The Last Supper & the Lord's Supper
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These study lessons are for individual or group Bible study and may be freely copied or distributed for class purposes. Please do not modify the material or distribute partially. Under no circumstances are these lessons to be sold. Comments are welcomed and may be emailed to [email protected]. THE LAST SUPPER & THE LORD’S SUPPER Curtis Byers 2008 Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper The Last Supper (in Italian, Il Cenacolo or L'Ultima Cena) is a 15th century mural painting in Milan, created by Leonardo da Vinci for his patron Duke Lodovico Sforza. It represents the scene of The Last Supper from the final days of Jesus as depicted in the Bible. Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper is based on John 13:21, where Jesus announced that one of his 12 disciples would betray him. The Last Supper painting is one of the most well known and valued paintings in the world; unlike many other valuable paintings, however, it has never been privately owned because it cannot easily be moved. Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper measures 460 x 880 cm (15 feet x 29 feet) and can be found in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. From left to right: Bartholomew, James the Lesser and Andrew form a group of three, all are surprised. Andrew holds both of his hands up in a "stop!" gesture. Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form another group of three. Judas is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag of silver, given to him as payment to betray Jesus. Peter looks angry; perhaps foreshadowing Peter's reaction in Gethsemane. Peter is holding a knife, which is pointed away from Christ, also a foreshadowing of Peter's violent protection of Christ in Gethsemane. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon. Thomas, James Major and Philip are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation. Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot are a part of the final group of three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions. These names are all agreed upon by art historians. In the 19th century, a manuscript (The Notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci pg. 232) was found with their names; before this only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus were positively identified. Excerpted from http://www.leonardo-davinci.org/thelastsupper.php FOREWORD Christians since the first century have observed the Lord’s Supper. Even though those who claim to follow Christ may have different understandings and practices of the Lord’s Supper, it is universally observed. This reflects one common belief: the observance of the Lord’s Supper is central to Christian worship. Undoubtedly the importance placed on the Lord’s Supper is based on the widely held view that Jesus himself commanded its observance during the Last Supper. Consequently, the connection between the Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper is fundamental to most Christians’ understanding of the Lord’s Supper. This study is first and foremost a textual study, beginning with the Last Supper. The plot of the Jewish leaders while the disciples of Jesus prepare for the Last Supper is the beginning of the passion narrative in the Gospels. Thus, the message of the Last Supper must be understood within the context of the suffering and death of our Lord. While we will not be able to study the entire passion story in detail, we will begin with the start of the passion narrative to set the context for Last Supper. Our study will then shift to the teaching of the apostle Paul in his correspondence with the church at Corinth. A study in the Corinthian church is often a study of what not to do. Their errors can be instructive to us as we reflect upon the apostle’s teachings to correct and encourage them. It is also instructive to see how Christians, especially those in the early church, observed the Lord’s Supper. We begin a look at the early Christians practice by considering the relevant passages in Acts, followed by looking at the practice in the second and third centuries. At the end of our study we will spend time addressing the question as to how we should observe the Lord’s Supper today. The cultural context of the 21st century is decidedly different than that of the 1st century, but a fundamental statement of faith is that 21st century Christians can still serve the Lord acceptably. (If that is not true, then why study at all?) The primary requirement of all Bible study is to approach the text humbly, being willing to let it teach us instead of us bringing to it our views. This is never truer than when we are studying something as familiar to us as the Lord’s Supper. Most of us for the longer part of our lives have observed the Lord’s Supper each Sunday. Each week we listen to thoughts presented concerning this communal act. It is tempting to think that if we do not understand the Lord’s Supper then there is probably nothing that we understand. That may be true, but we cannot simply take it to be true; we must always study afresh. Equally true, we should not change our understanding simply for the sake of change. Truth is eternal, so it would not be unreasonable to think that much of what we have learned is consistent with revealed truth. Similarly we should not be quick to accept some new teaching as true. If it is truly “new”, then it cannot be true. The text of the scriptures used in these lessons is from the English Standard Version (ESV). May God bless us in our study. The Last Supper & The Lord’s Supper Syllabus Lesson 1 The Last Supper: Preliminaries 2 The Last Supper: Preparations 3 The Last Supper: The Meal 4 The Last Supper: Postscript 5 The Last Supper: Chronology 6 The Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 11 (I) 7 The Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 11 (II) 8 The Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 10 9 The Lord’s Supper: Early Practice - Acts and Beyond 10 The Lord’s Supper: A Historical Overview 11 The Lord’s Supper: Questions (I) 12 The Lord’s Supper: Questions (II) 13 The Lord’s Supper: Questions (III) The Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper LESSON 1 THE LAST SUPPER: PRELIMINARIES THE PLOT OF JEWISH LEADERS Matthew 26:1-5 Mark 14:1-2 Luke 22:1-2 1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2"You know that after two days 1It was now two days before 1Now the Feast of Unleavened the Passover is coming, and the Passover and the Feast of Bread drew near, which is the Son of Man will be Unleavened Bread. called the Passover. delivered up to be crucified." 3Then the chief priests and the And the chief priests and the 2And the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered scribes were seeking how to scribes were seeking how to in the palace of the high priest, arrest him by stealth and kill put him to death, whose name was Caiaphas, him, 4and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5But they said, "Not 2for they said, “Not during the during the feast, lest there be feast, lest there be an uproar an uproar among the people." from the people.” for they feared the people. Comments/Questions 1. The “sayings” Jesus just finished were his teachings The High Priest on the destruction of Jerusalem and the coming of the The high priest was a descend- kingdom of heaven which was the last of the five ant of Aaron, through his son discourses recorded by Matthew. [Each discourse Eleazar, grandson Phinehas concludes with a formula similar to “when Jesus (Num. 25:10-13) and, in the time finished these sayings” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1).] of David, through Zadok (2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 6:8). Moses gave 2. The differing reference to the Passover and Feast of specific instructions concerning Unleavened Bread in each of the Gospels is his high moral and ritual purity interesting. Mark is most exact when he refers to (Lev. 21:10-15), his garments them as separate festivals, whereas Luke seems to (Ex. 28), and priestly duties, especially on the Day of make the two festivals one festival which could go by Atonement (Lev. 16). either name (which is exactly how Josephus described During the Seleucid empire, it [Antiquities, 14.2.1; 17.9.3]). Matthew, quoting Antiochus IV Epiphanes appoint- Jesus, simply says Passover (by which he probably ed the high priest which in part meant both, cf. Matthew 26:17). By the time of the gave rise to the Maccabean revolt first century, the two feasts were commonly thought (2nd century BC). Upon securing as a single 8-day feast (France, Matthew, p.981). their independence, the Macca- These feasts will be studied in greater detail in our bees assumed the position of next lesson.