Lesson 4 – The Lord’s Supper

Jesus is our Passover Lamb who with His very body and blood grants us forgiveness, life and salvation.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Watch the video, "Skit Guys - Good Friday".

The Gospels don't record every word spoken at this supper. The actors imagined what the disciples would say and do.

Which words in the video were imagined? Thomas's thoughts; conversations between Thomas and Philip; the order in which Jesus washed the disciples' feet

Which were scriptural? Jesus washing the disciples' feet, instituting Holy Communion, predicting Peter's denials, and going to the garden.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us dig deeper to understand the special Supper you gave us. Show us Your love, the love that sent You to the cross to pay for our sins. In Your name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

What does the Jewish Passover feast commemorate? God freeing the Jewish slaves from Egypt; specifically the angel of death passing over Jewish homes with lamb's blood on their doors and saving the firstborns within, but killing all the Egyptian firstborns in the last of the ten plagues.

Why do the Jews eat a special meal with lamb on Passover evening? God said to eat this special meal to remember what the Lord did for them. They ate lamb to remember being saved by the blood of the lamb.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread continues in the seven days after Passover. The first and last days were special holy days or Sabbaths. People use "Passover" and “Feast of the Unleavened Bread" to refer to either or both celebrations.

This lesson begins just before Passover. On the Student Page at the end of the lesson, read all the verses and answer all the questions.

 PART 1: Preparations

Read Luke 22:1-15

 

Preparation: The act or process of getting ready.

What did the chief priests and scribes prepare to do? Put Jesus to death.

What did Judas Iscariot prepare to do? Betray Christ by conferring with the chief priests and officers, who paid him money.

What concerns did the religious leaders have, and why (verses 2 and 6)? They feared the people and wanted to arrest and kill Jesus away from the crowds. 

Priests sacrificed Passover lambs on the day of the evening Passover meal. What did Jesus tell Peter and John to prepare? The Passover meal.

What specific directions did Jesus give the disciples? Go into the city and meet a man carrying a jar of water, an unusual sight since women usually carried water. Follow the man to a house. Tell the master of that house to show them the guest room where Jesus can eat the Passover with His disciples. Jesus said the man would show them a large upper room. They should prepare the Passover meal there.

How did Jesus know these things? Jesus is God; He knows all things.

What was Jesus preparing to do? Eat the Passover meal; suffer.

Draw or list each person or group who made preparations on paper. Summarize how they prepared.

Chief priests and scribes prepared to put Jesus to death. Judas prepared to betray Christ. Peter and John prepared the Passover meal according to Jesus' instructions. Jesus prepared to suffer.

PART 2: Reparations

 

Read Luke 22:14-23

Reparation: The act or process of repairing or amending wrong, perhaps by paying money

What was Jesus preparing to do (verse 15)? Eat the Passover meal; suffer.

Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). His suffering, death and resurrection fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and brought the kingdom of God to all who believe in Him. How would the Passover ("it" verse 16), part of the old covenant, be fulfilled in the kingdom of God? Read 1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29; and 1 Peter 1:18-19 (on the Student Page).  Jesus fulfilled every part of the Passover through His passion. He became the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. He body is unleavened bread. By His death and resurrection, Jesus' blood (wine) paid the ransom and provides a new exodus that frees and forgives sinners.

When Jesus passed the bread, what did He tell the disciples? "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me" (verse. 19).

Jews ate the Passover to remember what God did for them in the exodus. What did Jesus say to remember, and why? When we eat His body, remember that He gave it for us to pay for our sins.

Jesus twice passed His cup of wine instead of having the disciples drink from their own cups. What did He say the second time? This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood" (verse 20).

What does the new covenant in Jesus' blood provide for believers in Christ? See Matthew 26:27-28 and 1 John 1:7 (on the Student Page). Christ's blood was poured out for many to give forgiveness of sins. His blood cleanses us from all sin.

Draw or list how Jesus made reparation for our sins on your paper.

 In His suffering and death, Jesus shed His blood to pay for our wrongs (sins). We receive His body and blood in the Lord's Supper for forgiveness of sins.

Passover bread was unleavened, meaning it had no yeast. How does yeast visualize sin? A little yeast makes dough become bigger, just as sin causes more sin.

What does the unleavened bread of Passover and the Lord's Supper tell us about Christ's body? He was sinless (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 2:22).

Why is this important? Only a sinless, pure sacrifice could pay for the sin of the world. Christ, the only man who lived without sin, died for us.

Do we really eat Jesus' body and drink His blood in the Lord's Supper?  Yes, by the power of His Word (the Words of Institution), Jesus gives us His body and blood in, with, and under the consecrated bread and wine.

Jesus, the sinless Passover Lamb, paid for our sins on the cross. We receive His true body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper for the forgiveness of sins.

 

We Live

Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and the Passover, so we no longer eat that remembrance meal. But we eat the meal of His new covenant, the Lord's Supper, in remembrance of Him, as He said.

For Christ's sake, how does God remember us in this meal? God remembers and keeps His promises in Christ and delivers "the benefits of Christ's perfect life, atoning death, and new resurrection life".

How do we remember Christ when we take the Lord's Supper? Read 1 Corinthians 11:26 (on the Student Page). God "prompts our response of remembering in faith". We remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. We remember His atoning death and His promise to return. We proclaim the Lord's death until He returns.

When will Christ return, and why? No one knows the day or time. Christ will return to raise bodies of those who have died and reunite them with their souls, and to change the bodies of all who live (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); to judge all people (John 5:24-25; Matthew 25:31-32); and to bring a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:13).

How has God prepared and repaired you to live as a Christian? God prepared us by giving faith through His Word and Sacraments, by giving us Christian relatives to raise us, and by nurturing us in church.

God repaired us by paying the ransom to free us from sin with the blood of Christ. We receive this by participating in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection in Baptism; by confessing our sins and receiving absolution; and by receiving forgiveness of sins and power to live as God's people in the Lord's Supper.

Remember, you are a much-loved child of God whom He ransomed from sin and death by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. May you eat His Holy Supper all the days of your life and through it receive forgiveness of sin and strength to live for Him.

Closing

Prayer: O Lamb of God, give us hunger for Your Word and Your Holy Meal to help us remain faithful followers. Give us courage and opportunity to how Your love in the world. In Your name we pray. Amen.