Well, as I'm sure you can tell, the passage that I just read is set within the context
of Israel's annual feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
The Passover, which kicked off the week of Unleavened Bread, was and still is the highlight
of the Jewish liturgical calendar.
And if you're unfamiliar with it, you may be helped to know that the Passover meal is
a really beautiful, rich commemoration of the Exodus when God delivered and redeemed
his people from bondage as slaves in Egypt.
In that Exodus, God established the feast of Passover as a means for them to remember his
grace and his mercy towards them, and he commanded that they continually observe that throughout
their generations.
In fact, Exodus chapter 12 and verse 14 says this,
This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout
your generations as a statute forever.
You shall keep it as a feast.
And God went through and explained to them exactly how they were to keep this feast and what they
were to do, even what they were to wear, and the times that they were to observe the meal
itself.
And the Passover meal had especially in view the final plague from God against Egypt.
If you'll remember, in this tenth and final plague, God, through Moses, told Pharaoh and then also
the children of Israel that the angel of death was going to pass through in the night, and he
would kill every firstborn of every household.
But in that judgment, God provided a way of escape.
For any house that had, as God had instructed, sacrificed a lamb, spotless, one year of age, and taken the
blood of that lamb and spread it on the doorpost and on the lintel of the house, any sign of that
blood on the house, God would pass over that house.
And we see in that a picture of our own judgment and redemption.
All of us are destined for judgment because of our sin and our bondage to sin, yet God gives us a
way of escape from his very own judgment against said sin.
And that's really the point of the passage that we study today.
Here's what Exodus 12 and verse 13 says.
The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses wherever you are, 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.
Hence the name Passover.
So families rehearsed this story yearly as they gathered together, typically as family units.
They would gather and they would observe this feast.
They would remember God's redemption that he had provided for them.
And this celebration is actually the reason that Jesus and his 12 disciples are in Jerusalem at this particular moment in Mark's gospel.
They have gone there to observe the feast of Passover, and of course, Jesus understanding that this will be the moment of his crucifixion.
The Passover is not merely the context referring to the background of these verses.
The Passover is actually the very focus of these verses.
In fact, Mark goes out of his way here in this passage to ensure we understand that this final section of his gospel is inextricably linked to the Passover and its significance and its meaning.
Just in the first three or four verses, just in the first three or four verses, he says Passover by name four different times.
He goes out of his way to do that.
He wants us to see this is not only in the time frame of Jesus' life, the Passover feast, but what Jesus is about to accomplish is in relation to the significance and meaning of the Passover feast.
You see, there's an anticipatory element in this meal, in this celebration.
As the people remembered the first exodus from Exodus 12, they also looked ahead with anticipation, with longing for a new exodus.
In their minds, this exodus would be from bondage to Rome.
And as they reflected on the prophets in the Old Testament, they set that within their immediate context.
And they longed for this exodus from Rome, from this freedom from bondage, and that God would then reestablish the kingdom of Israel for them.
So every year as they gather for this Passover meal, they're not only looking back, they're looking forward.
And their anticipation is right, but their understanding of it was wrong.
The Passover from Exodus 12 does point forward to a greater Passover, but it's a spiritual Passover.
When God would deliver his people in Christ from sin, not from Rome.
That's the entire purpose of God sending his son Jesus to us.
The entire reason that he's here.
The entire reason that he came.
The entire reason he was sent by God was so that he would be our perfect, once for all, Passover lamb.
John the Baptist picked up on this early.
You'll remember in John chapter 1, as Jesus walks through Galilee, John sees them and he lifts up his voice.
And it says, the next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
So from the very early days of Jesus' ministry, the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, has already lifted up his voice and assigned to him this title, this description, lamb.
Not just any lamb.
The lamb.
The lamb that has come from God, therefore, is the perfect, spotless lamb.
And by being that lamb, he has come to take away the sins of the world.
And of course, Mark understood that Jesus' crucifixion was how he fulfilled the Passover and John the Baptist's proclamation.
And as we walk through these verses together this morning, I want you to see that Jesus is indeed the lamb of God, slain for the redemption of sinners like you and me.
