Jesus I Will Not Drink Again

ix. The Lord'southward Supper and the Neat Banquet (Luke 22:16, 18; Matthew 26:29)

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
http://www.jesuswalk.com/lords-supper/9_banquet.htm
Audio (xiv:22)
http://www.jesuswalk.com/mp3files/lords-supper/9_banquet.mp3

Danny Richard Hahlbohm (American creative person, 1949- ), "The Invitation," available as a poster.

"I tell you, I will non drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it afresh with you in my Begetter'due south kingdom." (Matthew 26:29 || Mark fourteen:25)

"¹⁴When the hr came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ^fifteenAnd he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to swallow this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶For I tell you lot, I volition not swallow information technology again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.' ¹⁷Later on taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this and divide information technology among you. ¹⁸For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' (Luke 22:16-18)

"For whenever you swallow this staff of life and potable this cup, you proclaim the Lord's decease until he comes." (one Corinthians 11:26)

In each of the Synoptic Gospels and in 1 Corinthians 11, the Words of Establishment expect forward to a fulfillment in the future. A key element in our own commemoration of the Lord's Supper is hereafter-looking besides. Allow's explore this.

Jewish Expectation of the Great Feast

An expectation of the Great Feast on the Terminal Day began possibly with a wonderful prophecy from Isaiah, clearly eschatological, that is, speaking of the Last Days:

"On this mountain the LORD Almighty will set up
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a feast of anile wine--
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the canvass that covers all nations;
he will swallow upwardly death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth." (Isaiah 25:6-8)

You lot observe echoes of this prophecy in the Quondam Testament and the New, finally beingness fulfilled in Revelation with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation nineteen:6-ix) and the New Heavens and the New Globe (Revelation 21:4).

It'south pretty clear from the Bible and from Jewish rabbinical literature that at to the lowest degree the Pharisees in Jesus' time had a potent expectation of this Great Feast later the resurrection:

• "Blessed is the human being who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God" (Luke 14:fifteen), comment past a dinner companion.
• Yahweh will recline at tabular array, the patriarchs and the righteous at His feet,² and "They will recline at tabular array and swallow in Gan Eden,"³ rabbinical commentary on Exodus.
• "At the last coming he will lead out Adam and the patriarchs and bring them (into the paradise of Eden) that they may rejoice, as when a man invites his friends to eat with him, and they come and speak with 1 some other before the palace, joyously awaiting his banquet, the enjoyment of adept things, of immeasurable wealth and joy and happiness in light and everlasting life,"ⁱⁱⁱ pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch
• "Ascension and stand up, and see at the feast of the Lord the number of those who have been sealed," Old Attestation Apocyrpha.⁴
• "The feast of our God, which He will gear up for the righteous, has no stop,"⁵ Midrash on Esther.

Jesus' Teaching on the Great Banquet

It was in this context that Jesus taught. He often alluded to the Bully Feast in the Kingdom of God, both in parables and in direct comments. For example:

• Parable of the Corking Banquet. At a dinner to which Jesus was invited, he told his host not to invite those who could invite him dorsum then that he would be rewarded "at the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:14). Ane of the guests remarked: "Blessed is the man who volition consume at the feast in the kingdom of God" (Luke 14:xv). Jesus followed with the Parable of the Cracking Banquet (Luke xiv:18-24, partial parallel in Matthew 22:2-14), the point of which was that the Jews (who had been invited to the banquet but made excuses) would exist displaced by the Gentiles.
• Reward for the Apostles. "And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred ane on me, then that you may eat and beverage at my tabular array in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:29-30)
• Teachings on Inclusion and Exclusion. "People will come from east and west and n and s, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God." (Luke 13:29-30 || Matthew 8:11)
• Parable of the Delayed Householder. "It will exist expert for those servants whose primary finds them watching when he comes. I tell you lot the truth, he volition dress himself to serve, will accept them recline at the table and volition come and wait on them." (Luke 12:37)
• Parable of the Ten Virgins. "And while they went to purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were set went in with him to the marriage banquet; and the door was close."^half-dozen (Matthew 25:10)
• Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side...." (Luke 16:22). Existence in Abraham's bust pictures both a identify of honour and a place of loving, intimate fellowship.⁷
• Gathering the Elect. The elect are gathered at Christ'south coming for this very banquet. "And he volition send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of the heavens." (Mark thirteen:27 || Matthew 24:31)

The Matrimony Supper of the Lamb

The Book of Revelation likewise refers to the Peachy Banquet. In a promise to overcomers in his letter to the churches, Jesus says:

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I volition give the correct to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation two:seven)

Revelation culminates with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb:

"And then I heard what sounded similar a cracking multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and similar loud peals of thunder, shouting:

   'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Omnipotent reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and requite him glory!
For the wedding ceremony of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Then the angel said to me, 'Write: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! "' And he added, 'These are the true words of God.'" (Revelation 19:6-9)

