The Lord’s Table
TRANSLATION
(14) And when the hour had come, Jesus and his apostles reclined at table. (15) And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, (16) for, I tell you, I will not eat it again 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 from the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” (19) And he took bread and, after he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them and said, “This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (20) And likewise (he took) the cup after supper saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.”
OBSERVATIONS
The first thing we should note in this paragraph is the phrase, “reclined at table,” reminding us that those who dined together in Jesus’ day did not sit on chairs around a table as is the modern custom or as pictured in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco, The Last Supper. Instead, those sharing a meal would gather around a low circular table surrounded by cushions. They would recline on their left sides with heads resting on their left arms near the table so that each one could use his right arm to reach for the food.
Repeated words included “eat” (vss. 15 & 16) and “cup” (three times in vss. 17 & 20). The phrases, “this is my body” (vs. 19) and “the New Covenant in my blood” (vs. 20), have taken on special significance for those who regularly celebrate this occasion with the ordinance (sacrament) often called “the Lord’s Table” or “Communion.” It was at this point in the Passover meal that Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant described in Jeremiah 31:31-34 with its provisions of an internalized law (Jer. 31:33), a new heart of flesh to replace a heart of stone, and the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ez. 36:26). No longer would the focus of Scripture be exclusively on the covenant people, Israel. Instead, it would expand to include those from every race, tribe, and nation (Eph. 2:11-22), Jews and Gentiles joined together, forming a new entity called the Church (Mt. 16:18).
OUTLINE
I. Prologue: “I have desired to eat.” (14 & 15)
II. Prophecy: “I will not drink again until fulfillment in the Kingdom.” (16-18)
III. Pronouncement: “This is my body...the new covenant in my blood.” (19 & 20)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus gave Israel’s Passover new significance when, at his final meal with the disciples, he declared it to be “the New Covenant in my blood.”
APPLICATION
Twice Jesus used the same phrasing to convey an important thought that too often gets lost in our observance of the Lord’s Table. In verse 16, he said, “I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then, two verses later, he restated this same truth with, “I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” In Matthew’s account, Jesus used the phrase, “until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” In essence, the Lord’s Table contains a strong anticipatory, prophetic thrust. Every time we share in this sacred meal, we are to look forward to the day when we will celebrate it together with Jesus in his coming Kingdom.
The description of Christ’s Second Coming in Revelation 19 used these words, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” (Rev. 9:7-9). This marriage supper will take place when all believers in the church from every generation will be gathered to rejoice in the victory that our Lord has won over all opposition to his rule. It is an event we can hardly imagine but one to which we should look forward with great anticipation. Every time we participate in the Lord’s Table here on earth, the promise of that future triumph should lift our hearts and cause us to rejoice. No matter how difficult or depressing our lives may be, no matter how challenging the present or future may seem, we can count on Jesus’ prophecy that one day soon we will share in his victory and the establishment of his glorious Kingdom at “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”