Passion Week of Christ (Part 9)
Celebration at the Supper - Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26

(This sermon was mixed with readings and numerous songs on the Sunday
following Thanksgiving).

Four voices record this holy event. Matthew and Mark are nearly identical
while Luke and Paul overlap significantly. Even though we weren’t there,
every Christian is privi-leged to play a part.

For over two thousand years, the church of Jesus has re-enacted and
remembered his death. Strangely, divinely, this celebration draws us back
in time. It allows us to relive all the events which follow: Peter’s
denial and Jesus’ death; the joy of the resurrection and the hope of
Peter’s restitution.

This is the Lord’s Supper; it is the Christian’s celebration. As the
church consumes his body, his body is united in the church.

The synoptic writers do not indicate the time of giving this solemn
memorial other than that it was during the Passover meal. The assembly in
the upper room occurred in the early hours of the night. The entire
procedure of Jesus was unhurried, as the whole night up to the time of
the arrest was devoted to spiritual communion with His disciples and with
God.

The distressing predictions and questionings had led to the very
self-examination with which this institution should be approached.

Jesus sits down with his closest friends for one last meal. For the Jews,
eating together was a sacred event. In fact, Jeremias points out five
implications of Jewish/Christian meals:
1. Jewish meals demonstrated deep affinity between the participants. It
was a declara-tion of kinship.
2. Jewish meals were sacred events because God’s presence was invoked
through the blessing. They weren’t merely thanking God for the food; they
were inviting him to be present at the table.
3. Table fellowship with Jesus most often indicated that you were part
of his new family. Furthermore, the least and the lost were uniquely
welcomed to eat with him.
4. Meals with Jesus were celebration feasts. They declared the
inauguration of the kingdom—redemption and forgiveness.
5. After Jesus’ ascension, the communal meals of the church remembered
Jesus. As a result these meals were used as opportunities for
benevolence. All of this is the backdrop of Jesus’ last supper.

Of all Jewish meals, the annual Passover is the most sacred. But this
year it gets a new twist. The Seder is finally fulfilled in the Lord’s
Supper. It’s been waiting for nearly 1,500 years. The table is set.
Before us we see the bread and the wine and a sauce made from pureed
fruit and bitter herbs.

The host brings out the roasted lamb. But before we eat, a young boy is
to ask, "Father, what does this mean?" The patriarch of the house then
recounts the history of Exodus and the glorious liberation of God’s
people.

There is no young boy in the upper room. Nevertheless, it was likely at
this point of the supper that Jesus picked up the first cup of wine and
explained to his "family" the true meaning of the Exodus.

Matthew and Mark only mention one cup of wine while Luke mentions two. In
actual-ity, the Passover meal included four cups, each of which stood for
one line from Exo-dus 6:6-7a.
Cup #1:    "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the
yoke of the Egyptians."
Cup #2:    "I will free you from being slaves to them."
Cup #3:    "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with
mighty acts of judg-ment."
Cup #4:    "I will take you as my own people, and I will be your
God."

Jesus then takes the unleavened loaf and prays a prayer of thanksgiving.
This represents his body. It is no more literal here than it was in John
6:53-58, and no less picturesque.

With these two simple elements, Jesus explains what this Exodus is really
all about.:
1. The bread and the wine, representing Jesus’ body and blood, point to
his vicarious death (e.g., Isa 53; Mt 20:28). It is now not more than
twelve hours away.
2. Jesus’ death will establish a new covenant. We remember the words of
Jeremiah 31:31-34, especially 34b: "For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
3. The two words "blood" and "covenant" are used together only two other
times (Exod 24:8; Zech 9:11). Exodus 24:8 told how the Mosaic covenant
was ratified by the shedding of blood. Likewise, the new covenant was
ratified by the shedding of blood.
4. Hebrews 9:22 explains why: "In fact, the law requires that nearly
everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness."
5. The words "poured out for many" would kindle, in the minds of the
Eleven, the massive bloodletting of the Passover lambs, which Jesus
typifies (Jn 1:29). Perhaps they even connected it with Isaiah 53:12,
"Because he poured out his life unto death…"

What Jesus is doing is clear. He memorializes his death—not his life, his
miracles, or his teaching! Jesus’ primary purpose in coming to earth was
to die for the sins of the world (Mk 10:45). It is for the purpose of
remembering the cross (1 Cor 11:26).

(Someone reads Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Songs about the cross and
death of Jesus in medley form)

But it also looks forward to Jesus’ return. As one writer put it, "We
remember for-ward."

Beyond this forward and backward glance, the Lord’s Supper urges us to
look in-ward, to examine ourselves (1 Cor 11:27-32), and outward, to
proclaim the unity of Christ’s body (1 Cor 10:17; 11:17-19).

THE LANGUAGE FIGURATIVE
The loaf represented his body. His physical body was still actually
present and visible as He gave them this loaf. Thus it is plain He used a
figure of speech as He said: "This is my body."

Luke makes it clear that His language is figurative: "This cup is the new
covenant in my blood" (22:20). To say that a cup is a covenant is plainly
a metaphor. The fact that after declaring the cup contained "my blood of
the covenant," Jesus also referred to it as "this fruit of the vine," is
clear proof of the figurative character of His statements as to His body
and blood.

