EndGame - 2

EndGame - 2

Introduction

Final meals before execution are a long-standing tradition for condemned inmates. Traditions vary around the world regarding this practice, and are varied even within the US.

For example, in Florida, the last meal must be purchased locally and can only cost $40. In Oklahoma, the cost can only be $15. In Louisiana, the prison warden traditionally joins the condemned prisoner for their final meal.

Over the years, there have been some odd requests from some inmates.

- Timothy McVeigh - two pints of mint chocolate chip.

- Victor Figuer - one olive with pit, hoping grow into tree.

- Velma Barfield - Cheez Doodles.

Final meals have a long-standing tradition…much longer than we realize. We’ve been in this series called Endgame, looking at the last week of Jesus’ life. Today we are going to talk about his final meal, eaten with his followers just hours before his arrest and crucifixion.

- 7 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”

This final meal that Jesus eats with his followers is called the Passover Meal during the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is a meal that is packed with meaning, and has a very long-standing historical context. It takes us back to the Old Testament book of Exodus.

Exodus opens with the Israelites in slavery, working for Egypt. They are treated very poorly, like property. Enduring very harsh conditions, they cry out to God for deliverance. God hears them and calls a man named Moses to deliver them. Moses will go to Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet, and demand that he let God’s people go free.

As you can imagine, that conversation doesn’t really go very well. “You know these people that you own, who work for free, who have built the wonders of your kingdom…yeah, you should just let them go.” He refuses.

Since Pharaoh needs some convincing, God begins a full-scale assault on Egypt. God will unleash a series of 10 devastating plagues. And as bad as the first 9 plagues are for Egypt, God warns Pharaoh that they will not compare to the 10th.

- 4 Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. 5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die. 6 Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again. 7 But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Tomorrow, death will come for the firstborn sons. Countless numbers of Egypt’s children will die, but Israel’s will be saved. This is a profound act of judgment against Egypt. And it is an act of choosing for Israel. A sign to the world that Israel is his people, that God makes a distinction between those who belong to him and those who do not.

It seems odd to us that God would do this. How could God do such a horrific thing? We call this divine justice. This is God teaching us the biblical principle of “you reap what you sow.” Egypt had done this very thing to Israel years before.

- 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”

Egypt is being punished for the way they punished Israel. God gives Pharaoh a warning the day before, but he refuses to listen. So Moses will get the Israelites ready. And he gives them very specific instructions for what needs to happen.

- 21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. 22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.

Sacrifice a lamb without blemish, smear the blood on the doorposts as a sign that this house is covered by the blood of that sacrifice. And the house covered by the blood of the sacrifice will be safe. Death, judgment, will pass over that house.

The Israelites do as instructed. They sacrifice the lambs, put the blood on the doorframe. And God does exactly what he said he’d do.

- 28 So the people of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded through Moses and Aaron. 29 And that night at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.

This is the final plague, the final act of judgment. God finally gets Pharaoh’s attention. He summons Moses in the middle of the night and tells them to get all the Israelites out of his country. By morning, they’ve packed up and are ready to go. By the death of the firstborn, God’s people have been set free.

During this event, God isn’t just having them do this for this night only. He is establishing a celebration that the Israelites are commanded to remember for years to come.

- 24 “Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever. 25 When you enter the land the Lord has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony. 26 Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ 27 And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

This final meal in Egypt is one the Israelites are to remember every year. To celebrate their deliverance. To remember how God saved them. And every element of it was to serve as a reminder…lamb was a reminder of the sacrifice that saved them, the bitter greens reminded of the bitterness of slavery, the unleavened bread reminded them of the purity of God’s people.

So every Spring, the Israelites would celebrate this meal together at this annual celebration of the Passover, remembering that God had saved them. That the lamb was sacrificed, the blood identified them, and death passed over them. God had set them free.

Back to …this is the time of year when they celebrate this feast. Jesus has already made plans for the venue and send his disciples ahead to get things ready.

- 14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. 15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

While this meal is packed with meaning because of its rich history, Jesus interestingly tells them that Passover has another layer of meaning…Passover isn’t really about Passover. Something deeper is going on here. v. 16 - “…until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

Passover pointed to a deeper meaning, a greater sacrifice. There is something else God wants his people to see. The sacrifice of a spotless lamb. The death of a firstborn son. Every element of Passover points to a deeper reality, a whisper of something to come. Jesus says that all of Passover points to him.

