Lesson 269 The Last Supper Luke 22:7-20
MEMORY VERSE LUKE 22:15-16 Then He said to them, "With ferv ent desire I hav e desired to eat this Passov er w ith you before I suffer; for I say to you, I w ill no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." WHAT YOU WILL NEED: As many small cups as the number of children in your class, a pitcher of grape juice, and some crackers on a plate. ATTENTION GRABBER! Preparing the Feast Have your class help you prepare Communion. Have some of the children set out the appropriate number of cups, some pour the grape juice from a pitcher into the cups (providing they are dexterous enough to handle it), and have some break the crackers onto a plate. Explain to your class that today s lesson is going to be about some very special meals the Lord gave us to celebrate His great love for us! LESSON TIME! In today's lesson we are going to have dinner together. In fact, this lesson will take us to not just one dinner, or two dinners, and not even three, but four dinners. I hope you are hungry for the lesson today. All four dinners we will study from out of the Bible and one of them we will share together. Dinner #1: The Lord's Passover Our first dinner takes us way back in time to Moses and the children of Israel. They were all under slavery and being
oppressed by the King of Egypt. God was going to deliver them out of Egypt and the tyranny of the king. EX O D U S 12:1-2 N o w t h e L O R D s p o k e t o M o s e s an d Aar o n i n t h e l an d o f Egy p t, s ay i n g, " T h i s m o n t h s h al l be y o u r be gi n n i n g o f m o n t h s ; i t s h al l be t h e f i r s t m o n t h o f t h e y e ar t o y o u. " God instituted a feast so that His people would forever remember that He brought them out of the land of Egypt. This feast is called the Passover. In this passage God was starting His own holiday. He was also giving the children of Israel a new calendar. From then on the month they were in would be the first month on the calendar. This month happened to be April, so April was the first month of the Jewish calendar. The first month on the American calendar is what? So we see that God wanted His people to always remember what He has done for them. He establishes memorials to help them to remember. We also have some things that remind us of God s faithfulness as Christians. We will be looking more closely at one later (communion). EX O D U S 12:3-6 " S p e ak t o al l t h e c o n gr e gat i o n o f I s r ae l, s ay i n g: ' O n t h e t e n t h d ay o f t h i s m o n t h e v e r y m an s h al l t ak e f o r h i m s e l f a l am b, ac c o r d i n g t o t h e h o u s e o f h i s f at h e r, a l am b f o r a h o u s e h o l d. ' An d i f t h e h o u s e h o l d i s t o o s m al l f o r t h e l am b, l e t h i m an d h i s n e i gh bo r n e x t t o h i s h o u s e t ak e i t ac c o r d i n g t o t h e n u m be r o f t h e p e r s o n s ; ac c o r d i n g t o e ac h m an ' s n e e d y o u s h al l m ak e y o u r c o u n t f o r t h e l am b.
' Y o u r l am b s h al l be w i t h o u t bl e m i s h, a m al e o f t h e f i r s t y e ar. Y o u m ay t ak e i t f r o m t h e s h e e p o r f r o m t h e go at s. ' N o w y o u s h al l k e e p i t u n t i l t h e f o u r t e e n t h d ay o f t h e s am e m o n t h. T h e n t h e w h o l e as s e m bl y o f t h e c o n gr e gat i o n o f I s r ae l s h al l k i l l i t at t w i l i gh t. ' To prepare for this special dinner, the people were to take a oneyear-old male lamb, without spot or blemish for their family. This was to be done on the tenth day of this month. What day would this be? The answer is April 10th. It was important for the people to make sure they had enough lamb for this dinner. If they had a big family they could use two; if a small family, they could share with a neighbor. They watched the lamb for 4 days and made sure he was a perfect lamb. On the 14th day of the month (April 14th) they were to slaughter the lamb at twilight (sunset). Kind of like taking the lamb to the butcher so they could prepare the meat for dinner. This lamb represents Jesus who is referred to in the Bible as the Lamb of God. He was perfect in every way. And like the lamb being watched for the Passover feast, Jesus life was open for all to see during His three years of ministry. No one could look at Jesus life and find any fault. He is perfect in everyway which means He can be the one to provide forgiveness for us. He gave Himself to be the sacrifice for our sin. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. EX O D U S 12:7-11 ' An d t h e y s h al l t ak e s o m e o f t h e bl o o d an d p u t i t o n t h e t w o d o o r p o s t s an d o n t h e l i n t e l o f t h e h o u s e s w h e r e t h e y e at i t.
