Introduction

It is the last week of Jesus life.

Tuesday was exhausting, Jesus busiest day of ministry

He returns to the Mt. of Olives,


A feather, wooden spoon, cup and the afikomen!

The Plot, Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were trying to find a way to put Him to death, since they were afraid of the people. 3 And Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who belonged to the number of the twelve. 4 And he left and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he was to betray Him to them. 5 And they were delighted, and agreed to give him money. 6 And so he consented, and began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them away from the crowd.

The Preparation, 7 Now the first day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 And so Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9 They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10 And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him into the house that he enters. 11 And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 And he will show you a large, furnished upstairs room; prepare it there.” 13 And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover

The Passover, 14 When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood

The Prophet, 21 But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. 22 For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23 And they began to debate among themselves which one of them it was who was going to do this.

So What?!

Ritualism is the dead faith of those now living,
Ritual is the living faith of those now dead.

#1. The tragedy of the unforgivable.

“…Satan entered Judas…and he consented…”

#2. The ritual of repentance.

“Go and prepare the Passover for us,”

#3. The ritual of communion.

“This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.

#4. The ritual of sanctification.

“…the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.”

Jesus the Philosopher: Answers for Life
Luke 22:1-23, November 13, 2022

Prayer Requests:

Group Discussion: How did you feel as a kid when you were caught doing something wrong, sorry for doing it or sorry for getting caught?
Read out loud: Luke 22:1-23,
What do you think of the statement: Ritualism is the dead faith of those now living? Do you think anyone ever really realizes it when they’re engaged in ritualism? Have you ever taken communion in a ritualistic way?
Ritual is the living faith of those now dead. What person in your history or even in Church History has inspired you to lead a deeper life with Christ? Would you rather have the faith of Billy Graham so you could share Christ with people or the faith of Mother Teresa and serve the most desperate of people or the faith of President Jimmy Carter and build homes for financially struggling people?
#1. The tragedy of the unforgivable. Judas was Satan possessed, he deserted and sold an innocent man to murderers. The Old Testament says, “An eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.” That was revolutionary, because in the ancient world it was, “You took my eye, I’ll punish you by taking your head. You took my tooth, I’ll knock all of yours out!” Fair and equitable justice was a novel concept. What punishment did Judas deserve for putting to death the God of all creation?
#2. The ritual of repentance. Jesus used the Feast of Unleaven bread and the Passover in the right way, to prepare for freedom from slavery to sin. Just as the Jews were slaves in Egypt and were set free, we are slaves to sin and are set free by Jesus. Is repentance for sin a heart attitude or a physical activity? How often is repentance needed?

#3. The ritual of communion. “This cup…is the new covenant in My blood.” A blood sacrifice was the statement, “May I forfeit my life if I do not keep my promise to you.” It was a picture of judgment for unfulfilled promises. It was used as a statement of payment for sin when the sacrifice was dedicated to God. Jesus became our sacrifice in payment to God for our sin, our substitute payee, and as a statement of commitment to fulfill His promise of salvation and eternal life. How’s your attitude when you’re taking communion? What could you improve?

#4. The ritual of sanctification. “…the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.” As a person set apart to serve God do you ever feel like you’re betraying Him?

Family Time: Read Luke 22:19-20 and serve communion to your family.