- 19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover feast. The bread they eat represents his body that will be sacrificed for them. He’s the spotless Lamb of God. The wine represents his blood that will be poured out for for them.

With the sacrifice of Jesus, God is establishing a new covenant with his people. This is why the Bible is divided into Old Testament and New Testament. Testament means covenant. There was an old way that God dealt with his people, through these Feasts and the OT law and sacrificial system. But with Jesus, God is doing something new, something different than he did before.

Let’s talk bout what’s going on here. Remember, Passover is this celebration where the Israelites remember that they were slaves. Trapped by a power too great for them to overcome. There was no hope of escape. Then, through the death of the firstborn, God sets them free. God crushes the oppressive power over them.

Isn’t this exactly what Jesus came to do for us? We’re all held captive, trapped by a power we can’t hope to escape. Sin has taken us hostage and we need someone to crush our oppressor. We need someone to set us free.

- 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

Sin is a slave-master. Each act of disobedience tightens the shackles. Sin and its consequences of death and judgment rule over us. But the Son offers freedom. The Firstborn Son of God (a title the NT gives to Jesus) sets people free. And he does that through his death. By the death of the Firstborn, we are set free.

Jesus uses the elements of the Passover Meal to point toward who he is. “This bread represents my body.” Unleavened bread, a symbol of purity. Undefiled by yeast (a symbol of sin in the bible). Jesus is the spotless Lamb, the undefiled bread, the pure sacrifice, the sinless Savior.

“This wine represents my blood poured out for you.” The blood of this sacrifice will identify you. And now the consequences of your sin, death and judgment, they will pass over you. You’ve been forgiven. You’ve been set free.

TS - This Last Supper really is the last supper. This one meal is the final expression of the Passover. It is the final meaning of the sacrifice. It is the final exodus from the tyranny of sin and death. This final meal is the meal to end all meals.

Andreas Kostenberger - “It was the “last supper” in a number of ways: the last meal that Jesus would eat with his disciples, the last meal that Jesus would eat in his pre-glorified body, and the final Passover meal of the old covenant. Jesus was likely looking forward to this meal so intensely because he knew that his upcoming death as the true Passover Lamb would bring a fulfillment to the long centuries of Passover celebrations that had pointed forward to the Messiah’s final sacrifice for the sins of his people. The true meaning of the Passover sacrifice would soon be revealed and realized.”

But this Last Supper is also a First Supper. Jesus is instituting a new Feast that we remember every Sunday when we gather together for worship. We’ve said a number of times that when we gather together, Jesus is the centerpiece of what we do because Jesus is the centerpiece of who we are.

When we take communion together, that is exactly what we are declaring. We focus our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on Jesus. We remember what he’s done for us. We take bread. We take juice. We remember his body sacrificed and blood poured out.

- 23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

When we gather together at communion, we are remembering the historical reality of these events. We look back on the cross. But notice what 1 Corinthians said…”we announce the Lord’s death until he comes again.”

When we celebrate this meal together we are not just looking back. We are looking forward…forward to the day when Jesus returns. Sharing in this meal reminds us of all that has happened, and of all that will happen. And on that day, there is a Feast!

- 6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!

    For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice,

    and let us give honor to him.

For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,

    and his bride has prepared herself.

8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”

    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

The Wedding Feast of the Lamb…notice the language…Lamb. Our sacrifice. All of God’s people through all of time gather together around one table. One of the ways eternity is described is as a feast. An everlasting celebration for what God has done.

Think about it - for hundreds of years, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. All of those feasts pointed towards . Pointed towards the spotless Lamb of God, the Firstborn Son of God, being the sacrifice for us. They couldn’t have imagined how glorious the fulfillment would be.

The same is true for us. For thousands of years, God’s people have now gathered weekly to remember Jesus and celebrate together. But all of it points to an ultimate reality…a day beyond our imagining.

A day when we will eat this meal in the presence of the one whose body was broken, whose blood was poured out. Face to face with the one who gave his life for us.

But until that day, we gather every Sunday to celebrate. And we take communion together, reminding ourselves of the “already, but not yet.”

As we take communion together, we look back at the “already.” Jesus went to the cross on our behalf. We’ve been set free. We’ve been forgiven. And we stand on the solid ground of what Jesus has already done for us.

And at the same time we look forward at the “not yet.” The day will come when Jesus will return and we are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. We live lives marked by hope.

COMMUNION - come forward