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“Take and Eat” // Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:7-20

Mary Ellen Ermis March 27, 2022 Devotionals, sermons, 30 Days to Easter, cityrise, Crosspoint Church - Bellaire, houston, Luke, Matthew, Roger Patterson,

The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at our Crosspoint Church-Bellaire Campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

One of the biggest changes in our home since the flooding of Hurricane Harvey is our kitchen table.  Prior to the flood, we had a “bar height” table with six chairs.  We had that table for 15 years or more.  It was old, scratched, and some of the chairs needed new wood slats.  It has seen many a meal…from family Christmas celebrations, to sprawled out bags of Chick-fil-a served on paper plates as we rush out to a football or baseball practice.

It was a great table where we laughed, cried, prayed and talked about our days.

When the Harvey flood waters receded and we began to put many of our belongings on the curb, we began to chart a course of rebuilding our home.  And in doing so, we decided to update some things.  Though we didn’t put that kitchen table on the curb, we have replaced it.

And now we have a standard height round table.  It too has six chairs, but given that it is round, we haven’t quite figured out our assigned seats just yet.

But there is something about a meal, at a table with family, isn’t there?  There is something special.

Every sense we have is engaged

  • our sense of smell catches the aroma of the meal when we walk in the door.
  • Our sense of hearing enjoys the conversation and picks up the sounds of the spoons or forks hitting the plates.
  • Our eyes see the feast and cause us to put too much on our plate.
  • Our sense of touch is engaged when we hold hands to pray, or when we pick up that fork and prepare to dig in.
  • Our sense of taste enjoys the various experiences it has when the transmitters tell our brain that something is sweet, or salty, rich, or even a tad bitter.

There is something about the meal…at the table…that if we are not careful, we will take for granted.

Today, as we journey through our series called 30 Days to Easter, we are looking at Jesus’ invitation to us to Take and Eat.

Jesus’ Invitations to Us

  1. Come and Follow
  2. Take and Eat
  3. Watch and Pray
  4. Go and Tell

Today, we will focus on Jesus’ Last Supper in the Upper Room with his disciples.  It’s rich, and full, and delightful…because the table represents:

  • God’s judgment,
  • God’s salvation,
  • and God’s victory that brings him glory.

Let’s seek to understand the significance of the table, as we ourselves partake of the Lord’s Supper this morning.

Let’s read Matthew 26:26-28 together.

Matthew 26:26-28

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

This is the briefest account of this moment…but it is here that we see Jesus extend the invitation…take and eat.

This is a profound moment. It is one where Jesus is using the Passover meal to inaugurate something new. So, let’s read Luke 22:7-20 as we fast-forward to Thursday of the Passion Week to better understand this invitation.

Luke 22:7-20

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?” 10 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 11 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?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

The Passover meal was one of three annual feasts that took place in Jerusalem.  The Jews would make a pilgrimage to the Temple and each household, on the 14th day of the first month, would come to the Temple and kill a Passover Lamb at Twilight.  Here’s what I want you to see.

I. The Passover Celebration Pointed Israel Back to the First Passover Table

Let’s read Exodus 12:1-6 together. This sets up the Passover.

Exodus 12:1-6

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

What is God doing here?

In Exodus 12, he is doing two things.

  1. He is instituting an annual feast by which Israel will look back to the first Passover and REMEMBER. God is establishing a Memorial!  That’s why Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Passover meal together…and it is why many Jews will do the same.
  2. The 2nd thing the Lord is doing is he is executing Judgment, salvation and victory that brings him glory.

Read some more of Exodus 12 with me.

Exodus 12:7-11

“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

 So, we see that the Passover meal is to be eaten after the blood of the lamb has been put on the doorposts of the home.

Let’s keep reading…and we will see Judgment, Salvation and Victory.

Exodus 12:12-14

12 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. 13 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.

14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Notice the idea of Judgment in verse 12.

Exodus 12:12

12 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.

…I will execute judgments.

Look at the idea of Salvation as well.

Exodus 12:13

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.

Salvation is to be saved from wrath.  He passed over them and no plague befell them.

So, Moses calls them all together and tells them to go do this.  And then he points them to victory.

Notice verses 24-27.

Exodus 12:24-27

You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Do you see the sense of victory that filled Moses’ heart?

  1. 25 – When you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep…
  2. V. 27 – You shall say…for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel…

The Table where Jesus is sitting with his disciples is a memorial of God’s Judgement on sin, God’s salvation of his people, and the victory that brings him glory.

Now something that we need to keep in mind is that there are 3 annual feasts that were held in Jerusalem.  Faithful Jews from all over Israel, and many even that had been dispersed into other parts of the world, have come to Jerusalem to commemorate the Passover.

And here is the second thing that we need to see today.

II. THIS Passover Celebration Points to Jesus as the final Passover Lamb

Now, stop for a second and just consider the sovereignty of Jesus when he tells his disciples to go and find a man carrying a water jar and ask him where the room for the Passover is.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, estimated that some 2,750,000 people would have been in Jerusalem for the annual feasts.

