Luke 22
Gospel of Luke
Luke 22
Scripture of the Week: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread draws near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Luke 22:1-2
Observation
In Luke 22, Luke makes the “Passover Feast'' the central theme of the chapter. The Israelites had a number of feasts and celebrations to honor or remember what God had done for them and how God provided for them. The Passover feast celebrates the Israelites Exodus out of slavery in Egypt, specifically during the plagues when the angel of death attacked and killed the first born sons of all Egypt. God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb to eat with their families, and take some of the blood from it and cover their doorposts. When the angel of death went through Egypt, he would see the blood on the door and “passover” their home. Hence the name of the feast, “Passover.”
Luke moves on to talk about how Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with his disciples. Remember, Jesus knows he is nearing his death, and has traveled to Jerusalem to sacrifice his life for the sins of mankind. It is vital to note what Jesus serves his disciples at this Passover feast. There is no sacrificial lamb that they share together. Instead, Jesus serves his disciples the meal that we still partake in to this day. He has a cup of wine and a piece of bread. Jesus says that the cup of wine symbolizes his blood and the bread symbolizes his body. This may sound familiar to you, as this “last supper” that Jesus serves his disciples is what we now call “communion.”
Interpretation
There are connections between the “last supper” Passover meal that Jesus serves his disciples, what Jesus says about himself, and what he is getting ready to do and the Old Testament Passover from Exodus, chapters 11 and 12.
Israel’s Slavery & Humanities Slavery to Sin - The Israelites were still enslaved by the Egyptians during the first Passover Feast. They needed to be rescued from their captors as they were hopeless to overcome them. In the same way, before we knew Jesus, we were slaves to sin and needed to be rescued. Paul writes to us in Romans that we are hopeless to overcome sins grasp on us, without the sacrifice of Jesus.
Sacrificial Passover Lamb & Jesus - For the Passover feast, the Israelites were to get a lamb to sacrifice and prepare. During his Passover feast with his disciples, his “last supper,” Jesus does not serve a sacrificial lamb as He is the sacrificial lamb. He gave himself up to be beaten, crucified, and put to death for us. He sacrificed himself so we all could have life everlasting with Him.
Blood on Doorpost & the Blood of Jesus - Death would “passover” the Israelites homes when it saw the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts. In the same way, we escape certain death when we believe in Jesus and welcome him into our hearts. When we do, the blood of his sacrifice covers us and washes our sins away.
Remain indoors & The Believers covering - The Israelites were protected by the blood of the sacrificial lamb, so long as they remained indoors. We need Jesus and his sacrifice to cover us so that we too can avoid the pitfalls of sin and the death and destruction that follow it.
Application
In Luke 22:19, Jesus tells his disciples to partake in this last supper “in remembrance of [him].” When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and allow his blood to cleanse us, we honor Him and all he has done for us. Without Jesus, we would all be lost in sin and heading for certain death. If you have not accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, would you consider it tonight? For those of us who have accepted Jesus, we often have areas of our life where we are holding him back. Maybe, those doorposts in us don’t have the blood of Jesus covering them. Take time at your tables to discuss these and hand over full control to Jesus and the life that he brings.
Practical Application Questions
- In Luke 22:20, Jesus refers to his sacrifice bringing a “new covenant.” What does it mean to be in covenant with Jesus? What does that look like?
- Do you have any “doorposts” that are not covered by the blood of Jesus? Meaning, are there any areas of your life that you have not allowed Jesus to be Lord over?
- What does communion mean to you? How do you celebrate this “meal” that we often partake in to honor Jesus?
- What else stood out to you when it comes to this Chapter of Luke’s Gospel?
Luke 22
Gospel of Luke
Luke 22
Scripture of the Week: Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread draws near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Luke 22:1-2
Observation
In Luke 22, Luke makes the “Passover Feast'' the central theme of the chapter. The Israelites had a number of feasts and celebrations to honor or remember what God had done for them and how God provided for them. The Passover feast celebrates the Israelites Exodus out of slavery in Egypt, specifically during the plagues when the angel of death attacked and killed the first born sons of all Egypt. God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb to eat with their families, and take some of the blood from it and cover their doorposts. When the angel of death went through Egypt, he would see the blood on the door and “passover” their home. Hence the name of the feast, “Passover.”
Luke moves on to talk about how Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with his disciples. Remember, Jesus knows he is nearing his death, and has traveled to Jerusalem to sacrifice his life for the sins of mankind. It is vital to note what Jesus serves his disciples at this Passover feast. There is no sacrificial lamb that they share together. Instead, Jesus serves his disciples the meal that we still partake in to this day. He has a cup of wine and a piece of bread. Jesus says that the cup of wine symbolizes his blood and the bread symbolizes his body. This may sound familiar to you, as this “last supper” that Jesus serves his disciples is what we now call “communion.”
Interpretation
There are connections between the “last supper” Passover meal that Jesus serves his disciples, what Jesus says about himself, and what he is getting ready to do and the Old Testament Passover from Exodus, chapters 11 and 12.
Israel’s Slavery & Humanities Slavery to Sin - The Israelites were still enslaved by the Egyptians during the first Passover Feast. They needed to be rescued from their captors as they were hopeless to overcome them. In the same way, before we knew Jesus, we were slaves to sin and needed to be rescued. Paul writes to us in Romans that we are hopeless to overcome sins grasp on us, without the sacrifice of Jesus.
Sacrificial Passover Lamb & Jesus - For the Passover feast, the Israelites were to get a lamb to sacrifice and prepare. During his Passover feast with his disciples, his “last supper,” Jesus does not serve a sacrificial lamb as He is the sacrificial lamb. He gave himself up to be beaten, crucified, and put to death for us. He sacrificed himself so we all could have life everlasting with Him.
Blood on Doorpost & the Blood of Jesus - Death would “passover” the Israelites homes when it saw the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts. In the same way, we escape certain death when we believe in Jesus and welcome him into our hearts. When we do, the blood of his sacrifice covers us and washes our sins away.
Remain indoors & The Believers covering - The Israelites were protected by the blood of the sacrificial lamb, so long as they remained indoors. We need Jesus and his sacrifice to cover us so that we too can avoid the pitfalls of sin and the death and destruction that follow it.
Application
In Luke 22:19, Jesus tells his disciples to partake in this last supper “in remembrance of [him].” When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and allow his blood to cleanse us, we honor Him and all he has done for us. Without Jesus, we would all be lost in sin and heading for certain death. If you have not accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, would you consider it tonight? For those of us who have accepted Jesus, we often have areas of our life where we are holding him back. Maybe, those doorposts in us don’t have the blood of Jesus covering them. Take time at your tables to discuss these and hand over full control to Jesus and the life that he brings.
Practical Application Questions
- In Luke 22:20, Jesus refers to his sacrifice bringing a “new covenant.” What does it mean to be in covenant with Jesus? What does that look like?
- Do you have any “doorposts” that are not covered by the blood of Jesus? Meaning, are there any areas of your life that you have not allowed Jesus to be Lord over?
- What does communion mean to you? How do you celebrate this “meal” that we often partake in to honor Jesus?
- What else stood out to you when it comes to this Chapter of Luke’s Gospel?