On
March 4, 1933 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed a nation facing
deep depression. Unemployment was just under 25%. The nation was steeped in
uncertainty and confusion. People were starving and afraid. During his campaign
for president, Roosevelt was known for optimism and a fatherly tone, but in his
first address to the fearful nation as President of the United States, he spoke
to their grief and to their pain. He
said,
This is
preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.
Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This
great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So,
first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear
is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed
efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of
frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people
themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again
give that support to leadership in these critical days. [1]
FDR knew that the people were
afraid of their future and he wanted his first address to bring them to trust
him as their leader. During times of uncertainty and trials, it is vital for
people to trust their leader and his plan for the future.
This was true for
the United States during the Great Depression and it was true for the disciples
of Jesus Christ during their great depression. This section is the beginning of
what is commonly referred to as the Passion
of the Christ. Jesus has told his disciples several times that he is going
to be delivered over the Gentiles, mocked and killed (Luke 18:31-34). At the
beginning of his betrayal and coming death, Jesus wants to reassure his
disciples to trust him and his sovereign plan.
Trust in God’s
Sovereign Plan
Luke sets the
scene showing how Jesus was a faithful Jew to the end in keeping the Passover.
Luke 22:7-13,
Then came the day
of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus
sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may
eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to
them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water
will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of
the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat
the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room
furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told
them, and they prepared the Passover.
The end of Jesus’s life was close
at hand. Soon he was going to be arrested, tried and crucified. Although Jesus
knew the end was coming, he still made plans to celebrate the Passover as a
pious pilgrim in the capital city.[2]
Jesus takes
control of the situation giving his disciples clear instructions on how to
arrange the meal. It is unclear if Jesus had pre-arranged the meal or if in his
divine foreknowledge, he knew of the man to whom he sent his disciples. Regardless of how Jesus knew of the man and
the room, it is clear that Jesus is in charge. He took the initiative to send
Peter and John to get the upper room ready.
These details in the Passion narrative show how Jesus was not a rebel
fighting against the establishment, but a faithful, pious Jew who keeps the
law. As we are moving to the end of Luke’s gospel, it is important to remember
again Luke’s audience. Luke 1:1-4,
Inasmuch as many
have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been
accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses
and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also,
having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty
concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)
Luke was writing an orderly account
to a Roman official detailing Jesus’ life. Luke had a plan in writing this
gospel to show God’s plan in salvation. The passion is not a random event, but
has been set before the foundation of time.
The readers’
sensors should have been peaked when Luke described the setting. Verse 7, “Then came the day of Unleavened
Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.” This was the
celebration of God’s deliverance from Egypt and their birth of a nation. Israel
was in bondage for 400 years in Egypt. Their cries were heard by the Lord and
he sent Moses to Pharaoh to deliver his people. God sent 9 plagues against
Egypt to give them an opportunity to show mercy to Israel and each time they
refused. God finally promised the 10th and final plague. God told
the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb, without blemish, and spread the blood upon
the doorposts of the house. God tells Moses that this,
is the LORD's
Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all
the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a
sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will
pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the
land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:11-13)
The timing of the coming
crucifixion with the Passover was not random, but was all part of the sovereign
plan of God. Even Israel’s captivity was part of God’s plan, so that He could
show that He was the Lord.
It was very hard
for the disciples to understand that Jesus had to die. They believed Jesus was
the Messiah, but did not fully understand the ramifications of what that meant.
Luke is showing that Jesus is the Passover lamb who had to be sacrificed. John
the Baptist proclaimed as he saw Jesus approaching him for his baptism,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus takes
away the sin of the world through his own blood. As in the Passover, the lamb
had to be killed and spread over the doorpost covering the house so when the
Lord saw the blood he would pass over them and would not destroy them. The blood
was the sign of their salvation. Their salvation came at the expense of
another.
