Bible Study series: Luke 22:7-23. The New Covenant makes the Sinai Covenant obsolete. It changes the world.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 22:7-23
7 And so the day of Passover came, on which it was required to sacrifice the Passover lamb. 8 And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “After you go, prepare for us the Passover meal so we may eat.” 9 But they said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?” 10 And he told them, “Watch! When you enter the city, a man will meet you, carrying an earthenware jar of water. Follow him into the house where he enters. 11 And you will say to the owner of the house, “The teacher tells you, ‘Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large, furnished upper room. Prepare it there.’ 13 After they left, they found everything just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
14 And so when the hour came, he took his place, the apostles with him. 15 Then he said to them, “I have really wanted to eat this Passover with you before I suffered. 16 For I tell you that I shall certainly not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And when he took up the cup and gave thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that I will certainly not drink from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And taking the bread, he gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this for my remembrance.” 20 And after eating, likewise, he did so with the cup, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the New Covenant in my blood.
21 “See, the hand of the one who betrays me is with me at the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes according to what is determined, but woe to that man through whom he is handed over.” 23 And they began to ask each other who this person might be from among themselves, the one who was about to do this. (Luke 22:7-23)
Comments:
7:
Passover … Passover lamb: see v. 1 for more details. The word “lamb” was supplied, but that’s what the Greek implies. Luke is drawing the comparison between Jesus and the Passover lamb. His blood smeared on the door of your heart protects you from God’s judgment at the final judgment. However, please be aware that God is judging / evaluating you every minute of every day. Sometimes he likes what he sees, and at other times he tells you that you need an attitude adjustment.
See Heb. 12: 5-11, which talks about the discipline of the Lord out of his love. And 1 Peter 4:17 says that judgment begins with the household of God—now, here on earth.
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
8-9:
There is nothing wrong with asking for instructions. God does lead step by step. Jerusalem was a busy, crowded place right now. So the fact that he gave these instructions still means they had to watch and observe.
9-10:
“Watch”: it translates the common “behold!” It could be translated: “pay attention” or “be observant.” Some translate it as a mental activity like “consider,” but I like the verbs that connote the eyes.
Luke’s version makes it seem Jesus was getting a “word of knowledge,” which means getting knowledge that one does not know by natural means, like learning, but from the Holy Spirit. However, Matt. 26:17-19 makes things more specific. “Go into the city to such a one.”
2. Gifts of the Spirit: Word of Knowledge
The earthenware jar was full of water, probably used for washing hands, and this was a signal to Peter and John. But it is still remarkable that they met the man at the right time and place, since Jerusalem was so crowded.
“will meet”: it could be translated as “will bump into you,” which expresses a little more randomness.
11-13:
The “owner” could be translated as “master of the house.” It is also a small hint that says Jerusalem respected property rights. Then Peter and John were simply to tell the owner that the Teacher has need of his room. The owner complies. Jesus is in control.
Some believe that this is the Upper Room (or upstairs room) of Pentecost (Acts 1:13), where they had assembled when the Spirit fell on them. But of course the evidence is circumstantial: in the city of Jerusalem and a large upstairs room, but that is all the evidence I can find. No one knows for sure.
“Everything”: this word was supplied. Everything happened as Jesus said, and they prepared the Passover meal.
Incidentally, the Seder dinner was invented after the NT, so they did not eat the Seder meal, as it is currently done.
“disciples”:
Here is the biblical background to the Passover meal:
7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exod. 12:7-13, ESV)
You can apply those verses symbolically to the meal that Jesus ate. For example, the bitter herbs may symbolize the suffering that Jesus was about to suffer. Further, the blood on the door post symbolizes salvation and protection from God’s judgment. V. 5 says the lamb must be unblemished: “Your lamb shall be without blemish ….”
Peter caught on to the meaning of the Passover:
… knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Pet. 1:18-19, ESV)
Here is a summary of the evidence that the early disciples believed Jesus held a Passover Meal:
1.. The meal was eaten in Jerusalem, a Passover requirement.
2.. Jesus and the disciples spent the night in the environs of Jerusalem (Gethsemane), a further requirement.
3.. They reclined on couches, which means it was a festive occasion.
4.. The meal was eaten after sunset, while ordinary meals were in the late afternoon.
5.. The meal ended with a hymn (26:30), and Passover meals closed with the part of the Hallel (Pss. 115-118).
6.. The interpretation of the elements was part of the ritual (Exod 12:26-27).
7.. Giving to the poor was a custom (cf. Matt 26:9; John 13:29).
