This message from Luke 22:14-27 was delivered by Pastor Rod Harris at Trinity Baptist Church on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2015.
Intro:
It was a time for feasting, celebrating and remembering the deliverance of God. A time for families to gather about the table as the head of the family retold the old, old story of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Special foods had been prepared and arranged for the celebration. A thick paste of dates, raisins and apples reminded them of the mortar and bricks of Egypt. Bitter herbs reminded them of the bitterness of slavery. The Paschal Lamb was the symbol of the blood that caused the death angel to “passover.” Yes, this was a night of solemn remembrance and a night of rejoicing.
A small band of brothers gathered with their master in an upper room to celebrate the Passover meal. For the past three years they have traveled with this rabbi. They have been amazed at the power and the beauty of his message. They stood in awe of his authority to command the winds and the waves. Through wet eyes they watched as he opened the eyes of the blind, made the lame to walk and even raised the dead. Now with troubled hearts and minds they are trying to make sense of the events of the past week. Increasingly he has talked of his coming death. Excited and frightened, thrilled and horrified they gathered. They gathered to partake of the Passover ritual. The centuries old tradition of recounting God’s deliverance of his people. From their earliest days they have gathered on this night to remember. Year after year recounting the same story yet each of them knew, instinctively, that this night was different but they were unprepared for followed.
Our text this morning is found in Luke’s gospel chapter 22.
Text: Luke 22:1-27
These are sacred moments.
Our Lord is in the Holy Place fast approaching the Holy of Holies.
God’s eternal plan of the ages is approaching its climax.
There is a sense in which I feel the urge to speak in hushed tones.
I get the sense that I am intruding on a sacred moment.
Yet by God’s design these events are recorded for us and given as a sacred treasure.
A treasure revealing the wonder and glory of our Savior.
Our problem is that we are too familiar with this passage.
We can tell the story and repeat every detail.
We speak dispassionately about the betrayal. We glibly recount the details of the meal and the establishment of a new memorial. I have to ask, “Do we stop and meditate? Do we consider the ramifications of the events in that room that night 2000 years ago?”
Do me a favor, do yourself a favor, and look at this passage with new eyes.
See it as if you have never seen it before.
Experience what these men experienced that night.
In looking at this text we discover that:
Thesis: As the drama of redemption unfolds a clear picture of our Lord emerges as sovereign, savior and servant.
The drama unfolds in three parts.
- An act of unspeakable betrayal. (22:1-6, 21-23; John 13)
The Gospel portrays the Lord Jesus not as the hapless victim but as the sovereign Lord. - The price of redemption. (22:7-20)
The Gospel sets forth the Lord Jesus as the gracious Savior willingly laying down his life for his own. - A shocking reality. (22:24-27)
The Gospel reveals the Lord Jesus not as some petty authority demanding recognition but as a gracious servant serving the ignorant and underserving.
In the passage before us we find the institution of the Lord’s Supper but it is much more than that. It is a revelation of the Lord Jesus as Sovereign, Savior and Servant.