The Last Passover!
LifeGroup Notes
Part of Greater Love—LifeGroup Notes
March 20, 2022

Greater Love

LifeGroup Notes

OPEN

As you open up today, consider this; What do you think Jesus was thinking and feeling, knowing that this would be his last meal/night with them?

What jumped out at you from the message this week? What led you to really think or even better, to change your actions?

WATCH THE VIDEO

What jumped out at you from the video?

INTRODUCTION

What was the difference between the Passover meal that the disciples had been a part of for the whole life and the Lord’s Supper that Jesus instituted?

READ
Read Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

What is the first element in the Lord’s Supper?

Breaking the unleavened bread was a normal part of the traditional Passover ceremony, so how did Jesus give it new meaning?

What was the second element of the Lord’s Supper?

Drinking the wine was also a normal part of the traditional Passover ceremony, so how did Jesus give it new meaning?

DIVE DEEPER
Read 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-32
23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

what does the Lord’s Supper mean to you? What should it mean?

How do you honor and practice the Lord’s Supper?

What does it mean to you that the judgment of God’s wrath will now “pass over” you?

Every year, the Jewish people made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to remember the exodus. What things do you show similar levels of dedication to?

Talk about what the original exodus looked like, and how a New Exodus by Jesus in the life of a believer is parallel.

Hearing about what the passover lamb meant, why is it significant that Jesus became the new passover lamb?

Why is taking communion with others so important? What does it signify?

How can we use this passage to equip us as followers of Jesus?

LET’S PRAY
Consider the following questions as you pray together as a LifeGroup:
1. Have you taken the Lord’s supper without first putting your faith and trust in Jesus and submitting to his lordship?
2. Have you made light of the amazing gift that is the Lord’s Supper?
3. Have you forgotten the significance of this symbolic act?
4. What steps do you need to take to re-institute this spiritual act into your life with transparency and relevance?

BIG IDEA
In Matthew 26 the Passover Jesus was now concluding with the disciples was the last Passover ever to be observed, that would be sanctioned by the father in heaven. No Passover celebrated after that has been authorized or recognized by God. Significant as it was under the Old Covenant, it became a remnant of a bygone era as Jesus established a new covenant. To celebrate the Passover as the author of Hebrew says is to celebrate a shadow, after the reality has already come. Think about it; Celebrating deliverance from Egypt is a weak substitute for celebrating deliverance from sin. With the inception of the Lord’s supper, Christ ended the Passover and instituted a new memorial to Himself.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Why do you think it is important to receive communion when we gather on Sundays?

How should communion change the way that we worship?

How can we practically live out these principles when we partake in communion?