This is the
gospel. We all deserve to be destroyed
for our sin, but God sent Jesus to be crushed in our place. Our salvation comes
at the expense of another. If you are not a Christian, how do you think about
salvation? Do you need salvation? How does salvation come? Through your good
works? Or through avoiding really bad sins? The Bible says that salvation can
only come through judgment. Our conscience bears witness that we are all
sinners and have done wrong. God, being just and holy, cannot simply turn a
blind eye to sin, but has to deal with it. In order for God to “pass over” your
sins, someone else’s blood had to be shed. Romans 3 summarizes this message:
for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a
gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a
propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's
righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former
sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26)
The blood of Jesus, the Passover
Lamb, was to be shed for the forgiveness of sin. And just as the Israelites had
to wipe the blood on the doorposts of their houses to show their trust in this
salvation, we have to wipe the blood on the doorposts of our hearts to show our
trust in this message. We trust God’s sovereign plan of salvation by repenting,
turning from our sins and placing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. Friend, if you are not a follower of Jesus, the promise of the blood is
extended to you. You can have your life covered by placing your faith in Jesus
Christ.
The backdrop of
Jesus death was the predestined plan of God. Jesus wanted his disciples to
trust him as he wants us to trust him. Even in our darkest moments, we can have
faith that God is in control. Jesus had faith during his trial so we can have
faith in ours.
A man just got married and was returning
home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a
great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much
afraid because it seemed almost hopeless: The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they
were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if
nothing was happening.
The woman was trembling and she said, “Are
you not afraid ?”. This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem
that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us;
otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something?
Are you a stone or something? The man laughed and took the sword out of its
sheath. The woman was even more puzzled: What he was doing? Then
he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a
small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck. He said,” Are you afraid?”
She started to laugh and said,” Why should I
be afraid? If the sword is in your hands, why I should be afraid? I know
you love me. He put the sword back and said, This is my answer”. I know
God loves me, and the storm is in His hands SO WHATSOEVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS GOING TO WORK FOR OUR GOOD. If
we survive, good; if we don’t survive, good, because everything is in His hands
and He cannot do anything wrong[3].
God’s sovereignty should not be left to the theological classroom, but
should give us confidence in the midst of the storm. The disciples were
entering a storm and Jesus wants to them to trust Him and the predestined plan
of God.
Trust in God’s
Sovereign Purposes
We are not called only to trust in God’s sovereign plan, but to trust in
his sovereign purposes. He has established certain rituals for our good and his
glory. We cannot ignore them as mere suggestions, but trust God by following
his ways. Luke continues,
And when the hour
came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I
have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I
tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he
took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it
among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit
of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which
is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after
they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new
covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on
the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that
man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of
them it could be who was going to do this.
Jesus begins the Passover with a
reminder to his disciples that he is about to suffer, and then redefines how
his people should observe the Passover.
Jesus
redefines the symbols of the bread and wine for his own body and his own
blood. As the bread is broken, so, too, will
his body be broken. As the wine is
poured out, so, too, will his blood be poured out. Let me first make some
comments on how the church has historically viewed the Lord’s Supper, then make
some applications for how we should observe it today. First, there have been
four views of what happens during the Lord’s Supper.
Transubstantiation- This view, held by
Catholics, states that the bread and the wine actually becomes the body and
blood of Jesus. They believe the elements maintain their appearance, but their
substance changes when the priest consecrates the elements. Some Catholic
opponents may view this is a re-sacrifice of Christ, but I think more
accurately they view the Lord’s Supper as the perpetual sacrifice at Calvary.
This means they view communion as the continued original sacrifice of Christ on
the cross.
Consubstantiation- This view is taken
by Lutheran and refers to the idea that the real body and the real blood of
Christ is mixed with the bread and wine. It is a modification of the
traditional catholic position of transubstantiation, attempting to make sense
of the dual presence. It is very similar to the position above.
Memorial – This view is held by most
Baptists. It says that the Lord’s Supper is to be done in remembrance of the
Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. The bread
and the wine are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ.
Spiritual Presence – This view is
similar to the memorial view, but adds the emphasis of Christ’s spiritual
presence when the Lord’s Supper is administered. The bread and wine represents
Christ’s body and blood, but when it is taken the presence of Christ is there.
