Luke-Acts: From Bethlehem to the World

Good morning, it is good to be in God’s house, as always. I pray that everyone had a blessed week, even if it wasn’t a particularly a good week. Today we are continuing our series on Luke-Acts. We will be looking at these books throughout the Summer, which will give us a good amount of time to really dig in and study them with some detail. Just a a quick recap,

The author of Luke and Acts is Luke. Luke was not directly associated with any of Jesus’ disciples before he met Paul. Both of Luke’s books are written to a man named The Most Honorable Theopholis, who we believe to be a Roman official. Luke is the longest of the 4 gospels, while the book of Acts is a picture of how the early church got started and how Christianity because separate from Judaism. In week 1 we looked at the introductions to both books; in week two we talked about “The Good News,” then last week we looked at Luke chapter 6, which was all about obedience. This week we are going to skip forward in the book of Luke, to chapter 22, verses 14 to 23. Let’s go ahead and pray.

PRAY!

Today we are going to be talking a deep dive into the very first Lord’s Supper. Although we typically celebrate communion on the 1st Sunday of the month, this time we are going to move it up and week and celebrate it today, as that is our topic de’jure. All of us in here have taken communion countless times in our lives. It is something that we’ve grown accustomed to over the years....which means that it can loose its significance. Also, I do not believe I’ve ever done an entire sermon on the Lord’s Supper…so, today will be a first for me. I am excited to get into this topic, as it is such an important part of our relationship with God.

In Luke's account of the first communion, the author highlights 3 very important things.

Jesus’ Affection for His followers and hints of the Crucifixion. vs. 14-15

The New Heavens and Earth. Vs. 16-18

The New Covenant. Vs. 19-20

It’s worth noting that Matthew and Mark also give details of the first communion. The only gospel account that does not specify the first communion is the book of John. That said, Luke’s account shines a unique light on the Last Supper. We are going to take verses 14 to 20 and break them up into 4 sections, each one highlighting the 3 important ideas I refereed to earlier.

Jesus’ Affection for His followers and hints of the Crucifixion.

Last week, in Luke chapter 6, Jesus was in the prime years of His earthly ministry…which only lasted for about 3 years. This week, in Luke chapter 22, Jesus is at the tale end of His public ministry. Jesus is about to be put to be betrayed by one of his friends and put to death. It’s my goal today to put us in the place of Christ during the first communion. As much as is humanly possible, I want us to try and understand what was going on during the Last Supper, from Christ’s perspective. So, first I will read the passage, then we will talk about it.

Luke 22:14–15 “When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

To give you a good example of how my mind works when I read scripture, when I read verse 14, which says

Luke 22:14 “When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him.”

When I read that, at least 2 questions come to my head.

A. What hour is Luke referring to?

B. Why were they reclining, rather than sitting?

Then, to properly answer these questions, I have to do some research. The hour that Luke is referring to is the hour at which the son goes down and the Jewish passover celebration begins. This happened after sundown on Thursday. Also, back then, they did not have clocks…so, as soon as the first star appeared in the sky, the Jewish Friday began, this was also when the Passover meal began. The Jewish calendar does not switch days at midnight…it was when the first star appeared in the sky after sunset. So, when that hour arrived and the first star appeared, Jesus knew it was time to begin the passover meal. We do not have time to get into the details of the passover…but it was a yearly celebration, where the Jews would celebrate God setting them free from slavery in Egypt. This was, and still is, like the Jewish Christmas…the biggest holiday of the year. It was customary for people to share a formal meal at the beginning of passover…which, lets us know why Jesus and the disciples were reclining. In that day, the tables sat very low to the ground. Surrounding the tables were low couches, on which the people would recline. Think more of how you sit in a recliner, when it is laid back. So, Jesus and his disciples were all together, around a table, in order to celebrate the passover meal. No doubt, the disciples were excited to be with Jesus on this holiest of occasions…but for Jesus, this passover meal was more significant than anyone could imagine. As a result, Jesus says to His followers that he fervently desired to share this meal with them. This phrase, if translated directly would read

“with desire, I desired to share Passover with you.”

Jesus is not saying: “I guess, if I have to be with someone for passover, I guess you are OK! Jesus is telling the disciples that he was greatly looking forward to sharing this time together…as something bad is about to happen. Imagine all of the things going through the human part of Jesus’ mind at that moment. Up to this point, Jesus has been pretty much spoon feeding his followers. I believe that Jesus was attempting to go a bit deeper with the disciples.

Laura and I were recently watching a show where this couple, a man and woman are sitting around talking. The guy has a really tough time with being emotionally vulnerable and open with his lady. She asks the man: Have you ever Longed for anything? He sits there for a moment and says: “Well, when I was a kid, I would have killed for an Atari.” That was not the answer she was looking for, to say the least.

In a way, I feel that Jesus was in a similar situation with the disciples. He is trying to communicate some very serious things to them, but often the disciples failed to fully understand the seriousness of the situation. Although we aren’t covering it today, if you keep reading in this chapter you will discover that after Jesus pours out his heart to the disciples, they get to arguing who will be the greatest in the new “kingdom.” Thankfully though, the Lord, even in his human form, understands our weaknesses. So, first, Jesus communicates his affection for his disciples, next, Jesus.

