THE LAST SUPPER MATTHEW 26:17-30

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1 THE LAST SUPPER MATTHEW 26:17-30 We live in a society that is crazy about anything new. We are anxious to upgrade our cell phones every year, we tend to think the latest workout craze will be better than our old routine, and it s amazing how quickly the newest television, dishwasher or car becomes a need and not a want. Progress and advancements can lead to tremendous improvements in our lives. It is doubtful that many of us would like to return to the days of washing our laundry in a stream. But in a world that moves so fast, it is important to have roots in our past, particularly when that past connects us to God. This week we will begin preparing for Easter by looking back at Jesus final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion. This wasn t a typical dinner, but the Jewish Passover, an important remembrance of God s ability and desire to save. Jesus took this opportunity to institute something new, giving us the blueprint for the Lord s Supper, an observance that has its roots in all that God has done in the past, while looking forward to what he would accomplish on the cross and beyond. This week we will look at the Last Supper as recorded in Matthew 26 and consider its significance today. As you use this guide to engage with God, allow ample time for reflection and prayer. If you have children living at home with you, consider sharing portions of this guide with them. Easter is on the horizon, and what better season could there be to strengthen our connection with God as individuals, families and communities by remembering all that he has done to save us. DAY 1: LOOKING FORWARD AND BACKWARD Holidays and significant dates are sprinkled throughout our calendar. Christmas, Easter, birthdays and anniversaries tend to be important. Then there are others like the Fourth of July, New Year s, Halloween

2 and Memorial Day. Why do we celebrate certain annual events and what makes some more meaningful to us than others? Many of these special days are about celebrating the present, but they provide us an opportunity to look back at the past while anticipating the future. What holidays or special days are most significant to you? Do they help you remember the past, celebrate the present, look forward to the future, or a combination of all three? Passover was a significant date on the Jewish calendar. For the disciples, celebrating this Passover with Jesus was going to mean both looking back and looking ahead. Today we ll take a look at our central passage for the week. MATTHEW 26: On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover? 18 He replied, Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house. 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me. 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, Surely you don t mean me, Lord? 23 Jesus replied, The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, Surely you don t mean me, Rabbi? Jesus answered, You have said so. 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body. 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

3 Imagine being a disciple at this meal. What was the mood? What do you think you would have thought and felt on this night? The disciples did not really understand what was about to happen. It s likely that after Jesus death and resurrection, the details of this night took on much greater significance. As we consider this passage in the light of all that we know comes after it, let s allow it to teach us more about who Jesus is and how we should remember him. DAY 2: THE PASSOVER Hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth, God was preparing the way for Christ s arrival through his chosen people, the descendants of Abraham. Before we spend some time in Matthew 26 with Jesus and his disciples, we will look even further back to understand the meal they were observing. The book of Exodus tells of how God rescued the fledgling nation of Israel from slavery, abuse and death in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. These events were central to the identity of the Jews, and remembering them became part of their worship of Yahweh. In observing Passover, Jewish families were remembering a remarkable night of rescue. The Egyptian Pharaoh had stubbornly refused to let God s people go, in spite of seeing miraculous signs and being subject to nine horrifying plagues. Now God would send a plague so terrible that Pharaoh would insist that the people leave. God unleashed his judgment through killing the firstborn of the land. To avoid this judgment, the Israelites had to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their homes. EXODUS 12:12-16; On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the

4 seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do. 21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. 24 Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, What does this ceremony mean to you? 27 then tell them, It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians. Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. What ensured that the firstborn inside a house would not be struck down? How was this event to be commemorated according to verses 14-16? What reason is given in verse 27 for observing the Passover? The killing of the firstborn is a horrifying act that is hard for us to understand until we remember that God must judge sin and rebellion or he would not be just. Explain how this is true. Why must a God of righteousness and justice judge sin and rebellion? What is more remarkable about that night is how God spared so many because of the sacrifice of a lamb. Yahweh passed over those who obeyed his command and trusted in the blood to save them. Generations of Jewish people have celebrated Passover and remembered the mercy of God who spared them from judgment and

