This Is The Moment
(Luke 22:14-18)
I. Christ’s Eagerness to Celebrate This Passover with His Disciples
II. It Is Tied to Jesus’ Death and Passover
A. “Before I suffer” (v. 15)
B. “I will not eat it again until…” (v. 16)
C. “I will not drink again until…” (v. 18)
III. It Is the Promise of a Greater Supper and a Glorious Future
A. The nature of promises
1. Character of the promise maker
2. Ability of the promise maker
B. The promise to celebrate supper with His disciples in the future—Marriage Feast of the Lamb
C. The promise of participating with Christ in His eternal kingdom
1. Being part of the new heavens and earth
2. Being perfected and living forever
Introduction
Throughout our lives we encounter a number of significant incidents. In fact, I would imagine that one could argue that life is best understood as a series of important events, stages, and/or experiences. In some cultures, these are highly regarded and often elaborately celebrated occasions referred to as rites of passage—marking the movement from one position or level of influence in life to the next.
If I were to open up the floor this morning to solicit your opinions as to what are the key events that make up life, I am certain that there would be a large degree of consensus as well as a wide variety of divergence. Since I don’t want to take up all of our time this morning running a “Gallop poll,” I will simply run through number of noteworthy experiences that came to my mind as I was preparing for this message.
Some of life’s highlights (in a loose-knit chronology) would include: entering school and the later transitions of moving into middle school and then into high school; getting your driver’s license; going on your first date; getting your first job; playing on sports teams; going to the prom; graduating from high school; going to college; moving away from home; starting a career; buying your first car; getting married; having children; sending your child to his/her first day of school; buying a home; sending your child to college; saying goodbye to your recently married child; and finally, retirement. Somewhere in the midst of all this, it is hoped that one will also come to receive God’s gift of eternal life.
For me, today is one of those big events in life that I have been eagerly anticipating for quite some time—celebrating communion at Port Crane for the first time. I think that this feeling hit a crescendo while I was at C&MA General Council last month. It was after listening to Ravi Zacharias in the morning session. During his message he expressed his thoughts on how precious the celebrating of the Lord’s Supper was to him. As I left the auditorium that morning I began to rehearse in my heart and mind this occasion when we would gather together as a family and participate in the life of our Savior through communion.
(I have to make a confession this morning. I have been so excited about this moment for so long that I actually thought last week was our usual Sunday for celebrating the Lord’s Supper and I had been working on this message for last Sunday. So I had to scurry last week to get a message ready for then. Oh well!)
This morning we are going to look at a moment in the life of Jesus that stood out as an exceptionally significant time for Him. It was a moment that he looked forward to with great anticipation because of the significance that was about to be unveiled on that occasion. His desire for that evening was that His disciples grasp and embrace the enormity of the evening. His desire for us this morning is that we grasp and embrace the enormity of this moment. The Lord is saying to us today, “This is the moment.”
Please join me in reading Luke 22:14-18. If you are using one of the Bibles in the pew rack, our scripture is found on p. 785.
Christ’s Eagerness to Celebrate This Passover with His Disciples
Christ had an exceptional interest and eagerness in celebrating this particular Passover feast with His disciples. Look once again at the words Luke records in vv. 14-15: When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you….” The time had finally arrived when Jesus would recline with His disciples around the table to celebrate the Passover meal. It was a time that He eagerly anticipated. We may naturally wonder, what made this Passover feast different from any other? We read in the various gospel accounts that Jesus had celebrated this event annually with disciples. So what was so special this time? Why the eagerness to eat with them on this specific occasion?
The answer to our questions is found in the fact that this Passover would never be and could never be repeated again. The events that would unfold on this evening would forever change the meaning attributed to the Passover feast and ultimately change the course of history. Because of the “steps” that Jesus was about to take, lasting peace with God could be realized and sin’s tyranny would soon come to an end. As one commentary describes the events of that night, “It was the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals, the one about to close for ever, the other immediately to open and run its majestic career until from earth it be transferred to heaven” (JFB-WS).
What I desire for each of us this morning is a renewal or, perhaps for some, the birthing of a passion for celebrating the Lord’s Supper. I would love for us as a congregation to view our participation in communion as one of the high points in our Christian experience and not simply as a ritual we do at regular intervals. It needs to be embraced as much more than a memorial service where we symbolically rehearse events that remind us of some of our doctrinal positions. Jesus eagerly desired to eat this meal with His disciples on that night, and I believe that He still eagerly desires to eat this meal with us today, His present-day disciples. As we look at this passage of a scripture this morning, I want us to note that the Lord’s Supper reveals two important truths to us concerning Jesus’ eagerness to eat this meal on that night.
It Is Tied to Jesus’ Death and Passover
The first important truth revealed in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is that it is tied to Jesus’ death and Passover. This may seem very obvious to us, but to those gathered around the table that night it was not a readily observable fact. Jesus was giving them a new and fresh understanding of this event that still impacts us today.
“Before I suffer” (v. 15)
Look at v. 15 again, And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Jesus makes it very clear to His disciples that He is about to suffer. He had told them this before on several other occasions, but this time the commencement of His sufferings was only hours away. After this meal, the next thing that Jesus would taste would be the bitterness of suffering.
“I will not eat it again until…” (v. 16)
“I will not drink again until…” (v. 18)
Jesus also wants to let His disciples that this is the last time that they would share a meal together like this. He tells them in v. 16, “I will not eat it again…” and in v. 18, “I will not drink again….” After that night, their relationship would be forever altered; they could never go back to the way things were. The old was passing, and the new was beginning.