The church has disagreed exactly
what happens during the Lord’s Supper, but they have uniformly agreed that it
should only be taken by baptized believers who are actively trusting in Christ.
Before
I administer the Lord’s Supper, I practice a historic tradition called “fencing
the table.” I say something like, “If you are a baptized believer and if you
are a member in good standing of a church of like faith and order, you are
welcome at the table, but if you are not I would ask for you to allow the
elements to pass by.” I have gotten a lot of questions about this in the past,
so let me explain why we do this. First, Churches practice three general views
of fencing the table: Closed, Close, or Open. Closed Communion is where
communion is only offered to the church membership. Open Communion is offered
to all Christians present. Close Communion is offered to all Christians present
who understand communion like the practicing church. I hold to Close Communion,
meaning I invite all baptized believers who are members in good standing of a
local church of like faith and order to participate in the Lord’s Supper.
I believe Jesus Christ instituted the
Lord’s Supper so that his people could remember his death, burial and
resurrection and to proclaim his coming again.
The Lord’s Supper is for Christians because participating in the Lord’s
Supper is an act of faith. We are
feeding and drinking by faith. It is a physical act of trust in the Passover
lamb that was slain. Just like the Israelites who physically spread the blood
on the doorposts as an act of faith, we demonstrate that we are covered by the
body and blood of Christ by taking the Lord’s Supper.
Practically
then, the Lord’s Supper is how we demonstrate our trust in God’s sovereign
purpose. He has given us communion for a very specific reason. It is a sign
that people are in the faith and continuing in the faith. People should be
baptized before they take the Lord’s Supper because this is a sign of entrance
into the Christian faith. People should be members in good standing of the
church before they take the Lord’s Supper because this is a sign you are in
faith. The Bible has no category for believers who are not baptized or not
connected to a local church. Many churches do not rightly practice the Lord’s
Supper because they do not rightly understand church membership. It has always
been the job of the pastor to fence the Table and to protect people from taking
communion in an unworthy manner bringing judgment on themselves. Paul writes to
the Corinthians,
Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine
himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who
eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on
himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if
we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:27-31)
We have to trust the sovereign
purpose of the Lord in how we practice the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus
commanded his disciples to “Do this in remembrance.” The Lord’s Supper is not
optional for the Christian and yet many “self-professing Christians” have no
concern for the Lord’s Supper because they do not make it a practice to
participate in the Lord’s Supper with a local church. Should they have
confidence in their salvation? Should we have confidence in their salvation?
No. (I am not referring to people who
are physically unable to attend due to sickness, deteriorating health or
distance, but able-bodied people who choose not to attend church). By not
attending the Lord’s Supper, people are directly disobeying Jesus’ command to
do this in remembrance of him. They are
in sin and must be called to repentance. Avoiding the Lord’s Supper is
disobeying Jesus Christ.
Historically
the Lord’s Supper has also been used to administer church discipline.
Discipline is God’s way to legitimize us as his adopted children (Hebrews 12).
If people are living in unrepentant sin, the church protects their souls by
keeping them from the table showing that they are in spiritual danger.
Remember
that Jesus was sharing this meal with his disciples in the shadow of the cross.
He was to be crucified the next day bearing the full weight of God’s wrath on
the cross for sinners. This Jesus, whose
body was broken and whose blood was spilled for sinners, invites us to the
table. When we diminish the importance of the Lord’s Supper, we diminish the
sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Beloved, Jesus
bore our sins in his body on a tree that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. One way we live to righteousness is by trusting God’s sovereign
purpose in the Lord Supper. Jesus wants to encourage our faith and to remind us
of his sacrificial death and promised return.
It is such a precious gift. It was given for our good, the good of the
church and for the glory of God. Let us rejoice in it and trust God’s sovereign
purpose for it.
[1]
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/
accessed 2.14.2015
[2]
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic.
[3]
http://rishikajain.com/2013/01/22/inspirational-short-story-with-moral-trust-in-god/
accessed 2.15.2015
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