5 then led them out of slavery and into a new land. On Jesus final night before his crucifixion, this observance had special significance; because very soon, the firstborn who would come (Jesus himself) would be struck down. He would receive God s judgment for sin and rebellion and it would be his blood that enables some to escape judgment. Their faith in his sacrifice sets them free. Write a prayer expressing your thanks to God for providing a sacrifice that allows you to be passed over. DAY 3: PREPARATION In Day 2 we looked back at Passover and began to consider the foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice that would set humanity free from sin and death. Today we shift our focus to a room in Jerusalem hundreds of years after the first Passover, where a group of Jewish men gathered together like family to observe this important meal. For these ordinary men who had been following Jesus, they knew that he was more than a simple carpenter from Galilee. They had seen him perform spectacular miracles and relate extraordinary wisdom, and had come to believe that he was the Messiah, the one who would save Israel. But they didn t understand it all, so Jesus tried once again to prepare them. MATTHEW 26: On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover? 18 He replied, Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house. 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me. 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, Surely you don t mean me, Lord? 23 Jesus replied, The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, Surely you don t mean me, Rabbi? Jesus answered, You have said so.

6 What day did these events take place? What were the disciples concerned about? What surprising announcement did Jesus make in verse 21? Jesus, knowing his time was short, gathered his disciples to celebrate the Passover. Undoubtedly families all over Israel were gathering for this meal, a time to remember and celebrate God s great act of rescue. Jesus, surrounded by men he clearly loved and had been pouring his life into, wanted to prepare them for what was to come. Imagine being aware that you only had a few hours to spend with the people most important to you before they were to experience something horrible. What would you say? With all the disciples gathered, Jesus took the opportunity to make a startling announcement. Among his beloved followers was a traitor, one who had been masquerading as a disciple but whose heart did not belong to Jesus. Matthew s readers have already learned of this treachery when the plot to kill Jesus was discussed earlier in Matthew 26. Judas, who had already made arrangements with Jesus enemies, was seated at the table along with other members of Christ s family. Matthew made sure that the depth of this betrayal was not lost for us. The disciples knew that there were many outside their circle who opposed Jesus, but were shocked that there would be someone treacherous on the inside. Look back at verse 22. What did the disciples call Jesus? Look at verse 25. What did Judas call him? Why is this an important distinction for Matthew to have recorded? It is possible to admire Jesus and even acknowledge his wisdom, but not submit to him as Lord. It is possible to know him and still betray him. As Jesus acknowledged in verse 24, Jesus betrayal and death were part of God s plan. But that did not absolve Judas from being the betrayer. Like we all do, he had a choice to make. God does not design evil, but in his sovereignty he can use it to achieve his righteous will.

7 We know from another Gospel that Judas exited the scene at this point in the evening, before the Lord instituted a new remembrance for the new covenant that was coming. But the presence of Judas at such a moment should give us something to consider. It is easy to stand at a distance and shake our head at this disciple as if we could never be guilty of such betrayal. But the truth is that we are all guilty, or Jesus wouldn t have gone to the cross. If we could save ourselves, his death wouldn t have been necessary. So, it is worth taking a look at our own hearts. Is our Christianity more than a façade? We can attend church, join small groups, serve the poor and quote Scripture all without having a real allegiance to Christ. We have to do more than just appear to be his follower; we must love him and call him Lord. DAY 4: THE LAST SUPPER The God of the Bible is true to his word. Throughout Scripture we see Yahweh making agreements or covenants with his people. From the promises he made to Noah and Abraham to the ones he made to the nation of Israel, God proved himself faithful. The problem is that humanity is not. This is why we need a Savior who is faithful on our behalf, even though it cost him everything. The cross loomed over the meal that Jesus was sharing with his disciples, even if they didn t realize it. The tone had undoubtedly shifted after the revelation that one of their own would betray Jesus. Now he attempted to explain the significance of his life and death using symbols that they were already familiar with from the Passover. MATTHEW 26: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body. 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. What was the first item that Jesus shared with the disciples? What did he call it? What was the second element? What did he call it? When did Jesus say he would drink the fruit of the vine again?

