Week of March 3, 2024
The Last Supper
Peace invites you to do regular Bible reading as an essential practice in feeding your faith. Through the season of Lent and on through Easter, we will consider the climactic chapters of Luke’s Gospel as we walk with Jesus to Jerusalem, the cross, and the empty tomb. We will see him fulfill his mission of liberating humanity from sin and death. Don’t miss the end of Luke’s telling of God’s grand story … join us in regular reading and reflection on God’s Word!
Monday | Exodus 12:1-30
Passover for Israel can be equated to our Independence Day. What was God doing for Israel (v.17)? Why was the blood put on the doorposts of the homes (vs.22-23)? What sign did that make? What did the sacrifice of the lamb at Passover anticipate (see John 1:29)? What was the original importance of not baking bread with yeast (vs.8,11)? What did removal of the yeast come to signify (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)?
Tuesday | Luke 22:7-38
Jesus shares the Last Supper with his disciples, a Passover meal celebrating God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt and anticipating our being delivered from slavery to sin and death. He also confronts the one-upmanship of the disciples and teaches about greatness through being a servant.
How does Luke indicate in this passage that Jesus remains in control of the event of Holy Week? What are the connections between the Last Supper/Lord’s Supper and the Jewish Passover? What does receiving the Lord’s Supper mean to you? How do people in the upper Midwest measure social status? To what degree is status even important? Give an example of someone you know whose “greatness” has arisen out of their service.
Wednesday | Matthew 26:17-30
This is Matthew’s account of the Last Supper. Compare and contrast it with Luke’s. What was the “blood of the covenant” in the first Passover (see Exodus 12:21-23)? What does the blood of Jesus accomplish for us (see Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7)? What does it mean to live in a covenant relationship with God? How is the Lord’s Supper part of this relationship for you?
Thursday | John 6:25-59
Scholars debate whether and how this teaching of Jesus as the Bread of Life fits into our understanding of the Lord’s Supper. Clearly here Jesus is not specifically referring to the sacrament, but he is speaking to the spiritual power he as heavenly bread offers to us through his Word and Sacrament (v.35). What is the result of “feeding on” Jesus (vs.35-40)? Why was the notion of Jesus as the bread from heaven offensive to some of Jesus’ audience (vs.41-42)? How for you has feeding on Jesus and his Word been life giving? How would Jesus give his flesh for the life of the world (v.51)?
Friday | 1 Corinthians 10:14-17, 11:17-34
Paul addresses a particular problem in the Corinthian church which seems to center in the house churches sharing a bigger meal which included the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, some (probably those of lower social status) were being left out. Paul urges them to make sure that everyone gets included in receiving the Sacrament. The words “This is my body” and “This is my blood” have been understood in different ways by different church bodies. The Lutheran view is that Jesus taught that he is truly present in his Supper. Along with the bread and wine we receive the great mystery of his Real Presence. What does it mean to you to “participate” in the body and blood of Christ? How does this connect you with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection? What do you think the Apostle Paul meant by receiving the Lord’s Supper in an “unworthy manner”? What thoughts and emotions does receiving the Lord’s Supper bring to your mind and heart?