And not only is that the reality of who Jesus is and what he has done, but in this Passover meal, in this specific Passover meal,
we see Jesus extending the invitation for you to come and receive this freedom and forgiveness that is found in him.
And I think three headings will help guide our thoughts.
One, preparing the Passover.
Two, fulfilling the Passover.
And then finally, transforming the Passover.
Okay, let's first look at preparing for Passover.
Verse 12,
Remember, Jesus and the disciples are staying about two miles outside of the city in a town called Bethany.
But the Passover meal was to be observed within the city walls of Jerusalem.
This meant that there was a measure of planning and preparation that was required ahead of the meal.
And keen to start such preparations, the disciples asked the Lord what he would have them to do.
The first day of unleavened bread here in this verse refers to the time designated for the Passover celebration specifically.
And the phrase, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, is speaking of Thursday afternoon.
Remember, Jews reckoned their days from sundown to sundown.
So typically what would happen is the lambs for the Passover meal would be sacrificed in the temple on Thursday afternoon,
or at least the way it would have unfolded in this particular week with the days.
Thursday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, at sundown on Thursday afternoon, the Jews would have viewed that as the beginning of Friday.
And so they would observe the meal itself between sundown on Thursday evening until midnight.
God had said, don't let it extend beyond midnight.
Those were the regulations that they had to follow.
And so you'll see some of the timing is being expressed by Mark here in this verse.
Now the fact that the disciples asked for Jesus' wishes regarding where they would have the meal
suggests that Jesus would be the one presiding over the celebration itself.
The way this would typically work with families is as these family units would gather together,
typically as this is fitting for today being Father's Day,
it was the father of the family, the patriarch of the family,
would be responsible for presiding over it,
which meant he was responsible for making sure the meal is prepared appropriately,
that all the elements are there, that a place to have the meal is provided.
As the meal and the celebration is carried on,
it would be his responsibility to explain the significance of it,
to tell the story of the Exodus.
He would oversee all of these things and all of the blessings and all the prayers.
It was reserved for the head of household.
Well, the fact that the disciples have come to Jesus,
asking for the details of what they need to do,
suggests that he is the one presiding over it.
He would have held that honored position.
He would be the one teaching the significance of the Passover
on that particular evening with his disciples.
Now this isn't surprising to us.
We would expect it to be this way.
But it is an important note as we move forward in the text.
While the disciples that Jesus sends is preparing for the traditional Passover,
what Jesus has done and is doing is preparing them for this final Passover.
And as we continue in these verses,
I want you to notice the control that Jesus has over every element of the evening.
He has arranged it.
He has provided it.
He has set it up in order to teach this vital lesson to these men.
Verse 13,
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
The teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?
He will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
There prepare for us.
And the disciples set out, went to the city, and found it just as he had told them,
And they prepared the Passover.
So at some point in the week, Jesus had prearranged all of the details regarding where they would observe the meal.
But he moved to it with tremendous secrecy.
He only sends two of his disciples.
Luke says it was Peter and John who were designated to do it,
And they went into the city to prepare, but he didn't tell them where to go.
Instead, he told them to watch for a specific signal.
The signal would be a man carrying a jar of water on his head,
which in that culture was unusual.
It would be like a man in our culture carrying a purse.
It was the women and the slaves that would carry the jars of water.
The men would be responsible for carrying the wine skins, but not the water jars.
So as they go into the city, the crowded city,
Remember, all of these people have gathered in that specific place to observe the Passover.
This man with the water jar would have stuck out to the men.
They would have known, go to him, inquire of him where we are to go.
And that's exactly what happened.
He stands out among the vast crowds.
He led them to the place where Jesus had made arrangements.
And once they were there, Peter and John found a large upper room
with everything that they needed to prepare the meal,
just as Jesus had said.
He had arranged it.
He was in control.
But the question here is,
Why were Jesus and his disciples acting with such secrecy?
Why such stealth movements in this moment?
Why is he not wanting to be recognized as they move into the city?
Well, look back to verse number one.
We read last week.
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
and the chief priest and the scribes were what?
Seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him.