' T h e n t h e y s h al l e at t h e f l e s h o n t h at n i gh t ; r o as t e d i n f i r e, w i t h u n l e av e n e d br e ad an d w i t h bi t t e r h e r bs t h e y s h al l e at i t. ' D o n o t e at i t r aw, n o r bo i l e d at al l w i t h w at e r, bu t r o as t e d i n f i r e ; i t s h e ad w i t h i t s l e gs an d i t s e n t r ai l s. ' Y o u s h al l l e t n o n e o f i t r e m ai n u n t i l m o r n i n g, an d w h at r e m ai n s o f i t u n t i l m o r n i n g y o u s h al l bu r n w i t h f i r e. ' An d t h u s y o u s h al l e at i t : w i t h a be l t o n y o u r w ai s t, y o u r s an d al s o n y o u r f e e t, an d y o u r s t af f i n y o u r h an d. S o y o u s h al l e at i t i n h as t e. I t i s t h e L o r d ' s Pas s o v e r. ' First they were to take the blood of the lamb and paint in on the front door of their house. They put the blood on the sides and top of the doorframe only. They were not to put the blood on the floor (threshold) of the doorframe because this blood was special and you should not walk on it and put it under your feet. The meat was to be cooked over a fire. This meat could not be boiled or eaten raw. It had to be barbecued. Also with the meat, there was bread and bitter herbs or vegetables. This sounds like it s going to be good. The last preparation was their clothes. God told them to get dressed for a trip. They were to put all the clothes on they needed for a special trip that God was going to take them on. God called this dinner "The Lord's Passover." Jesus is the Passover Lamb. A Few of My Favorite Things Take a moment to share with your class a favorite food or meal that you enjoy. Explain what memory or circumstance in your life makes this meal an enjoyable one for you. Allow some of your
class to share some of their favorite foods or meals. Ask why these meals are significant to them. Explain to your class that God knew that the memory of His faithfulness in our lives would be more easily remembered if it was associated with what we do every day, what we must do to survive...eat! We have an opportunity to thank God for His faithfulness every time we sit down to a meal. EX O D U S 12:12-14 ' F o r I w i l l p as s t h r o u gh t h e l an d o f Egy p t o n t h at n i gh t, an d w i l l s t r i k e al l t h e f i r s t bo r n i n t h e l an d o f Egy p t, bo t h m an an d be as t ; an d agai n s t al l t h e go d s o f Egy p t I w i l l e x e c u t e j u d gm e n t : I am t h e L O R D. ' N o w t h e bl o o d s h al l be a s i gn f o r y o u o n t h e h o u s e s w h e r e y o u ar e. An d w h e n I s e e t h e bl o o d, I w i l l p as s o v e r y o u ; an d t h e p l agu e s h al l n o t be o n y o u t o d e s t r o y y o u w h e n I s t r i k e t h e l an d o f Egy p t. ' S o t h i s d ay s h al l be t o y o u a m e m o r i al ; an d y o u s h al l k e e p i t as a f e as t t o t h e L O R D t h r o u gh o u t y o u r ge n e r at i o n s. Y o u s h al l k e e p i t as a f e as t by an e v e r l as t i n g o r d i n an c e. ' It is very important that we understand what this dinner was for. Why did God have them do this? Let's find out. On this same night (April 14th) God was going to go from house to house looking for all those who obeyed His command to put the blood of the lamb on the front door. If they did not have the blood on the door, the people in the house did not obey God. Because they did not obey God and put the blood of the lamb on their door, the punishment was that the first-born male in their family would die that night. Also, the first-born male from all their flocks would die. This was the Judgment of God. All they had to do was obey God. God would
pass over any house that applied the blood to the door of their house. God delivered the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt the next day after their dinner. God wanted them to always remember this dinner. It was a symbol of God's deliverance of His people out of bondage, an ordinance for them to obey. It was also a picture of Jesus and how that when we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and come into our hearts; He will cleanse us by His blood that was shed for us on Calvary. It is the blood of Jesus that will cleanse us from all unrighteousness and will save us from eternal separation from God. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Dinner #2: The Last Supper Our second dinner takes place in the time of Jesus life on earth. This dinner took place with Jesus and His disciples. Who was the first dinner with? (Moses and the people of Israel) L U KE 22:7-13 T h e n c am e t h e D ay o f U n l e av e n e d B r e ad, w h e n t h e Pas s o v e r m u s t be k i l l e d. An d H e s e n t Pe t e r an d J o h n, s ay i n g, " G o an d p r e p ar e t h e Pas s o v e r f o r u s, t h at w e m ay e at. " S o t h e y s ai d t o H i m, " Wh e r e d o Y o u w an t u s t o p r e p ar e?" An d H e s ai d t o t h e m, " B e h o l d, w h e n y o u h av e e n t e r e d t h e c i t y, a m an w i l l m e e t y o u c ar r y i n g a p i t c h e r o f w at e r ; f o l l o w h i m i n t o t h e h o u s e w h i c h h e e n t e r s. " T h e n y o u s h al l s ay t o t h e m as t e r o f t h e h o u s e, ' T h e T e ac h e r s ay s t o y o u, " Wh e r e i s t h e gu e s t r o o m w h e r e I m ay e at t h e Pas s o v e r w i t h M y d i s c i p l e s?" '
