“The First Lord’s Supper” -- Luke 22:14-23

There are a lot of times that people have “firsts.” Sometimes, the first is planned, with hopes to continue the event or occasion for years to come. Sometimes, the first comes about more as an accident. When Texas A&M built their first bonfire, did they figure it would become the iconic moment it has become?

Firsts are important, particularly when they usher in a new tradition. As the tradition continues, it brings connections to generations and eras and can take on a significance that is far-reaching.

Such is the case with the last meal Jesus had with His apostles. Meeting in an upper room of a private home, Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s Supper, consisting of two very simple yet meaningful elements. He ushered in the tradition with the words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Background

Jesus’ public ministry had been taking place for three years when He knew that the time had come for Him to return to the Father. It was just before the Passover observance as they gathered in the room. We can only imagine what must have been going through His mind, but knowing Jesus, He must have had a calm assurance and keen awareness of the Father’s presence and direction.

It wasn’t unusual in that day for a person who was preparing for a long journey to gather with old friends and loved ones for a meal. The meal would include bread and wine, and part of the ritual of the meal was to let the elements represent the presence of the one who was leaving on the journey. It was the traveler’s way of saying he would not forget his friends, and that he planned to return to them.

As the disciples gathered with Jesus in the upper room, they must have wondered at Jesus’ words, since it indicated He was preparing to leave them. As we know from reading the Gospel according to John, there were many times the disciples asked Jesus where He was going and why He couldn’t take them, too. We can read John 13-17 and see how Jesus tried to assure His followers and encourage them in the future that was about to unfold before their eyes.

Surprisingly, John does not include the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Matthew, Mark and Luke have versions of the event. I’ve chosen to look at Luke’s account because it seems to include a more detailed accounting of the evening.

There is some question about whether this last meal was the Passover meal or a meal taken the night before Passover. The traditional seder is taken on the night of the Passover. Passover begins at sundown, and the family gathers to eat the traditional meal that represents the events of the night the angel of death devastated Egypt while passing over the Israelite camp. Since the meal was the first part of Passover, it is more likely that this meal in Luke’s account is taken the night before.

We can say this because of the events that happened after the meal. Jesus led the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, where He was arrested and taken to the Sanhedrin. Following the trial there, He was taken to Pontius Pilate, then to Herod, and back to Pilate. By the time Jesus went to Calvary, it was the day when the Sabbath would begin. The request of the religious leaders to have the three men being crucified be taken down prior to Passover lets us know that Jesus surrendered His life prior to sundown, so Passover had not been observed, and no Passover meal had been eaten.

As we look at this passage, we can learn some important truths that will give us hope and assurance.

Central Truth: The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of His presence with us this day and a promise of reunion with Him.

The Significance of the Supper

Foretells the Second Coming (14-16)

Jesus begins the Lord’s Supper with the statement, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (vs. 15-16).

One of the major beliefs of the Messiah was the re-establishment of the kingdom. Jesus’ presence did usher in the kingdom of God, but not the expected earthly kingdom that so many trusted would occur when the Messiah came.

While Jesus did not establish the kingdom on earth as was commonly expected, He also promised that He would come again and would at that time bring judgment and His kingdom in a very real way to the world. From the early days of His ministry through the Ascension, Jesus repeatedly told the disciples and us that He would come again. In Matthew 24-25, we have the most extensive teachings of Jesus about the Second Coming.

In other words, there can be no doubt that Jesus is coming again, and the words He uses to introduce the supper reminds us of this truth. He assures us that He will eat this meal when God’s ultimate will is fulfilled with the destruction of Satan and the return of the Son.

I’ve told you before, and I remind you again, I believe the words spoken of in Matthew 24-25 and other passages indicate that Jesus will be coming soon, in less than 50 years. I look around the world in which we live, and I see things that Jesus mentioned as signs and indications coming to be. I look at this with mixed emotions. There are so many who are ready for His coming, but there are so many more who will regret for all eternity that day when the trumpet sounds and Christ returns.

Jesus’ words as He introduces the Supper reminds us and assures those who believe that Jesus will come again.

Seen in the elements (17-20)

Jesus takes the two simple elements of bread and wine and uses them to remind us of His eternal presence with us.

