Morning Light – Luke 22 Part 1: The Cosmic Consequences of the Last Supper

[Luke 22] The Cosmic Consequences of the Last Supper. In ch. 22, we find the account of what we call the Last Supper. Christians today have little understanding of what took place here. The events, actions, and words that passed between Jesus and the twelve at the Last Supper are of paramount importance for the believer. The Cross would mean nothing without the events that are recorded in our study of Luke 22:1-34.

[Luk 22:1-34 KJV] 1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. 3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. 5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide [it] among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 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. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me [is] with me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether [is] greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? [is] not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus prepares for the Passover at the same time His enemies now conspire in earnest with Judas to destroy the Son of God. Why is it that these things come to pass around the time of unleavened bread? Because Jesus is the Bread of Heaven. The Passover commemorated the night the death angel passed over Egypt, and the Israelites were spared. Those with the blood on their doorposts were saved by the death of the sacrificial lamb, a type of Jesus. When the angel of death came to the threshold, only one thing determined what happened next – was the blood applied? If the blood was applied – then the angel passed over, and all those in that house would the next day come out of Egypt’s bondage under the cloud by day and the fire by night and be saved. In the Passover meal and His consequent death on the Cross, Jesus is about to fulfill these things on a cosmic scale. How will the people of Jerusalem respond? Will they turn away in mockery, or will they bow at the foot of the Cross and accept the savior of all mankind? In just a few decades, the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed. The temple will be brought to the ground. The high priestly clan will be exterminated. The name of the province of Judea will be forbidden to be spoken. The name of Jerusalem will be abolished. Every Jew will be driven out of Palestine on pain of death, the awful price for rejecting the sinless son of God carried in their bloodline for 4000 years but rejected at the last moment by a corrupt, uncaring populace.

What of Judas? We know that this man, once he sees that Jesus will actually be delivered to death – will go out and commit suicide. What did he think would happen? What did he expect Jesus would do? He might have hoped that Jesus, at the last moment, would call 10,000 angels to deliver Him and set up His earthly kingdom. Satan himself had spoken through Peter, rebuking Jesus for any thought of allowing Himself to endure the death of the Cross. Now we understand that the demon who entered Judas on this night first entered Peter days before, when Jesus turned to him and said: “Get thee behind Me Satan for you savor not the things of God but the things of man…” Peter, in contemplating the fate of Judas in later years, surely recognized, “But for the grace of God, there go I…”

In v. 8, Jesus sends Peter and John to make preparation for the Passover. What an odd couple they must have been and a strange choice to make arrangements such as these. Peter was a rough, careless fisherman with a loud mouth. He would not be someone I would choose to liaise with innkeepers and caterers for a religious festival. John would be no help, being tender-hearted and so retiring in nature that he would lay his head on Jesus’ breast at supper, not caring whether the other men in the room thought it was inappropriate for him to do so. Jesus doesn’t choose the qualified, and He doesn’t send us into assignments that are suited to our natural abilities.

In going into the city, Jesus tells them they would meet a man with a pitcher of water, and they were to follow him into his house. There were no doubt hundreds of men with pitchers of water going about to prepare the Passover this day. Which one was the right one? Did it matter? Just PICK ONE! We have such strange ideas about the will of God, not realizing that the working of God is not in the plan but in the Spirit of God leading our feet where they might go. God is not in love with a plan. He is in love with us and will prosper our way on the path under our feet, whither which way they take us. The disciples carry out the errand, and the supper is made ready.

If we could only know the desire and passion with which Jesus has looked forward to this meal with His disciples. He would ask the Father later in the evening if it was possible for the cup of the suffering of the Cross to pass from Him, but there was nothing in life or all the world that would keep Him from this supper. What happens here is significantly more than we know. What happened on the Cross would have NO MEANING except for what happens, what Jesus does in this supper that we call the Last Supper. Jesus’ actions and words at this table give meaning to what takes place on the Cross. At this supper, Jesus fulfills the whole of the law and the prophets, consummating them in the conclusion of the Adamic race and providing for the inauguration of the One New Man that shall walk the earth in Christ. This is not for the establishment of another great world religion. Humanity does not need and did not need a new religion. Things of far greater importance are taking place. Jesus having concluded the supper (other gospels tell us), only after concluding the Old Covenant supper, takes the cup of the New Covenant and, in an age-old rite of blood covenant tradition, gives Himself away in the cup and the bread to the men present. Why was this significant for us? Because He told these men they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. What meaning does this have beyond the 12 tribes? Because God told Abraham that in him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. In other words, Abraham and his descendants were the representative race through which God would parlay with all the nations of the earth. These 12 men stood as far as God was concerned in the court of heaven as the federated heads of the human race, accepting in blood covenant the body and blood of the spotless lamb. Because of this, when the blood was shed, the sinlessness in that blood became applied to every man, woman, boy, and girl who would ever live or ever had lived on the occasion of their faith. In one action Jesus cleansed the sins of the entire human race from Adam right down the last child to be born on this side of the sin barrier – and all that remains is for us in faith to accept what is offered as these men accepted this night what Jesus so willingly gives them.

Astoundingly even as these men sit at this table where cosmic events have taken place beyond their comprehension, however, while they sense something is happening, they sadly begin to bicker who would be superior to whom in this new kingdom Jesus is inaugurating. Jesus silences them and mandates that authority in His kingdom will be unrecognizable to the kingdoms of men and how they operate. He that is greatest let him be servant of all. These men did not accept what Jesus said, and to this day, the church has yet to accept it. The governance of the church other than in the first century has always patterned itself after the governments of men because men have allowed ego and the desire for power to overshadow their love for Christ and love for the people of God.

Nonetheless, the business at hand is too urgent, and Jesus dismisses their pettiness, declaring in v. 29, “I have appointed you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed Me…” Do you hear what Jesus is saying? John understood this – in Revelations stating twice that we are kings and priests unto God. You are not only appointed IN the kingdom; you are APPOINTED A KINGDOM. Satan was never appointed a kingdom. Not one scripture legitimizes the place Satan stole from the throne that Adam abdicated. You are a king! You have a kingdom! Are you submitted to King Jesus? Are you? Then YOUR KINGDOM comes even as HIS KINGDOM IS COME! Religious mentalities will NEVER accept this. Will you?

Jesus turns to Peter, knowing that even as Satan has entered into Judas, the enemy was still after Peter. Satan desires to sift Peter for what he can get out of him. Jesus said the prince of the world came and found nothing in Him, but in coming to Peter, Satan found and sensed there were things in Peter attractive to his vile purposes. For this reason, Jesus says to Peter and to us, “I have prayed for you… that when you are converted, you will strengthen the brethren…” Believers are still being sifted today. Satan is looking for something in your character or actions that he can use to defile your testimony or bring ill-repute on the cause of Christ. You know if he looks deep enough, he will find what he can use against you and against your brethren and against God Himself. Take heart – you are not alone. The prayers of Jesus for Peter were also His prayers, His intercession that is ongoing for us, and in us to bring us through and not only deliver us from Satan but deliver us from ourselves.