Community Bible Study -- LUKE

Text of Luke 22:1-38 Presentation, Lesson 21

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Jesus in the Upper Room

Over the past week - the last week of Jesus' life - he crossed the Jordan, acknowledged the title of "King Messiah," and marched on Jerusalem like a conqueror. On Palm Sunday he entered the city just as the prophets has foretold for the Messiah - and he was greeted as such by the people . . . greeted like a Jewish king. He claimed the authority to redefine the Jewish religion . . . and he soundly defeated the Jewish religious leaders in debate. Jesus' objective is to establish his credentials as the Jewish Messiah . . . then make the Jewish religious leaders so mad they demand his crucifixion. Jesus must die for our sins as the Passover lamb, so that mankind can be reconciled to God.

Let's talk about Jesus as the "Passover lamb." Signs and symbols are very important to the Jews. We've discussed how critical it was to the Jews that Jesus give "signs" to prove he is the Messiah: so he did God-like miracles predicted by the prophets (Isa 35:5-6) . . . and he gave the ultimate sign: "the sign of Jonah" (11:29). "Symbols" were also important to the Jews as teaching techniques, to remind them of God's mighty works . . . and one of the most powerful symbols was the Passover lamb (cf Exodus 12-13). Most Christians know the story of what we call "the Exodus": the Israelites, ancestors of the Jews, were slaves in Egypt . . . but the mighty hand of God led them out of slavery to the land God promised their forefathers. The Israelite slaves had to escape Egypt . . . and to make that happen, God showed His power by killing the firstborn of everyone in Egypt. But God instructed the Israelites, through Moses their leader, to slaughter a year-old lamb, put some of its blood on their doorposts, and roast it and eat it. Then when God came through Egypt to kill the firstborn, He would see the blood of the lamb and "pass over" the homes the Israelites. The Passover lamb hence became the first "substitutionary sacrifice," killed in place of the firstborn of the Israelites. The Passover is so important that God instructs the Israelites to commemorate it annually, with a special meal in which they kill and roast a lamb, and conduct a ceremony recalling how "With a mighty hand the LORD brought (the Jews) out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (cf Ex 13:14-15).

Today we discuss Jesus' last Passover meal, eaten with his apostles. But before we take that up, I'll note that chronological organization is not as important to the eastern mind as it is to the western mind. Based on accounts in other gospels, it seems Luke puts some events out of sequence. Therefore tonight's discussion will follow Luke's description, but use the chronology found in Thomas and Gundry's Harmony of the Gospels book.

Luke sets up the drama nicely in the first two verses: "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people" (22:1-2). Why are the Pharisees and Sadducees "afraid of the people"? Because the people believe Jesus is Messiah and they know Jesus has claimed authority over the Jewish religion. In their minds, it logically follows that Jesus will incite the people to storm the temple and set himself up as high priest . . . and there is no way the temple police could withstand Jesus leading a mob of 100,000 or more Jews. The Jewish leaders want to kill Jesus - if they can get him away from the people (Matt 26:3-4).

Suddenly an opportunity presents itself: "Satan entered Judas, . . . one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present" (22:3-6). Jesus knows this, of course (22:21). And although Jesus knows he is going to die, he must carefully plan the next several hours, so he is captured at a time and place of his choosing, not that of the chief priests. And that's exactly what we observe as our study continues:

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, `The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (22:7-13)

What's going on here? Jesus is staying on the Mount of Olives (21:37) - probably in Bethany with Lazarus and Mary and Martha. It's time for the Passover meal, and Jesus prefers to eat it just with his apostles in Jerusalem, rather than with Lazarus' family in Bethany. So he sends Peter and John into the city to make arrangements. "Where?" they ask. Apparently, Jesus hasn't discussed this with any of his apostles.

