The Echoes of Easter Pt 1
"His Cup at the Gathering"
Luke 22:14-30
Luke 22:14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Introduction: Over the next 7 weeks we will be examining the pre and post resurrection events surrounding the last days of Jesus Christ on earth. The title of this series is, "The Echoes of Easter," and I am praying that the Lord would use these messages to bless you and your family. If you would like to do some background Scripture reading then I would encourage and challenge you to read through Luke chapters 22-24 once per week over the next seven weeks and make plans to be present for the entire series. To use a common metaphor, the Scriptures are a spiritual banquet but you must come to the "table" to eat! Our message begins with the phrase, "And when the hour was come..." Question: What does this mean? Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. The hour spoken of by the Lord is about 6 PM which would have been the time for the Pascal Lamb to be sacrificed. But there was another reference to the time in the mind of the Lord. If you recall from reading the NT, Jesus mentioned on several occasions that His hour was not yet come. Listen as I read this sequence of verses from John's Gospel...
John 7:30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. John 8:20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come. John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
This Passover scene is set against the backdrop of His coming arrest, trial, punishment and death. The "his hour" was set by God the Father in eternity past for He was "a lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and now that hour has arrived. That's where we begin this series entitled, "The Echoes of Easter."
I. The Entreaty of the Savior
a. The people
In verses 7-13 we read that the Lord has instructed Peter and John to "go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat."
Luke 22:8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? 12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.
b. The Passover
This was the most important of the three designated feasts times in the Jewish calendar which lasted seven days; during which the Jews eat their bread without leaven, in commemoration of the haste in which they went out of Egypt; being such, that they had not time to leaven their dough, but took it with their kneadingtroughs along with them, as it was; and as figurative of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, with which the Gospel feast is to be kept; see Exo 12:43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: Which is called the Passover; because the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites, when he slew all the firstborn in Egypt; now the time of this feast drew near: Matthew and Mark are more precise, and suggest, that it was two days before the Passover; Exo 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. John Gill's Exposition
This would be the last Passover in the OT dispensation for in just a few more days Jesus, the Lamb of God, would offer himself as the one great sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Paul says as much in: 1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
c. The passion
Notice at the end of verse 15 Jesus mentions His "suffering." I want to make a statement about His suffering and then clarify what I mean. No one has ever suffered like Jesus. There have been others who have been tortured physically and have suffered mental and emotional anguish but no one has ever suffered on a par with Him. His suffering can be summed up by one of His statements from the cross when He cried, Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
What you have with this statement is the acknowledgement by the Lord that the wrath of God was poured out on Him for the sins of world. He took the place of sinners on the cross and suffered the punishment that we deserved. "He paid a debt that he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay!" The Apostle Paul make the following statement in his letter to the church at Corinth:
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Application:
Next, we have:
II. The Emblems of His Sacrifice
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
a. The representation
After the Passover meal our Lord serves His disciples in verses 19-20 and uses two very familiar elements to highlight the importance of their last Passover together. The unleavened bread that was a vital part of any Passover observance is now a metaphor for "his body that is broken for you," and the cup also which contains the fruit of the vine, for His blood that was, "...shed for you." But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine...Mat 26:29
THREE PIECES OF BREAD: PASSOVER
In a Jewish home (at Passover) the Father places three pieces of matzot bread inside a cloth. The middle of the three pieces is broken. Part is wrapped in cloth with the remaining two, and the other broken part is hidden.
Jewish people have many views as to what the symbolism might be, but for Christians, and also for Messianic Jews who worship Jesus as Messiah, there is no confusion as to what it symbolizes. Three pieces of bread -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- one of them is broken -- Jesus, and it is hidden in a cloth -- reminding us of the grave clothes used to wrap the body of Jesus.
b. The remembrance
What were they to remember? At the end of the Passover celebration a hymn would be sung, a hymn of praise that was given to the group of Psalms 113-118, which are preeminently psalms of praise. It is called "The Egyptian Hallel," because it was chanted in the temple whilst the Passover lambs were being slain. It was chanted also on other festival occasions, as at Pentecost, the feast of Tabernacles, and the feast of Dedication. The Levites, standing before the altar, chanted it verse by verse, the people responding by repeating the verses or by intoned hallelujahs. It was also chanted in private families at the feast of Passover. This was probably the hymn which our Saviour and his disciples sung at the conclusion of the Passover supper kept by them in the upper room at Jerusalem (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26).
