Is There an Appropriate Way to Remember Christ?

(Matthew 26:17-30)

Most Christian denominations think their way is the best way to celebrate, the Lord’s table, or communion, they even have different names for it. Everybody thinks their way is the best way to do it, so it seems a reasonable question to ask, what is communion all about and how should we celebrate . Maybe we should go back and look at how Jesus instituted this thing in the first place, because what is clear across all shades of Christian communities and denominations seem to do it in one way or another. So, today let’s look at the origin of it and let’s look at what this is supposed to mean.

Frankly, I’ve been observing the Lord’s table for close on 50 years now all be it with a break of about 10 rebellious years in my late teens and early 20’s. I’ve also as a Pastor and small group leader administered it so many times, I have lost count. Yet as I looked at this passage in preparation for today, I still manage to pick up on some new things for me which I think we should take on board and I hope you find them helpful.

In this passage we see Jesus institute the Lord’s table, but the passage is bigger than that, it first tells us about how he and his disciples prepared for the Passover and then the second part of the passage is the Passover meal itself during which the Lord announces that one of them is going to betray him and then finally in the third portion of the passage he tells us about and introduced a way of holding an appropriate memorial  for him after he has gone. So, we’re going to walk through the passage and look at each of these three parts and we’re going to start with the preparation which covers the opening3 verses.

Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 18And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

(Matthew 26: 17-19)

The opening verse refers to something called, the “First day of the feast of unleavened bread”, What you need to understand is that according to the Old Testament there was the Passover and then immediately after it was the feast of unleavened bread. Without getting technical this statement positions these events within a window of time opening at 6 in the evening Thursday night, during the evening of Thursday showing that Jesus would be betrayed during the night, Thursday night, or Friday morning. He was crucified on Friday, and he says to him on Thursday night, we should prepare for the Passover. So, they go to this guy (Somewhat vague) and say to him the teacher wants to use your house for the Passover. What’s going here?

This verse could strike us as rather strange and vague, but this same passage is recorded by Luke and in his version, he gives us more details. He tells us that the two disciples that went were Peter and John, and furthermore he says that the man that they found had a pitcher of water on his head. It was the custom of women to carry the water and when they did that, they used a pitcher and they put it on their heads. If men did it at all which was unusual, they usually had some kind of a smaller leather bottle, so the very fact that there would see a man was carrying a pitcher on his head would mark him out as unusual and would have alerted Peter and John to the fact that this was the man they should stop and talk to.

Although we don’t know from scripture who was this man was it seems likely it was a disciple because they address him by saying the message is from “the teacher”. After the New Testament was written we have some extra writings where we are told that it was possible that this man was John Mark, the man who wrote the gospel of Mark, and that it was his mother’s house that they had used to hold the Last Supper. Tradition also says that it was also in Mark’s mother’s house that they had gathered before Pentecost and that same sources says that in Acts 8, when Peter was released from a time spent in jail afterwards, he went to Mary’s house, who was the mother of John Mark. Apparently, Marks family had a large house, and a number of meetings were held there, we don’t know that for certain, but I thought it was an interesting little insight.

So, they get to this place and they meet there, but there’s more preparation beside that. The Old Testament spelled out what had to happen next.

Firstly, they were to use unleavened bread, and they were to gather spices and they had to have fruit and they had to have a lamb. Not just an ordinary lamb but one that had been slain in the proper manner and that was without blemish, and that was only the beginning. The room they where they were to eat had to sweep clean to make sure that there were no breadcrumbs whatever from previous meals there. To remove any even tiny amount of leaven maybe accidently left there from previous meals. It there was an elaborate preparation beyond even preparation that goes into preparing any meal today, but somewhat like our modern-day Christmas dinner. They had at least 13 people present that night the 12 disciples and Jesus, so just imagine preparing a meal for 13 people and you’ve got some idea of what is covered in the little statement “They prepared the Passover” The next part of this passage deals with the Passover itself.

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” 23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.”

(Matthew 26: 20-25)

I just want to remind you of what was involved in celebrating the Passover if you’re not familiar with this. God said in order for you to reminded of what happened at the original Passover, I am going to institute a Passover meal. So, the Jews from that first day until this day had an annual feast or meal called the Passover. The family would gather together, and they would go through the same prescribed ritual of remembering their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, going all the way back in Moses time. 

Now I’m going to take a minute and just read to you what that ritual is, like. This is important because of something I’m going to say later, so let me just layout very briefly the order of events of the Passover meal.