2. The New Heavens and Earth

Luke 22:16–18 “For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.””

So, Jesus is reclining at the table with all of His disciples. Jesus’ mind is heavy, as He is about to be horrifically tortured and put to death.Notice that during the last supper, Jesus’s attention is focused more on the future than the present. Jesus tells His disciples that this will be the last Passover meal they will share together…that is, until all things have been fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Jesus mentions the future“Kingdom of God” twice, within a very short period of time. I suppose the natural question is,

A. What is Jesus referring to when He mentions the Kingdom of God?

There have been some varying opinions on what exactly Jesus is referring to when He says “The Kingdom of God.” Some believe that Jesus was referring to His resurrection…that Jesus would not eat or drink until after he was Resurrected…but I do not believe that is what Jesus intends here. As I mentioned, they were celebrating the passover, not just any meal. Jesus is saying that He will not eat the passover meal again. Furthermore, the Kingdom of God is not the resurrection. According to most reputable scholars and teachers, Jesus is referring to an event detailed in scripture, known as the Marriage supper of the Lamb....which I will explain in a moment. Understand though, even though Jesus may have been referring to an “end-times” event, the disciples were thinking more about the immediate future…to them, the Kingdom of God meant when Israel was restored as a nation.

In R.C. Sproul’s commentary on Luke and Acts, He says the following about verses 16-18:

A Walk with God: Luke (95. The Last Supper (Luke 22:15–23))

Twice in this passage he refers to the coming of the kingdom of God, so that, in the celebration of the Passover, Jesus not only looks back into history to the works that God had done in bringing Israel out of bondage, but he also looks ahead to the future, to the celebration of the banquet feast of the Lamb in Heaven

The banquet feast of the Lamb or the marriage feast of the lamb is an eschatological or end-times event. It has not happened yet. It is supposed to take place after Jesus returns for His bride, which is the church. The marriage supper of the Lamb celebrates the fact that the groom, who is Christ has and the bride (the Church) are united and together. John talks about this in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 19:6–10 (CSB) Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The disciples would not have understood all of that, even if Jesus tried explaining it to them. In time, the disciples would come to learn that the Kingdom of God is much larger than one nation. I’m sure, for Jesus, being with the disciples and trying to get them to understand the scope and importance of Jesus’ mission on Earth was like explaining trigonometry to 1st graders. The disciples were excited to be sharing the passover with their leader, not realizing what was about to happen.

Let’s keep moving on.

3. The New Covenant

Starting in verse 19 is when we get to the traditional parts of the Lord’s supper.

Luke 22:19–20 “And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke’s account of the First Supper is a bit different than the other gospel accounts. To be honest, if we were to follow Luke, we would take the juice first, then the bread, then the juice again. Apparently, there has been a controversy about how verse 16 has been translated. Not that it matters a ton, but when I picture the first communion, I picture Jesus eating, along with the disciples. I guess, in the original language it sounds like Jesus is saying that he will not partake in the meal…currently, meaning, that he would not eat with them until all things are fulfilled.

The direct translation sounds like:

“Because I say to you, but by no means will I eat it, until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, but it’s interesting to think about. Anyway, as I said, starting in verse 19 we read the traditional communion account. We also see Jesus take the idea of the Passover, which would include bread and wine,and transform its meaning into something new (we will get into more about that when I wrap up). For now though, Jesus takes the bread in his hands and breaks it…handing a piece to each of the disciples. Jesus says that the bread is His body. This is where we see much disagreement within Christian circles. Catholic’s believe and are taught transubstantiation…where the bread actually becomes Christs’ body and the wine becomes his blood. This was a very, very divisive issue back in the days of Martin Luther, the reformer. The question we must ask ourselves is this:

What did Christ intend to convey to His disciples and how would the disciples have understood what Christ was saying?

Was it the intention of Christ to say that the bread was His actual body, or did Christ intend to portray the bread as a representation of His body? I think it is safe to assume that the disciples would have understood that Christ was using the bread as a representation of his body. I’m pretty sure that when the disciples ate the bread, they weren’t thinking that they were consuming the actual body of Christ. If you think about it, when Jesus says “this is my body,” he was in the room with them, in physical form. I do not think, at any point, did the disciples think that either the bread or the wine was the actual body and blood of Christ. When we look at the way that Christ usually taught, it is not difficult to understand that Christ was using the bread and wine as an object lesson, of sorts. It’s no different than when Jesus says:

The Kingdom of God is Like: then goes on to tell a parable. or

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.”

Jesus isn’t saying that the humble person will, someday, own the entire earth. However, if we were to interpret this verse the same way as many do the Last Supper, that is exactly what Jesus is saying (but no one believes that).

Jesus breaks the bread, hands it out and says that it (his body) is being given to them. Again, Jesus is speaking metaphorically…as His physical body was about to be killed. Jesus is letting them know that His death will not be in vain…that He is dying for a reason. He tells the disciples to partake in the bread, so they will not forget why Jesus’ body is going to be broken.

