Ç the appropriate time...the appropriate season for Jesus to explain the meaning of His life to the twelve. This was that teachable moment for them.
You see, all the events of Jesus' life have led up to this occasion, where the most important observance in the Jewish calendar coincides with the most significant events in the life of Jesus.
Here He fully recognizes the importance of the situation and He intends to bring those 12 disciples in contact with the fullness of its meaning.
Now, the Passover was the most important holiday or event in Jewish life. It was a very prominent family tradition...a ceremony of great meaning. And at the end of the meal one of the children, usually the youngest, would ask the question, "What makes this night different from other nights?"
And in answer to the Passover question, the head of the family would retell the story of the deliverance from bondage in Egypt. But here, with the disciples, Jesus observes the Passover, but He speaks instead of the giving of His own life..and what it means in God's plan for us.
In the Exodus, the deliverance out of Egypt, God was keeping His promises...fulfilling His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... the promise to give them a home and make them a great people.
Here, Jesus says, "This cup, which is poured out for you, is the „ªnew„« covenant in my blood." And by saying that, He was revealing to them a new basis for their hope...and a new promise to guide them in life.
Under the old covenant, the head of the family would tell of the deliverance of the people from slavery in Egypt. While they were there, the Israelites belonged to the Egyptians...they served them as slaves. And this is the glory of the Passover experience..deliverance!
This was like a rebirth for them...and they remembered it with a depth of emotion that could only be experienced by one who has been set free from a terrible bondage.
The host of the family would then speak of the blood of the Passover lamb...the blood that was placed on the doorpost of the houses of the Israelite families, so that the plague of death would pass from their home.
And in a way that parallels the language of deliverance and the meaning of the blood of the lamb...Jesus speaks of giving Himself. Through His death we are able to be delivered from the slavery of sin...just as the people were delivered from slavery that day.
Then the host of the Passover meal would explain the meaning of each of the elements. For example, he would explain that the unleavened bread signifies their readiness for travel.
They had to be ready at a moments notice...because when Moses gave the command to leave, they had better be ready or they would suffer loss. And we could speak for hours on the importance of being ready to go with God...but that's another sermon in itself.
They also had bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery...so they would never forget just how awful slavery was. And I never cease to be amazed at how quickly we forget the bitterness of being a slave to sin, or circumstances that arise from our sin.
Well, Jesus goes on to explain that the elements of the new Passover represent the giving of His life..."This is my body given for you.... this is my blood which is poured out for you."
The last thing the host would do is remind them to continue observing this Passover each year. Jesus did the same, urging the twelve to continue to observe the Supper in remembrance of Him.
What makes this night different from other nights?......This was the time that Jesus had waited for...the right time...the fullness of the season...the moment of truth. On that night the events were leading to the climax. Now He was able to help them understand who He really is... and what He is called to do as God's Son...the Messiah!
And do they understand? Well, no. So is the event a failure? Don't they get it yet? Was Jesus forever unable to get the disciples to understand the deeper meaning of His mission and the purpose of His suffering and death?
By no means. Because the purpose and the glory in the cross do not depend on knowing ahead of time what was going to happen...or even knowing ahead of time what it is going to mean...
The grace to suffer, or to live in the midst of suffering...and the hope we have to be able to overcome does not lie in knowing ahead of time that there will be suffering...or even in knowing that Jesus suffers.
The glory of this event is that there will be a supper in the kingdom. That one day we will sit with Christ Himself at the table. That there is a purpose...and a redemption that is promised. There will be a "marriage supper of the Lamb."
Jesus assured them that He would eat the supper with them again in the kingdom. He will drink again from the cup...but not until God brings the kingdom to fulfillment.
It's true that the disciples still didn't understand...but there soon would come a time when they do understand. They learn that there is hope on the other side of the cross. And it is a hope that doesn't !pass by„Ç the cross, but takes it up and rests on it.
When we observe the supper, we must recognize that there will come times when we will ask "Why?" The "why" of suffering...the "why" of doubt...the "why" of the lack of understanding regarding the purpose and meaning of our lives. And this "why" is not eliminated because we know ahead of time that there may be a cross.
But instead, when we have to walk through our own garden of Gethsemene ..or when we have to walk up that hill to our "cross"...we no longer have to look with dread and hopelessness...but we can look for the hope and the glory of that promised redemption.
We are assured and upheld by our hope in the one who walks before us...and who walks with us. It is the recognition of the meaning of the Passover...which speaks of the fulfillment of the promises of God concerning our redemption and our freedom from slavery that we celebrate this morning.
Have you been set free from the bondage of sin? Have you recognized that it takes the shed blood of an pure sacrifice to protect us from the horror of death...not just physical death but eternal separation from God?
If you recognize Christ as Savior, then you have the hope of glory... the sure realization that one day very soon Jesus will come back to take us to be with Him.
And on that day we will sit with Him...at the marriage supper of the Lamb...and we will feast together with Him...and be there with Him for all eternity. All because of His obedience to the will of the Father.
Today we celebrate communion...and that is what it should be...a real celebration that is, of course, if you have truly accepted His sacrifice as a pardon for your sins.
The Scripture says to examine yourself...and the implications of that verse are varied...but this morning I want you to take just a moment to answer that Passover question..."What makes this day any different? What does this celebration mean to me, personally?"
If you are a blood washed, child of God then rejoice. If you have yet to receive Christ as Savior, then come this morning and receive that forgiveness of your sins. If you need to recommit your life to Christ, do so now...so that nothing will stand in the way of your readiness to meet the Lord.