We know from John 13 that Jesus was acutely aware of all that would happen to Him in the ensuing hours before Him, and yet He tells His disciples that He has “eagerly desired” this moment. Why? Why would He be eager to enter into this event when He knew that the ultimate conclusion to the evening would be His betrayal, arrest, desertion by His companions, an unjust and illegal trial, denial by perhaps His closest friend, beatings, and mocking? Jesus was eager for this?
The reason that Jesus could be eager about celebrating the Passover with His disciples on this night is because He lived this night as He had His entire life. Jesus did not focus His attention on the immediacy of the moment, but rather lived His life according to the will of His Father and in the light of eternity. He understood that it was for this very moment in history that He broke out of the limitlessness of eternity as the Holy Timeless One and entered into the limitations of space and time as the Ransom for our sinful world. The reason that Jesus could be eager about celebrating this Passover meal was because He was looking down the corridor of time and seeing what this night would bring about. As the writer of Hebrews put it, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (12:2).
All of the implications of His suffering would be very real and He fully understood all of that as He told His disciples of His eager desire to be with them on that night. But being with them on just such an occasion was what He desired. I believe that what Jesus was saying to them in effect that night was, “I want to be with you on this night. I want you to know how much I love you and long for you to participate in My life. I want you to know how special you are to Me. I have to leave you soon and I will have to endure great suffering, but we have this moment and I want to spend it with you.” As Kent Hughes states in his commentary on Luke, “Jesus would recoil at the reality of the cross but not from this!” (PTW-WS).
It Is the Promise of a Greater Supper and a Glorious Future
The second important truth revealed in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is that it is the promise of a greater supper and a glorious future.
The Nature of Promises
Before we actually take a look at the promise that Jesus makes, I want to talk a little bit about the nature of promises in general. We have all experienced promises. It is likely that each of us has made and received promises. And we have experienced both the joy of promises kept and the sorrow of promises that have been broken.
A promise can be defined as “a solemn pledge to perform or grant a specified thing” (Nelson’s IBD, p. 875). A promise is essentially a series of words that express the intent of the promise maker to bestow some type of favor upon the promise receiver. While we could elaborate on a number of conditions that surround promises, there are two invariables upon which every promise is dependent and without which no promise can be fulfilled.
Character of the Promise Maker
The first invariable upon which every promise rests is the character of the promise maker. By character, I am referring to the integrity, faithfulness, and truthfulness of the promise maker. Does the promise maker possess the necessary character qualifications to carry out the promise being made?
In the case before us, the One who is making the promise is our Lord Jesus Christ. Since He is God, He possesses all of the character qualifications of God. We are told in both the OT and the NT that God is One who cannot lie (1 Samuel 15:29; Titus 1:2). Hebrews 10:23 states, Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is called “Faithful and True” (3:14; 19:11). We could also cite the numerous references declaring God’s holiness in defense of His character. Without belaboring the point, I believe that we can reasonably conclude that Jesus possesses the character qualifications essential to a reliable promise maker.
Ability of the Promise Maker
The second invariable upon which every promise rests is the ability of the promise maker. By ability, I am referring to the resources, strength, time and knowledge of the promise maker. Does the promise maker have the ability to fulfill the promise being made? In our case, does Jesus have the ability to make good on the promises He makes?
Since Jesus is God, He possesses all the ability of God. We are told throughout scripture that God is not limited in any sense with regard to resources strength, time or knowledge. The OT and NT state that everything in the earth belongs to God—He has the resources (Psalm 24:1; 50:12; 1 Corinthians 10:26). The Bible also states that God made all things (Genesis 1-2; John 1:2-3). With regard to time, Peter reminds us, do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8). Isaiah tells us that God will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom (40:28). Without a doubt, Jesus possesses the ability to fulfill His promises.
So, what specific promise did Jesus make to His disciples during this Passover celebration? The promise is two-fold in nature.
The Promise to Celebrate Supper with His Disciples in the Future—Marriage Feast of the Lamb
The first aspect of Jesus’ promise is that He will celebrate supper with his disciples once again in the future. In v. 16 Jesus states, “For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” And then in v. 18 He tells them, “For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
His heart “swelled at the thought of the next time he would eat with his own beyond history. Jesus’ heart traveled beyond the sorrow and death to reunion with them in lavish festal joy. These anticipated joys sustained him in this crucial hour. And the center of that joy is that his redeemed will sit with him at [His] table in the kingdom” (PTW-WS).
He was looking forward with eager anticipation to that magnificent banquet described for us in Revelation 19:6-9,
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
The Promise of Participating with Christ in His Eternal Kingdom
The second aspect of Jesus’ promise to His disciples is that they will join Him in His eternal kingdom. Never again would they be separated from each other. And they would become full participants in the eternal kingdom He was establishing through His blood.
Being Part of the New Heavens and Earth
The promise of joining Christ in His eternal kingdom involves being part of the new heavens and earth. John records in Revelation 21:1-7, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Friends, this is what Jesus was eagerly looking forward to as He fellowshipped with His disciples on that night.
Being Perfected and Living Forever
The promise of joining Christ in His eternal kingdom also involves our being perfected and living forever with Him. The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has told us a great deal about the perfection that we will experience at the return of Christ. He writes in Philippians, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6). And in 1 Corinthians 15, So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (vv. 42-44). And in 1 Thessalonians, Paul encourages the believers with these words, so we will be with the Lord forever (4:17). John also writes these words about the coming of the Lord in his first epistle, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (3:2).
Conclusion
Now here’s the bottom line for us this morning: “Whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Table, we should eat with an eye to the ultimate Communion. This is why Paul added, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). The eagerness of our Savior’s heart for this meal ought to set our hearts to racing. This is the heart of God!” (PTW-WS).
Church, This is the moment!