" T h e n h e w i l l s h o w y o u a l ar ge, f u r n i s h e d u p p e r r o o m ; t h e r e m ak e r e ad y. " S o t h e y w e n t an d f o u n d i t j u s t as H e h ad s ai d t o t h e m, an d t h e y p r e p ar e d t h e Pas s o v e r. This was the day of unleavened bread. This day came four days after Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the Passover week. Do you remember how many days the lamb had to be watched by the people of Israel in the story of our first dinner (four)? Jesus was going to play a special part in our second dinner. Since this was "The Lord's Passover," what month was it (April)? Jesus told his disciples, Peter and John, to go make preparation for the dinner. They were to go into Jerusalem and find a man with a jar of water. What was special about a man with a jar of water? In those days usually only women carried the water. It would be rare to see a man carrying a jar of water. This man would lead them to the house that they would have dinner in. This house would be all set up for dinner. The only things they would need were the groceries. The Passover Test Take a few moments to see if your class can remember what foods were needed for the Passover meal. 1) a lamb, 2) bitter vegetables or herbs, 3) unleavened bread, and 4) preparation for departure (extra credit). Explain once again the significance of these elements. Let's go shopping with Peter and John. They would purchase the lamb at the Temple and take the lamb to the priest. He would kill the lamb and apply the blood for the sins of the disciples. They would then bring the meat back for the dinner.
Next, they would go get the bitter vegetables. They were supposed to be bitter so they would remind the people of how awful it was for their families to be in slavery. Then they would get the bread. It was supposed to be unleavened. Unleavened meant that it didn t have any yeast in the bread. Yeast is what makes bread and cakes rise and get fluffy. This yeast represented sin against God. There was one other item they would get and that was wine (grape juice). It would represent the blood of the Passover lamb that had to die for the families of deliverance. Now that the shopping is done, let's go to the dinner. L U KE 22:14-20 Wh e n t h e h o u r h ad c o m e, H e s at d o w n, an d t h e t w e l v e ap o s t l e s w i t h H i m. T h e n H e s ai d t o t h e m, " Wi t h f e r v e n t d e s i r e I h av e d e s i r e d t o e at t h i s Pas s o v e r w i t h y o u be f o r e I s u f f e r ; " f o r I s ay t o y o u, I w i l l n o l o n ge r e at o f i t u n t i l i t i s f u l f i l l e d i n t h e k i n gd o m o f G o d. " T h e n H e t o o k t h e c u p, an d gav e t h an k s, an d s ai d, " T ak e t h i s an d d i v i d e i t am o n g y o u r s e l v e s ; " f o r I s ay t o y o u, I w i l l n o t d r i n k o f t h e f r u i t o f t h e v i n e u n t i l t h e k i n gd o m o f G o d c o m e s. " An d H e t o o k br e ad, gav e t h an k s an d br o k e i t, an d gav e i t t o t h e m, s ay i n g, " T h i s i s M y bo d y w h i c h i s gi v e n f o r y o u ; d o t h i s i n r e m e m br an c e o f M e. " L i k e w i s e H e al s o t o o k t h e c u p af t e r s u p p e r, s ay i n g, " T h i s c u p i s t h e n e w c o v e n an t i n M y bl o o d, w h i c h i s s h e d f o r y o u. "
When the time came for the Passover dinner the apostles were at the table with Jesus ready to eat. Jesus said to them that He wanted to eat this meal with them before He suffered. Suffered? How was Jesus going to suffer? He was about to die on the cross. We know the story, but the disciples did not know Jesus was going to die as the Passover lamb. Jesus told them that the next time they shared this dinner together it would be in Heaven. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. He died for all. Amen! Jesus gave thanks to God for the bread and He broke the loaf and told the disciples that it represented His body. Just as the bread had no leaven, Jesus had no sin. Jesus was a spotless lamb. He had been observed by man and He was sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5). After dinner Jesus took the cup of wine and said it represented His blood that would be poured out for them. Just as the blood of the lamb would be spilled for the families in the Passover, so Jesus shed His blood for all men. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Dinner #3: Communion 1 C O R I N T H I AN S 11:23-26 F o r I r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e L o r d t h at w h i c h I al s o d e l i v e r e d t o y o u : t h at t h e L o r d J e s u s o n t h e s am e n i gh t i n w h i c h H e w as be t r ay e d t o o k br e ad ; an d w h e n H e h ad gi v e n t h an k s, H e br o k e i t an d s ai d, " T ak e, e at ; t h i s i s M y bo d y w h i c h i s br o k e n f o r y o u ; d o t h i s i n r e m e m br an c e o f M e. " I n t h e s am e m an n e r H e al s o t o o k t h e c u p af t e r s u p p e r, s ay i n g, " T h i s c u p i s t h e n e w c o v e n an t i n M y bl o o d. T h i s d o, as o f t e n as y o u d r i n k i t, i n r e m e m br an c e o f M e. "
