74 Luke 22.7-20
The Greater Exodus
Luke 22:7-20
v My top drawer in my desk contains, among other things…
Ø A broken men’s cufflink case
§ Cufflinks, etc.
Ø A broken, rusty pearl handled penknife
Ø A pair of old horn-rimmed glasses
Ø Cross nickel
Ø Personal correspondence
§ They are rather ordinary things
· Things that most people would open and be tempted to throw most of the things away
¨ But to me they are priceless!
Ø Because they have meaning beyond what you see
§ Cufflink case
· Given to me upon my father’s death when I was 15
§ Broken pearl handled knife
· My Grandfather Pappy’s penknife
§ Horn rimmed glasses
· Grandmother Doddy’s
¨ Who was a second mother to me
§ Cross nickel
· My call into ministry 15 yrs ago
§ Personal correspondence
· Love letters from my wife
v These are ordinary, everyday things to most people
Ø But to me they are very, very dear
§ Because they represent something to me beyond what they are to everybody else
· When I look at these objects I think of…
¨ My grandparents, my Father, my Wife, my call
v In our text today…
Ø Jesus takes 2 very ordinary things…
§ Bread and wine
· And places meaning on them that transcends the ordinary
¨ Meaning for people with eyes to see and hearts to understand
v The Preparation
READ v. 7
v This is Thursday, the day of Unleavened Bread
Ø It is the day when two things happen…
§ First, every household must rid itself of every bit of yeast from their house
· In remembrance of the exodus from Egypt
¨ When they left in such a hurry they did not have time to bake bread with yeast
· But also because yeast represents sin
¨ The people are ridding themselves of sin
Ø Cleansing themselves
§ Secondly, the lambs were slaughtered at the temple for use in the Passover feast that night
· Between 3 and 5pm people would bring their perfect little lambs to be sacrificed by the priests
¨ At 6 pm the new day for the Jew started and they ate the Passover meal that night
v Many things had to be prepared for the Passover meal
Ø So he sent John and Peter to make preparations…
READ v. 8
v Not only did the lamb have to be ritually sacrificed at the temple
Ø But the unleavened bread had to be bought…
Ø The bitter herbs had to be gathered…
Ø The fruity mixture Charoset had to be made…
§ All this the two disciples knew…
· But they didn’t know one all-important thing…
READ v.9
v Passover was one of the great 3 pilgrimage feasts
Ø Passover, Weeks (50 days later) and Tabernacles (7 months later)
§ Harvest feasts
Ø All men in Israel had to come to Jerusalem
§ Estimates from that time are that anywhere from 200,000 to 3MM people were in Jerusalem at Passover
· In other words…
¨ The disciples ask a very pragmatic question…
Ø Where are we going to find a room at this late hour?
§ Illustration:
· It’s like coming to the island in July/august without a reservation!
v So Jesus says…
READ v. 10-13
v What becomes obvious from this text is that Jesus had planned this night meticulously
Ø He had pre-arranged with one of his followers that lived in Jerusalem to wait by the gate holding a water jar on Thursday morning of the Passover
§ The reason the disciples could find this man is that…
· He would stick out like a sore thumb because only women carried water jars in that culture
Ø Aside:
§ Many times Jesus asks us to do things as a Christian that we feel uncomfortable doing
· This man must have been embarrassed doing a woman’s work
¨ Like Jesus asking us to…
Ø Man: carry a purse, wear nylons
· So many times Jesus asks us to do things that are outside our comfort zones for his sake
¨ Doesn’t he?
Ø So he asked this man to hold a water jar as a signal
§ And lead the disciples to an upper room in his house
· It was there that Jesus was to have his last meal with his beloved disciples
v One of the major points this part of the passage reveals is that…
Ø Jesus was on his own timetable!
§ So many times we are tempted into the thought process that…
· Jesus was caught in a grand Satanic plot
¨ That Satan won, but that God redeemed the situation
¨ That the events of the week forced Jesus’ hand
Ø But that is not it at all
§ Jesus had all this planned
§ Jesus was totally on his own timetable
§ He gave himself for us
· It was not taken from him
¨ Gal 1:3-5
Ø Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father
§ Eph 5:2; 1 Tim 2:6; Titus 2:14
· All say ~ ‘Who gave himself up for us’
· We see this divine timetable again in Gethsemane
¨ Matt 26:23 ~ In Garden after disciple cuts off ear
Ø Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
§ Jesus gave himself up
· I like what Kent Hughes says in his commentary:
¨ “Jesus was not caught like a rag doll on the relentless gears of history”
Ø Jesus was in total control!
§ And we see this in verse 14 as well…
· (When the hours came)
READ v. 14
v He had the Passover planned down to the very hour!
Ø And it was then that Jesus entered in to a meal he had been waiting to eat with his disciples
READ v. 15-16
v The Passover
Ø Why is Jesus so eager to eat this Passover meal with them?
§ 3 reason why Jesus was so eager:
v 1) Eager because he waited so long
Ø As I told you last week, when I read these words…
§ Do not think Jesus anticipated this one year
§ Do not think he anticipated this meal 3 years
§ Do not think he anticipated this meal for 33 years
· I think of 1500 years!
¨ Because that is when he gave the Passover to the Jews
Ø And he knew that he was going to fulfill and transform this meal on this very night in redemptive history
Ø If I may be extra-Biblical here for a moment…
§ I think Jesus had butterflies in his stomach of excitement when the hour came!