So things have intensified.
It's no secret to Jesus that they've been trying to kill him.
They've been trying to do that for years now.
But now things have really intensified in Jerusalem.
In fact, it is John 11, 57 that says,
Now the chief priest and the Pharisees had given orders
that if anyone knew where he was,
he should let them know so that they might arrest him.
Why is he moving in secrecy?
Because they're trying to kill him.
And they've told everybody in the city,
If you see where Jesus is,
it's your responsibility to tell us
so that we can do what we want to do with him.
He was moving in the same kind of secrecy.
You and I would move in in this moment.
But some skeptics have looked at this,
and they have argued that Jesus was acting in fear,
aware of the plot against him,
and afraid to face death.
The same skeptics have argued that
Jesus was not the Son of God.
He was not the Messiah.
He was a towering religious figure to be sure,
but he was the unfortunate victim
of his own fanaticism, they would say.
And they would point to this passage
and say that Jesus was just caught up in all of this,
and this is proof why he's moving in secrecy.
Therefore, he's afraid of what might happen to him.
But Jesus wasn't acting in fear at all.
His testimony in the Gospels, again and again,
proved that he was intentionally moving towards the cross,
not away from it.
He knew what lie ahead.
He knew what awaited him in Jerusalem,
and he was intentionally moving towards it.
And with wisdom, Jesus moved in secrecy,
not to avoid the cross,
but to face it at precisely the right time.
This was the most important Passover in all of history.
And according to Luke's account,
Jesus was even longingly awaiting it
so that he could teach his disciples
the significance of Passover
in regards to what would happen to him on the cross.
Luke says this.
He said to them,
I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer.
Jesus isn't afraid to die.
He's not trying to avoid the cross.
He's actually working within the will of the Father.
And this meal was the final step
on the road to the cross.
Now before we move on,
let's take a step back for just a second
and look at the big picture
of what's happening in Jerusalem.
All the preparations across the city are unfolding.
Thousands of people have gone to the temple that afternoon
to sacrifice their lambs.
They've made their way.
They've made their preparations.
As Kent Hughes said,
the whole city was redolent
with the inviting aroma of roasted lamb.
Yet they had no idea
that a greater spiritual exodus
was about to take place
as the perfect sinless lamb of God was slain.
Think about that.
Jesus is in the midst of the city.
Everyone around him
is observing and reflecting on the redemption of God.
And here is Jesus among them.
And they have no idea
that he is the redemption of God.
But he's preparing his disciples for it.
Number two, fulfilling the Passover.
Fulfilling the Passover.
In the first section,
we find Jesus preparing his disciples for Passover.
In this section,
he explains that his current circumstance
is what is fulfilling
what the Passover typified.
Look at verse 17.
When it was evening,
he came with the 12,
and as they were reclining at table and eating,
Jesus said,
truly I say to you,
one of you will betray me,
one who is eating with me.
And they began to be sorrowful.
And to say to him one after another,
is it I?
Is it I?
We have a small glimpse
into the insecurities
of the disciples here, don't we?
We typically look at them
because of the mistakes
that they made regarding their pride.
But here,
Jesus says,
one of you will betray me.
And each one does not say,
is it him?
No, they ask,
is it I?
They understood,
I think at this point,
the nature of their own hearts,
their own ability to sin,
their own ability to fail miserably.
At the appropriate time that evening,
we're told in verse 17,
when most people probably had resorted
to their respective feast,
Jesus and the other disciples
arrive in the upper room.
And the Passover celebration began
in each home sometime after sunset,
as I said,
it would conclude by midnight.
And there was an extensive liturgy
that Jesus would have followed
in presiding over this meal.
Mark skips all of that
and he compresses it down
so that what we see Jesus saying
in these verses
is probably a few hours
into the meal itself.
And at that point in the celebration,
Jesus drops a bomb on the room
by revealing one of them
will betray him.
And in exposing this betrayal,
Jesus quotes Psalm 41,
declaring that the betrayal itself
was actually the fulfillment of Scripture.
John is the one that tells us this.
John chapter 13 and verse 18,
Jesus says,
but the Scripture will be fulfilled.