Source: Grant R. Osborne, Matthew: Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Zondervan, 2010), p. 961, who got the list from Robert J. Stein.
14-16:
My translation “I have really wanted” may be too light. It could read, “I have strongly desired.” Literally, “I desire with a desire.” It is moving that he said this because he knew that this was the Last Supper. He won’t partake of it again until the coming of the kingdom.
“Passover”: “This verse makes it clear that Luke sees a Passover lamb present” (Bock, p. 1719).
“before I suffered”: It is still not clear to the disciples what is about to take place. In the next pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-coh-pea) or section, they are about to get in a dispute about who will be the greatest (vv. 24-30). If they had known that suffering was ahead, they would have helped him in the leadup to his agony.
“fulfilled in the kingdom of God”: the question is—which stage of the kingdom? The very end when the kingdom of God will come on earth in full manifestation and power and glory? Or after his resurrection? It seems the best answer is the full manifestation, in which case he will partake of the Last Supper in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Big meals express final victory. See the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:7-14) and the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24). However, he does eat meals with them after the resurrection, so he may mean this stage of the kingdom.
Stein is right: “This refers to the time of the messianic banquet at the end of history, i.e., when the kingdom is consummated (cf. Mark 14:25; Matt 26:29; 1 Cor 11:26). This same thought is repeated in Luke 22:18” (comment on v. 16).
3 The Kingdom Is in the Future
In this context, it speaks of the future kingdom, but Mark 14:25 implies that the kingdom will come in fuller glory at the resurrection, but not complete glory.
Bible Basics about the Kingdom of God
Questions and Answers about Kingdom of God
Basic Definition of Kingdom of God
1 Introducing the Kingdom of God (begin a ten-part series)
17-18:
“cup”: It was a literal cup, but it stands in for the wine and then the blood (Matt. 20:22-23 and Mark 10:38-39). See vv. 19-20, below, for more discussion.
He said “take this” about the cup. He did not say “this blood,” indicating that this was his blood. He did not even say it in v. 20. Yes, he said in Matthew’s version of the wine: “Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant” (Matt. 26:26-28). And Mark says the same, but with a slight variation (Mark 14:22-25). However, Luke softens the direct pronouncement: “Take this [cup] and share it among yourselves.” And in v. 20 he says, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the New Covenant ….” He does not say “this blood is the New Covenant.” Therefore, we don’t need to overread it and see any kind of miracle transformation under the appearance of the blood. Now what about the bread? Let’s wait until v. 19.
Indeed, most scholars see two cups (vv. 17 and 20), while Matt. 26:26-30 and Mark 14:22-26 have only one cup. At the traditional Passover meal, four cups were drunk, but Jesus reduced it to two, one before the meal (v. 17), and one after the meal (v. 20).
19-20:
The typical Jewish prayer of thanksgiving: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth” (m.Ber. 6:1).
Jesus is about to accomplish his redemptive sacrifice which will launch his New Covenant community. The whole ethos is about to change—or begin to change. It will take at least two thousand years for the launch to reach us today. Jesus is about to fulfill the Exodus theology, which we saw in his temptation victory over Satan (Luke 4:1-13).
The OT background are found in these verses:
First, Moses already instituted the Sinai Covenant, and the Ten Commandments thundered down from on high, so he sprinkles blood to ratify the covenant:
And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” (Exod. 24:8, ESV)
It will shock these twelve Jewish disciples when Jesus says to drink (symbolically) his blood.
Next, Moses said about blood:
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. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.” (Lev. 17:11-12, ESV)
Heb. 9:22 says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
Finally, Jeremiah prophesied the New Covenant. The key clause is the forgiveness of iniquity and remembering our sins no more:
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:33-34, ESV)
Hebrews 8 also quotes Jer. 31:31-34.
Now let’s return to the real purpose of the entire passage. As noted in v. 1, just before the Exodus, the blood of the lamb was spread on the doorframe (Exod. 12:1-29, 43-51), and Jesus is taking his cue from this theology and replacing the lamb’s blood with his own blood. His sacrifice is once and for all (Heb. 9:26) and eternal (Heb. 9:12). It does not to be done every year or every time we take Communion.
“New Covenant”:
At my post on the New Covenant, I defined a covenant in this way:
Out of his great love for his highest creation, people, God unilaterally reaches out to them and initiates an unalterable legal agreement, in which he stipulates the terms that reveal how he relates to people, and they to him.
More simply:
A covenant is an unalterable legal agreement, in which God stipulates the terms that reveal how he relates to people, and they to him.
