As we continue studying the book Jesus the King by Timothy Keller leading up to Easter Sunday, we examine the Lord’s supper as it is presented in the book of Mark. What Jesus was saying came as quite a shock to his disciples and has astounding meaning for us as well! Recorded 3/11/18.
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Sermon Notes: The Lord’s Supper
We continue our study of Timothy Keller’s book, “Jesus the King.”
Thanksgiving & Christmas are feasts we celebrate each year. We enjoy the great food of our family’s great cooks & the companionship of those who gather around the table. The TV show, “Blue Bloods,” features a family around the dinner table in each episode. There they discuss, make decisions, argue, etc. The Indiana Jones movie, “Temple of Doom,” shows a scene of a table around which various oddities sit.
Today we will look at the Lord’s Supper of the Bible. We will take it in three courses!
Appetizer
Exodus 12:1-14 In the Old Testament the Passover is a defining meal in history. Before the plague of the death of the firstborn, the Passover was explained to the Israelites. It was a day to be commemorated by the generations to come. Only the families that obeyed God’s instructions to the T were exempted from the plague. It was not a vegetarian or vegan meal! It was to be eaten with their robes & sandals on & in haste. There was to be meat—lamb meat! It was to be roasted, eaten with bitter herbs & unleavened bread. The lamb was to be killed at twilight & its blood spread on the door facings of the home. The Lord’s angel of death would see the blood & pass over that house, sparing the firstborn from death.
The reason for the meal being eaten in haste was because they were going to be leaving Egypt! The Egyptians had not been given the instructions for exempting them & every Egyptian home paid the price, even that of Pharaoh. After this plague, Pharaoh finally was moved to release the Israelites after 430 years, many of them spent in bondage.
Main Course
Mark 14:12-16 Why would the sacrifice of a lamb commemorate the Passover? This scripture about Jesus’ Passover meal with his disciples answers that question. This is hundreds of years after the exodus events. Jesus gave them very detailed instructions for the preparation of the meal. Being Jews, they had celebrated the Passover each year their whole lives. They knew the exodus story well. As they obeyed Jesus’ instructions, everything happened just as he said they would!
Mark 14:22-24 Jesus’ death had not yet happened. The disciples were very familiar with the Passover traditions. They did not understand what Jesus was talking about when he said the bread & wine were his body & blood. Jesus was going off script. The bread still meant the bread of the Israelites. They were surprised by his statements. Jesus was not saying the wrong words but what his Father had told him to say. This was about the ultimate exodus & the introduction to a new covenant. All the Passovers before had been pointing to him! He blessed the bread & drink but he did not mention the lamb.
Isaiah 53:6-7 talks about the lamb as the Messiah. In John 1:29 John the Baptist called Jesus “the lamb of God.” At the last supper, Jesus was talking about himself telling them by his death he would be taking away the sin of the world.
Recently on the National Geographic channel I saw a story of a forest fire. While fighting the fire, some firemen saw a small bird huddled at the base of a tree. When they touched the bird, because it was burned, it crumbled away. Exposed under the wings of the charred bird’s body were 3 unharmed chicks underneath. The bird had sacrificed its life for its chicks.
Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…” Jesus’ sorrow for Jerusalem is demonstrated in his analogy of a hen & its chicks.
Dessert
Luke 22:19 Remember Jesus’ sacrifice. “Do this in remembrance of me.” He is passing this meal on. Exodus 12:24 The Passover was to be a perpetual occasion of remembrance. Jesus asked for the same.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 In verse 20 it is called “the Lord’s Supper.” We are reminded of his sacrifice. Mark 14:17 Jesus was with his disciples, not with his own, physical family! Mark 3:33-35 He was making a new family! A family for eternity with God as the Father. Without Jesus’ sacrifice we would not have this family! We are so forgetful but should not forget Jesus’ sacrifice.
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, where is my heart? Is it far from the cross? We get so busy with doing things. Am I doing it for myself or for Jesus? Jesus gave up everything for me! I should be living like I remember his sacrifice. Is your communion getting stale? Since we take it every Sunday it can become boring! How can you refresh it in your heart? Have you been moved by his sacrifice? How do you respond to the cross? Study it out!
The Lord’s Supper points to our future with Jesus. Mark 14:25 Jesus’ sacrifice gave us the chance to be at the ultimate feast! Matthew 8:11 The feast in heaven will be attended by the patriarchs. What would the Israelites have said right after the exodus from Egypt? “Freed!” We also have been freed from sin & are headed to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus!