And then he quotes Psalm 41, 9.
He who ate my bread
has lifted his heel against me.
So we see here,
God has not only predetermined
the crucifixion of Jesus,
but he has ordained the very means
by which he would go to the cross.
And it's another reminder
that though Jesus was betrayed
and murdered by the hands of men,
it was God the Father
who delivered him up
to be the substitute for sinners.
Do you remember Peter's sermon
in Acts 2 over Easter?
This Jesus delivered up
according to the definite plan
and foreknowledge of God,
you crucified and killed
by the hands of lawless men.
Do you see what Mark is expressing here?
What Jesus is even teaching his disciples
that what is about to happen
is not unknown to me,
neither is it unknown to the Father,
neither is it beyond our control.
This is actually the plan.
And everything that's unfolding,
though it's sorrowful in my betrayal,
I am going as it has been written
of me to go.
And as you might expect,
a heavy, sorrowful spirit
immediately descends on the room
and the disciples begin to inquire
about the betrayer.
Verse 20,
Jesus narrows it just a bit.
He said to them,
it is one of the twelve,
one who is dipping bread
into the dish with me.
So it seems here that there was
more than just the disciples
in the room.
Perhaps the friends from Bethany
had come along with them.
And perhaps it was necessary
that in the room,
in the midst of the inquiry,
Jesus narrows down
from the larger group of disciples
to the immediate apostles
that he had chosen,
the twelve.
He says it will be one of the twelve.
Meaning that it would not be someone
who was on the fringes of his group,
but he would actually be betrayed
by someone closest to him.
Not as someone whom he barely knew,
at least in his relationship,
earthly relationship with him,
but someone who was a close friend
and companion to him.
And of course,
Jesus knew all along
that Judas would betray him.
And yet it never stopped him
from expressing his love
and his kindness
and his friendship
to Judas.
What a compassionate Lord.
What a gracious God.
To know what awaits him
and to even know
who would be responsible
for it taking place.
And yet all along the way,
Jesus stillers the same kindness
to Judas.
He shows the same love to Judas.
He shows the same miracles to Judas.
He teaches the same truths to Judas.
What is this a sign of,
if not anything,
but the compassionate grace of God?
But then again,
the question is,
why didn't he expose Judas
in this moment?
Why not just say,
and it's Judas?
I mean,
surely he could have at least
prevented Judas
from coming along
or knowing where it was
that he was gonna be
on that night.
As Kent Hughes said,
it would only take a nod
toward Judas's direction
and Peter would have had him
in a headlock in a moment.
Jesus doesn't do that.
Why?
The answer's in the next verse.
Verse 21.
For the Son of Man goes
as it is written of him.
This was a part of God's plan.
Jesus wasn't gonna get in the way
of the Father's plan.
You know,
if God allowed us
to see our future,
you know what we would do?
We would fight relentlessly
against everything
that we didn't like
about what he shows us.
And we would work hard
to make better
all the things
that we did like
in what he shows us.
That's what we would do.
Not so with Jesus.
He was always aware
of what would unfold
with Judas.
Still,
he was utterly committed
to obeying the will
of the Father,
which he knew
to be found
in the pages
of Scripture.
Isn't that what he says?
The Son of Man goes,
I am going
as the Father
has said for me
to go
in his word
as it is written.
But again,
that doesn't mean
Jesus is an unwilling
participant
in procuring
our redemption.
He pursues
the Father's plan
willfully
and joyfully.
Remember John 17.
For this reason,
the Father loves me
because I lay down
my life
that I may
take it up again.
No one takes it
from me,
Jesus says,
but I lay it down
of my own accord.
He's willing
to do this.
I have authority
to lay it down.
I have authority
to take it up again.
This charge
I have received
from my Father.
And then the writer
of Hebrews
tells us
in chapter 12
and verse 2
that it was
for the joy
that was before him
that he endured
the cross.
Do you see?
He's not an unwilling
participant.
He is obedient.
He is willing.
He is joyful.
It is his desire
to provide
this redemption.
So we see
Jesus
does not only
act in obedience
to the Father's will,
but he acts
in unity
with the Father's will.
