"THE LORD'S LAST SUPPER" 
(PASSOVER MEAL)
      By Evangelist Diana Gray
Copyright (c) 2001, All Rights Reserved
 KJV Bible Verses Used

     Matthew 26:17-19 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.  19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
     Wouldn’t it have felt thrilling, to have been at the Last Passover Meal with the twelve disciples and Jesus Christ, the Son of God?  Just think of the emotions of all those who were to attend this special Jewish meal.  Were they happy with a joyousness of a holiday feast or were they quite,  respecting the seriousness of the occasion?  I believe that they might have been excited at being in Jerusalem who’s Passover celebrating must have included a lot of laughter and debauchery.  Just the crowds alone must have been crushing at times while trying to maneuver in the noisy streets and byways.
     Before the meal, there had to have been  some necessary groundwork for this eight day feast of unleavened bread, ( bread that had no yeast of leaving in it which could make it rise.)  This special Jewish, religious feast, began with a unique dinner to commemorate the flight from Egypt and all of its sinful influences. Leaving Egypt the Israelite people had to make an unleavened bread for the quick departure.
    The disciples according to custom would have made a great show of searching the room for any crumbs and flour of the leaving yeast, (this represented sin.)  If any yeast was found they would have made a great show of discarding it out into a burning fire.  This ceremony was done to demonstrate that the yeast or Sin, which it represented, had been cast out of the room and out of their lives. 
     This ceremonial cleansing was done as a physical action  rather than a humbleness of the heart in repentance of sin.   Today we too make preparations for the Lord’s Supper by asking the Lord for forgiveness of our sins, and preparing our hearts by sinful confession in humble prayer.  We must always come to the table after examine ourselves before the Lord.  If we find any sin by thought, word or deed we must confess that sin asking for forgiveness so that we may be forgiven to enter into His presence ready to receive our spiritual cleansing.  All of this had to be done during the daytime because  Passover  began on a Thursday right at sundown according to Jewish law.
     John 13:1-5 Now Before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of the world, he loved them unto the end.  2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.  5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 
     Jesus was giving all generations to come a perfect of example of humility in this display of lowly servitude.  The greatest person and Lord in Jesus Christ humbled himself and did service by washing the disciple’s feet.  Feet that had walked on dirty city streets through unsanitary conditions, not to mention men of low class such as Matthew who had been a despised tax collector.  Men who weren’t of rich and royal households.  What an honor!  Jesus not only washed their feet but He even used the very towel that He had wrapped Himself in.  This was such a beautiful moment for all of them.  He was showing that we all need to humble ourselves below others in love and service like that.  What great beauty and total love that moment was!
     John 13:6-11 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answereded and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.  8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet, Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.  11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 
      The disciples appeared speechlessly and humbled by what they were witnessing.  They were all shocked by what Jesus had just done for them, washing their feet.  The disciples, (meaning "learners") were the students of Jesus yet He was washing their feet.  What could this mean? They were subordinate to Him, yet He their Jesus,  Lord and Master, had just (shockingly) washed their very own feet!
    John 13:12-17 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.  14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye alwo ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.  16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
     Jesus was trying to explain that when one had been "cleansed by regeneration," he only needed to wash off the daily sin.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior by asking Him to come into our heart forgiving us of our sin, then from that time on, we only need ask for forgiveness of daily sins.  Our initial "regeneration" cleaned us of all sins so that daily asking for forgiveness of the sins that we occur daily is enough.  That is why the feet were all that needed to be cleansed.
     Matthew 26:20-22 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 
     If the disciples had all been in a happy festive mood this question would have surly dampened their merry making spirits.  This startling surprise statement instantly made each one there search their hearts in a troubled self examination.  Who could it be?  Surely no one here would do such a thing or could they?  Who was it they all wondered all except the one who would soon reveal himself without realizing that the Lord knew his sinister, traitorous plans.
      Matthew 26:23-25  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man in he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Mastor, is it I?  He said unto him, Thou hast said.
     Why would Judas ask this question when he knew fully well what he was about to do?  He seemed shocked that Jesus knew his plans!   Still in his heart he was not quite believing it.  Judas asked out of pretense, what was his problem?  Recognizing Jesus as a teacher rather than Christ His Messiah.  Jesus was never Lord of his life nor his eternal hope.  Judas was the worst of all sinners yet Jesus still offered him a chance for his immortal soul.
     Everyone had self doubts but only one would have felt any true conviction such as Judas Iscariot being one of the twelve disciples.  Everyone there was shocked and desperately hoped that they were not this terrible person that Jesus had just mentioned.  It troubled their hearts and made them question their own beliefs in sorrowful self examination but they never felt the spiritual power of conviction. 
     Jesus was giving Judas one final chance to repent and save himself.  So why didn’t Judas come forward?  Like many people today, he was in total denial.  He was already blinded by his own sin and had his focus off of the Lord and onto his own sinful desires. 
     Jesus and these twelve disciples had become like a family, each one loving and trusting the other.  How many meals had they shared together as a family? After three years of being mentored by Jesus whom they had come to love, they all had dipped into the common Passover Meal bowl as one big loving family.  Everyone loved each other except the soon to be betrayer.
     Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. 
     Judas would go ahead anyway hoping to gain monetary gain only to loose it all including his very own soul.  Jesus out of his love, was offering Judas Salvation only to have Judas reject the one who loved him most.  How sad, if only he had stopped to think for a minute and fall down at the feet of Jesus begging for forgiveness instead of going through with his dastardly betrayal.  Even in evilness God in His infinite glory and plans can bring  about good out of a seemingly bad situation.  In this case the Salvation of the world by the shed blood of Jesus Christ the final sacrificial lamb.
     Matthew 26:26-29 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
     Normally customary religious words would have been said and certain foods eaten like lamb, horseradish, bitter herbs and such, but  something new happened.  Jesus broke with tradition to introduce a new custom for all Christians everywhere, the "Passover Lord’s Supper."  (This Special Holy Supper is three things…)

1.)     The Lord’s Supper: It is a reminder of this last meal that Jesus was at before his death upon the cross.
2.)     It is the Thanksgiving Eucharist: We are reminded to be thankful for all that the Lord has done for us 
          in giving us Salvation and one day coming back again for His bride the believing Christian church.
3.)     Communion:  We are reminded that when we take this meal we are communing with the Lord 
          strengthening our relationship with Him.

     The Lord  Jesus said, "this is my body," He was speaking the symbol of His body and life that would be sacrificed at the cross for all of us.  He loved us enough to die so that we might eternally live in Heaven with Him. 
     When He told the disciples to take the cup of wine, it represented His blood which was to be shed for the remission for our various sins.  When Jesus died on the cross we then had a blessed release of sins.   The same release of sins as when an animal was sacrificed at the Holy Temple by a priest of God.  Jesus was the final sacrificial lamb who’s life and blood was shed for many.  Every time that we celebrate the Lord’s supper we are celebrating this Last Passover Meal in remembrance of Jesus Christ.
    The very last thing that they did was to sing a hymn to the Lord and leave for the Mount of Olives.  What must all of these special men have been thinking and feeling?  We know that Jesus was going to the Mount of Olives for a final time of deep prayer and preparation.  How serious the mood must have been as they all couldn’t have helped observing Jesus’ attitude.  The sadness He must have felt knowing that Judas was at that very moment betraying him.  Yet Jesus knew it must happen this way to prepare for the beginning of that which He came, the Salvation of the world by His death on the cross and glorious resurrection three days later.