April 1931
177
T h K
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
BLACKBOARD LESSON THErBREAD THE- CUP My Body" My Blood.
H eart of the L esson I. Preparation for the Passover (7-13). V. 7. The day of unleavened bread. All leaven was carefully put away on the day preceding the passover. The pass- over must be sacrificed. The whole pas chal week was called the feast of un
Lord’s body” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:29). In re membrance of. me. ■ The passover was a memorial of the deliverance from Egypt. The Lord’s Table is a memorial of the far greater deliverance wrought by Jesus Christ through His death and resurrecT tion. V. 20. The new covenant. The old covenant was “sealed with blood” (Ex. 24:7, 8). There can be no covenant be tween God and men without the shedding of blood {Heb. 9:18-23). Poured out for yon. The Lord Jesus took our place on Calvary, suffering the death that we de served because of sin. On the ground of that sacrifice, deliverance is uncondition ally offered to the sinner. IV. The Betrayal Announced (21-23). V. 21. Him that betrayeth me. Accord ing to the other Gospels, Judas left the company before the Lord’s Supper was instituted (cf. Matt. 26:21-25; Mk. 14: 1 8 -2 1 John 13:21-30). The “sop” which was given him (John 13 :30) was, in that case,' a part of the earlier meal. V. 22. A s it hath been determined. Redemption through the death of Christ was not an afterthought with God. Jesus Christ was the “lamb slain from the foun dation of the world” (Rev. 13:8; cf. Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28). Woe unto that man. The fact that God had predetermined the death of Christ did not lessen the guilt of Judas. He had chosen his own path, and he went to his own place (Acts 1: 25). His perfidy was known to Jesus long before this (John 6:70, 71). V. 23. Began to question. It seems strange that the other disciples had not observed anything in the character or con duct of Judas that would place him un der suspicion. Their language indicates that they were wholly unprepared for the betrayal.. The Gospel of John gives a more complete account of the incident (John 13:21-30). * * * L esson Q uestions V. 7. Of what was the passover a memorial? Of what is leaven a symbol? Why were the people instructed to re move leaven from their houses? , V. 8. Whom did Jesus send on an er rand? Why were these two sent, rather than other disciples? What were they to do? V. 9. What question was asked? Were they yielded to the will of Jesus? Did they seek to know His will? Did their attitude toward His will assure them of success? Does neglect or refusal to do His will ever bring success ? Vs. 12, 13. What response were they to expect from the owner of the house? Did the disciples follow directions? Were they led astray ? Will those ..who follow God’s commands always be led aright? Vs. 14-16. Who were gathered with Jesus at this passover meal? Why had He earnestly desired to eat this passover with them ? Did He make prediction con cerning the future? May we expect a feast of fellowship with Christ when He comes (1 Cor. 11:26)? Vs. 10, 11. What “sign” was given 'them? Was it unusual for men to draw water? What were the disciples told to ask of this man? Had the Lord Jesus a right to ask such a privilege?
leavened bread; the passover, s tric tly speaking, was the great day of the feast when the pas chal lamb was slain. Originally, the lambs were selected by the heads of households
^Do This lr\ t^emerubrarxce o f ME 'fSiget Not ALLHIS BENEFITS"P sa ios Tôr %3pirit -Ôoul - ôody. . ________________ /.C.fi. Afa,y.z+* room” has led some to suppose that the man who was seen with the pitcher of water was John Mark, in whose mother’s house the early Christians were accus tomed to meet (Acts 12:12), and that in this same upper room the disciples were gathered on the day of Pentecost. V. 13. Found as he had said. Every detail fitted into what Jesus had foretold. This fact strengthens the idea that He had not previously made private arrange ments with the master of this house, but had been guided by -supernatural knowl edge. II. The Last Passover (14-18). . V. 14. He sat down. Originally, it was customary to eat the passover meal stand ing, in order to remind Israel of the hur ried departure from Egypt (Ex. 12:11). V. IS. With desire I have desired. This is a literal translation of an idiomatic Hebrew phrase which might be rendered: “I have earnestly desired.” To eat this passover. Whether this was the regular passover meal or not, it is easy to under stand the eagerness of Jesus to have a quiet farewell with His disciples, and at the^ same time to inaugurate a new feast which would supersede the passover. With-His atoning death, the meaning.of the old memorial feast passed away (1 Cor. 5:7). V. 16. Until it be fulfilled. In a sense* the kingdom of God began when Jesus Christ was offered up on Calvary. But this prediction also looks forward to the day when' Christ shall come again (cf. 22:30; 14:35; Matt. 22:1-14; Rev. 19:9; 1 Cor. 11:26). Vs. 17, 18. He received a cup. Ac cording to Jewish custom, four cups of wine were drunk at the celebration of the passover. Also, four benedictions were pronounced at various stages qf the feast. The whole description is that of an in troductory celebration, preceding the in stitution of the Lord’s Supper. III. The Lord’s Supper Instituted (19, 20 ) . V. 19. He took bread. This was one of the cakes of unleavened bread which was a part of the usual passover meal. When he had given thanks. He gave thanks for His suffering and death, for the bread typified His body which was broken on the cross. This is my body. There have been many theological debates between Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, and others as to the meaning of these words. Evidently there are sym bols here. We do well to avoid the Ro man Catholic doctrine that the bread, broken at the Lord’s Table, becomes the actual body of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, one may truly feed upon Christ as he eats the bread, “discerning the
on the tenth day and were slain on the fourteenth day of the month (Ex. 12:3, 6 ). V. 8. He sent Peter and John. Mat thew and Mark explain that the disciples had previously asked Jesus where they should make ready to eat the passover (cf. Mk. 14:12). The two disciples who seem to have been nearest to the Lord Jesus were delegated to make the prep aration. The whole setting suggests that a measure of secrecy was maintained be cause the authorities were seeking to des troy Jesus. Make ready for us the pass- over. The question whether this was the regular Jewish passover or an anticipa tory meal, celebrated the day before, has long been debated. The latter view seems to be supported by such passages as John 13:1, 29. If that is so, Jesus was cru cified on the following day at the Very hour when the lambs for the,passover were being slain in the temple. V s ,'9, 10. Where wilt thou that we make ready? It is not made clear wheth er Jesus in His answer spoke from super natural knowledge of what would hap pen as His disciples went on their errand, or whether He had already made pri vate arrangements for a guest chamber. His instructions to the disciples were de signedly indefinite; probably this was the case in order to keep Judas in ignorance concerning the place where they would gather. When ye are entered into the city. They were told that they would see a man bearing a pitcher of water, and they were instructed to ask him to point out to them the guest chamber. As water was usually drawn by women, some stu dents have suggested, as an explanation of this unusual occurrence, that there is a reference here to the Jewish custom ‘that, on this particular day, the master of the house drew water for the knead ing of unleavened bread. V. 11. The Teacher saith unto thee. From this it may be inferred that the own er of the house was a disciple who was acquainted with Jesus. Where is ' the guest chamber? This was not an improp er request, for the Jews were accustomed to give generous hospitality to pilgrims who came to celebrate the passover. The word translated “guest chamber” is ren dered “inn” in Lk. 2 :7. V. 12. A large upper room furnished. In the ordinary Jewish house, there was a large room under the roof, which was the customary place for gatherings of any sort. This room had been supplied with necessary tables, couches, etc., for the feast. The reference to the “upper
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