Do you see
the difference here?
We can act
in obedience
without acting
in unity.
My kids do it
all the time.
Right?
Right, Ashlyn?
Say, Ashlyn,
it's time
to go to bed.
Oh,
just a little
while longer.
Eventually,
she makes
her way there.
she acts
in obedience
to my will.
Not necessarily
in unity with it.
Not Jesus.
He acts
in obedience.
He acts
in unity
with the Father.
Perfect unity
among the Trinity.
With joy,
he procures
our redemption.
Sinclair Ferguson
says,
Jesus is completely
submitted
to his Father's will.
That will
has been revealed
in the Scripture,
and he bows
to it.
Because his life
is governed
by the teaching
of Scripture,
his death
will be neither
an accident
nor a tragedy.
But notice,
Jesus did not
believe the Scripture
in merely hypothetical
or theoretical ways.
He believed it
and obeyed it
without compromise.
Now,
set this thought
within the context
of Mark's teaching
on true discipleship.
what does it mean
to be a faithful
follower of Jesus?
It means to act
as he acts,
to go where he goes,
to think as he thinks,
to be faithful
in following him.
And how did Jesus
lay out the plan
for following him?
By being obedient
to the Father
through the Word of God.
Faithful discipleship
begins with a commitment
to the very Word of God,
to the Scriptures.
verse 21 again,
Jesus closes,
but woe to that man
by whom the Son of Man
is betrayed.
It would have been better
for that man
if he had never been born.
There's a lot
we could say here.
It's probably best
that I mention
just a couple of things
and move on
and leave it to you
to dig in a little further.
But here's the main point.
just because this path
was the will of God
didn't mean Judas
wasn't responsible
for his own sin.
Now there's mystery
in this, isn't there?
But this verse
makes it clear
that God's sovereignty
over us
neither violates
our human freedom
nor does it absolve us
of guilt.
Judas' sin
was as much his own
as Jesus' righteousness
was his own.
It's a reminder
that
no person
will ever stand
before God
and rightfully claim
that they are innocent
or undeserving
of his judgment.
we cannot look
to the sovereignty
of God
and say
I am what I am
because of you.
This is your fault
and judgment
against me
is unfair
or undeserving.
Paul confronts
that particularly
that particular
objection
in Romans chapter 9.
It's not always
easy to understand
how is it possible
that God
could be
so sovereign
over the events
of Judas' life
and yet still
hold Judas
accountable
and I can't connect
all of those dots
in a way
that would be
satisfactory to you today
but what I know
is it's what the Bible
teaches
that God is both
sovereign over us
and yet we are
still responsible
and culpable
for our
sin.
So don't think
that you'll ever
be able to stand
before God
and claim any kind
of innocence.
You will stand
in judgment
and our only hope
in that way
is God's grace
through his son
Jesus Christ.
Okay so we see
the preparations
for the Passover
we see the fulfillment
of the Passover
finally
we see the transforming
of the Passover
transforming it.
Some of you
have experienced
a very high church
form of worship
and your experience
in church
you know what I mean
by that.
I don't mean by high church
I don't mean that
in a pejorative way
I mean it as just
in the structure
it's very formal
it's very structured
perhaps the mood
is a bit more solemn.
You've experienced
that before.
Others of you
have experienced
a very low church
form of worship
where basically
anything goes
at any time.
I can remember
Andy and I
have talked about
this before
I can remember
going to visit
my grandparents church
in West Virginia
as a kid
and it was
they had a very low
church form of worship
where they would
start the service
by saying
anybody have a song
to sing
or who wants to come
and do the thing today
there's not really
any structure to it
you just kind of
went about it
and did it as
you wanted to do it.
If we're not careful
we'll think of the
Passover meal that way
that they just kind of
got together
and whenever the food
was ready
they indulged
and somebody said
a blessing
and they just went
through it
and they did the thing.