As we mentioned before, it was a common occurrence for someone leaving on an extended trip to use these elements in their farewell meal. Jesus does the same here, but as is almost always the case with Jesus, He takes that which is ordinary and makes it extraordinary.

The bread and the wine would represent the traveler’s virtual presence with his friends. Jesus takes the elements and not only promises us His eternal presence with us, but also transforms the meaning of the elements to reflect His divine presence and His divine mission.

For Jesus, the bread becomes not only the reminder of His commitment to us, but also reminds us of His full humanity. Yes, He is God with us, but He is also the Son of Man. He experienced the things that you and I experience—emotions, hunger, aches, pains, even temptation. Unlike us, Jesus never sinned.

As the bread reminds us of His full humanity, it also reminds us of the price He paid for our sins. Several years ago, a medical doctor wrote a paper on the physical effects the beating and crucifixion would have had on Jesus. Remember that this will be the last food Jesus will eat for the next 24 hours. During that 24 hours, He will be beaten, whipped, forced to carry His cross and crucified. As He was in the garden, He prayed, and we see the emotional turmoil He endured. The whipping Jesus endured at the hands of the Romans stripped the skin from His back, creating an open wound across His entire back. The thorn of cross was beaten into His head. The blood loss Jesus endured before His crucifixion was horrendous. The wound on His back would be re-opened when the Romans stripped His robe from His back, and the wound would be aggravated as His back rubbed against the rough wood of the cross.

There’s more, but suffice it say that the bread of the Supper is a reminder of the physical price Jesus paid for our sins.

The wine is a reminder of the covenant that God makes with us for our redemption. When a solemn covenant was made in the Old Testament, it was common for an animal to be slaughtered, and the blood of the slaughtered animal would seal the covenant. So, too, does the blood of Jesus seal the covenant God makes with us through His Son.

The Lord’s Supper’s elements remind us of the promises of redemption and return.

Comes with a warning (21-23)

In Matthew, Mark and here in Luke, as well as John’s account, the indication seems to be that Judas was present through the institution of the Lord’s Supper. In v. 23, the disciples question which of the twelve would betray Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus is asked directly which of them would betray Him. In one of the accounts, Jesus indicates either that Judas will dip bread in the food as Jesus was doing so, or that Jesus would hand a piece of bread to the betrayer. In any event, Judas was present for the Supper.

Jesus tells us that He is to be betrayed, and He gives a warning to the betrayer: “woe to that man who betrays Him” (v. 22b). Even though the betrayal was part of God’s will for His Son, we need to understand that each of the disciples had the opportunity; only one chose to betray Jesus. We also need to remember that, possibly with the exception of John, each of the disciples abandoned Jesus over the next 24 hours. The difference between them and Judas is that each of them repented of their betrayal, while Judas did not. Judas lamented that he had betrayed an innocent man, but nowhere is there an indication that Judas’ faith in Jesus as the Christ was restored. Judas’ woe was not so much in the betrayal but in the absolute abandonment of faith in Jesus.

The point of this is that we must approach the Lord’s Supper with an awareness of His costly gift and of our sinfulness. On our own, we are unworthy to stand in the presence of God. Jesus’ blood makes us worthy. Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, reminds us in 1 Corinthians that we are to come to the Supper with a right heart and attitude. “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:27-28).

In short, when we come together for this solemn moment, it is a time of reflection, of repentance and of remembrance.

Conclusion

In just 24 hours, Jesus’ battered and broken body would be laid in an empty, borrowed tomb. It must have been a special moment as Jesus looked around the room, into the faces of friends and followers. These men had been through a lot together, and only Jesus knew what each of them was to go through in the days, months and years to come. For one last time, the group gathered together for a time of fellowship and food. John tells us that that last night was a time for Jesus to demonstrate the full extent of His love for those in the room with Him.

What Jesus did that night has echoed through history and touches us today. In a few moments, we will recreate a portion of that night. As we do, we will do well to remember that the Christ who loved His disciples so long ago loves His disciples today. The bread we eat and the juice we drink reminds us that He is with us, that He has expectations of us and that He is coming again.

Come to the table of Christ appropriately—with reverence, with repentance and with remembrance.