If you showed a visitor in your home a picture on the wall and explained:
"This is my grandfather," you would expect him to use ordinary common
sense and understand that you mean it is a photograph which reveals the
likeness of your grandfather.

THE NEW TESTAMENT
A covenant is a general word for an agreement between two parties and a
testament is a particular type of covenant—a will. The word usually means
"will" or "testament" in classical Greek, but in the New Testament it
usually means " "covenant."

All three evangelists report the statement of Jesus that His blood was to
be "poured out" "for you" or "for many." The word " "poured out"
indicates a violent death; the statement that it is . "for you" or "for
many" indicates that it is sacrificial.

Only Matthew states that it is "unto the remission of sins." This
explanation would im-mediately call to their minds the whole Old
Testament teaching and practice on sacri-fice for sin. Perhaps they would
recall the prophetic words of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sins of the world."

But Jesus did not attempt to explain the exact nature and necessity of
the atonement to them as He gave this institution. They could not even
understand fully the fact of His death now, not to mention its
mysterious, divine purpose. This was made clear to them later.

TIME OF OBSERVANCE
Only the very solemn words of Jesus "until that day when I drink it new
with you" and the solemn significance given to the bread and the fruit of
the vine indicate in the rec-ords of the Synoptics that it is to be kept
regularly.

Paul quotes the declaration of Jesus, "This do in remembrance of me,"
"This do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as
ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till
he come" (1 Cor. 11:24-26).

The practice of the New Testament churches under the guidance of the
inspired apos-tles shows that we should keep the Lord’s Supper on the
first day of each week:
· Acts 20:7 shows that this was the regular practice of the church at
Troas.
· All other churches established by the same inspired apostles would have
had the same practice.
· The church at Corinth met on the first day of each week (1 Cor. 16:2),
and at its regular meeting was accustomed to partake of the Lord’s Supper
(11:20).
· Early Christian literature abounds with proof that this was the
universal practice of the churches (cf. The Everlasting Gospel, pp.
124-127).

DIFFICULTY IN LUKE’S ACCOUNT
Luke’s account offers difficulty in that he tells first of taking the
cup, then of breaking the bread, then of taking the cup again (22:17ff.).
It seems that the cup of verse 17 is not the communion cup of verse 20,
but the last of the four cups passed during the Passover meal.

In other words, Luke cuts into the events of the hour just at the point
where the Passo-ver meal is being concluded.

UNLEAVENED BREAD AND FRUIT OF THE VINE
The fact that all leaven had to be removed from the house two days before
the Passover began, is positive proof that the wine which they used was
unfermented. The bread was unleavened; for precisely the same reason the
fruit of the vine was unleavened.

The Greek word oinos is used in classical literature of both fermented
and unfermented grape juice. The Gospel writers are very careful,
however, and do not even use the word "wine" in telling of the Lord’s
Supper. They always use the phrase "the fruit of the vine."

THE PURPOSE
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial.
It is to fulfill in a new and more complete fashion the purpose of
remembrance of God’s redemptive grace which had saved Israel from Egypt
and now saves all from the bondage of sin.

The Lord’s Supper is a communion.
It is to bind His followers together in a new fellowship. Even in these
last hours of parting they receive the assurance not merely that they
shall partake of it together in the kingdom, but that Christ will share
it with them.

It is a time of self-examination.
It is to recall to the Christian his sins: "which is poured out for many
unto the remission of sins." What are these sins? Why was such terrible
suffering necessary?

It is a proclamation
We proclaim the Lord’s death till he come" (1 Cor. 11:26). Even as all
who witness, are led to inquire the meaning of the feast and those who
preside set forth its origin and purpose, it is to show forth the death
of Jesus to the world.

Some will read Hebrews 9:15-22 from the lower microphone. ..some songs
about Jesus and partake of the Lord’s Supper as congregation



Some closing thoughts before offering invitation
The story of Judas and the Last Supper shows us something magnificent
about the Savior and about His ability to accept others in spite of the
sin that clings to them.
As an I.Q. test measures our minds, indicating our intelligence quotient,
an A.Q. test measures our attitudes, indicating our acceptance
quotient.

- Willingness to accept people without partiality.
James 2:1-4 serves as an excellent application of this principle. How do
you respond when somebody who doesn't quite fit the typical membership
profile comes to your worship service?

James 2:1-4: "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus
Christ, don't show favoritism. {2} Suppose a man comes into your meeting
wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes
also comes in. {3} If you show special at-tention to the man wearing fine
clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man,
"You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," {4} have you not
discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

- Willingness to accept another style without jealousy or criticism.
Mark 9:38-40: ""Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in
your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." {39}
"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can
in the next moment say any-thing bad about me, {40} for whoever is not
against us is for us."

- Willingness to accept offenses without holding a grudge.
Romans 12:16-21:
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to
associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. {17} Do not
repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everybody. {18} If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone. {19} Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room
for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"
says the Lord. {20} On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will
heap burning coals on his head." {21} Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good."

Last modified: April 18, 2006