Luke 22:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
Big Idea: Remember who Jesus is, and what he has done
When I was in high school, in our group of friends, there was a guy who was much more successful at dating than the rest of our group. He attributed his success to being able to get girls to think about him. He said that he would pick a small detail about someone that they had spent time on, and compliment them on that regularly. The detail that he tended to land on was their fingernails. If a girl had painted her nails or done something different with them, he would make a point to compliment them on that. He claimed that after a while, everytime they did that small action, like painting their nails, they would think about him, wondering whether he would like that shade of polish.
Christ’s institution of the Lord’s Supper is similar in a few ways (note: the theology of communion is definitely more profound than my friend’s high school dating techniques). Christ mentioned that he earnestly desired to have this meal with them. He was about to suffer and he wanted one last special time with his closest friends. He cared about and loved them. But he was also establishing a pattern for them. This communion would unite them behind his whole purpose for coming. It was a picture of his greatest act and and illustration of the message that they would carry around the world. But it was also a reminder, a way to stick in their brains just what was sacrificed on their behalf.
Application: Humans are notoriously forgetful. How many of the wonderful things that God has done for you in your life have you forgotten, or would you have forgotten if you hadn’t written them down? The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity to remember and to remind ourselves of a divine act that changed the world and saved your life. It is a way keep your heart and your mind on Jesus so that we aren’t distracted about the petty distracting things of this world. The savior of the world wants to have dinner with you and talk about old times. How could anyone pass that up?
