ONLY THE ABBA KNOWS - PART 4

LUKE 22:14-27

A  FORETASTE OF THE FEAST TO COME

¹⁴When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. ¹⁵Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
¹⁷Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
¹⁹And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
²⁰Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. ²¹But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. ²²And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"
²³Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
²⁴Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. ²⁵And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' ²⁶But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. ²⁷For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

Based upon an archaic translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the doctrine of "the Rapture" teaches that true believers will be lifted bodily into the heavens just before "the Tribulation." All non-believers will be "Left Behind" (http://www.leftbehind.com/). Such an escape from earthly trials is particularly appealing when troubles mount. 
Jesus speaks of the true "rapture" or joy that will come at the time of His return. The Lord's Supper is a foretaste of that great Feast to come, a feast "for all peoples," after the LORD of Hosts has swallowed up death for ever and wiped away tears from all faces, 

·                     Isaiah 25:6-9.

·                     v.6 - "wine on the lees" -sediment during fermentation. "fat things full of marrow" - grease. Best wine and best 'marbled' beef. 

·                     v.8 - "swallow up death" - shroud, shadow, disgrace removed forever! 

·                     Rev. 21:5 - "Behold, I make all things new" 

·                     Matt. 22:10 ff. - So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

·                     Mark 2:18-22 - "Why do…your disciples not fast?" The Pharisees and John's disciples were fasting as a sign of penitence for Israel's sins. But Jesus points out that He is the Bridegroom and in His presence there is only joy.

·                     Luke 19:1-9 - "So he (Zaccheus) made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully." Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. He came to save the lost, not to condemn them. 

·                     Luke 22:14 - "He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him." Consider the motley, diverse group He had gathered: e.g.

·                     Peter, Andrew, James and John - lower-class fishermen

·                     Judas Iscariot (from sicarius, assassin)  

·                     Simon the Zealot – one of the rebels

·                     Philip - Greek name, suggesting a family trying to be Hellenistic

·                     Bartholomew or Nathaniel - middle class (and middle-of-the-road)
Normally men with such diverse social backgrounds and political views never come together for a meal.

·                     22:21 - "behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me" - Why did Judas betray Jesus if he was indeed a zealot, seeking to overthrow Rome? Could he have been trying to force Jesus to reveal His messianic power, call down a legion of angels (Matthew 13:49-50), destroy the wicked and usher in the Kingdom? But afterwards Judas realized his grievous error and hanged himself in despair. God had not fulfilled the schemes and dreams of the zealots! Rather, God so loved the word that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16-17), not to condemn the world, but to save it. 

·                    1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 -"Rapture"-from the Greek: harpazo- is better translated as seize, snatch away. The entire passage is a Gospel message to comfort those who feared that their loved ones who are "dead in Christ" would not share in the resurrection at Christ's Second Coming. They will not be separated at Christ's return. That Coming will be loud, public and final. Ironically the "Rapture" doctrine alters this teaching into a theology of escape and separation of saints from sinners. Instead of a Gospel message of hope it is turned into a message of Law, threatening those who disagree with 'left behind' theology that they will be punished. 

·                    v.13 - "concerning those who have fallen asleep" - the dead. Grief is normal, but in Christ there is hope.

·                    v.16 - "with a loud command" - military term. "voice of the archangel" - see Jude 9. 

·                    "the trumpet call" - see Matt. 24:31.

·                    "the dead in Christ will rise first" - see 1 Corinthians 15:23 - each in his own time. 15:24 - then the end comes! 

·                    v.17 - "caught up" - Latin: rapere; hence "rapture"…

·                    "in the clouds" - see Ex. 16:10; 24:16. Also Mark 9:7 - Transfiguration. 

Discussion: 
1. Why does the idea of "Rapture" appeal to so many in our day? 
2. Do you find Jesus ever speaking in any of His recorded sayings in the Gospels about a "rapture" before His return? If not, why not? 
3. What is suggested by the image "a feast for all peoples" ? 
4. How does this image contrast with the view of the Pharisees toward Gentiles? 
5. What did the Pharisees imply when they accused Jesus of eating with tax collectors and sinners? 
6. What was the goal of the zealot movement in Jesus' day? 
7. Are there any similar political movements in our day? How do they compare? 
8. What do you feel was Judas' motivation for betraying Jesus? 
9. Are there any religious people with the same motives in our day? 
10. What words of comfort does the 1 Thess.4 passage speak to you?