The Last Supper

Recap

Olivet Discourse ends with Judgement Day described

Plot to Kill Jesus developed along with the betrayer established

Jesus now looks forward to the last night He will spend with his disciples before his crucifixion.

The stage has been set, the betrayer has stepped forward to assist the Chief Priests and now it’s time to unfold the symbolism in the passover meal, pointing to Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, the lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and then set up the nation of Israel and eventually the gentiles for the sanctification of their sins.

Preparation

Matthew 26:17–19 ESV

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

The feast of unleavened bread was a 7 day feast that started with the Pass over meal. We need to remember a couple of things about the Jewish culture.

Their day started and stopped at sundown. Unlike our days that start and stop at 12am. Why is that important?

Because on the surface there seems to be some discrepancy on when Jesus celebrated passover and when the rest of the nation of Israel celebrated. How could this be? Technically, because the Day it was suppose to be celebrated was about to start at sun down.

Jesus being God in the flesh wasn’t about to disobey one of His own ordinances. The thing is, he already knew when He was going to be crucified, and wanted to celebrate this feast with His disciples before He went to the cross.

Choosing the Lamb: The preparation for passover would have started days before the day Jesus told the disciples to prepare to eat the meal. It started first with the choosing of the lamb. Exodus 12:1-6

Exodus 12:1–6 (ESV)

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month (Nisan) shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

3. Unleavened Bread: It started with a thorough cleaning of every Jewish home. They cleaned out all the leaven because leaven was a picture of sin. Exodus 12:18-20

Exodus 12:18–20 (ESV)

18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”

Ultimately, Jesus became the passover lamb, the ultimate spotless sacrifice who died on Passover to take away the sins of the world.

The disciples asked a simple question, “where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?” Jesus had already hand picked the man who would allow them to use his home. This man would know who “The Teacher” was and he must have understood what this time would mean for Jesus and His disciples.

Message of Betrayal

Matthew 26:20–25 ESV

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes 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 not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me: In the midst of their Passover meal, Jesus made a startling announcement. He told His disciples that one of their own — these twelve who had lived and heard and learned from Jesus for three years — would betray Him.

“This was a most unpleasant thought to bring to a feast, yet it was most appropriate to the Passover, for God’s commandment to Moses concerning the first paschal lamb was, ‘With bitter herbs they shall eat it.’” (Spurgeon)

Can you imagine how this must have shaken the disciples to their very core. The message of betrayal in the midst of such a momentous occasion. The message of betrayal insinuated amongst the closest 12, men who had been living with, walking with, & learning from Jesus. It’s interesting to see their response to this message of betrayal. Verse 22 says they were very sorrowful and began to ask Jesus if it was them who would betray. One by one they asked.

Lord, is it I? - “It is a beautiful trait in the character of the disciples that they did not suspect one another, but every one of them inquired, almost incredulously, as the form of the question implies, ‘Lord, is it I?’ No one said, ‘Lord is it Judas?’” (Spurgeon)

I love the humility and openness of the disciples! By this time they seem to have realized that Jesus knows things they don’t. This allows them to really be able to ask God to examine their hearts.

We should never assume that because we love Jesus and have good intentions that we are never at fault. We should never just assume that our hearts are aligned with the Savior’s heart. We should, especially in vital situations, be asking God to examine our hearts and reveal any wicked way that is in us.

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

and at the same time we see

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Just because we have Jesus’ Spirit living in us doesn’t mean that everything we feel or think is right or is from Him. When something crops up within us we need to take it to God and ask Him to help us understand what to do with it.

That’s essentially what these 12 are doing, only one was putting out a smoke screen. The thing is, Jesus can see through your smoke screen!

This statement: He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me: Jesus said this not to point out a specific disciple, because they all dipped with Him. Instead, Jesus identified the betrayer as a friend, someone who ate at the same table with Him.

This idea is drawn from

Psalm 41:9 ESV

9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

When Judas said “You have said it”: Jesus did not say this to condemn Judas, but to call him to repentance. It is fair to assume that He said it with love in His eyes, and Jesus showed Judas that He loved him, even knowing his treachery.

The Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

When the bread was lifted up at Passover, the head of the meal said: “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let everyone who hungers come and eat; let everyone who is needy come and eat the Passover meal.”

Everything eaten at the Passover meal had symbolic meaning.

The bitter herbs recalled the bitterness of slavery

the salt water remembered the tears shed under Egypt’s oppression.

The main course of the meal — a lamb freshly sacrificed for that particular household — did not symbolize anything connected to the agonies of Egypt. It was the sin-bearing sacrifice that allowed the judgment of God to pass over the household that believed.

The Passover created a nation; a mob of slaves were freed from Egypt and became a nation. This new Passover also creates a people; those united in Jesus Christ, remembering and trusting His sacrifice. (GUZIK)

Jesus didn’t give the normal explanation of the meaning of each of the foods. He reinterpreted them in Himself, and the focus was no longer on the suffering of Israel in Egypt, but on the sin-bearing suffering of Jesus on their behalf.

This is how we remember what Jesus did for us. As we eat the bread, we should remember how Jesus was broken, pierced, and beaten with stripes for our redemption. As we drink the cup, we should remember that His blood, His life was poured out on Calvary for us.

This is how we fellowship with Jesus. Because His redemption has reconciled us to God, we can now sit down to a meal with Jesus, and enjoy each other’s company.

This is the blood of the covenant? Which covenant? They’d already had a covenant established but this is a new covenant! No mere man could establish a New Covenant! It had to be God Himself that would have the ability to establish an everlasting, redemptive covenant between God and Man!

The new covenant concerns an inner transformation that cleanses us from all sin:

Jeremiah 31:33–34 ESV

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This transformation puts God’s Word and will in us. This covenant is all about a new, close relationship with God.

Relationship: From the root word Relate

RELA'TIONSHIP, noun The state of being related by kindred, affinity or other alliance.

How do you relate to Yahweh? Given all the persons of the trinity?

Savior

Friend

Helper

Abba Father

Counselor

Creator

Lover of my soul

Faithful Father

Redeemer

Lord

King

I could go on and on!

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have can have a new covenant relationship with the God Head!

The words TAKE and EAT are words of invitation.

Jesus invites us to believe and be saved. Jesus invites us into relationship with Him, and he invites us to remember.

EAT should communicate to us that what we are doing is absolutely vital for everyone and should not be neglected!

Without food and drink, no one can live.

Without Jesus, we perish.

Everyone must also eat for themselves; no one else can do it for them.

Sing A Hymn

Matthew 26:30 ESV

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

It is wonderful that Jesus sang, but what did He sing? A Passover meal always ended with singing three Psalms known as the Hallel, Psalms 116-118. Think of how the words of these Psalms would have ministered to Jesus as He sang them on the night before His crucifixion:

Psalm 116 ESV

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.” 12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

Jesus sings this traditional Psalm with his disciples knowing what would come next.

“Observe, Jesus was in the mood, and able, at that hour, to thank and praise, confident that good would come out of evil. In Gethsemane He was able only to submit.” (Bruce)