"Do this in remembrance of me..."

Passover, Last Supper, Lord's Supper!

Luke 1:1-23 bring us to the Thursday evening of the Passover festival in Jerusalem. The hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And Jesus said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer... ."

The extraordinary thing about this Passover meal is the way Jesus applies the significance of Passover to himself. There is plenty to observe here, let me note three things:

1. The Last Supper looks back to celebrate God's rescue of his people out of slavery in Egypt. The Hebrews are told when your children say "what do you mean by this service? you shall say "it is the sacrifce of the Lord's passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of israel in Egypt when he struck the egyptians but spared our houses." See further Exodus 12:1-32. The judgement of God passes over the doorposts daubed with the blood of lambs.

2. Jesus applies this Passover teaching to himself as he teaches his disciples at the Last Supper that in his death, he becomes the Passover Lamb for us.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The Apostles testify to this later on:

Paul: "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" 1 Corinthians 5:7

Peter: "You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" 1Peter1: 18-19

John: "In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Rev 5:12

How does the Last Supper call you to respond to Jesus?

3. Jesus initiates an ongoing ceremony for his people to remember the significance of his death in this passover context. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:25 "For as often as eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Regardless of the simplicity or intricasy of such a celebration, the Lord's Supper is only effective as it points us back to the significance of the death of Jesus, our Passover Lamb.

Don't make the Lord's Supper anything more than it is...

Don't make the Lord's Supper anything less than it is...

A celebration with God's people of the ongoing significance of the Lord's death for us until he comes again.

"Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"

GP