Number one, they gave thanks, and they drank from the first cup. Then they introduced the bitter herbs which symbolized the bitter life in Egypt, then they introduced the unleavened bread and the lamb the lamb had been roasted that afternoon. Next, they ate the bitter herbs then they mix the wine in the water for a second cup, at this point the son was instructed to ask the father to explain the meaning of the Passover to everyone, which the father then did.

The father then took two small loaves of bread broke and gave thanks and wrap the bread with herbs and dip it into the juice of the roast lamb and they ate it with the meat. Then everyone present ate the food and one or more drank from the cup, and then they sang a hymn. As much as we can determine some say they sang psalms 115 to 118 and then concluded by singing maybe Psalm 136. And that was the observance of the Passover. Now I want you to pick up at this point by saying they’re going through that, and in the midst of that meal Jesus makes an announcement but remember we’re still in the middle of the Passover celebration.  He says, “One of you will betray me”. They are of course upset, and they all began to question Jesus and ask, “Is it I”.

Remember, prior to this Jesus has announced that he’s going to die if you’ve been following me through the Gospel of Matthew you will know that he has even gone so far lately as to tell them he’s going to be crucified, in a few days. But the extra piece of information here is that one of them is going to betray him, and when he does the text says they are exceedingly sorrowful. The phrase used to describe their reaction has also been translated as grief stricken. They were stunned, and then they each began to say, “Is it I Lord”. What happens next the text tells us that Jesus says, “he who dips his hand with me in the dish will betray me”. 

This passage is recorded in other places in the gospel of John, we’re told that Jesus said it’s the one to whom I give the dipped piece too and we are told, and he took that piece of bread like I just described and dipped into probably the meat juice and handed it to Judas. What follows a most fascinating statement, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born”. Now let me tell you what strikes me as so fascinating about that statement. 

The Bible clearly teaches that God ordained that Jesus should die before the very foundation of the world. This is all in the sovereign choice of God. In the sovereignty of God this was going to happen, it was written in the Old Testament also. This is an incredible statement if you’ve ever wrestled with scripture, you will have certainly wrestled with that whole tension between the sovereignty of God and what is sometimes called the responsibility of humanity, and how do you put the two together. I’ve been asked that question many times, which takes president, for many years in my standard answer was, I don't know. I pointed out that there are many illustrations in scripture where both are true, and I don’t have a clue as to how to put them together because they are like two parallel railroad tracks, they’re both true and going in the same direction with the same destination. But understand in the mind of God, the somehow meet but as far as we can see, we don’t yet know when and how or at what point in our lives.

This verse is a great illustration of this, Jesus is saying on the one hand, it would have been better if Judas never been born, but on the other hand God always new and ordained in advance that Judas would betray him. Jesus at one and the same time lays god sovereign plan before us, yet at the same time holds Judas responsible for what he will do. Sometime there is a sin of passion, one is committed in the impulse of a moment, before that person even realises what they have done, but it still happened, and it is still sin. In other words, in the very face of the love of God some deliberately choose to sin and that’s what Judas did here. He knew full well what he was doing even though God had determined it before the foundation of the world, that this thing was going to happen. Even though later it will tells us that Satan entered his heart, he still can’t say the devil made me do it, and he certainly can’t blame it on God, either, and when you do something similar neither can you blame it on God or say the devil made me do it. We are all responsible for our own personal sins, and this verse says that as loudly and clearly as any verse in the bible.

Now the picture we might have in our minds of the last supper might be like the one of the Last Supper by from Leonardo da Vinci, where they’re all sitting at a normal high table, all on the same side that was convenient to paint the picture, but that’s not anything like what really happened. Rather they would have been reclining at a  very low table, a little like how the Japanese have a table that’s not very high off the floor and they would probably all have been leaning on an elbow and reclining. Apparently Judas was near to the Lord, and John, and Peter was down the way a little, we are told that in another passage. So not everybody would hear this conversation. When Jesus said Judas, “You’re the one”, they all didn’t get it at the moment, they got it later, we know that from other gospel accounts of this story. But we do know it is at this point  that Judas leaves. So that is the second part of this passage, it’s the Passover but what I want you to do is look at the next part of the passage.

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

(Matthew 26: 26-30)

This is an incredible statement; we have perhaps normalised it by making it part of what we often say during every communion service. Some can probably almost recite it from memory, but keep in mind what he has just done. They were observing the Passover and says I am giving you a new meaning to attach to the original meaning of the Passover meal. That’s quite a thing to do.  He takes the bread that was always broken during the Passover meal and says, this time when he breaks it going to  represent my body. Then he takes the cup and says this is the blood of the new covenant. Before looking at this I need to ask you do you know what the old covenant is. The old covenant was the Mosaic law, so the Passover commemorated the exodus, and the giving of the old covenant. But Jesus says here I’m going to institute something new and the new covenant is in my blood, and it’s for the remission of sins, once and for always eternally. In the old covenant you had to keep all these laws which nobody could keep in the first place, the new covenant that replaces all of that by saying I’m going to die as a once and for all sacrifice, and if you simply trust in me for the forgiveness of your sin you will have the gift of eternal life. 

Many Bible teachers have concluded that when Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper in the context of the Passover, he did it at the third cup point of the Passover celebration. Saying, “I will redeem you”. So, he has taken the elements of the Passover and he’s giving them new meanings, the bread is his body, the cup, and then he says “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine and from now on until the day when I drink it new with you in my father’s Kingdom”. This verse shows us the nature of the Kingdom is that it is a coming Kingdom, in the future, so Jesus says I’m going to do this again with you one day but keep doing until we get together again in the Kingdom.  Then we’re going to have the banquet of all banquets.

He’s just announced he’s going to be crucified he’s just announced that there somebody in that very group is going to betray him, and they sing to him, incredible. This tells me that no matter how bad things gets we can always worship because we’re going to gather together in the kingdom one day and that should make us sing with joy. That’s the way Jesus ends this, see you again and when I do, we are going to be having a great celebration.  The passage is showing us that they prepared for the Passover and during the Passover Jesus announced that one of them was going to betray him, namely Judas, and then he instituted the Lord’s table. I want to conclude by making a couple of suggestions. 

I titled this message, “Is there an appropriate way to remember Christ”.  I would like to suggest that an appropriate way to remember someone under the New Covenant is beginning by remembering it replaces the old covenant. The implication of that is realising you are no longer under the law. When you come to the Lord’s table you can say, I’m not under the law anymore, the Passover has been replaced with the Lord’s table. 

Secondly it reminds us of we’re going to go to be with the Lord one day. The Lord died on the cross for our sins, I get that, and many come to communion and think only of the past, but were are not meant to spend our whole Christian life looking in the rear view mirror.

When driving a car it good the check the back window and see what has happen there but we should also be looking out of the front window, because  he’s coming again. Embedded in the Lord’s table is be thankful for what he has done in the past but look forward to what he will do in the future. 

Third Point, we all know that The Lord’s table reminds us that the Jesus died for our sins, it is an appropriate memorial. We sometimes want to honour somebody after they have passed away, but how should we really do that, how should we honour their life? Some people who’ve had a dear loved one pass away and they have kept a memento to remind them of that person’s life, a picture, a piece of jewellery maybe a piece of furniture, something to remind you as a memento of somebody’s life. But Jesus said I want to give you a memento to remember me and it’s interesting that his instituted a meal, a time of fellowship together.

In the New Testament the Lord’s table was observed every week, the Passover was observed once a year according to the book of the acts. The whole purpose of the believers gathering on Sunday grew out of them coming together every week to observe the Lord’s table. God wants us to remember him all the time, regularly, This isn’t just about a little cup of grape juice and a portion of a cracker it is also about the fact that we come together regularly and remember what he did and be thankful for what he will do. At the Passover meal they ate together, but then Jesus just took the most common element of the meal, the bread and the wine and said, I’m going to give symbolic significance to these elements, so that every time you eat bread and every time you drink wine or any other drink that you are reminded that I died for you and shed my blood that you might have the forgiveness of sin. He wants us to remember what he did  all the time not just weekly or monthly or annually but all the time. God is saying I want you to constantly remember that my son died for you and shed his blood so that you can be forgiven of your sins.

As I’ve studied the New Testament over the years I’ve become so aware of why the cross is so important, because the cross is the basis of the forgiveness of sins. God by his grace and his love and his mercy has saved me, he died for me therefore I should respond by living a spiritual godly life evry day.

The ultimate in the Christian life is self-sacrificial love and what greater example of self-giving and self-sacrificing love than the cross. The cross is the basis of our salvation of our spiritual life an example for how we should suffer and love sacrificially and it’s the hope that we have that we’re going to be reunited with those who died in the Lord. We dare not get very far away from the cross. So, God wants us to be reminded of it once a week, once a day, no twice a day perhaps two and three times a day he wants us to constantly remember the cross. Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together, it tells us, regularly, because you need to be reminded about the cross. Even when you just pick up a morsel of bread or and every time you pick up a cup, even a cup of coffee maybe, even when you go to Costa/Starbucks or wherever it is you go Remember this, he died for you, and he shed his blood for you and remember that all the time.