Secondly,
v 2) Eager to give these ancient symbols new meaning
Ø The Passover meal was highly symbolic
§ The bitter herbs…
· Reminded them of the bitter bondage of slavery
§ The fruit mixture Charoset…
· Reminded them of making bricks without mortar
Ø And then, of course, the Bread
§ I’d like you to look at the bread as I talk about it
· Pass out Bread
Ø The Matzos, or unleavened bread…
§ Which many believe represents the hurried exodus from Egypt
· But in point of fact it was to represent something else…
¨ Dt 16:3
Ø Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt
§ Notice what the bread is called…
· The bread of affliction!
Ø The bread was actually to remind the people of the pain, the suffering, the misery, the agony of slavery
§ Remind them of the stripes on their backs from the master’s whips
§ Remind them of the death from malnutrition, maltreatment, and the malice of their oppressors
· All of these memories were wrapped up in the bread
¨ That is why it was called…
Ø The bread of affliction
Ø And Jesus took the bread of affliction…
Ø And he gave thanks for it…
Ø And he broke it…
Ø And he gave it to them…
§ And then he said something that blew the disciple’s minds!
· He did not say “Remember the Exodus”
· He did not say “Remember your past”
· He did not say “Remember Moses”
¨ He reinterpreted the symbol!!
Ø He said…
§ Remember me!
v V. 19 ~ “This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me”
Ø REMEMBER MY BODY!
v After you see what they do to me tomorrow…
Ø Remember my affliction
§ This bread is the affliction bread of Jesus Christ
· And that is why we use Matzos bread
¨ Because it reminds us of Christ’s incredible affliction
Ø Look at it…
v The Matzoh is a picture of the afflicted body of our Lord Jesus Christ
Ø Matzoh has stripes
§ This is to remind us what Christ went through before the cross
· Isaiah 53:5
¨ But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him
Ø Matzoh has holes
§ This is to remind us what Christ went through on the cross
· Zech. 12:10
¨ They will look on me, the one they have pierced
Ø His hands, his feet, his side pierced
Ø Matzoh has no leaven or Yeast
§ Yeast is used in the Bible to symbolize sin
· This is to remind us that Christ was crucified a sinless, innocent man
¨ Heb 4:15
Ø We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin
Ø Let’s eat the bread of affliction together and remember…
§ The stripes
§ The nails and spear
§ The affliction of Jesus
· 2 Cor 5:21
¨ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God
Eat the bread
The 3rd Cup of wine
v Verse 20 says…
Ø In the same way, after the supper he took the cup
§ I’d like us to hold the wine in our hands
· And consider what this meant and means
Distribute Cup
v Jesus does the same with the cup as he did with the bread
Ø He interprets the wine in a new way
§ This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Ø With this statement, he again blew the disciple’s minds
§ By calling it “a new covenant in my blood”
· Jesus was saying two things…
¨ First, that there is a new covenant being established
Ø The old Covenant is fulfill
Ø It has served its purpose
¨ Second, that the new covenant is not like the old one
Ø It is not about oceans of blood
Ø It is not about repetitive blood sacrifice
Ø It is not about the blood of bulls & goats & lambs
§ It is about the blood of but one man
§ It is about the one all-sufficient sacrifice
§ It is about the blood of Jesus Christ
§ Jesus says once again…
· Don’t remember the past sacrifices
¨ Remember mine!
Ø Remember my blood
§ We just sang “There is a fountain”
· Did you understand the words?
¨ Listen to them again…
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save!
Ø Let’s remember the atoning blood of Jesus Christ as we drink the wine together
Drink Wine
Jesus was eager to share this Passover with them for one final reason…
v 3) Eager to point to the Consummation!
Ø Look at verses 16 & 18
§ I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God
§ For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes
· This celebration is not just a look back at Jesus’ suffering…
¨ But a look forward to a time when he will come again
Ø A time when this meal we partake of will be fulfilled
Ø A time when this meager meal of bread and wine…
§ Will be replaced with the wedding feast of the lamb (Rev 19:7)
Ø Each time we take communion
§ We are to remember that it is a little foretaste of the grand feast to come in eternity
Ø It is a reminder to not only be waiting for his return
§ But to be watching for it
· Green #135
Ø Let us never forget that the bread and the cup promise Christ’s return
§ And let us never be caught waiting…
· But watching
Ø Just as the Passover meal was a look back at the exodus and a look forward to the coming messiah
§ So our Lord’s Supper is a look back and forward as well!
· Each and every time we take Communion we should remember that coming wedding feast of the lamb
v Notes:
Ø Fulfilling the Israelite Passover
§ Saying in essence…
· It all pointed to me
¨ The Blood, the bread, the meal…
Ø It was all given to you to help you recognize what I am going to do
§ 1500 years ago I gave you a symbol, a foreshadow of what the Messiah was coming to do
§ And we are on the eve of that long awaited event!
Ø Celebrate Communion
§
Ø Illustration:
§ Admiral Horatio Nelson
· 1805 lost in battle of Trafalgar
· Sailors carried his body to St Paul’s cathedral
· As being lowered into the ground, sailors grabbed the Union Jack and tore it to shreds
¨ Each taking a piece to remember their beloved leader
Ø We cannot forget his suffering
§ Lest we forget!
· Lest we forget illustration