Luke 22.1-38 – The Last Supper

To give his followers (both then and now) a way of understanding and remembering what was about to happen to him, Jesus doesn’t teach a theory; he uses a meal – the bread symbolising his broken body, the wine his shed blood and the call to ‘remember’, the Passover (Exodus 12) as Israel looked back at the Exodus.  Now however, God would act to save his people not simply from Egyptian slavery but from slavery to all evil and even death itself.  Jesus’ own death would enable Israel and the whole world to ‘escape’.  And notice here how the blend of celebration and betrayal mirrors the triumph and tragedy displayed in the cross.

• What difference does it make to your life today to know that the powers of evil and death have been defeated?

• What do you think is happening when we remember Jesus in this way?

• What does re-enacting this meal mean to you?

• In what ways might you be able to ‘serve’ others today?

Luke 18.1-30 – Receiving the Blessing

Persistence in prayer, genuine repentance, child-like trust and dependence, and a willingness to abandon all forms of security other than Jesus himself; all marks of the kingdom of God and the way to receive its blessings, both now and in the future.  And the promise that comes to all those whose lives are marked in this way is among the most comforting in the whole gospel: this one ‘went home justified before God.’          
• Look back at vs. 11 and 12.  Do you know that God’s approval and favour can never be earned?

• In what ways are you currently trying to earn God’s approval and favour?  

• What might Jesus be asking you to give up for the sake of God’s kingdom?

• How can you become more child-like towards God?  Ask him to help you become like this.