8 As part of the Passover meal, the host would present and interpret the different elements. He would explain how they were symbolic of Yahweh s gracious act of rescue when they were suffering in Egypt, and his continued covenant with Israel, his chosen people. This night, Jesus took two of these elements, the bread and the cup, and assigned them a new symbolic function that pointed to the salvation that he would provide. The phrase blood of the covenant that Jesus used would surely have resonated with his disciples. At the time of Moses and the days of wandering in the wilderness, God gave Israel his law and entered into a covenant with the people. After animal sacrifices were made and the people agreed to obey, Moses sprinkled them with blood and said, This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words (Exodus 24:8b). In the Old Testament, a blood sacrifice was required for binding a covenant and receiving forgiveness. At its root, all sin was against God and atonement had to be made. Disobedience comes with a cost. The people entered into a covenant with God, but were unable to keep their side of the agreement. Rebellion characterized Israel s relationship with Yahweh. Through the prophet Jeremiah, Yahweh lamented the ways in which Israel had broken covenant with him, and spoke of a new covenant in which his law would be written on their hearts and would enable them to know him. When Jesus proclaimed that his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sin, his disciples would have remembered God s promise spoken through Jeremiah to forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Christ s sacrifice would be sufficient and complete. He would pay the price for our disobedience so our sins could be forgiven. You have to wonder what the disciples were thinking. Did they understand what Jesus was trying to show them? Did they make the connection that the promises of God were about to find their true fulfillment through their Lord? Did they understand that he was about to sacrifice himself and what that sacrifice would mean for them? What does Jesus sacrifice mean to you? How can a true understanding of the symbolism in the Last Supper affect the way we worship God and live our lives?

9 Jesus concluded the meal with a look to the future that also conveys his love for his followers. The disciples would have to go on without Jesus physical presence, but could rest assured that he would be waiting for them to share in the blessings of his father. This is a blessing that is extended to us as Christ s followers. One day we will all be united in God s kingdom and we will celebrate together all that he has done and all that he has planned. DAY 5: THE LORD S SUPPER You can imagine the conversations the disciples had after Jesus resurrection. You can imagine them pouring over every detail of their time with Christ as comprehension dawned and they understood what Jesus had been teaching them. Those disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit, would go on to spread the news of the miraculous thing God had done, not just for the Jews, but for the entire world we are forgiven and set free because of Jesus great sacrifice. The truth of what God has done for us should never be far from our minds; we owe him every breath. Yet we are quick to forget, lose our focus and become entangled in sin. But Jesus has given us a way to look back to what he s done and remember. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gave a summary of the observance we call the Lord s Supper. 1 CORINTHIANS 11: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until he comes. What do we proclaim when we celebrate the Lord s Supper? When we come to the Lord s Table as he desires, we acknowledge the reality of the gospel. We confess our sins knowing that we could never save ourselves, and rejoice with gratitude that Christ has done everything necessary to reconcile us to God. Deeply loved and fully assured, we should take the opportunity to reflect and celebrate.

10 The Lord s Supper not only helps focus our attention on what God has done for us through the physical act of eating and drinking, but it proclaims his salvation to others. As believers we come together, standing on the promises of God through faith. We are proclaiming that the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross was sufficient to cover all our sins, that we accept his forgiveness and that we believe our salvation is complete. We encourage other believers with this act as we invite those who don t know Christ to accept the truth behind these symbols and join the family of God. Our earthly lives are filled with struggles, but when we partake in the Lord s Supper, we are resting in the finished work of Christ and looking forward to the completion of his kingdom. He is waiting for us to share in all the blessings of his Father s Table. Reflect on how you usually approach the Lord s Supper. Is it ritual for you, or do you use it to truly remember all that God has done and will do out of his great love for you? Consider observing the Lord s Supper as a family or small group. How could sharing this remembrance with those close to you be particularly meaningful?