But that's not
actually how it was
there was actually
a very specific liturgy
that they followed
and the Passover celebration
had very specific
things to go through
very specific moments
and actions
and foods
and descriptions
and prayers
and blessings
and Jesus would have
followed this structure
as he was presiding
over the meal.
and what we see
Jesus doing
in these verses
is transforming
the meaning
of the Passover
and instituting
what we know
and call
the Lord's Supper
and understandably
the four gospel authors
compress this event
into the moments
when Jesus
instituted
this ordinance
but what I'd like
to do
as we finish today
is work through
these verses
in the context
of the Passover
liturgy.
I think it would
actually be really
helpful for us
to understand
at what points
Jesus interjects
these thoughts
and at what
significance
they hold
regarding
the Passover.
Now
before you think
that I'm just
super smart
and figured all
this stuff out
what I'm about
to give you
is the reconstruction
of this liturgy
done by William Lane
who is a commentator
and he has written
a fantastic
exegetical commentary
on Mark's gospel
but he's looked
at the ancient documents
to reconstruct
how this would
have been.
So this is coming
for him.
I think it will
be helpful to you.
Here's how it starts.
The blessing of the meal
and the blessing
of the first cup.
So just like we would do
they open up
with a word of prayer
and a blessing
and they move forward
and then comes
the first cup of wine.
There's actually
four different cups
of wine served
in the Passover meal.
Each has a link
to a promise
from God
in Exodus 6.
The first cup
I will bring you out.
The second cup
I will deliver you.
The third cup
of redemption
I will redeem you
and the fourth cup
of consummation
is I will take you.
I will take you
to be with me.
And so as they would
observe this meal
and they would drink
each cup of wine
this would have
a description
and it would have
a significant meaning
attached to it
as they would go through.
So they would have
the first cup of wine.
After they have
the first cup
the food is brought out
and it's displayed
on the table
before them.
It's arranged
a very specific way
and then the youngest
son in the room
or perhaps the youngest
person in the room
would ask a question.
It's the same question
every year.
Why is this night
different from other nights?
Why is this dinner
different from other dinners?
Jesus and then the father
or the leader
this case being Jesus
would recall and tell
the story of the exodus
and he would explain
God's redemption
of his people.
Now I want you to pause
and consider the significance
of this for a moment.
Can you imagine
you're in the room
Jesus the son of God
is presiding over the meal
and he is the one
explaining God's redemption.
No one in the history
of Passover liturgy
would have ever said it
with the same passion
and ability
and truth
with which Jesus
communicated these thoughts
on that night.
and you can just imagine
knowing what his intention
is in teaching
that as Jesus explains this
he does not quickly
and lightly skip over
the important details
of the exodus.
No.
He explains them
with significance
and with truth
and perhaps the way
that those people
in Galilee
lifted up their voices
and said
who has ever taught us
like this?
Who has ever taught
with such authority?
Perhaps the disciples
on this night
are experiencing
that emotion
once again
as they listen
to Jesus
talk about redemption
what authority
what truth
they are receiving
in this moment.
And then they would
sing together
Psalms 113
through Psalm 115
and that part
of the service
would include
with the second cup
of wine.
Now after they finished
the second cup
there was an interpretation
of the detailed elements
of the meal.
So at this point
all the food is displayed
Jesus would have gone
one by one
to each element
of the foods
and you can find
all the descriptions
about what those foods were
and he would have
explained the significance
of that food
why they were eating it
as a part of the Passover
and why it mattered
to the Passover story.
Now I want you to notice
what Jesus would have done
with the bread.
There's a platter of bread
on the table.
He hasn't broken it
and distributed it yet.
Okay.
We haven't got there yet.
Jesus picks up
the platter
and this was
the customary blessing.
Here's what he says.
This is the bread
of affliction
which our fathers ate
in the land of Egypt.
Let everyone
who hungers
come and eat.
Let everyone
who is needy
come and eat
the Passover meal.
Now I need to keep
that in mind.
Jesus lifts the bread.
Let everyone
who is hungry
come and eat this bread.
Let everyone
who is needy
come and eat
this meal
and enjoy
and partake
in this Passover moment.
And then comes
another blessing.
Praised be thou
O Lord
sovereign of the world
who causes bread
to come forth
from the earth.
