The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-35)

The time remaining on earth for Jesus before he would be arrested is getting very short. In a few hours he will be arrested and crucified. Yet it is obvious that he wanted to spend the evening with his disciples and we know from John’s Gospel that Jesus gave a lot of instruction to his disciples while they were together in the upper room, even although John does not mention the change to the Lord’s Supper. But then Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t mention that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at that time.

A very significant day

It is worth reminding ourselves that in the Jewish reckoning of time the institution of the Lord’s Supper took place on the same day as the trials and crucifixion of Jesus. As far as the Jews were concerned, the day began with sunset and ended with sunset. In our reckoning, the Lord’s Supper took place on Thursday evening, and the other events are timed on that evening or else during the next day. We regard the crucifixion as taking place on the Friday. In the Jewish reckoning, it all took place on 15 Nisan. The lamb would have been killed on the Thursday afternoon, which was 14 Nisan. Yet we can see when we take the Jewish method that this really was a very significant day or period of twenty-four hours. 

Sometimes we have days that mean much more than other days because the events of those days are more significant than what takes place om mundane days. Even among those significant days some are more important because several crucial incidents occur on them. Those days are full days. But none can be as full as what happened to Jesus on this day, and in a lesser sense to the disciples.

Preparation – Thursday afternoon

In verse 17 we have now reached Thursday of the last week in the life of Jesus. Jesus and the disciples are outside the city of Jerusalem, probably in Bethany. Since there would be a Passover meal that evening, the disciples knew that some preparation was needed. On this evening, they would have to stay in Jerusalem and not go to Bethany as they had done on previous evenings. 

The disciples discovered that Jesus had the answer to where the Passover would be held. Matthew does not tell his readers how the disciples would find this man, but Mark does. It looks as if Jesus told his two disciples (Luke says that they were Peter and John) how to recognise the man’s servant (he would be carrying a pitcher of water) who would lead them to the man’s house. It would be very unusual for a man at that time to be seen carrying a pitcher.

It is possible that Jesus arranged the location on the previous day (Wednesday), but kept it secret so that Judas would not know where the meal would be held. Or it may be an example of him working all things as he wished. But it looks as if the owner of the house was expecting that Jesus and the disciples would use a room in his house.

The preparation would involve searching the house for leaven and purchasing the food needed for the Passover. It would include the lamb, if one was enough, or more than one if that was necessary. Various other items were also eaten.

No doubt the disciples had certain expectations as they met. They would be looking forward to recalling the great deliverance that God had provided for the Israelites from Egypt. No doubt, they were anticipating that Jesus was about to deliver the current generation from the bondage of Rome. They would not have anticipated that Jesus was about to fulfil what the Passover lamb typified, and they would not have imagined that Jesus was about to replace the Passover with another meal. Nor would they have sensed that Judas, their colleague, was about to betray their Master.

There are a couple of preliminary points that we can observe. First, sometimes the good is replaced by the better, and when something better comes we should not hold on to the inferior just because it has been practised for a long time. Second, we should always have in mind that God has surprises for his people, and we do not know when they will occur. Third, we can see here another example of how Jesus is always in control.

Parting – Thursday evening

There were several courses in a Passover meal and we can read about the order in books that describe what occurred. At some stage Jesus informs the disciples that one of them will betray him. Matthew indicates that they all expressed sorrow at this detail and each wondered if he was the one. It is not clear if Judas spoke at that stage, but he did after Jesus mentioned that the betrayer was the one who could put his hand in the dish at the same time as Jesus did. This indicates that Judas was sitting beside Jesus. We should also note that Judas did not address Jesus as Lord after he had been identified. Of course, it is obvious that he did not accept that Jesus was divine, otherwise he probably would not have agreed to betray the Saviour. It is likely that Judas never shared the conviction that Peter had made when he said that Jesus was the Son of the living God. Even if had done so at one time, he did not do so at that moment.

There is something amazing in that the disciples did not suspect one another when Jesus made this announcement. On another occasion, Peter had said that even if the other disciples would prove unreliable he would not. We should therefore see this statement by Jesus to be more than conveying information. Instead, his announcement came with convicting power and when that happens those affected by it focus on their own flaws. We can also see that his statement forced Judas out into the open, even if the other disciples did not realise his treachery.

