Jesus' Last Supper

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: May 14, 2006

Jesus’ Last Supper
by Dan Trygg

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" 18 And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'" Matthew 26:17,18

Jesus seems to have anticipated that Judas would be watching for an opportunity to tell the authorities how to find Him apart from the crowds. What better opportunity than to seize Him as He prepared to eat the Passover?

We should not be surprised that Jesus had taken special precautions to reserve a place without the knowledge of any of His disciples. The question in vs. 17 clearly tells us that they did not know, even up to the very day of the Passover, where they were going to meet for dinner. Mark’s account reveals that Jesus sent two of His disciples into the city, telling them to watch for a man carrying a jar of water (14:13). This was an unusual occurrence, since usually women carried vessels of water on their head. The man would have been noticeable to anyone looking for such a signal. The disciples were to follow this man to whatever house he enters. Then, they were instructed to speak to the owner of the house, and to ask him, "The Teacher says, ‘Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’" He would then show them a large upper room where they could prepare for the meal. Jesus kept the other disciples in the dark about where they were going. He showed up at the pre-arranged location in the evening, with His disciples in tow (Mk. 14:17). This prevented Judas from having an opportunity to learn of the location and report to the chief priests.

At the table, Jesus revealed how He had earnestly desired to eat this Passover with them before He would suffer, for He would never again eat it until "whenever it might be fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (Lk. 22:15,16). What did He mean? He was looking forward to this last Passover meal with them, because He was about to fulfill everything it represented. He had come for this very purpose (cf. Jn. 12:23-27). He was the Lamb who came to take away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29).

So, what was the Passover all about? Remember the story of Moses? God had commissioned him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Pharaoh, who was oppressing the people of Israel, kept refusing to let the people go. God sent nine plagues, exposing the impotence of the Egyptian gods before Yahweh the Creator. The tenth plague was the final blow to compel Pharaoh to send Israel out from Egypt. It was the plague of the firstborn. In Exodus 4:22,23 the rationale behind this plague is revealed, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Yahweh, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'" This may seem harsh, but the Egyptians had been guilty of murdering thousands of Israelite babies. This was both judgment for the sins of their nation, as well as God’s great revelation of who He really is and the liberation of the nation of Israel. God revealed to Moses that He was going to go through the land and kill every firstborn creature, both of man and beast (11:5). If, however, the Israelites would slaughter a lamb, and put some of its blood on the two doorposts and lintel of their houses, God would pass over their houses, and no one therein would be harmed. "For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments-- I am Yahweh. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to Yahweh; throughout your generations…" (Ex. 12:12-14a).

Jesus came to be the fulfillment of the Passover lamb (I Cor. 5:7). God would look upon His blood and pass over the sins of those who taken refuge under its sign.

According to John’s account (13:1-17), He arose from supper to wash their feet, giving them an example of humility and service. He was the greatest of them all, the Lord and Teacher. Yet, He made Himself to be like the lowliest of servants to care for their comfort, when apparently none of them was willing to take initiative to offer this customary rite of hospitality. Possibly this experience reminded Him of Mary’s willingness to serve Him in this way just a few days before, and He became troubled in spirit (or, by the Spirit), and revealed that one of them would betray Him (Jn. 13:18-21). Interestingly, they all became deeply grieved and asked Him, "Surely, not I, Lord?" They had been with Jesus long enough to know that they were all capable of such sin and weakness. No one suspected Judas more than anyone else, …or even their own selves! After warning them that the one who betrays Him would come to a horrible end (Remember the word "woe"? It means "calamity, destruction, or horror".), they continued their meal.

While they were eating, He took bread, and broke it. Giving it to the disciples, He said, "Take, eat; this is My body, which is given on behalf of you; do this in remembrance of Me" (Matt. 26:26; Lk. 22:19). After supper, He took a cup and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The apostle Paul adds the words which had been delivered to him, "…do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (I Cor. 11:25). The significance of this action was not missed by any. Although they did not fully realize the reality of what Jesus was soon to fulfill, they did know that they were celebrating a commemoratory meal, the Passover. Now, in this setting, Jesus gives them a new commemoratory ordinance. The Passover meal had commemorated the redemption of Israel from bondage to Egyptian servitude, a redemption that was culminated by the formation of a national covenant with God at Mount Sinai and the promise of a new land. What Jesus was introducing here was a meal commemorating our redemption from bondage to sin, which is culminated in a personal new covenant with God, the creation of a new spiritual humanity (Eph. 2:11-22) and the promise of a new heavens and a new earth. The Passover meal was celebrated yearly, the communion meal was to remind them of the new covenant "as often as they ate or drank" of the meal.

The new covenant which Jesus spoke of was not a new concept. Those very words had been used by Jeremiah the prophet (31:31-33). Whereas the former covenant had included the giving of the Law on tablets of stone, and through the teachings of Moses, the new covenant would be written upon their hearts and their minds, so that it would be lived out in their day-to-day choices. Ezekiel had spoken of this (11:19,20). Israel had not walked in the ways and teachings of Yahweh. Instead, they walked like the nations that were around them. Ezekiel prophesied that the glory of God would abandon Jerusalem. They would be captured by their enemies and exiled from the land of promise as punishment for their sin (chapters 4:1-11:13). Then, he began to prophesy about a restoration to come. Though they would be scattered among the nations, God will gather them back to the land of promise. They will remove their detestable things and evil practices, and God will give them a new heart and put within them a new spirit.

This had been the age-old problem which had been recognized by Moses nearly a millennium before. The reason that the Israelites could not obey God was that their hearts were not changed (Dt. 29:4). They had the same sinful, self-centered, "uncircumcised" hearts that every human being has had since the time of Adam’s sin. We are sinners by nature, and therefore become sinners by choice. Moses also had prophesied that Israel would sin, experience God’s disciplines, and eventually be banished from the land of promise (Dt. 28:15-68). He too had spoken of a time when God would regather His people from the nations where they had been exiled, and would restore them to Palestine (Dt. 30:1-10). At that time, God will "circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live" (vs. 6). The change of heart would make possible a new way to live (cf. Prov. 4:23).

Later, Ezekiel would teach the same truths, "I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people and I will be their God" (11:19,20). Ezekiel returns to this same theme later, and states it even more strongly, "I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; …and I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances" (34: 25b-27). Thus the possession of a new heart makes possible a life of obedience, and when we follow the Spirit, we will walk in God’s ways.

It is important to see both aspects. We are new creatures, with a new capacity for righteousness than we had before, but we also are dependent upon a living relationship with God through the Holy Spirit in order to be motivated and empowered to live differently. He will work in us to desire to do His will, and to empower us to perform it (Phil. 2:12,13). Nevertheless we still must choose to walk in agreement with Him. If we try to choose to obey God from our old heart and strength, we will get the same frustrating results that we would expect to get from our fallen, human abilities. If, however, we operate out from the new heart, actively following the leading and energizing empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we will walk with God in obedience and righteousness.

Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood was not a new idea to the disciples, either. Jesus had used this word picture before, after the feeding of the 5,000 (Jn. 6; Matt. 14). It had probably been more than a year since Jesus had delivered that message that had been so offensive to their ears. The point of Jesus’ teaching was that He was to be their source of life. He was the bread of life, having come down out from heaven to give life to the world. He plainly told them that they had no life in themselves (Jn. 6:53). In order to obtain that life, they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. To abide in His life, we must continually gnaw on Him and continually drink of His blood (vs. 56). This was not meant to be literal, or magical. It was meant to be a word picture expressing to us that Jesus is our source of life, and we must continually receive the sustenance and vitality which comes from Him, in order to experience life which comes from above.