The First Last Meal

A Common accusation of religion (of any sect) is that the group included hypocrites. I’ve heard more than my share of people use this excuse to avoid committing to any church.

But I’m fully aware that hypocrites are not the only reason people stay away from church. And I also realize church is not the only place dealing with declining attendance. I found this list of reasons why one person decided not to attend sporting events any longer:

1. Every time I went, they asked me for money. 2. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly. 3. The seats were very hard. 4. The coach never came to visit me. 5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with. 6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing! 7. Some games went into overtime and I was late getting home. 8. The band played some songs I had never heard before. 9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands. 10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up. 11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches, anyway. 12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best. https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/12-reasons-i-don-t-go-to-sporting-events-anymore

I’m confident that you would consider these pretty extreme excuses to avoid a sporting event, but they almost seem defensible when it comes to church.

I don’t know where the idea originated that church was only for perfect people, or for people who act like they are perfect. I’ve never met a pastor, and only met 1 church attendee, who claimed to be sinless. As a matter of fact, I have told people to stop looking for a church with perfect people, because if you ever find that church as soon as you join it, it will no longer be perfect.

Transition: The chapter in front of us today dispels the perfect people myth. Imperfect people are welcomed, served, and blessed at the Lord’s Table.

In Passover God delivered imperfect People (vv.14-20)

The Occasion of this meal is Passover (v.15)

1. From the first observance of Passover in Egypt 1500 years earlier, Passover was the night when God extended mercy by causing the death angel to pass over any home that had the blood of a lamb painted on the door.

2. The death angel did not enter/pass based upon any goodness or merit of the people within the house.

3. The angel of death was responding to the faith of those inside. Those who believed God would keep His word, chose to follow His prescription.

Transition: Any traditions that lasts this long surely gets tweaked and adapted over the years.

4 cups of Wine (Ex 6:6-7)

1. Oral traditions were passed down just as your family has some unwritten traditions. We don’t know exactly when these traditions started. Some believe they were in place by the time of Christ even though they weren’t recorded in writing until the Mishnah was collected. As Constantine declared Christianity to be the official religion of Rome in the early 4th century. The Jews realized their traditions were in jeopardy so they were written down. This recording of the oral history includes:

2. There is an obligation to drink four cups of wine during the Seder. The Mishnah says (Pesachim 10:1) that even the poor are obliged to drink the four cups. Each cup is imbibed at a specific point in the Seder. The first is for Kiddush (קידוש), the second is for 'Maggid' (מגיד), the third is for Birkat Hamazon (ברכת המזון) and the fourth is for Hallel (הלל). The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God:

Exodus 6:6–7 ESV:2016

6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

3. It is the 3rd cup, the cup of redemption, that Jesus shares with the disciples. And the 4th, the cup of gathering, is the one that v.18 says Jesus refused to drink as a promise that he would come again to fulfill the 4thpromise.

4. Notice the promise to redeem God’s people is the cup that Jesus explains in v.20 is the new covenant in my blood.

· We are not redeemed by sacrifice, offering, sacrament, suffering or good deeds! Our redemption was promised by God and the contract is sealed in Christ’s blood.

· If you are familiar with the Catholic church, you may know that October 31, 1517 was the beginning of the split of many other denominations from the Roman Church.

· If you are familiar with the Lutheran church, you may know that the Catholic monk who sparked that split was Martin Luther.

· But Luther did NOT want to create a split! He simply wanted other monks to admit him that We are not redeemed by sacrifice, offering, sacrament, suffering or good deeds! Our redemption was promised by God and the contract is sealed in Christ’s blood and that our penitence, our genuine repentance, is more important than donations.

Passover never intended to focus on the goodness of the participants, it was always about the Mercy of God!

Transition: The imperfection of Passover participants is magnified as Jesus explicitly exposes shortcomings of 2 participants, as others admitted they were capable of being the one Jesus described.

In This Passover Jesus dined with Imperfect People

The Betrayer (vv.21-23)

1. Jesus chooses not to shame an individual.Text

2. Mt 26:21f. gives more detail into this scene. In that account, instead of questioning each other, each one asks the Lord, “Is it I?”

3. None of them had a “better than the rest” mindset! They each knew they were capable of betraying Christ.

4. Betrayal can be tricky. Few wake up one day thinking, “Today I’m going to betray my values or my friend”. But fatigue, pressure or weakness can cause ANY of us to betray our allegiance or determination to love Christ.

Benefactors and the Belittled (vv.24-27)

1. V.25 describes those who cherish their power and privilege and only ration out small deeds of kindness as Benefactors. Those who are miserly in their kindness toward others should not be considered the greatest. And in God’s kingdom, contrary to society’s rules, Jesus says that accumulating power for yourself is not a sign of greatness.

2. The belittled servers are also not to be esteemed. These are those who denigrate themselves and undervalue their role in the kingdom.

3. Both the powerful benefactors and the belittled servers are less than the greatest. They are marked by their imperfection.

4. The ONLY perfect one in the room is Jesus Himself. The previous 21 chapters of Luke’s Gospel have shown repeatedly His right to be worshipped and obeyed, but the end of v.21 reveals Christ’s greatness as the one who is willing to use His power to serve others.

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV:2016

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Transition: In the next 3 verses, Jesus explains how he serves from greatness.

The Blessed (vv.28-30)

1. Although those at the table with Christ were each capable of betraying Him, Jesus sets aside their imperfection and promised them a seat at His table of privilege and assigns them seats of authority.

2. Just as the Israelites were not passed over because of their goodness, but by God’s mercy, the disciples are promoted, not because of their goodness, but by God’s mercy!

3. And that is the only hope that you and I have today.

Transition: After this great promise of blessing to imperfect people, Jesus wants to put any temptation to pride into its proper perspective.

After Passover Peter denied as an imperfect person (vv.31-34)

Jesus knew Peter’s weakness (vv.31-32)

1. Peter had a personality that had demonstrated itself to sometimes speak before thinking.

2. Jesus calls him out by saying that his failure will not be terminal.

3. I see a kindness in the way Jesus does not call out the ultimate weakness of Judas, but He is not hesitant to point out that He believes there is strength after Peter’s imperfection—when you have turned again.

4. V.33 gives just one more example of Peter speaking without knowing what he is talking about.

5. V.34 Jesus prophecies specifically the scene that we will examine in a couple weeks beginning with v.54.

Transition: Being Good has never been a requirement to come to the Table. The compassion of God extends an invitation to come.

Isaiah 55:1 ESV:2016

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Conclusion:

Adam and Eve were not perfect people, but God promised mercy.

Abraham was not a perfect man, but God promised mercy.

The Israelite nation was not perfect, but God offered mercy in the Passover Feast.

The Disciples were not perfect, but speaks of a new covenant of mercy that was sealed in His blood.

Jesus offers this redemption knowing their past and future flaws.

Today we come to the same meal established by Jesus Himself as a proclamation of faith in His death until He comes again.

The Lord’s Supper

Song of Response #. “The Family of God”

Benediction: 1 Timothy 1:2 (ESV) —…Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.