What lessons do we learn from this stage in the evening? An obvious lesson is that no one can hide anything from Jesus. Although the others did not know what Judas had arranged, Jesus knew all about it. So there can be no secrets from Jesus. Another lesson is that the penalty for rejecting Jesus is very sad. The Saviour highlights that the future of Judas could be summed up in one word, ‘Woe.’ A third lesson is that we should take Scripture seriously. It describes what would happen Jesus and did so long before he came into the world. Nothing could prevent the Scriptures from being fulfilled, although we should also note that prophecy of his actions did not absolve Judas of his responsibility. A fourth lesson is that a person can go from a place of great privilege to a lost eternity, which is what happened to Judas. He went from being physically near to Jesus to eternal separation.

Participation – Thursday evening

Obviously, this occasion of the Lord’s Supper was unique because Jesus was present before his death. Yet this occasion tells us several important details about the Saviour. They show that Jesus and not his people should be the focus of the Lord’s Supper. First, it is a reminder that he is the head of his church. Only someone with divine authority could announce a change from the Passover ritual which had been instituted by God centuries before. The disciples would not have done so on their own initiative. 

Second, those who participate in the Lord’s Supper must focus on the body and blood of Jesus. It is an opportunity for his people to concentrate on his death and why it took place. He points out that his death would ratify the blessings of the covenant. Obviously he is contrasting his death with the death of the Passover lamb which secured safety for the children of Israel. In a far higher sense, the blood of Jesus has purchased forgiveness for his people. Because they have been forgiven they are safe from divine vengeance. 

Third, the Lord’s Supper is an occasion for expressing hope. Jesus indicated that although he would die, that would not be the end of his activities because he would yet drink again of the fruit of the vine. He predicted that he would participate in another feast and we know from elsewhere that the eternal experience of the redeemed is likened to a feast when they will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or when the people of God will participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb.

As we look at the institution of the Lord’s Supper, we can see how simple and straightforward it was. A few believers with their Saviour thinking about his death. We can also see that there are two signs at the Lord’s Supper and they are the bread and the wine. They point to specific details and these are the matters that Jesus wanted them to focus on. I suspect that he is saying that nothing should occur that would distract participants from concentrating on the offering of Jesus and his substitutionary death on behalf of his people. In addition, we can see that Jesus was aware that many would experience the spiritual benefits that come to his people because of his voluntary and atoning death on their behalf.

Praise – Thursday evening

It was customary for particular psalms to be sung at the Passover (Psalms 113-118), with Psalms 115-118 being sung at the closure of the Passover meal. These psalms expressed gratitude to God for his deliverance of his people. There is something striking about the Saviour using such psalms as he begins to make his way to the place of his arrest. Surely, we have here evidence of his confidence and his courage because he knew what lay ahead of him. His disciples sang, but while they may have sung with appreciation of the Passover they did not yet sing with understanding about the Lord’s Supper and what it pointed to. Nevertheless, Jesus sang with them despite their inadequate grasp of what was taking place.

What does his singing indicate? The praise of the disciples was connected to them looking back to the Exodus and the temporal deliverance of their people. In contrast, Jesus when he sang Psalm 118 and its references to the rejected Stone becoming the head of the corner was looking ahead. He knew that his next few hours would provide the foundation of the heavenly temple that his work on the cross would secure. I suppose we can say that he sang these songs because he wanted his disciples to sing them with greater understanding the next time that they did.

Prophecy fulfilled

So we see the group of disciples, minus Judas, making their way with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. The Saviour brought to their attention an unusual prophecy from Zechariah – it was unusual because they were included in the prophecy as well as Jesus. God the Father was about to smite his chosen Shepherd and because of that the members of his flock – the disciples – would be scattered. It looks as if Jesus delayed this announcement until after Judas had left the group. He was scattered, but he was not scattered as a sheep belonging to the Shepherd. 

Jesus also reminded them he would be raised from the dead and meet them again in Galilee. Rather strangely, Peter did not focus on what Jesus had said about himself and proceeded to disagree with what the prophecy had said about them. In effect, he was claiming to be wiser than the Bible. Of course, Peter was full of self-confidence and preferred his own opinion of himself to what the inspired prophecy had said would happen. He was to discover that nothing can prevent the fulfilment of the Word of God.

Jesus then told Peter he would deny him three times before the dawn would come when the rooster crowed. Peter was going to have a difficult few hours because of his sins and Jesus was going to have a difficult few hours because of Peter’s sins and the sins of others as he paid their penalty on the cross. Although he had been warned, and we know that this was not the only time that evening when Peter was told about his denial, he refused to listen to Jesus. It was persistent sinners that Jesus was about to die for.