August 13, 2026 · David Farmer
Servant’s Supper
“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.”
Luke 22:14-23 →
## Passover Turns Seder
The Lord’s Supper is predicated by the Lord’s Passover, but John’s Gospel suggests a detail we wouldn’t expect. John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover... 2 During supper...[during supper is before the Feast] 26 ... ‘he whom I will give this morsel of bread [indicates they’re already eating]’... 29 Some thought that...Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the feast [still an event to come],’...” By this time in Jewish history, supper seems to be a common meal with a few kosher restrictions, and Passover is the formal event called the Seder, meaning “order” or “procedure”. Originally, Passover itself would’ve been supper. Moses’ simple instructions were paint the door (1 tradition) and eat the flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (3 foods). More and more symbolic food was added later to help tell the story. The simple supper became the systematic Seder.
Exodus 12:26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’” Over time, this one question multiplied into the four traditional questions of the present formal Seder meal.
## Seder Becomes the Lord’s Supper
Luke 22:16 “For I tell you I will not eat it {again} until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’ These many traditions of the Passover were already in place by Jesus’ time. But do you see what happened? God gave Moses a meal with a meat, a bread, bitter herbs; one tradition of painting the Lamb’s blood on the door, and one question. Later, an egg was added, then parsley and horseradish, and chopped nuts and apples, and specifically four cups of wine, and salt water. Traditions of Bedikat Khameytz, the Urkhatz, ha-Nishtanah, the Afikomen, and 3 different songs! Not to mention the four questions. Count it up. One tradition became 7. Three foods became 10. One question became 4. Manmade God’s five into 21! Then Jesus comes along... Luke 22:19-20 “And He took bread...saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup... ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,’” He turns it into 3; bread, wine, and one new “tradition”. We call it Communion. We are communing with Him in the performance of it, and as He says, we do it in remembrance of Him. But what is the new “tradition”? He moves on in the next section of Scripture to instruct them simply to become servants. Serve each other. Serve others. It reaches beyond the meal event.
## Self-Check
O how we can complicate things! We add so much to a book about God loving man, that we forget the God Himself. Then He comes and says, “Hey, remember Me?” How do we remember Him? It’s made simple again. Commune with Him. Go become servants.
## The Cup of Cups