WAS THE LAST SUPPER THE LAST SUPPER?
It must have surprised the disciples to hear Jesus give new words to their centuries old Passover meal tradition. The words over the bread and the cup had been prescribed since Moses and the Israelites had first eaten it in Egypt. They had always seen the Passover meal as a commemoration of God’s deliverance in the past. But now, Jesus taught them that it was always in anticipation of God’s ultimate salvation in the future. And that future fulfillment had come. He was the true Paschal Lamb that all the Passover meals throughout the years had pointed. He had been “eager to eat” it with them one last time before He “suffered” and died on the cross to bring it to its ultimate fulfillment.
But was this truly the last supper? We call it so because it was the last seder meal Jesus ate before His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. Yet, doesn’t this supper point to another supper, namely the marriage supper of the Lamb? The angel told John to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9).
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