In other words
God the Father
is the provider
of the bread
that Jesus
is then inviting
people to come
and to eat
if they're hungry
and to eat
if they are needy.
And then as
the liturgy continues
the leader
or the Father
would have taken
a single piece
of that bread
unleavened
and he would have
begun to break
off pieces of it
and they would
pass it along
to whoever
is in the room
and this would be
done in silence.
This is a reflective
moment.
This is where
Jesus interjects
and he breaks
the silence.
Verse 22
As they were eating
he took the bread
and after blessing it
he's just done
these blessings
I said
he breaks it
and he gives it
to them
and then he speaks
in the silence
and he says
take
this is my body
literally
this is me
I am giving
to you
in this moment.
Thereby
Jesus takes
the significant
meaning of this bread
to the Passover
with its invitations
and its blessings
and he transforms
its meaning
in order to say
I am this bread
it's me
take
me
can't remind you
of what Jesus
said in John chapter 6
truly truly
I say to you
it was not
Moses who gave you
bread from heaven
but my father
gives you
the true bread
from heaven
for the bread
of God
is he
who comes
down from heaven
and gives life
to the world
and they said
to him
sir
give us
this bread
always
and Jesus
said to them
I am
the bread
of life
whoever
comes to me
shall not
hunger
whoever
believes in me
shall not
thirst
and he goes
on to say
truly I say
to you
whoever believes
has eternal
life
I
am the bread
of life
your fathers
ate manna
in the wilderness
and they died
but this is
the bread
that comes
from heaven
so that one
may eat of it
and not die
I am that
living bread
that came down
from heaven
if anyone
eats of this bread
he will live
forever
and the bread
that I will give
for the life
of the world
is my flesh
my body
Jesus is
the bread
of life
and in this
final Passover
he offers
himself
to us
in the bread
now put
yourself
in the room
Jesus has
just lifted
the platter
and said
let anyone
who is hungry
come and eat
let anyone
who is needy
come and take
in the meal
and then he
immediately says
God is the one
who provides
the bread
from the earth
and then he says
I am that bread
so come to me
if you are hungry
come to me
if you are needy
come to me
and he transforms
the entire meaning
of this glorious
beautifully
rich
redemptive
meal
and he invites
all who are hungry
to come
and feast on him
by faith
and by feasting
on him
in faith
they in turn
receive the life
that cannot be taken
eternal
life
and forgiveness
and he invites
us to it
and just as he
broke the bread
in that moment
so would his body
be broken
for our sins
his death
brings us
life
he
does this
so come
and eat
he's inviting
you
to receive
this life
in his name
believe
on him
the bread
well after this
they would have
eaten the meal
they would have
enjoyed the fellowship
together
communion
with one another
in those moments
another significant
part of our
understanding
of the Lord's
supper
as we commune
with one another
and it's during
this moment
of fellowship
as they
eat
that Jesus
tells of his
betrayal
so we kind
of take a step
backwards in the
text here
this is the point
he would have
said that
and he goes
through it
and this portion
is closed
with the third
cup of wine
the cup of
redemption
I will redeem
you
God promised
and then Jesus
interjects something
new into the
liturgy again
verse 23
this time
and he took
a cup
and when he
had given
thanks
he gave it
to them
and they all
drank of it
and he said
this is my
blood
of the
covenant
which is
poured out
for many
this is the
third cup
and he
transforms
its meaning
this cup
of redemption
is no longer
about the
Passover
and Exodus
this cup
of redemption
is about the
blood that he
would spill
the very next
afternoon
on Calvary's
cross
as our
perfect
lamb
is sacrificed
in our
place
and he
says
this blood
is the
sign of
the new
covenant
that God
had foretold
in all of
those prophets
you can go
back to
Jeremiah 31
you can see
the promise
of this
covenant
there is
anticipation
all through
the Old
Testament
a greater
king is
coming
a greater
one is
coming
he will
provide
salvation
he will
provide
