Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeReaders ChoiceWhere Is The Last Supper In The Bible

Where Is The Last Supper In The Bible

Why Was The Last Supper So Important

The Bible PREVIEW — The Last Supper

Jesus eyes had been fixed on Jerusalem . He knew what He had to do and did not waver from what the Father laid before Him. He told the disciples He had to die, and His exclamation point was He would rise on the third day. But the disciples remained dull to His news . .

The gathering of Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room would be His last time of instruction and outward display of love to them. Soon the disciples would be bereft of and ripped apart from their Savior via His crucifixion and death.

Looking ahead to the book of Revelation, written by John the Apostle, there is reason to celebrate, for, in chapter 19, a great Hallelujah is sounded . When Jesus comes to gather His church , a great marriage supper of the Lamb will ensue. We who are called will be in the company of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ . No more will we be separate from Jesus, for we as His servants will be with Him forever and ever .

Meals As A Pattern In Scripture

For centuries, followers of Jesus have met together to partake in a meal commonly referred to as the Lords Supper. Some also refer to this meal as Communion or the Eucharist, which comes from the Greek eucharisteo, meaning “to give thanks.

But why a meal? And why this meal? What is the point?

The Lords Supper is an invitation into life. And its an invitation that begins in the early pages of the Bible.

The First Meal

In the first pages of Genesis, God invites humanity to a meal.

God appoints humanity to be his representatives and invites them to use their own creative power and imagination to spread the order and beauty of the garden-temple to the rest of creation . In the garden where humanity is placed, there are trees loaded with fruit for eating and cultivating, and the tree of life grows in the center of the garden . This tree is an image of Gods ultimate gift to creation: the opportunity to share in and receive Gods own goodness and life.

Proximity to the tree means proximity to the author of life. And significantly, the tree of life is something meant for humanity to eat or consume. In fact, Gods first command is for humans to eat from all of the trees, including this one. This is an invitation to ingest Gods own life ! This meal transforms the one who eats it, and in the words of the story, it leads to eternal life .

Israels Meals

As the story goes on, God continues to invite humanity to experience his life through meals.

Jesus Meals

A New Covenant

Did Jesus Have A Twin

While orthodox Christians deny that Jesus had any siblings at all, much less a twin, there was an ancient form of Christianity, known as Thomasine Christianity, which believed that Judas Thomas had a special relationship with Jesus. … But the truth is that the divine twin is about something much more significant.

Also Check: What Does The Bible Say About Abusive Relationships

Da Vincis Preparatory Sketches

Da Vinci made a significant number of preparatory sketches for the Last Supper painting. He is reported to have studied various people and their different facial expressions and how their movements appeared. These were for his depictions of the twelve apostles.

The facial features of the twelve apostles were apparently features taken from ordinary people around Milan. Some sources also suggest that da Vinci found a real-life criminal to model the features for Judas figure in the painting da Vinci is believed to have visited jails in Milan to find the perfect model.

Study for the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Last Supper Bible Story Summary

10 Best Jesus Last Supper Picture FULL HD 1920×1080 For PC Desktop 2020

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, or Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead with very specific instructions regarding the preparation of the Passover meal. That evening Jesus sat down at the table with the apostles to eat his final meal before going to the cross. As they dined together, he told the twelve that one of them would soon betray him.

One by one they questioned, “I’m not the one, am I, Lord?” Jesus explained that even though he knew it was his destiny to die as the Scriptures foretold, his betrayer’s fate would be terrible: “Far better for him if he had never been born!”

Then Jesus took the bread and the wine and asked God the Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples, and said, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then Jesus took the cup of wine and shared it with his disciples. He said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save youan agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.” He told all of them, “I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

You May Like: How Did The Bible Come To Be

Wine And Bread Are A Must

The Last Supper, about 152530, Simon Bening. Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf on parchment 6 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig IX 19, fol. 83v

The Last Supper is a meal, after all, and each food has a special meaning. Wine and bread are found in many images of the Last Supper as they were understood by medieval Christians to be the origins of the Eucharist. A chalice, or goblet, may represent wine as well.

Jesus Christ’s Last Supper ‘was On A Wednesday’

Christians mark Jesus Christ’s Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, but new research suggests it took place on the Wednesday before his crucifixion.

