Who is Jesus?
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“The Lord’s Supper”
“The Lord’s Supper”
John 13:1-3 “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;”
I. Intro
I. Intro
1. The three synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–23; Matthew 26:26–30). They underscore the obvious import of the institution. Yet curiously John’s Gospel does not. Why is this? The answer is that John’s Gospel shows how Christ can both be absent from the disciples and abide among them. Put simply, John answers the question, “How can Christ be among us after he ascends to heaven?” Each of the three Gospels tells the same story. Judas plans to betray Jesus, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper during the Passover, and then he prays in the garden. In John’s Gospel, Judas likewise is noted as being the betrayer, and Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples. And in John 13, Jesus comforts his disciples in light of his coming departure. He says, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’” and, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward” Jesus explains that although he will be absent, the Holy Spirit would be present with the disciples. John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” He continues in John 14:18-19 “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” Christ explains how the Holy Spirit will make up for his absence by saying in John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
Most of you know that we are nearing the end of our study through the Gospel of John. We have seen that John’s Gospel is different from Matthew, Mark and Luke. One of the unique features of John’s Gospel is his account of Jesus’ last supper or Passover with His disciples. When Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples on the night He is betrayed, John does not record Jesus’ instructions related to Lord’s Supper like the others do. Instead, John records Jesus’ extended teaching of His disciples in John 13–17 at the same point in the narrative where the synoptic Gospels present the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Although John does not retell Jesus giving the bread and the cup and instituting the New Covenant, the symbols and words used in the Lord’s Supper are abundant in the Gospel of John. John does not tell us that Jesus took the bread and broke it and gave it to His disciples, but he does tell record that in John 6 Jesus said in John 6:48 “I am that bread of life.” In that chapter when Jesus fed the 5000, He had taken the loaves, given thanks (from εὐχαριστέω) and gave (from διαδίδωμι) to His disciples John 6:11 “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” These are the same words that Luke records of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” I want to be clear that in John 6 Jesus is not instituting the ordinance of Communion; but He is teaching that eating His flesh and drinking His blood are symbols of faith. In the same way, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, it is not the physical eating of bread or drinking the cup that gives eternal life, these are symbols of us receiving Jesus Christ and believing in Him and His death for our sins as the Lamb of God. John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” We eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus institutes the ordinance of Communion. Because Jesus is leaving, He takes the Passover elements of bread and wine and uses them to remind us of His death and resurrection. In place of the Lord’s Supper in John 13-17 Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit. Jesus explains that although He will be absent, the Holy Spirit would be present with the disciples. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper, eating the bread and drinking the cup, we are not only believing in Jesus’ death for our sins, but also in His resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit to be His presence with us. So the bread and the wine are symbols of Christ’s death and resurrection. They picture the Lord’s sacrifice as the Lamb of God for our sin. They are portrayals of His love. They are reminders of His presence with us through His Holy Spirit. We embrace and encounter the Lord Jesus Christ as we eat and drink by faith and by the Spirit. That is why those who eat and drink this memorial meal must first have believed in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is not for unbelievers, but for true born-again children of God. If you have not yet trusted in Christ, you can do so now. Turn in repentance from your sin and believe in Christ’s all-sufficient death to save you. Believe Jesus is alive from the dead and that He will raise you to life with Him.
INVITATION
Luke 22:14-20 “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”