Luke then says that Christ picks up the cup and says that the cup is his blood. Again, the wine is clearly meant to represent the blood of Christ. I can assure you that none of the disciples thought they were drinking blood. Christ then says something unique about the blood.

This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

The same book I referred to earlier had this to say about verse 20:

A Walk with God: Luke 95. The Last Supper (Luke 22:15–23)

Jesus referred to the new covenant in his blood (22:20). He was bringing new significance to an element of this meal and he does so using the terminology of covenant. He talks about a new covenant that he is inaugurating, a new covenant that he will ratify with the pouring out of his own blood. This is the moment of transition from the Old Testament people of God to the New Testament Church; there, around that table, the Church of Jesus Christ was born.

This is so spot on. I couldn’t say it any better, that’s why I shared it with you. When Jesus declared this new covenant, He was saying that the old ways of being justified before God was no longer. Instead of a priest having to shed the blood of an animal, Jesus was now the sacrificial lamb that would usher in the new covenant of Grace. No longer was the Passover just about looking backwards to an event in Egypt. Jesus transformed the passover into something new. Something that can benefit all of humanity, not just the Jews.

Before I wrap up, I want to explore the idea that Jesus changed the meaning of the passover. In the book of Exodus, after the children of Israel were set free from Egypt, the Lord instituted their very first festival or a time to reflect on the past.

Exodus 12:14–17 (CSB)“This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute. You must eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day you must remove yeast from your houses. Whoever eats what is leavened from the first day through the seventh day must be cut off from Israel. You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day and another sacred assembly on the seventh day. No work may be done on those days except for preparing what people need to eat—you may do only that. “You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread because on this very day I brought your military divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent statute.

The passover holiday was meant to commemorate (as the passage says) God setting them free, out of slavery, or bondage. All of a sudden, when Jesus sits down with the disciples to celebrate the Passover, Jesus redefines the passover celebration into something new. Instead of only focusing on the past, the First Supper teaches us to focus on the past, present and future.

For the disciples that day,

The past was represented by God freeing them from Egypt; The present was represented by the fact that Christ was with them and was about to usher in the new covenant; The future was the eventual marriage supper of the Lamb, when Jesus would arrive for His bride, the church.

It has been over 2000 years since Jesus celebrated the first supper with His disciples. Jesus tells us to follow this example and celebrate communion as well. The Apostle Paul reinforces this in the book of 1 Cor., which we will read in just a bit, as we partake in communion together. Before that though, let’s go ahead and begin to wrap up.

When we take the Lord’s supper today, we too can look at it from three perspectives:

The Past, The Present, and the Future. Despite the fact that Christians disagree on many aspects of communion, nearly all true believers agree that one of the reason for the Lord’s supper is to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. This was Jesus’ instructions as he told the disciples

“Do this in remembrance of me.”

This is not a suggestion. Jesus did not say: When you get around to it, or if you remember. Jesus says when you do this, not if you do this.

To once again quote the great R.C. Sproul, He says:

In the Old Testament, apostasy, falling away from fidelity, was associated with the concept of forgetting. So Jesus is urging his disciples, no matter what else they forget of all they have seen in his company, not to forget the significance of this event. Every time they break bread and drink the cup, they are to do it in remembrance of him.

Not only are we to look to the past, but we should focus on the present. We get this more from the apostle Paul, who warns us not to take communion if our hearts are not attuned to the Lord, or if there is a large amount of disunity in the body. Paul talks about this in 1st Cor. chapter 11. Both right before Paul talks about the bread and cup, Paul issues some pretty harsh warnings about the manner in which we are to take communion. We don’t have time to read it all, so we will just a portion.

1 Corinthians 11:27–34 (CSB) So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

It’s important to understand that in part, Paul is referring to the meals that the church would share together, not just communion. For the early church, communion would often be a part of a larger meal. Paul is actually warning them against pairing the Lord’s supper with another meal, as it can lead to disunity.

When we take communion, we are to have our hearts in a pure place and make sure that we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. So, that is the present.

Lastly, when we take communion, we are to look to the future. If you belong to Christ, then you are a part of the body of Christ, or, the bride of Christ. One day Christ will return for us. In that day, we will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lam. We look to the future because of the promise that one day we will no longer have to deal with the trials of this world. We will no longer have to be bound by our sinful nature.

In just a few moments we are going to celebrate communion together. Normally, once we hand out the elements we will take some time to reflect on our hearts. Today, I would like us to do that before the elements are handed out. I would like us to take the next 4 or 5 minutes and quiet our hearts before the Lord. I would like us to take time to focus on the past, the present, and the future.

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 (CSB)

Ray:

In 1st Cor., Paul recounts the words of Jesus.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Pray over the bread. We can all take the bread.

Once again, Paul reminds us of Jesus’ words as he passed around the cup.

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Pray over the cup. We can all take the cup.

PRAY and thank God for His sacrifice.