The Table Is Prepared

•We will be coming together next Sabbath, for the purpose of celebrating the Lord’s Supper

•Communion is a joyous celebration, a high Sabbath, and not to be taken lightly

•It is a service that is rich in meaning

•We come together today to understand the meaning, so as we come together next Sabbath, we might receive the fullest blessing from God in partaking of the Supper

Mark 14:12-16

•The Passover meal had to be prepared

•Communion requires preparation: we are not to come to the Table without having prepared ourselves to partake of the meal

•But notice who did the preparing

•It was Jesus who had made arrangements for a room large enough for Him and His disciples

•It was Jesus who arranged for a guide to lead the disciples there

•It was Jesus who ensured the room was adequately furnished and the food was set out

•Later on, we realise Jesus had even prepared by not having a servant available to wash the disciples’ feet, in order that He might set an example of humility and service

•What did the disciples do for the preparation? They asked Him what to do, and they followed the plans He had arranged

•So it is in our lives: we do not come to this table through any planning or devising on our part

•We do nothing of ourselves to prepare for this meal

•Jesus has made all the necessary preparations for us to partake of the meal; all we must do is follow in what He has already done for us

•What preparations has Jesus made for us to come to the Table?

1. He has prepared a way for us to come to the table

Exodus 12:43

•No stranger was to eat the Passover meal

•In the Hebrew, this literally means “no foreign son” or “no foreigner”

•In other words, only those who were part of God’s family could partake of the meal

Ephesians 2:10-13

•The words “alien” and “stranger” in the Greek both carry the idea of being foreigners, being far away, estranged

•Again, the same concept is being referred to here; the concept of not being part of God’s family

•This is referring to each one of us

•Because of sin, we were cut off from God’s family

•But notice verse 13 – Because of Jesus, we have now been made a part of God’s family

John 1:12-13 reaffirms this concept of being brought into God’s family

•Through Jesus, we are made sons and daughters of the Most High God, making it possible to come to the table

2. He has prepared the meal for us

a) He has prepared the bread

John 6:27-35

•Just a little while earlier, Jesus had

performed a miracle in transforming two fishes

and five barley loaves into enough food for

over 5 thousand people

•The people were flocking to Him, we are told

in verse 26, because they wanted Him to

provide more bread for them to eat

•Often times we treat God as a vending machine

•We come to Him, tell Him what we want, and

expect Him to give it to us

•I’ve got a little quote in my office that

says, “God does not just give us what we

want. He gives us everything we would want if

we knew everything that He knows”

•So often what we ask of God is so trivial,

here today and gone tomorrow

vv. 48-51

•Life is unsatisfying if all we live for is

what we can get here and now

•The bread Jesus has prepared for us is bread

that will never leave us hungering

•His offer is bread that will bring complete

satisfaction, and in the end, eternal life

Mark 14:22

•The bread is His body

•In breaking the bread, He reminds us of His

sacrifice on our behalf

Isaiah 53:4-7

•The bread reminds us that He took the

punishment that was rightfully ours

•In a native village, it was discovered that

there was a thief in thier midst

•The chief decreed that whoever was caught

stealing in the village would be punished

with 15 lashes

•Late one night, the chief was awakened and

told that the thief had been caught

•To his horror, the chief discovered that it

was his own grandmother

•The villagers began to murmur, curious to

know whether the punishment would be

enforced

•Without hesitating, the chief commanded

that the 15 lashes be given

•Before the whip was swung, the chief stood

over his grandmother and exposed his back

•The bread that Jesus has prepared is the bread

of life

•He died for us so that we might live through

Him

b) He has prepared the wine

•Mark 14:24

•The wine – the juice of the grape – is

symbolic of the blood of Jesus

•Just as the grape must be crushed in order to