Why do we call this the great hallel? (i.e. the hymn composed of several psalms, which they sung after the paschal supper). Ans. Because in it these five things are contained:
1. The exodus from Egypt.
2. The dividing of the Red Sea.
3. The declaration of the law.
4. The resurrection of the dead. And,
5. The sufferings of the Messiah.
The first is referred to, Psalms 114:1, When Israel went out of Egypt, etc.
The second in Psalms 114:3, The sea saw it and fled.
The third in Psalms 114:4, The mountains skipped like rams, etc.
The fourth in Psalms 116:9, I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
The fifth in Psalms 115:1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory; for thy mercy and thy truth's sake. See the note on Matthew 26:30.
c. The repetition
What is the purpose of the repetition? We are to associate the elements of the Lord's Supper with His death. The Apostle Paul says as much when he reminds the believers of sacredness of this observance in 1 Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Application:
III. The Example in His Service
At this point it is important that we acknowledge that all of the disciples are still present. The sequence of events can be traced by comparing the Gospel accounts. They have celebrated the Passover together, He washes the disciples feet, He offers a gentle rebuke to their rivalry, and then He institutes what we commonly refer to as, "The Lord's Supper." In John's account we learn that all 12 are present until after the feet washing which is confirmed by three Gospel writers.
MATTHEW 26:20 Now when the evening came, he sat down with the twelve. MARK 14:17 And in the evening, he comes with the twelve. LUKE 22:14 And when the hour came, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
After the announcement in chapter 22:21-23 Luke indicates that there was a "...strife..." among the disciples as to who should be the greatest in the kingdom. In verses 25-30 Jesus teaches a valuable lesson.
a. The declaration
Jesus teaches His disciples that there should be a difference between the attitudes of the world and the actions of His followers. In kingdom economy up is down! Jesus declares that true greatness is measured by serving, not being served.
QUOTES ON DISCIPLESHIP
It's been said, 'A student learns what his teacher knows, but a disciple becomes what his master is."
One great writer on discipleship put it this way: "Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you." Gordon Curley
b. The demonstration
It will be helpful for us to visit John chapter 13 to view the example of His service.
... open sandals were the most common footwear, and it was customary for guests to leave their sandals at the door when they entered a house. Since most travelers in Israel shared the main roads with camels, horses, and donkeys, it was impossible to completely avoid the droppings of these animals all day long. Sandals provided some protection to travelers, and it was unthinkable to wear them into a person's house. Nevertheless, it was certain that the residue of the day's journey (including the odor of the animal droppings) was still deposited on a guest's unprotected feet. For this reason, the dirty job of washing the animal droppings off of everyone's feet was reserved for the most insignificant servant of the household...If you really wanted to dishonor and humiliate a person who entered your home, all you had to do was make sure that your servants didn't bother to wash his feet. This was especially true in a Pharisee's house where outward cleanliness meant everything. Jesus clearly says that when He entered Simon's house, no one washed His feet (Luke 7:44). It is almost like Simon wanted Jesus there, but he didn't want to honor Him.
(The God Chasers, by Tommy Tenney, p. 130)
c. The distinction
Again, Jesus says that there is to be a difference, a distinction between believers and those who are not and He reminds them that they have been given "...a kingdom which the Father has appointed unto Me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelves tribes of Israel."
The kingdom of God is not a physical place, but it's a spiritual realm. The kingdom of God is the place where God rules. If God rules your heart, then that's where you find the kingdom of God, in your heart. David Yarbrough
Application:
Conclusion: How many of you have ever attended a Demolition Derby? I love watching drivers take aim at each other with the attempt to demolish or disable one another. I saw some great smash ups and did a lot of laughing. I don't know much about how these derbies work, but I do know that the last car still running is declared the winner. The announcer pointed out that each driver has a long wooden stick duct-taped to the side of the car, and if for some reason he can't go on, either because he's feeling a bit woozy from getting clobbered or the car has gone caput, he simply reaches up and breaks the stick, which is supposed to signal to the other drivers that he has surrendered. No one is supposed to smash into a car that has a broken stick.