Colin Humphreys of Cambridge University says discrepancies in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as compared with John arose because they used an older calendar than the official Jewish one.

He concluded the date was 1 April AD33.

This could also mean Jesus’ arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place on one night only.

Prof Humphreys believes his findings could present a case for finally fixing Easter Day to the first Sunday in April.

Read Also: What Does The Bible Say About Fellowship

How Many Apostles Were At The Last Supper

As the last meal Jesus Christ shared with his 12 apostles before his crucifixion, this moment has been interpreted over the centuries in media ranging from paintings and illuminated manuscripts to sculptures and engravings. Three momentous events occurred within the Last Supper and are often depicted in art.

What Can We Learn From The Last Supper

The Story of Easter (The Last Supper)

We have had sobering glimpses in these chapters of instruction from the Last Supper of lessons that can change our lives: the washing of feet teaches us that we should serve others and love our enemies the question, Lord, is it, teaches us how to respond to counsel we know the way home because we know Christ, who …

Recommended Reading: What The Bible Says About Mothers Day

The Believing Participants Of The Lords Supper

The Lords Supper is an act of the gathered family of those who believe in Jesus, the church. It is not an act for unbelievers. Unbelievers may be presentindeed, we welcome them to be presentthere is nothing secretive about the Lords Supper. It is done in public. It has a public meaning. It is not a secretive, cultic ritual with magical powers. It is a public act of worship by the gathered church. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul says, As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So there is a proclamation aspect to the supper. Proclamation, not privacy, is the note to strike.

We do not forbid taking the Lords Supper to someone in a nursing home or a hospital, but that kind of individual celebration is exceptional, not the Biblical norm. Five times in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul speaks of the church coming together when the Lords Supper is eaten. Verse 17b: When you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. Verse 18: For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. Verse 20: When you come together, it is not the Lords supper that you eat. Verse 33: When you come together to eat, wait for one another. Verse 34: If anyone is hungry, let him eat at homeso that when you come together it will not be for judgment.

And Last But Not Least That Guy In The Corner

Once in a while, you might see people hanging around in the corner of the image. They dont seem to be a part of the party, which has already filled its capacity of 13 people, but seem to be observing the party from a distance. Who are they? None other than the patrons who commissioned the painting.

And why not put yourself, at least virtually, in one of the most important scenes of the Bible if you have the money to do so?

_______

Recommended Reading: Breath Of Life Bible Verse

What Is The Name Of Jesus 12 Apostles

The full list of the Twelve is given with some variation in Mark 3, Matthew 10, and Luke 6 as: Peter and Andrew, the sons of John James and John, the sons of Zebedee Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James, the son of Alphaeus Jude, or Thaddaeus, the son of James Simon the Cananaean, or the …

The Symbolic Explanation Of The Bread And Wine At Passover And Jesus Last Supper

TRINITY ACRES: Holy Week

We are left with only one important parallel that can be explained in terms of a Seder: the surprising fact that Jesus at his Last Supper engaged in symbolic explanation of the bread and wine, just as Jews at the Seder engage in symbolic explanations, interpreting aspects of the Passover meal in light of the Exodus from Egypt: Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant . Is this not a striking parallel to the ways in which Jews celebrating the Seder interpret, for example, the bitter herbs eaten with the Passover sacrifice as representing the bitter life the Israelites experienced as slaves in Egypt?

However, this last parallel between the Last Supper and the Passover Seder assumes that the Seder ritual we know today was celebrated in Jesus day. But this is hardly the case.

You May Like: What The Bible Says About Hope

The Historical Origin Of The Lords Supper

The Gospels of Matthew , Mark , and Luke all report the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples the night before he died. Each describes Jesus giving thanks or blessing the bread and the cup, and giving them to his disciples saying that the bread is his body and the cup is the blood of the covenant, or the new covenant in his blood. In Luke 22:19, Jesus says, Do this in remembrance of me. The Gospel of John doesnt report the eating and drinking, but rather the teachings and actions that filled the evening.