redemption
he will
provide
a new
covenant
and Jesus
says
here it
is
and it's
in my
blood
it's
found
in my
sacrifice
on
the cross
see every
year
they would
gather
and they
would
slaughter
a lamb
and they
would
spread
the blood
on the
doorpost
at least
in Exodus
that's what
they did
they spread
the blood
on the
doorpost
but this
sacrifice
was insufficient
to provide
true atonement
so they did
it every
year
over
and over
it's the
precursor
to this
system
that God
gave them
of daily
sacrifices
for their
sin
and burnt
offerings
of praise
and all
these things
they had
to do
to try
to rid
themselves
of uncleanness
but they
could never
rid themselves
of the
uncleanness
they just
had to keep
coming
over
and over
again
all of that
anticipating
one day
God will
give us
a true
atonement
a final
atonement
and here
it is
said
atonement
once and
for all
no more
sacrifice
necessary
he is
the Passover
lamb
his blood
was sufficient
to pay for
our sin
once and
for all
forever
this was
the message
of the
apostles
Ephesians
1
Paul says
in him
we have
redemption
through his
blood
the forgiveness
of our
trespasses
according to
the riches
of his
grace
first Peter
Peter says
it
you were
ransomed
from the
feudal ways
inherited
from your
fathers
not with
perishable
things like
silver and
gold
you can't
buy your
salvation
Peter says
but instead
it was with
the precious
blood of
Christ
that of
a lamb
without
blemish
or spot
John the
apostle says
the same
thing
if we walk
in the
light
as he is
in the
light
we have
fellowship
with one
another
and the
blood of
Jesus
his son
cleanses
us
from all
sin
so come
and drink
receive
the sacrifice
of his
blood
by faith
for the
forgiveness
of your
sins
they would
have
finished
with
psalms
116
to 118
they would
have sung
them as
hymns
and then
comes the
fourth and
final cup
of the
meal
and Jesus
does one
more
alteration
he refuses
this cup
verse 25
truly I say
to you
I will not
drink again
of the fruit
of the vine
until that
day
when I
drink it
new
in the
kingdom
of God
William Lane
says
Jesus had
used the
third cup
associated
with the
promise of
redemption
to refer
to his
atoning
death
on behalf
of the
elect
community
the cup
which he
refused
was the
cup of
consummation
associated
with the
promise
that God
will take
his people
to be
with him
this is
the cup
which Jesus
will drink
with his
own
in the
messianic
banquet
which inaugurates
the saving
age
to come
this was
Jesus's
promise
that
fellowship
with him
through his
cross
will continue
until the
day he
returns
to take
us home
it implies
both his
own
resurrection
and our
resurrection
something
these disciples
would have
looked back
on with
tremendous
confidence
comfort
it's also
why in
observing
the Lord's
supper
we proclaim
not only
that Christ
has died
and Christ
has risen
but Christ
will come
again
as Paul
says in
first
Corinthians
11
as often
as you
eat this
bread
and drink
the cup
you proclaim
the Lord's
death
until he
comes
now we're
finished
but track
with me
in this
meal
what does
Jesus
do
he says
I'm the
bread
come and
eat
I'm about
to spill
my blood
for your
sin
come and
drink
and I'm
promising you
that so long
as you come
to me in
faith
you will
have
fellowship
with me
until the
day that I
finally bring
you home
a promise
of assurance
I will
return
the kingdom
will be
ours
we will
reign
forever
together
in perfect
unity
it's a
wonderful
promise
so what
do we
do with
that
we
believe
we
believe
and we
follow
Jesus
used the
bread and
wine as
symbols of
his gospel
and receiving
them as
symbolic
of believing
him as
savior
and lord
and so I
want to
extend
Jesus'
invitation
to you
this morning
will you
come and
eat
I don't
mean eat
the bread
I specifically
didn't do the
Lord's Supper
today for this
reason
to make this
point
that unlike
some people
have taught
through the
years
it is not
the eating
of the bread
itself
and the
drinking
of the
wine
itself
that brings
us
salvation
it is
what is
represented
in those
things
the fact
that you
recognize
Jesus by
faith
as the
son of
God
and the
savior of
your sin
and that
you follow
him
as lord
so come
and feast
by faith
on him
he'll turn
no person
away
who does
take