The Lord's Supper Looks Forrad to the Bang-up Banquet

With this introduction, you tin can now appreciate Jesus' words on that last night:

"I tell you, I will not drinkable of this fruit of the vine from now on until that twenty-four hour period when I drink it anew with you in my Father'due south kingdom." (Matthew 26:29 || Marking 14:25)

"For I tell y'all, I will not eat it again until information technology finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." (Luke 22:sixteen)

"Fulfillment" is the verb plēroō, "to make full." Here it could accept 1 of ii meanings: "to bring to a designed end, fulfill" a prophecy, a promise, etc., or "to bring to completion an activity in which ane has been involved from its offset, complete, finish."^eight Indeed, the Lord's Supper is fulfilled at the Great Feast. This gathering of the redeemed of the Lord in the presence of God on the Last Solar day is the culmination and fulfillment of the incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection.

The Hope of Future Fellowship

I'thou saddened by the many Christians who, for one reason or another, no longer attend church. The church is flawed, they've been hurt in the church, the church building is filled with hypocrites, so forth. And these things are too often true! But we are not to give up on Christian fellowship.

"Let the states not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but allow us encourage i another -- and all the more equally you lot see the Day budgeted." (Hebrews x:25)

For in our time to come is a seat at the Neat Banquet with millions of other beau believers. Isn't it ironic that we would separate ourselves now from those with whom we'll share the Feast and an eternity in heaven? The essence of a banquet -- and of the Lord's Supper -- is non food on which to gorge ourselves, but the joyful fellowship of those at the table.

The Lord's Supper equally a Promise of the Futurity

The Lord'southward Supper is our reminder that this life isn't "as adept every bit it gets." Just every bit the seal of Holy Spirit is your guarantee of time to come glory (Ephesians ane:13; Romans eight:23; 2 Corinthians i:22), so the piece of staff of life and portion of wine you concur in your hands are a token of your ticket to the Nifty Banquet at the end of the age.

The Lord's Supper looks backward as a remembrance to the death of Christ for our sins. It looks to the nowadays every bit a communion with the living Christ, and it looks to the future every bit a promise of eternal life in the presence of God.

We Shall Run into His Face

As I think about that Bang-up Banquet, I begin to look forward to it afresh, for information technology will be the time of "entering into the joy of our Lord." The chorus of an old gospel hymn comes to mind:

"O I want to run across Him, look upon His face,
In that location to sing forever of His saving grace;
On the streets of glory allow me lift my vocalization,
Cares all past, home at last, e'er to rejoice."⁹

On that solar day, the promise of Revelation will be realized. Jesus told his disciples that despite various appearances in ane form or some other, "No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12), that is, his essential Spirit-nature. But on that Day, the scripture says,

"They volition see his confront, and his proper name will exist on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the low-cal of the sunday, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:4-5)

"I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that mean solar day when I beverage it anew with you in my Male parent's kingdom." (Matthew 26:29)

Prayer

Father, then often our minds are focused on our own needs and problems. Henceforth, may the Lord'south Supper plough our eyes instead to the Smashing Feast and the culmination of all things in you lot. Maranatha. Come up soon, Lord Jesus! Amen.

References

1. Exodus rabba 25 on 16:4, cited by Rudolf Meyer, kolpos, TDNT 3:824-826, fn. 8.
2. Exodus rabba, 25 on 16:iv, in Strack and Billerback IV, 1148, cited by Johannes Behm, esthiō, TDNT 2:689-695.
3. Slavic Enoch 42:5 Cited by Johannes Behm, deipnon, TDNT i:35. Also, "The Lord of spirits volition dwell over them, and they volition eat and prevarication downwardly and rise up to all eternity with that Son of Homo," Ethiopian Enoch 62:xiv Cited by Johannes Behm, deipnon, TDNT 1:35.
4. 2 Esdras 2:38.
5. Midrash Esther 1, four Cited by Johannes Behm, deipnon, TDNT i:35. In Pesikta rabbati, 41, a drove of homilies, where Jacob is invited to the feast of redemption (Strack and Billerback, IV, 1154; I, 878f. Cited past Johannes Behm, deipnon, TDNT 1:35).
6. "Entry into the kingdom, whether a door is mentioned (Matt. 25:ten) or not, normally implies entry into the festive hall for the eschatological banquet (Matt. 7:vii-viii; 22:12; 25:10, 21ff.; Luke 13:24-25; 14:23)." Joachim Jeremias, TDNT 3:173-180.
7. Rudolf Meyer, kolpos, TDNT three:824-826; Gustav Stählin, agapaō, TDNT 9:113-171.
8. plēroō, BDAG 828-829, iv.a or 5. Gerhard Delling, plērēs, ktl., TDNT 6:283-311.
9. "O I Desire to Come across Him," words and music by Rufus H. Cornelius (1916). Another gospel vocal on this theme is "All Things Are Ready, Come up to the Feast," words by Charles H. Gabriel (1895), music by William A. Ogden.

Copyright © 2022, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastorjoyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.

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