As far as we can tell from the earliest records, the church did what Jesus said: They reenacted that supper in remembrance of Jesus and his death. Pauls letters are the earliest testimony that we have, and in 1 Corinthians 11:20, he refers to an event in the life of the church called the Lords Supper. Its called the Lords Supper probably because it was instituted or ordained by the Lord Jesus, and because its very meaning celebrates the memory of the Lords death. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.I received from the Lord . . . probably means that the Lord himself confirmed for Paul that what the others reported about the Last Supper really happened.

Referencesisbn Links Support Nwe Through Referral Fees

  • Brown, Raymond Edward. An Introduction to the New Testament. The Anchor Bible reference library. New York: Doubleday, 1997. ISBN 9780385247672
  • Eichhorn, Albert, and Hugo Gressmann. The Lord’s Supper in the New Testament. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007. ISBN 9781589832749
  • Frederickson, Bruce G. Passover to Communion. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 2008. ISBN 9780758614711
  • Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus.. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977. ISBN 9780800613198
  • Kodell, Jerome. The Eucharist in the New Testament. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991. ISBN 9780814656631
  • Koenig, John. The Feast of the World’s Redemption: Eucharistic Origins and Christian Mission. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000. ISBN 9781563382741
  • Wright, Ralph. Our Daily Bread: Glimpsing the Eucharist Through the Centuries. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2008. ISBN 9780809145256

Don’t Miss: Echo Church North San Jose Campus

Jesus Prays On The Mount Of Olives

39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.40 There he told them, Pray that you will not give in to temptation.

41 He walked away, about a stones throw, and knelt down and prayed,42 Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.46 Why are you sleeping? he asked them. Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.

Who Was At The Last Supper In The Bible

The Last Supper

Asked by: Candelario Altenwerth

All twelve disciples were present at the Last Supper, but a few key characters stood out. Peter and John: According to Luke’s version of the story, two disciples, Peter and John, were sent ahead to prepare the Passover meal. Peter and John were members of Jesus’ inner circle, and two of his most trusted friends.

You May Like: What Is The Golden Rule In The Bible

The Passover Seder And Sacrifice

The Jewish holiday of Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. The roots of the festival are found in Exodus 12, in which God instructs the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb at twilight on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, before the sun sets . That night the Israelites are to eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The lambs blood should be swabbed on their doorposts as a sign. God, seeing the sign, will then pass over the houses of the Israelites , while smiting the Egyptians with the tenth plague, the killing of the first-born sons.

Passover is the celebration of the exodus from Egypt. What can archaeology tell us about the historicity of the Biblical account? The FREE eBook Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus considers texts and archaeological evidence from the second millennium B.C.E. that describe Israel in Egypt and the Exodus.

A San Francisco seder. California Rabbi Jack Frankel and his family lift the first glass of wine during a Seder meal, held on the first night of Passover . The Seder commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. Throughout the meal, the biblical story is retold the food is linked symbolically with the Exodus.

Exodus 12 commands the Israelites to repeat this practice every year, performing the sacrifice during the day and then consuming it after the sun has set. Exodus 12 further speaks of a seven-day festival, which begins when the sacrifice is consumed .

Purpose Of The Lords Supper: A Proclamation Of The Gospel

Read along with the transcript below of this video by Mike Bullmore:

Yeah, the purposes of the Lord’s Supper, without question, the primary reference of the Lord’s Supper is to the death of our Lord. We hold in our hands these precious symbols, the broken bread, symbolizing the body given, Christ’s body, His real body, given for us, and the cup, representing His shed blood. So clearly the reference, the primary reference is to the death of Christ. And Paul in the most extensive teaching in the New Testament about the Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11, gives very practical counsel about how to do this, what this should look like in the church, but also speaks about the purposes of the Lord’s Supper.

And then I think in a piece that we cannot forget, so yes, proclamation, anticipation, but in the present, this is not so much in 1 Corinthians 11, as it is in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul talks about communion, participation with the Lord. And so there is this present communion, not in some unusually mysterious way, it is a communion of fellowship with Christ, with God in Christ, an experience of what Christ purchased for us, this close family table fellowship with God in Himself. That’s the primary reference, I think, of the Lord’s Supper.

Also Check: We Are Gods Bible Verse

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular