The Last Supper

[Jazzy]

What was the message that Jesus was trying to convey to his disciples during the Last Supper?

 

[Lamb]

This is my body
This is my blood

In the Lord's Supper, we are not only in communion with fellow believers, but with God (hence, Holy Communion).

 

[Albion]

Isn't it the case that Our Lord was conveying several different but related messages at one sitting?

Those would include the observance of the meal among them after his departure, the meaning he was attaching to the meal (it not being just the ordinary Passover seder), and a certain commission to the Apostles about their responsibilities after his return to the Father.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
Well; to begin with, He was really looking forward to it.

"When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to
them: I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."
(Luke 22:14-15)

The Greek word translated "eagerly desired" basically means longing; which
relates to passions like craving and yearning.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
Although that night was Jesus' last supper on Earth with his friends, he assured
them there were more suppers yet to come.

● Matt 26:29 . . I tell you: I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until
that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.

● Luke 22:15-16 . . 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.

● Luke 22:28-30 . .You are the ones that have stuck with me in my trials; and I
make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a
kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom

** Those passages strongly suggest that Jesus' glorified body is capable of dining
upon ordinary foods and beverages.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
Here's some trivia that has no relation to Jazzy's question; but it's kinda fun to
know.

Jesus and his men ate their Passover dinner the night of his arrest.

Matt 26:17-20
Mark 14:12-17
Luke 22:7-15

The Jews ate their Passover after he was dead and buried.

John 13:1-2
John 18:28-29
John 19:13-14
John 19:31)

The Jews were somehow unaware that their religious calendar was tardy the year
that Christ was crucified. He, being a prophet in direct contact with God, would of
course have known the precise moment that Passover that year was supposed to
begin; which is no doubt at least one of the reasons why Christ ate his own
Passover before the Jews ate theirs.

Ironically, the Jews were careful to avoid going after Jesus during Passover.

"Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the
high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly
way and kill him. But not during the feast-- they said --or there may be a riot
among the people." (Matt 26:3-5)

Due to their religious calendar's error, the Jews inadvertently put Jesus to death
during the very season they wanted to avoid.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● John 14:13-14 . . I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

That promise oftentimes ends up abused as a quite useless tag line attached to the
end of prayers because it's qualified by what Jesus said going into it; which was:

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John
14:12)

Jesus' early followers made good use of Jesus' assistance because they were
involved in far more important works than just going around performing miracles
like he did. But most of us modern followers will never do anything important at all,
let alone anything that can be construed as having more value than his miracles.
Many of us have enough difficulty just keeping our heads above water, so I suggest
a different approach.

● 1Pet 5:6-7 . . Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He
may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

I like keeping that together with Heb 4:15-16 which says:

"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was
without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with frankness, so that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

The Greek word translated "frankness" basically means all out-spokenness, i.e.
candor, viz: a lack of shyness or secretiveness or of evasiveness from
considerations of tact or expedience; ergo: frankness implies transparency, i.e.
unbridled freedom of speech and the liberty to speak your mind without fear of
ridicule, shame, disgrace, retribution, or retaliation. In other words: we may share
our worries with Heaven just as we'd speak with our spouses and/or BFF.

** On a personal note: I grew up in a dysfunctional home. My parents had no
interest in any of my anxieties: none. So it was very difficult for me to get started
sharing some with Heaven. I'm much better at it now, but it was slow going at first.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
There's more than one Greek verb translated "love" in the New Testament.

For example John 3:16 which says:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

That verb doesn't necessarily express affection but is always benevolent. It's the
kind of love expressed in sympathy, courtesy, kindness, generosity, compassion,
empathy, civility, and humane conduct. We don't have to especially like someone
before treating them with this kind of love. For example Matt 5:44-48.

And then there's a verb spoken of during Jesus' last supper, wherein he said:

"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I
came from God."

The Greek verb in that passage goes beyond benevolence because it speaks of
strong emotions like affection, bonding, and attachment.

All in all then, God pities the world, but He goes beyond and feels kinship with Jesus'
followers. In other words: the world at large are merely God's creatures, whereas
some of us are related to Him as family around the table in His own home.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● John 6:70-71 . . Have I not chosen you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil. (He
meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the twelve, was later to
betray him.)

● John 17:12 . .While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that
name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so
that scripture would be fulfilled.

Judas is an interesting case of a man not out of the will of God, rather, a man who,
in spite of himself, was in full compliance with it.

It's common to hear spiritual counselors advise folks to find out the will of God for
their life. Well; some folks are in God's will and don't know it because it is His will
for them to be their normal selves and thus be useful to God for a destructive
purpose rather than benevolent. Now that's scary!
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Matt 26:30 . .When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Hymns are cultural feature among God's biblical people. For example: Miriam led the
women in song after God drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea. (Ex 15:20-21)

Paul and Silas sang hymns while they were locked up in jail. (Acts 16:25)

Whether Jesus accompanied his men is uncertain but Heb 2:12 strongly suggests
he did.

Jesus knew his death was imminent that night, but still found it in himself to say
nice things about God even though it was God who led him into that calamity.

Here's a few lines from one of my favorite hymns that seems to reflect Jesus
attitude.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say:
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(Horatio P. Spafford, 1828-1888)

Stafford was inspired to write those lyrics not long after losing his four daughters in
a shipwreck.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Luke 22:31 . . Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

We're not shown behind the scenes when the Devil made his request, but I rather
suspect it went something like this:

"Then the Lord said to Satan: Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one
on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns
evil.

