Preparation for Passover. Disciples Contend for Precedence.

  ^b 17 And

  ^a 20 Now when even was come, {^b when it was evening} he cometh with the twelve

  ^c 14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the apostles with him.

  15 And ^a he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples;

  21 and ^c he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

  16 for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

[Jesus had desired to keep with his disciples this last type which stood so close to the thing typified. It was a feast commemorating a great deliverance from death through the sacrifice of a lamb, and the real sacrifice and deliverance of which it was typical were about to be fulfilled in the unfolding of the kingdom of God.]

  15 And ^a he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples;

  21 and ^c he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

  16 for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

  17 And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

  18 for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

[Luke brings out the parallelism between the passover and the Lord's supper. Each consisted in eating followed by drinking, and the closeness of the parallel is emphasized by the use of almost the same words with regard to the cup. The passover was typical of the Lord's suffering before the event, and the Lord's supper is typical of the same thing after the event.]

  18 for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

  24 And there arose also a contention among them, which of them was accounted to be greatest.

  25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they that have authority over them are called Benefactors.

  26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

  27 For which is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.

[In sending to secure the room in which the paschal supper was being eaten, Jesus had said, "My time is at hand." Such expressions were falsely construed by the apostles. They thought that Jesus was about to set up his kingdom, and began at once to contend for the chief places. Jesus rebukes this false ambition in much the same manner as he had previously. See Section 73, Section 101.]

  25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they that have authority over them are called Benefactors.

  26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

  27 For which is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.

  28 But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations;

  29 and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me,

  30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

[The word "temptations" is here used to mean trials ( James 1:2 James 1:3 ). For the rest of the passage compare the remarks on Section 100. The words concerning eating and drinking at the Lord's table refer to the ancient custom of thus bestowing honor and distinction ( 2 Samuel 9:7 ; 19:28 ), and indicate that the apostles, being about to participate in the Lord's condemnation and suffering, should in the end share his exaltation and its attendant joys.]

  29 and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me,

  30 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.