Luke 22:16-20
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The New Testament > Luke > Chapter 22
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Contents |
Questions
What differences can we see between the meal in verses 16-18 and the one in 19-20? Are they even two different meals? Verse 16-18 don't actually imply eating and drinking yet. What happened here?
Verses 16 and 18
- When Christ says he won't "eat thereof" or "drink of the fruit of the vine", does he mean that he won't eat of the passover? What can we learn about the passover from these verses? What is the significance in the difference of language between "fulfilled in the kingdom of God" and "until the kingdom of God shall come"? What will be fulfilled? What is the kingdom of God? Is it the same thing as the kingdom of Heaven?
Verse 17
- What significance is there in the apostles dividing the drink among themselves?
Verse 19
- Why does Christ say that the sacrament bread is his body? Why does he tell the apostles to do it (eat the bread?) in remembrance of him? Is this merely a commandment to continue this sacrament after he's died? But then why does he tell them to remember him while he's still alive and with them?
Verse 20
- What is the "new testament"? A new covenant? Is this merely a fulfilling of the law of Moses? Why is it in the Savior's blood? What could that mean?
Lexical notes
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes
Exegesis
Verse 16
It is of the utmost importance to note that "kingdom of God" as a unique phrase appears far more frequently in Luke than in the other gospels (five times in Matthew, fifteen times in Mark, and twice in John, but thirty-two times in Luke). This has often been noted and is commonly read through the shocking announcement of Luke 17:20-21: "the kingdom of God is within you!" Whether or not this passage should be interpreted as announcing an immanently fulfilled eschatology, it is clear from the language of verse 16 here that something remains still to "be fulfilled," a time in which God's full power will be on the earth (whether that means through persons authorized to use that power, as D&C 65:2, 6 would suggest, or whether that means God Himself personally appearing on the earth, what D&C 65:6 calls the "kingdom of heaven").
Related links
- Mark 14:22 says that that when Christ administered the sacrament, they were already eating. It does seem, then, that there are two meals going on.
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