. . . Does Job fear God for nothing? --Satan replied-- Have you not put a hedge
around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of
his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch
out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your
face.

. . . The Lord said to Satan: Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but
on the man himself do not lay a finger." (Job 1:8-12)

Peter insisted that even if all the other guys were to disown Jesus, he wouldn't.
(Matt 26:33). Well, Peter did; just as the Devil knew he would under pressure.

The moral of the story is: John Que and Jane Doe Christian should never assume
the dark world can't push their buttons because if Satan can push an apostle's
buttons then he and his minions should find it very easy to do the same to ordinary
rank and file pew warmers; plus: they just never know when the Father might
decide it's time for some attitude adjustment by utilizing the dark world to show
some of us up for the cheap goods that we really are.

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov 16:18)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Matt 26:14-16 . .Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief
priests, and said unto them: What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he
sought opportunity to betray him.

In time, Judas regretted what he did and committed suicide, very likely due to
discovering that Jesus' crucified dead body was restored to life. But you know, as
deplorable as was his selling Jesus out, Judas' worst mistake was in not owning up
and seeking reconciliation for it.

● Isa 1:18 . . Come now, let us reason together-- says The Lord --though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

● Isa 55:6-7 . . Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to The
Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

NOTE: Jesus prayed for Peter, but not for Judas because Jesus already knew it
would be throwing good money after bad. For example:

● Hos 4:17 . . Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.

In other words: God instructed the prophet Hosea not to bother preaching in
Ephraim's region because He was fed up with the Jews living in that area.
_

 

[bbas 64]

Good day,

How the the remembrances exhibited in the Sader meal are now under the new Covenant found in Him.

The bread that was broke during Sader was to represent God (real) provision for his people in the wilderness.

His Body is our (real) Provision

The 3 rd Cup is the Cup of Redemption the blood of the lamb which saved the Israelites from the slaying of the first born.

We have our Redemption in His Blood it is the Blood of the new and lasting covenant.

In Him,

Bill

 

[Albion]

Good day,

How the the remembrances exhibited in the Sader meal are now under the new Covenant found in Him.

The bread that was broke during Sader was to represent God (real) provision for his people in the wilderness.

His Body is our (real) Provision

The 3 rd Cup is the Cup of Redemption the blood of the lamb which saved the Israelites from the slaying of the first born.

We have our Redemption in His Blood it is the Blood of the new and lasting covenant.

In Him,

Bill

I take it, therefore, that you see the Chrisitan sacrament (the Lord's Supper) to be correctly understood as mere symbolism.

 

[bbas 64]

I take it, therefore, that you see the Chrisitan sacrament (the Lord's Supper) to be correctly understood as mere symbolism.

Good day, Albiion

It is more like a remembrance and a representation as understood correctly with in the Sader Meal frame work.

Lets say I find the idea of a physical contradiction (nonsense) as taught by the Roman Catholic denomination, to be demeaning of the whole historical framework of the "last supper".

In Him

Bill

 

[Josiah]

The Lutheran perspective.... Embracing and believing what the Bible states.

Lutheran: Holy Communion

This Sacrament, also known as the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, may be thought of as “God’s way of hugging us.” Jesus shares the promised blessing: “This is My blood which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). While this Sacrament doesn’t play a huge role in Scripture, we...

www.christianityhaven.com

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[Albion]

Good day, Albiion

It is more like a remembrance and a representation as understood correctly with in the Sader Meal frame work.

Lets say I find the idea of a physical contradiction (nonsense) as taught by the Roman Catholic denomination, to be demeaning of the whole historical framework of the "last supper".

In Him

Bill

Hi, Bill.

I do reject the idea of Transubstantiation and some of the other mystical folklore that the Roman Catholic Church has attached to the sacrament.

However, there's a lot that's in between Transubstantiation and pure symbolism (which wouldn't negate the remembrance aspect). Not even Calvinist denominations, if I understand correctly, would go as far as to teach that the sacrament is only symbolic of one thing or another.

But mainly, I just wanted not to mistake what your own stance is.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

~
● Matt 26:26-28 . . While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body. Then he
took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying: Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins.

"the covenant" pertains to something new because the agreement that Moses'
people entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
doesn't specify human sacrifices.

● Deut 4:2 . .You shall not add anything to what I command you or take anything
away from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin upon
you.

● Deut 5:29-30 . . Be careful, then, to do as the Lord your God has commanded
you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left: follow only the path that the Lord
your God has enjoined upon you

● Deut 27:26 . . Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by
carrying them out.

** Jesus no doubt partook of the bread and the lamb and the spicy dip because Ex
12:1-20, Lev 23:5-8, and Num 9:1-14, requires it of all Jews; no exceptions.
However, the beverage was a later rabbinical supplement and therefore not a
covenanted requirement so Jesus and his guys could safely opt out of the part of
the seder if they wanted.

The purpose of Jesus' special ceremony is actually very simple. It serves as a
memorial to remind his followers, and to inform observers, that the covenant he
was sealing cost them nothing while costing him his life. In other words: it's a mini
sermon augmented with visual aids, and becomes a profession of faith by one's
personal involvement with the elements, a.k.a. species.

● 1Cor 11:26 . . For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim
the Lord's death until he comes.

The Christian baptism is an effective profession of faith, but Jesus' followers go thru
it only once and never again; whereas his memorial can be done over and over
again ad infinitum, i.e. "whenever"
_