Further, here are the differences between the Sinai Covenant and the New Covenant, in table form. The comparisons from the New Covenant’s point of view, looking back on the Old, in a fuller perspective.
| Categories | Old Sinai Covenant | New Covenant |
| Duration | Temporal | Everlasting |
| Conditional | Yes | No |
| Grace and Faith | Yes | Yes |
| Moral Law | Yes | Yes |
| Written | In stone | On hearts and minds |
| Ratified | By blood of animals | By the blood of Christ |
| Number of Sacrifices | Countless numbers | One sacrifice forever |
| Mediator | Moses | Jesus |
| Holy Spirit | No permanent indwelling | Permanent indwelling |
| Being Born Again | No | Yes |
| Life in the Spirit | Intermittent or minimal or not at all | Permanent and powerful |
| Approach to God | Through Aaron the high priest and his successors | Through Christ our High Priest |
| Celebrated | By sacrifices (looking forward) | By communion (looking back to the cross) |
| Fulfilled and Replaced | Yes | Never |
| Adapted and much expanded from Geisler, p. 1393 | ||
The New Covenant is superior and better than the Old, as the epistle of Hebrews teaches. The main point is that life in the Spirit is the whole project and new way that God grants to people in the New Covenant (Luke 24:49; John 20:22; entire book of Acts; Rom. 8; Gal. 5). People of the Old Covenant did not have life in the Spirit, in the same way, both extensive and intensive, as do people of the New.
What Does the New Covenant Retain from the Old?
Do Christians Have to ‘Keep’ the Ten Commandments?
Ten Commandments: God’s Great Compromise with Humanity’s Big Failure
One Decisive Difference Between Sinai Covenant and New Covenant
“given for you”: this is an allusion to Christ’s substitution on the cross. Our sins mean that we deserved death. But he took our place—a substitute—by dying on the cross. This is known as the substitutionary atonement.
“for my remembrance”: it expresses purpose. I could translate it as “for my memorial, as if Jesus is telling us to remember his death. So we eat the bread and drink the wine to remember what he did for us.
I have looked at the Synoptic passages in more detail, here:
The Lord’s Supper in Synoptic Gospels + Church Traditions
Why Our Churches Must Consider Communion Elements and Baptismal Waters As Sacred
21-23:
Some interpreters believe Judas was cursed, as seen in the word “woe.” But I agree with grammarians and NT scholars Culy, Parsons, and Stigall, who say that the interjection “introduces an expression of pity for him who stand under divine judgment” (p. 673). Right now, at this time in his life, Judas does indeed stand under divine judgment. However, a short time later he repents and shows his repentance by giving back the money. He even says, “I have sinned.” Matthew fills out the picture:
3 Then, when Judas, the one who betrayed him, saw that he was condemned, moved with remorse, returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying I have sinned, betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself!” 5 And after he threw the silver coins into the temple, he withdrew and went away and hanged himself. (Matt. 27:3-5, ESV, emphasis added)
The phrase “moved with remorse” comes from the one verb metamelomai (pronounced meh-tah-meh-lo-my). BDAG is considered by many to be the authoritative lexicon of the Greek NT, and it defines the verb thus: (1) “To have regret about something, in that sense that one wishes it could be undone, be very sorry, regret” (Matt. 27:3; 2 Cor. 7:8ab; Matt. 21:29, 32; (2), “to change one’s mind about something, without focus on regret, change one’s mind, have second thoughts”; (Matt. 21:29, 32; Heb. 7:21). BDAG says Matt. 27:3 belongs to the first definition. That’s fair because Judas exhibited regret and remorse. Giving back the money is a further act of repentance. He also confessed his sin.
It is a pity that he was so confused and distraught that he hanged himself before he could get restored, as Peter was. However, I do not believe that he necessarily and automatically went straight to hell, by virtue of his committing suicide or even the betrayal. Suicide does not mean automatic hell in some conditions. However, a strong argument can be made that he stood outside God’s mercy because of his betrayal and did go to hell, when Judas is contrasted with Peter’s restoration. Yet Judas’s betrayal fulfilled some sort of divine plan announced in Scripture (26:54, 56), which does not, however, necessarily exempt him from condemnation.
However, the commentators in Matthew’s Gospel do not hold out hope:
Scroll down to 27:3-10
And alas, John 17:12 says Judas was lost.
GrowApp for Luke 22:7-23
1. Jesus was in control of the plan to meet the owner of the house where they were to eat the Passover. Do you believe he has a plan for you? How have you followed his directions?
2. How meaningful is communion to you? Do you take it regularly?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 