There are - in my opinion - two possible interpretations for what comes next . . . the same two interpretations suggested for the donkey's colt in Bethphage:

1. Jesus planned everything. He pre-arranged the place for the meal and someone to lead Peter and John there.

2. Jesus trusted God to provide - and He did.
   

Whichever interpretation you prefer, the story is the same. When Peter and John enter Jerusalem, they are met by "a man carrying a jar of water." Do we see anything strange about this? Men didn't carry water; that was woman's work. "A man carrying a jar of water" would stand out in a crowd; there won't be much chance that the two apostles would follow the wrong man to the wrong place!

So, Peter and John follow the man home . . . apparently a rich man's house, because when they request a "guest room" where "the Teacher" can "eat the Passover with (his) disciples," they are shown "a large upper room, all furnished" for the meal. So the two apostles prepare the Passover meal. What does this mean? Perhaps they trek over to the temple and buy a lamb at the temple markets - the ones Jesus disrupted only a few days earlier. Then they take the lamb to be ritually slaughtered by the priests - the same priests who want to kill Jesus. (It's easy to see why Jesus sent someone else to do all this.) Then they have the lamb "roasted over (a) fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast" (Ex 12:8) - as God specified to Moses. Finally, when the meal is ready, Peter and John go back to Bethany to get Jesus and the other ten disciples and bring them to the Upper Room. (Or, if Jesus pre-arranged everything, he may just escort the ten to the Upper Room himself, because he knows where it is.)

Why the secrecy about the place Jesus will eat the Passover meal? Because if Judas knows, he'll tell the chief priests, and temple police will be waiting to arrest Jesus as soon as he enters the Upper Room; there will be no Last Supper, and Jesus won't be able to initiate Holy Communion (or Eucharist). That won't do; Jesus must be arrested after the meal! Judas must not be allowed to find out the location in advance!

Arriving in the Upper Room, "Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table" for the Passover meal (22:14). The scene is not like Da Vinci's "Last Supper," with Jesus seated at the center of a banquet table and the apostles on either side; it's like the sketch on the web site, with everyone reclining around a low table and Jesus at one end.

When everyone is at his place, Jesus says: "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God" (22:15-16). I want to focus on the word "fulfillment." As we know, the Messiah represents fulfillment of the prophecy that God will send a savior for the salvation of mankind. But in the context of the Passover meal, the fulfillment Jesus speaks about may be the Passover lamb ritual. The blood of the Passover lamb only represents the real thing: the blood of the Messiah. As the writer of Hebrews says:

The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary . . . for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. . . . But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself (Heb 9:22-26).

Jesus is the perfect Passover lamb, whose blood was shed one time only, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy, and making future blood sacrifices unnecessary.

As the meal begins, "a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest" (22:24). Why such a dispute at this time and place? Depending on when in the course of the meal this occurred, it may have been related to the discussion about who was going to betray Jesus. Or it may only be because this is a formal banquet, and seating was determined by order of importance. Nevertheless Jesus uses this discussion to reiterate and expand his earlier teaching that humility - not pride - is needed to enter God's kingdom (cf 9:48, 14:11, 18:14). "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors, " Jesus says. "But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves" (22:25-27).

Jesus makes two very powerful points:

1. Followers of Jesus must be better than the pagans and legalistic Jews around them . . . if they're not, what distinguishes the followers of Jesus? (Cf 6:32-35).

2. Jesus is acknowledged as the greatest among the group . . . yet the gospel of John records he performs the menial task of washing the disciples feet for this meal. Jesus is his own best illustration of leading by serving . . . and if we seek to follow Jesus, we must do the same!
   

Nevertheless, perhaps catering to the tendency among humans to want a future reward for present sacrifice, Jesus assures his apostles:

You . . . have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (22:28-30).

This comment might also be an oblique reference to the fact that Jesus' apostles flee when Jesus is put on trial for his life (Matt 26:56); they only "come around" after Jesus' resurrection. And this is definitely an appropriate lead in for Jesus to talk about Judas

"But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this (22:21-23).