Now look again at verse 10 of Luke 22.

Luke 22:10

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…

Now listen, they didn’t have a map app on their phone.  They didn’t have Google Maps or Waze to guide them.  They just had to trust what Jesus said and go looking for the man.  And guess what?  They found him just as Jesus said.

Friends, Jesus is in total control of every detail, isn’t he?  He was then, and he is now. Some of you all need to hear that today as you come to the table… as you take and eat. He is sovereign over every detail of your life, and you can trust him!  Trust him! Trust him!

Now I want you to see this table where the Lord is.  As they are celebrating the Passover, he, here in Luke 22, does something similar to what we see the Lord tell Moses to do. Essentially it is the same thing.

  1. He is instituting a feast by which the church will look back to this Passover and REMEMBER. Jesus is establishing a Memorial! 
  2. The 2nd thing that Jesus is doing is he is:
  • enduring Judgment,
  • providing salvation
  • and leading to victory, those who put their faith in him.

Now, why is he doing this?

Because Jesus is adding new meaning at THIS Passover Table to what they traditionally understood the Passover to be.

Notice what Jesus says in Luke 22:14-15.

Luke 22:14-15

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

The words, “Eagerly Desired” is the same word from which we get crave or lust.

It can be literally translated, “I have desired, with desire…”

And it carries with it a powerful emotional longing of the heart.  What is significant about THIS Passover?

MacArthur says…

“In a few hours he would transition from eating a sacrificial lamb to becoming the sacrificial lamb and ushering in a new covenant between God and man. His whole life He had anticipated this hour.”

Look with me at verses 15-20…and let’s see both JUDGEMENT and SALVATION.

Luke 22:15-20

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Notice the word “suffer” in verse 15.  This word means to “EXPERIENCE HARM.”

  • Jesus received a Judgment that He did not deserve, so that we would experience salvation and victory.

And the gospels show us that Jesus was the Passover Lamb who was executed in our place.

Jesus also speaks of salvation through a new covenant.  Look at verse 19-20.

Luke 22:19-20

19 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.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

Two significant elements of the Passover meal are the unleavened bread and the cup.

In Exodus 12, the meal was to be eaten in haste, as the departure from Egypt would come quickly.

The bread was not to be leavened – there was to be no yeast in it, so that the dough would not rise.  Instead, the dough was to be flattened, baked and eaten.

Now it’s also significant to point out that leaven in scripture represents sin.

 The Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 5:6-7…

1 Corinthians 5:6-7

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

In Luke 22, Jesus says that the bread represented his body.  Remember, it is unleavened bread…it is a body without sin.

The Passover Lamb was to be unblemishedAnd the Scripture testifies that Jesus was without sin.

Why is he worthy to be the Passover Lamb for us?  Why is his body able to be sacrificed for us?

Because it is unleavened – without sin!

Jesus also says that the cup represented his blood that is poured out for you.

Luke 22:20 states…

Luke 22:20

20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

A Covenant is a binding treaty between two parties, which required binding action by one or both parties.  And this covenant is a covenant of salvation from the wrath stored up for sin.

Romans 5:9 states…

Romans 5:9

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

My friends, God has taken action by giving us a new Passover Lamb who was sinless, whose blood was poured out and he has offered us a peace treaty with him.  He offers us salvation from the wrath that is stored up for sin.  This is the New Covenant, if we will but come to the TABLE and receive in faith this gift of salvation and everlasting life.

Jesus invites us to TAKE AND EAT.

You see, we are saved from a coming wrath because of the wrath that our Passover Lamb took upon himself.

Just as Israel was saved from a coming wrath when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt, we too are saved from the coming Day of Wrath, when we put our faith in the blood of Jesus.

I want you to see one more thing before we come to the table.

  • We’ve look back at the first Passover Table in Egypt where the people sacrificed a lamb.
  • We’ve looked at the table where Jesus and his disciples are having their final meal together.
  • And I want us to see a reference to another table and another meal together that Jesus makes mention of.

III. This Passover Table Points to Another Table in the Kingdom of God…A Table of Victory.

Look again at Luke 22:15-18.

Slide:  Luke 22:15-18

15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

Do you see the victory?  Notice the references to the Kingdom of God.

  • It is the New Kingdom where Christ is ruling and reigning.
  • And he is going to Host a feast.
  • And it’s a feast of great celebration because of God’s Judgment and Salvation.
  • It’s a table of Victory that brings Glory to God.

See it with me in Revelation 19:6-9.

Revelation 19:6-9

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Look at the Victory.  There is a new table we will sit at – this MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB!

And THIS Table that we celebrate today looks forward to that table, where we will feast and celebrate and Praise God for his Judgment, His Salvation and His Victory for all eternity.

Are you going to be at that table?

Only those who have been redeemed – who have taken Christ as their Savior – they are the ones who will be at that table.

Pray with me – A … B… C…