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The Last Supper
| Bro Maxwell Choonga (Kasaka, Zambia)
I
n this message we are going to look at the
events which took place in the upper room
on the evening before the Lord was arrested.
This meal is often referred to as ‘the last
supper’. It is deeply significant for us because
it introduces us to the commandment to
remember Jesus in his appointed way. We
know the events very well and therefore
perhaps we tend not to think about the
circumstances surrounding this meal. I want
us to try and imagine ourselves in that upper
room along with the disciples.
The first point I want to make is that this meal
did not take place as an actual Passover meal.
We can show that quite simply in the way this
meal took place before Jesus was arrested.
After his arrest, he was held overnight, went
through his trial with Caiaphas, and then was
taken to Pilate. The Jews would not enter
Pilate’s judgement hall because that would
make them ceremonially defiled, and would
hence not be able to keep the Passover meal.
I am sure that you remember the account of
how the disciples and Jesus arrived at the
upper room. But perhaps you have never really
thought about what went on beforehand. If
you look at Luke 22:8, you will see that Jesus
had sent Peter and John on ahead and told
them to prepare the Passover. They did not
know where to go, and so he gave them the
sign of the man carrying a pitcher of water.
They were told to follow him into the house
which he entered.
There are lots of questions that we should ask.
First of all, why did Jesus choose this unusual
sign? Why did he not simply tell them the
address? I think that the answer must be that
Jesus wanted to keep it secret. Concerning
Judas, Jesus knew what was in Judas’ heart.
If everyone had known the address where this
last supper was to take place, then Judas
might well have slipped away and told the
Jews about that private place. It would have
provided an ideal opportunity for the Jews to
have arrested Jesus. But Jesus did not want
these last precious hours with his disciples to
be disrupted in any way: hence the sign which
kept the upper room secret.
The next question is this: why did Jesus choose
Peter and John to prepare the room and the
table for the rest of the disciples? If I were to
ask you who were the most important disciples
you would almost certainly say Peter and
John. They both had strong personalities: they
both took the lead on occasion amongst the
other disciples. You can imagine them thinking
that they ought not to be doing this work.
Perhaps it would have been better done by
someone less important, someone less signifi-
cant? I wonder if Jesus chose them so that we
should all learn a lesson. Sometimes there is a
tendency for the important brothers to think
that they do not need to do the less important
tasks- but that is not always right. We all need
to know and understand that however old,
wise or prominent we are in the ecclesia, we
still have to play our part in the lesser, menial
tasks.
Why did Jesus choose the sign of a man
carrying a pitcher of water? In Jerusalem in
the time of Jesus, you did not see men
carrying a pitcher of water. Men simply did not
do that task: it was women’s work. And
perhaps the choice of this man in addition to
the choice of Peter and John was to underline
the lesson of service to others.
Bro Maxwell Choongo