1. What stood out to you from this chapter?
This is a part of the Scriptures that I feel like I know really well. Not only is it read and acted out every Easter, but because the death and resurrection of Jesus are pivotal to all of Christianity, I feel like these final chapters of the gospels are almost always being referenced and read. Still, as I read this chapter today, what stood out to me was the fact that the Passover celebration was just taking place. Passover is a Jewish holiday that was celebrated every year to remind the Jews of how God had sent the final plague when they were slaves in Egypt which ultimately led to their freedom. The plague? - the angel of death that killed the firstborn male in each houshold unless the family heeded God's warning to smear the blood of a pure lamb above the doorpost and on the gate. That's really what the last supper was: a celebration of this holiday. And even though I knew this connection before, Jesus was about to die on a cross, and we would be made pure and clean through his blood. In fact, John the Baptist even announces early on, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." It was perfect timing that Jesus would shed his blood on the Passover holiday.
2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?
The words Jesus speaks during the last supper are almost verbatim what most Christian churches say when celebrating communion in church services. But there is another place in Scripture that also states it in very similar words: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. It's pretty much the same.
3. What does this mean for my life?
Well, I can often relate to Peter. It's so easy to make a pledge to do something for Christ in a moment of passion or at an event with a lot of emotions involved. But inevitably I fall sometimes. Sometimes it's not denying Christ to others, but sometimes I let things slide when I have "resolved" to take a stand for Christ in a certain area. Something like, "Jesus if you do _______, I'll never do _____________ again." Instead I should just live your life in honor to God and trust fully in his grace and forgiveness when we fall.
4. What questions do I have about this Chapter?
During the Last Supper, Jesus says, "woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." What is Jesus referring to? I assume it means the agony they will experience in hell.
That's it for today. Keep digging in!
In Christ,
Dan
image from http://www.jaydax.co.uk/lastsupper/lastsupp.jpg
There is so much that happens in this passage!!! One of the craziest things to me is that, all along, Jesus knew that his disciples would desert Him and yet He still mentored and cared for them. That is hard to comprehend. If I knew that someone would ultimately desert me if a hard time came along, I don't think I would invest much in them. Verse 37 has always struck me- "... and [Jesus] began to to be filled with anguish and deep distress." It is so much easier to picture Jesus as the strong, confident teacher, but this reminds us that Jesus didn't want to go through this ordeal. What human would? And if He is both God and man, then He should be allowed to be afraid since what was to come was not going to be pretty! It is good for us to see Jesus as a real person, too. That was we can really know that He can relate to us humans- the only God who can!
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