Each of the apostles (cf Matt 26:22) - including Judas (cf Matt 26:25) - denies he is the betrayer. Let's put ourselves in Judas' sandals for a moment. As we have discussed, his most likely plan is to tell the chief priests where Jesus will eat the Passover meal, so they can arrest him "quietly" there - without anyone knowing Judas is the "rat." But Judas didn't learn the place in advance . . . he was escorted there in a group . . . and everyone immediately "reclined" for the meal. Judas must be really antsy . . . frantically searching for with a plausible reason to get out of the room and to go tell the chief priests! What reason can he give not to eat Judaism's most important meal with his closest associates?

According to the gospels of Matthew and John, Jesus gives Judas the break he needs (cf Jn 13:24-29; Matt 26:25), and also fingers him - publicly or privately - as the betrayer. Judas leaves the dinner . . . and "the clock starts." Judas now knows where Jesus is; he must go to the chief priests as quickly as possible and arrange temple police to come and arrest him. But Jesus knows this, too . . . and he knows how long it will take for Judas to get the police and return. Jesus plans the balance of the meal accordingly.

While Judas is leaving, the other disciples are still denying they will betray Jesus, and the strongest denial comes from Peter . . . to which Jesus responds: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (22:31-32).

Isn't that a cool line: "Satan wants you, Peter, but I have prayed for you . . . prayed that your faith is strong enough not to fail . . . and strong enough to strengthen the others."

However, Peter can't take even the suggestion that his faith might fail. He says: "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." But Jesus answers, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me" (22:31-34). This is prophesy in action, as we shall see.

Jesus next reminds his apostles how he taught them to trust God and not to worry (12:11-12,22-33; 21:4, 14). Yet with difficulties in their immediate future - for the apostles as well as Jesus himself - he emphasizes things will be different when the Messiah completes fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus will die as a criminal. His followers should still trust God, of course, but they may need to be more circumspect. Earlier they could count on the Jewish attitude of charity toward "holy men" for their needs, but now they must be wary of enemies of the gospel. "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" Jesus asks. "Nothing," they answered (22:35). Jesus then said: "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors' and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment" (22:36-37). Jesus quotes prophesy from Isaiah 53, one of those very special bits of Messianic prophesy.

The disciples, as usual, misinterpret Jesus' predictions of his death; they seem to think he wants them to fight for him: "See, Lord, here are two swords," the disciples said. And Jesus replies, "That is enough" (22:38). Does he mean enough swords or enough talk? Jesus doesn't say . . . but I choose the latter.

After Judas leaves, Jesus takes the cup, gives thanks, and says: "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (22:17-18). I missed a subtle point here until the Da Vinci Code controversy erupted. Jesus doesn't drink from the cup - or chalice. Jesus tells his apostles to "divide it among you"; no wonder there's no chalice beside Jesus in Da Vinci's "Last Supper." The same is true of the bread; Jesus does not eat any of the bread as he gives his apostles - for the first time - Holy Communion (or Eucharist):

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" (22:19-20).

There are differences among Christians as to whether this is the literal body and blood or the figurative body and blood . . . but for this discussion, it doesn't matter.

The Passover lamb - and other animal sacrifices - were eaten by those for whom the sacrifice was made. In the same way, Jesus' body - the ultimate sacrifice - is literally or figuratively eaten by those for whom the sacrifice is made . . . those whose sins Jesus took the punishment for when he died on the cross. Moreover, when we drink the wine - or grape juice - we literally or figuratively drink Jesus' blood. This is a bit more difficult to explain, because Jewish dietary laws strictly forbid drinking the blood of animals - under threat of severe penalty (cf Lev 7:26-27). I prefer to think the blood is meant to solemnize the New Covenant of Jeremiah for the forgiveness of sin (Jer 31:31-34), and drinking it symbolizes God's law being on our hearts, and the Holy Spirit being within us as our counselor.

While this is happening in the Upper Room, Judas is across town at the temple, arranging for temple police to come to the Upper Room and arrest Jesus. But Jesus is about to leave the Upper Room to go pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Next week we'll see his arrest there . . . and his quick trial and conviction for blasphemy and sedition.