F o r as o f t e n as y o u e at t h i s br e ad an d d r i n k t h i s c u p, y o u p r o c l ai m t h e L o r d ' s d e at h t i l l H e c o m e s. Our third dinner takes place today. We are going to take communion together. Communion is a celebration we do together like the Jewish people did at Passover. We remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross; the Jewish people remember what God did for them in Egypt. Each part of the Passover dinner reminds us of God's salvation for our lives. These are the things that the Passover elements represent: 1. Egypt represents slavery to sin. 2. The Passover lamb represents Jesus. 3. The blood on the doorpost represents Jesus blood applied to our sin for salvation. 4. The bitter vegetables represent how life is bitter and keeps us in bondage without Jesus. 5. The unleavened bread represents Jesus sinless, spotless life. 6. The Passover represents God s passing over our lives and sparing us from judgment. 7. The traveling clothes represent our lives, pilgrims in this land waiting for God s promises to be fulfilled; delivered from slavery and given a life of freedom to live for Him. In communion we use two symbols (elements), the bread and the wine (or grape juice). The bread we take to remember that Jesus was perfect and sinless. He gave Himself for us who had sin (Romans 5:8). The bread also reminds us that Jesus gave His body to be beaten and put on a cross, so that we could be made whole. The juice we take to remember that Jesus spilled His blood for us. It s because of His blood that we will be forgiven of our sins if we accept it and apply it to the doorpost of our lives. His blood is like the lamb's blood. The innocent sinless lamb, died for the guilty
family. Jesus, the innocent sinless man, died for us sinful people. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. We remember this in communion. You should never take communion unless you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. The reason is that if you have not applied the blood of Jesus to the doorpost of your heart, when you take communion it is like taking the blood and pouring it on the floor (threshold) and walking over it. We would never want to trample on the blood of Jesus, would we? Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Have you accepted Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God? Have you applied the blood of Jesus to your heart's door? If not, we can explain to you how you can do this today! Take Communion Prepare your class to take the communion that they prepared at the beginning of the class. Explain once again the importance of being a repentant believer to receive communion and give your class an opportunity to receive Christ or confess to the Lord any unrepentant sin. Pass out the cracker pieces to your class and have them hold them together. If possible have a brief time of worship together. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the perfect body of Christ that was broken for us. Partake of the cracker together. Pass out the cups of juice to your class and have them hold them together. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the blood of Jesus that was shed to cleanse us from our sin. Partake of the juice together. Dinner #4: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb R EVEL AT I O N 19:6-9 An d I h e ar d, as i t w e r e, t h e v o i c e o f a gr e at m u l t i t u d e, as t h e s o u n d o f m an y w at e r s an d as t h e
s o u n d o f m i gh t y t h u n d e r i n gs, s ay i n g, " Al l e l u i a! F o r t h e L o r d G o d O m n i p o t e n t r e i gn s! " L e t u s be gl ad an d r e j o i c e an d gi v e H i m gl o r y, f o r t h e m ar r i age o f t h e L am b h as c o m e, an d H i s w i f e h as m ad e h e r s e l f r e ad y. " An d t o h e r i t w as gr an t e d t o be ar r ay e d i n f i n e l i n e n, c l e an an d br i gh t, f o r t h e f i n e l i n e n i s t h e r i gh t e o u s ac t s o f t h e s ai n t s. T h e n h e s ai d t o m e, " Wr i t e : ' B l e s s e d ar e t h o s e w h o ar e c al l e d t o t h e m ar r i age s u p p e r o f t h e L am b!' " An d h e s ai d t o m e, " T h e s e ar e t h e t r u e s ay i n gs o f G o d. " There is one last dinner still to be celebrated. Remember when Jesus said He was not going to have dinner until He had it with the disciples in Heaven? Well, we are invited to the dinner. We are going to all celebrate Jesus together. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. We will have dinner in heaven with Moses and the Israelites, the disciples, but most importantly, Jesus. All of the people who have received Jesus as their Passover Lamb will be in heaven and eat the marriage supper of the Lamb together. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. PRAYER Lead the children in a prayer of thanksgiving for the sacrifice made for our sins. Thank the Lord for the promise of the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven.