Series on Luke
VI The Invincibility of the Kingdom
B Table
Text: 22:7-38
Introduction
On Valentine’s day every year we think of those we love. Our text places before us the greatest love the world has ever known. Valentine sentiments are filled with affirmations of love, but no declaration of affection could ever rival the word of Jesus in this text. He knew why He was here. He knew he came to die for his beloved Church, his bride. Now as he sits with his disciples at the last passover, He says literally in verse 15, With desire i have desired to eat this passover with you. It is the most Hebrew of expressions to express the superlative by a repetition of the words. He wanted nothing more, even though it meant His death was imminent. He had a mission to complete. but like every lover leaving his beloved He also had a message to convey. Before he left he wanted his bride to understand that he was coming back and that he wanted her to behave in a certain way until he returned.
I A Mission to Complete
We begin with an unusual account of the preparations for the passover meal in verses 7-12, 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, nd 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.” Some think of this as totally miraculous. i prefer to think of it as anticipation. it’s not that a miracle is difficult or even improbable, but simply that Jesus anticipation of this hour is so intense that one feels more comfortable with supposing that he had made previous arrangements. It was unusual for a man to be carrying a jar of water because that was woman’s work. It seems like a prearranged signal, but the point is Jesus’ desire. Then when the hour came they kept the Passover as recorded in verses 13-23, They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “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.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “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.” 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. 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. The first thing Jesus does, as we have seen, is remind them of his eager desire. Notice as well that Jesus carries out this last supper with a consciousness that it has been planned. According to verse 22 it is decreed that he will be betrayed. The end is near. Later when he is giving them instructions, listen to what he says in verse 37, 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.” It is written, and it must be fulfilled. Everything points to the fulfillment of his mission, and he leaves no question about what that mission is. Hs is to be numbered with the transgressors. This is from isaiah 53, the single chapter in the Bible that, more than any other, sets forth in prophecy that the servant of the Lord will suffer for his people. He is numbered with the transgressors because he takes the place of his beloved bride upon the cross and there he will suffer the wrath of God against his sinful bride, the church, so that we can be cleansed, made holy, without blemish, without spot and saved forever. Human grooms have a hard time seeing the imperfections in their brides. Jesus sees every blemish and loves his bride enough to die to make her perfect. If this love filled our marriages and homes our conflicts would surely be healed. If this love touches our lives they can never be the same. But, alas, Jesus must leave his bride to do this for her and so he has a message to convey.
II A Message to Convey
A Be Patient
First he tells His Bride to be patient in verses 24-30, Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 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. You are those who 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. They dispute about who is considered to be greatest. Our immediate reaction is that this is very callous. They are party to the greatest humiliation in the universe and they are speaking proudly. However, the key here is to understand that their concern over greatness is related to their conviction that the eternal kingdom is about to begin. They want to know their place in it. Jesus reply is that hitherto they have suffered and served with him. He has given them an example of service and if they follow it they will have the just reward, but not yet. Indeed he confers on them a kingdom and promises they will succeed, but they must be patient. In the world impatient lovers are quite common, that’s natural, but when it is the product of selfishness it is bad. The disciples were selfish, and we are selfish in our relationships. Jesus says be patient in your relationships and be patient in your service. Love is patient. Even be patient in your suffering because God has a great wedding feast planned. Notice Jesus says in verse 16, For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God,” and in verses 29 and 30, 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. This is what was before our Savior in his loving sacrifice. Hebrews 12: 2 and 3 remind us, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. There is victory and joy and success ahead, but the path to it is one of service and sacrifice, so be patient.
B Be Practical
Jesus also reminds his bride to be practical. He does this through the example of Peter. Peter who is the bold, the brave, and the boasting. In verses 31-34 we read, “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.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” These disciples stubbornly held to the idea that the eternal kingdom would be here in the blink of an eye. Even after Jesus died and rose again they ask him lord is it time now to restore the kingdom to Israel? They’re like kids in a trip in the car. Are we there yet? So naturally they think this is going to be a cinch. Jesus says be practical. This is a long hard journey and its dangerous. If it depended on you you would utterly fail, but i have prayed for you. The worst thing you can do is think that it’s going to be easy. The majority of people enter marriages with the same bravado as Peter had following Jesus, but love is hard. Sadly, many people profess to believe in Christ or join the Church with the same foolish presumption that it will be a breeze. But it is a hard fought, rocky path of commitment fraught with difficulties and failures. The Christian life is a history of failure after failure and repentance upon repentance. You don’t persevere by succeeding. you persevere by failing and repenting. In the vernacular, like Peter we need to get real.
C Be Prepared
The last parting word of Jesus to his bride is be prepared for the long haul. The lord provides but that does not mean we shouldn’t be prepared. These are difficult words in verses 35-38, Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. He said to them, “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.” The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” he replied. What these words suggest first of all is that this is no short trip. Before they went without a purse and bag but now they are to take one. However, all of this is a spiritual metaphor. When our Lord says, “sell your coat and buy a sword,” He is not contradicting himself. Jesus never suggests that the kingdom is to be won by the sword. The disciples on the other hand seeing the Jewish zealots all around them armed to the teeth against the Romans thought they would need swords. But Jesus is simply saying that they are in for a long hard battle, and they should be prepared for it. Act like soldiers. If they’re in a battle they don’t worry about whether they have a coat, they need a weapon. Being unarmed is the worst possible scenario in a pitched battle. Therefore Paul says in Ephesians 6:11-13, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Conclusion
Let’s not miss the overall context. These words are spoken at the last supper. Jesus is leaving his bride and warning her to persevere. Though he promises and guarantees her success by his sacrifice and intercession he does not tell her to take it easy, and the fact is that the supper of the Lord is to be continually celebrated in our lives to remind us of these very things. It is a reminder of our security but also of our need for repentance. It is a reminder of the danger and difficulty of following Jesus. In the wilderness of sin we need the manna of his love. The Lord’s Supper is like a valentine. It is given to remind us of his love, but it is the valentine of a loved one who’s leaving, and if this happened in an earthly relationship, we would be reading that message over and over again. So we do in the table of the Lord as a means of grace and the message is I love you but I must go away, so be patient, be practical, and be prepared.
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