Remember the New Covenant

Luke 22:1-23 Key Verse: 20


1. Read verses 1-6. What did the Passover celebration commemorate? (1, Ex 12:17, 26-27; Dt 16:5-6)
Verse 1, 1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,
Exodus 12:26-27 “26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.”


Deuteronomy 16:5-6 “5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a] of your departure from Egypt.”
The Passover was the cornerstone of Israel's faith. It was when God showed his love for his people. God freed his people from bondage in Egypt. The Angel of the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites where the blood of a lamb was painted on the door posts.
What were the religious leaders doing? (2)
Verse 2, “”and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some ways to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.”
Instead of preparing for the Passover and preparing their hearts they were preparing to commit murder and figuring a way to get rid of Jesus. Jesus had rebuked them and revealed their wicked heart towards God. Instead of repenting they hardened their hearts in order to get rid of Jesus.
Why did they want to capture Jesus when he was not with the crowd?
The religious leaders were more afraid of the people who loved Jesus as a popular leader as opposed to the religious leaders loving God and the word of God more than their own popularity. If they arrested Jesus in public the crowd would rebel and save Jesus. The religious leaders forgot their duty to teach the spiritual meaning of Passover. Their thinking was not right in the light of God.
Luke 22:53 “53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.””
What did Judas do? (3-4)
Verse 3-4, “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.”
Satan entered Judas and he made a decision to betray Jesus and went to the Chief Priests to help them in their wicked direction.
Why did he do this? (5-6, Jn 12:6)

Verse 5-6, “They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.”
John 12:6, “6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
Also Jesus’ rebuke reveals that Judas’ was only looking out for his own interests. Judas had been with Jesus for 3 years. Judas had seen his miracles and should have been Jesus' friend. Instead Judas' heart was self-serving and when it was clear Jesus wasn’t what Judas wanted, Judas, an opportunist decided to move on.


Prayer is a clear sign of our faith and trust in God. When we pray, we admit we are weak and we need God s help. Without prayer, we are vulnerable to Satan's attacks. This is true no matter how many Bible students we have, how much Scripture we know, or how loud we sing the praise songs. To stand firm in the faith has little to do with outward appearances, but is a matter of the heart.


2. Read verses 7-13. Who prepared the Passover for Jesus and the disciples? (7)
Verse 7, “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover Lamb had to be sacrificed.”
Jesus prepared everything. Jesus prepared the Passover to be eaten exactly as Jesus wanted it to be—in private with his disciples.
How did they find the place where Jesus would eat the Passover? (8-12)
Verse 8-12, “8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” 9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. 10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.””
Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to find a man carrying a jar of water. They followed him to his house and had the Passover at the upper room of his house after asking for the teacher to use it to eat the Passover.
How was the place of meeting kept secret?
Jesus only sent two disciples--the top two trusted disciples Peter and John. He also had them look for a sign of a man carrying a jar of water and follow him. In this way no one would know where the location was until they arrived.
Why?
This way Judas could not alert the religious leaders and have Jesus arrested before it was his time.
How did they show faith and obedience? (13)

Verse 13, “They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”
The whole premise seemed a bit strange for them to just go blindly into Jerusalem and follow someone to their house. But they trusted Jesus and obeyed his command and found the place God provided. Peter and John were used very preciously at this important time.

3. Read verses 14-16. Why did Jesus eagerly want to eat the Passover with his disciples? (14-15)
Verse 14-15, “When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
This was to be Jesus’ last time together with his disciples. This was the last time before his coming arrest, crucifixion, and death. Jesus wanted to teach them the true meaning of the Passover and how he was the final Passover lamb. Jesus wanted to help them remember what Jesus had been talking about during his time with them.
When and where would he eat the Passover with them again? (16, Rev 19:6-7)

Verse 16, ”For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

Revelation 19:6-7, “6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. ”
The disciples and Jesus would eat together again at the resurrection – the Wedding of the Lamb and the Church in heaven.

4. Read verses 17-20. How is Jesus like the Passover lamb? (17-18, Ex 12:12-13; Jn 1:29; 1Cor 5:7b)
Verse 17-18, “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. ”
Exodus 12:12-13
“12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
John 1:29
“29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
1 Corinthians 5:7
“Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Jesus is like the Passover Lamb. In a sense we now have the blood of Jesus painted on our hearts for those who believe. We did not have to prepare anything, we just received the grace of Jesus shed blood. Jesus was prepared by God ahead of time. His blood was pure and sinless, like a sacrificial lamb. His blood was the atonement for our sins—the final, perfect, and only offering that completed the payment for sins. Jesus was given in our places like the Passover Lamb.
What does the broken bread symbolize? (19, Jn 6:51, 63b)
Verse 19, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.””
Jesus has given his body as the perfect Passover lamb. His body will be broken on the cross and will bear the burden of the sin of the world. The old Passover lamb was like a band-aid trying to heal the wounds of our sin. Only by sacrificing his body on the cross could our sin truly be taken away.
John 6;51, “51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.””
Jesus’ sacrifice also leads to eternal life. Those who accept it and live in Jesus’ sacrifice receive eternal life from him.
John 6:63b, “63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[a] and they are life.”
Only Jesus speaks the truth and only his sacrifice gives eternal life. Through accepting his words we have eternal life when we have his word in us.
What does the cup symbolize? (20, Lev 17:11; Heb 9:14-15,22)
Verse 20, “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”
Lev 17:11, “11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”
The wine symbolizes blood. Jesus’ blood poured out is the atonement for our sins. This is holy and acceptable offering to God.
Hebrews 9:14-15, “14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[a] so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. ”
The blood symbolizes the completion of the first covenant and is the blood of Jesus Christ.
What is the new covenant in Jesus' blood? (Ex 24:8; Jer 31:31-34)


Exodus 24:8, “8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.””
The Old Covenant was when Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The new covenant in Jesus blood is not a contractual covenant—in it we have relationship with God and God has done all the work through Jesus Christ. The new covenant in Jesus’ blood is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant God made with Abraham. It is God keeping his promise and his word.
Jeremiah 31:31-34, “31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to[a] them,[b]” declares the LORD. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.””


The New Covenant is one of grace and forgiveness and involves the transformation of the inner person.

5. Read verses 21-23. What prophecy did Jesus make? (21-22)
Verse 21-22, “21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.””
That one of his disciples was going to betray him. Judas had a chance to repent even up to this moment but chose not to.
What blinded Judas to Jesus' love?
Jesus gave Judas one last chance to repent before he did his evil deed. But his pride, love of money and hardened heart towards the grace of God blinded Judas. Ultimately Judas was not listening to the amazing grace of Jesus' New Covenant.
What reveals the disciples' ignorance of themselves, and lack of understanding of Jesus? (23)
Verse 23, “23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.”
They had lived with each other 3 years but did not know each other on a spiritual level. Also they did not understand who Jesus was and why he had to be betrayed.
What can we say about their spiritual level? (24)

Still like children. (as seen by the next verse in arguing who is greater) instead of trying to understand Jesus’ spiritual words.

6. What does it mean to be a covenant people?
A covenant people are people chosen by God.
To have a covenant relationship with Jesus? (1Peter 2:9)

A royal preiethood – chosen by God to represent God to the world.