Sermon 1: The Last Supper Series

Sermon 1: The Last Supper

82 Hours: Countdown to the Resurrection

Chuck Sligh

Preaching March 22, 2019

NOTE: PowerPoint or ProPresenter presentations are available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.

TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 14.

INTRODUCTION

Illus. – As a child, my dad was stationed at Tainan Air Force Base in Taiwan. There was no AFN or any TV broadcasting for military people in those days, so one day in 1961, my whole school was bussed down to a theatre in central Tainan city to watch a film of the launch of the first American, Alan Shephard, into space. We had never seen a rocket liftoff, so we watched in fascination as the announcer on the film explained the historic significance of the event, followed by the actual liftoff. We listened in suspense as the NASA technician counted down: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-Ignition. Liftoff.

A little over two thousand years ago there began a similar countdown, not of seconds, but of hours, a countdown that would change the course of history. Today is five weeks before Easter, and from now until Easter, we’re going to walk with Jesus the 82 hours from the Last Supper to His Resurrection. By my calculation, I believe that the Last Supper took place 82 hours before Jesus rose from the dead; hence the title of my series: 82 Hours. [https://chasingalion.com/a/21-timing-of-the-last-supper-crucifixion]

Today we’ll look at the Last Supper; next week, the agony in Gethsemane; week three: Jesus’ trial and torture; His death on Palm Sunday, and lastly, the resurrection, of course, on Easter.

Let’s begin by reading our text: Mark 14:12-25 – “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said to him, Where would you have us go and prepare for you Passover eat the Passover? 13 And he sent…two of his disciples, and said to them, Go…into the city, and there you shall meet…a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wherever he shall go in, say…to the owner of the house, ‘The Master says, “Where is the guest room, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found it as He had said to them: and they prepared the Passover. 17 And in the evening he came with the twelve. 18 And as they reclining and eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, ne of you who eats with me shall betray me.’ 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one by one, Is it I? and another said, ‘Is it I?’ 20 And he answered and said to them, ‘It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man is going away, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed!’ It would have been better for that man if he had never been born. 22 And as they ate, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take, eat: this is my body.’ 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

One of the most famous paintings in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” It shows Jesus and the Twelve apparently sitting in chairs on one side of a table as if they’re having their picture taken. But the Greek text says they were reclining and eating, as most modern translations say. As was typical of the day, as you can see in this slide, they would have been arranged in a small circle around a low table reclining on their left elbows, using their right hands to eat with because the left hand was considered unclean.

This was Jesus’ “last supper,” but since this is when He instituted the “Lord’s Supper,” or “communion,” we learn from this text some important things about the Lord’s Supper: Let’s look at them:

I. FIRST, THE LORD’S SUPPER SHOULD INVOLVE PREPARATION.

Jesus sent some of His disciples into Jerusalem and told them to find a room and make preparations for the Passover. Every Spring the Jews commemorated the time when they were slaves in Egypt. God called Moses to tell Pharaoh to set the Hebrew people free from their bondage. But Pharaoh refused. God sent a series of plagues to warn Pharaoh, but Pharaoh still refused, so God sent a final, deadly plague.