Preparing to Die [8-2-26]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5k68Xwd-U?is=ygqhIlJP0ncHXCBl

August 2, 2026

Luke 22:7-20

“Preparing to Die”

Jesus is now a day away from the cross. We are near the culmination of what happened back in chapter nine, when Jesus set his face for Jerusalem. Let’s look at what happens the night before that glorious day:

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

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.”

Luke 22:7-20

There are truths reinforced here that we haven’t seen in any previous section of Luke.

The biggest, and most important one, is this:

EVERYTHING FOREORDAINED BY GOD IS ALSO FOREKNOWN BY

JESUS.

Make no mistake. Jesus will not be ambushed. He will not be surprised by what’s going to happen on Friday. His hand isn’t being forced. And it isn’t something he wishes he could avoid. What happens on Friday follows God’s sovereign purpose and plan. And Jesus knows what the Father knows. Amen?

Here’s what we need to be very clear about. The coming death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is no accident. It is not a bad ending to the noble effort of one good man to change the world. Quite the contrary. Jesus’ death on the cross will not be the ending to his story. Instead, it is the beginning of our salvation. Jesus’ death is not the end of his life. The death of Jesus Christ is the goal of his life. Because it marks the beginning of our eternal lives.

Jesus’ death on the cross has absolutely nothing to do with the triumph of Satan. Or Judas. Or the religious leaders. Jesus’ death on the cross is nothing less than:

THE TRIUMPH OF GOD.

Jesus knows why he’s going to die. Jesus knows how he’s going to die. Jesus knows when he’s going to die. Jesus knows where he’s going to die. Which is why securing the location for the Last Supper must remain secretive.

Don’t forget. Lots of bad, awful, horrible people want to drive the arrest and death of Jesus. They don’t want the death of Jesus to coincide with the Passover at all. They don’t want the crowds involved. They don’t want it to be connected to any Biblical symbolism or events. They think they can undermine God’s timing for the death of His Son.

Here’s why the timing is essential. Jesus’ death has to coincide with the Passover.

In simplest terms, here’s what the Passover celebrates:

The Passover is a foundational biblical festival commemorating God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus. Its name comes from the final plague in Egypt, when the "destroyer" passed over homes marked with the blood of a sacrificed lamb and spared the firstborn sons inside.

Therefore, every year, people made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. They made an acceptable sacrifice for their sins, year-after-year…year-in-year-out…over and over and over again. Every year they had to repeat the sacrifice to take away their sin. That is the sacrificial system.

What is going to happen on Friday is going to put an end to the sacrificial system. As we’ve seen, it is a system rife with corruption and extortion and manipulation. It preys on people’s guilt. Which is why the religious leaders want to derail God’s plan. Which is why Satan wants to derail God’s plan. They want people lost in their sin. They want people stuck in guilt. They want people to do what they tell them to do in order to deal with guilt and sin, over and over and over again.

As Jesus is on the verge of the cross, he knows wickedness wants to stand in the way. His death will put an end to the sacrificial system. With the death of our Lord and Savior, God will be satisfied that a perfect sacrifice has been offered on behalf of all who believe. When God pours out His wrath on Christ, God’s wrath will be satisfied. God’s justice will be satisfied. As a result, God grants to those who put their trust in Jesus Christ forgiveness and salvation. It marks the end of the repetitive loop of the sacrificial system.

It is such a beautiful thing. The true Lamb of God will die. And God will be satisfied. Jesus becomes the vehicle through which God’s grace and mercy freely flow into our lives.

Jesus is not some pawn in the unfolding drama over the next twenty-four hours. He is an agent in control of these events. The Father has designed the plan. The Holy Spirit has empowered the plan. And now, Jesus enacts the plan. Which is why Jesus makes plans for the Last Supper secretive. So no one can find out. So the plans of the Father and the Son cannot be thwarted.

There’s a song who’s lyrics beautifully capture what we’re talking about.

“Jesus Does.” Here’s the entire song:

Who tells the Sun to rise every morning?

Colors the sky with the shades of His glory?

Wakes us with mercy and love? Jesus does

Who holds the orphan, comforts the widow?

Cries for injustice, feels every sorrow?

Carries the pain of His children? Jesus does

So we sing praise to the Father who gave us the Son

Praise to the Spirit who's livin' in us

When I was a sinner, He saved me from who I was

'Cause that's what Jesus does

Who understands the heart of a sinner?

Showers His grace over all our mistakes?

Washes us clean with His blood? Jesus does, I believe that He does

Who sings a song of sweet forgiveness?

Who stole the keys to hell and the grave?

Who has the power to save? Jesus does, yes, He does

So we sing praise to the Father who gave us the Son

Praise to the Spirit who's livin' in us

When I was a sinner, He saved me from who I was

'Cause that's what Jesus does

Oh, what a friend, oh, what a Savior

He's always been good, He's always been faithful

He came to my rescue when I needed Him most

He saved my soul

So we sing praise to the Father who gave us the Son

Praise to the Spirit who's livin' in us

When I was a sinner, He saved me from who I was

So we sing praise to the Father who gave us the Son (gave us the Son)

Praise to the Spirit who's livin' in us

When I was a sinner, He saved me from who I was

God, I know that's what Jesus does

So that Jesus can do what was planned for him to do from before the foundation of the world, he secretly plans to share the Last Supper with his disciples. It has to happen that way. Jesus is in control.

I love how Isaiah 53:10-11 puts it:

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.”

That’s what Jesus voluntarily agrees to do. He has so much joy in doing the will of the Father in providing for our salvation.

The joy is right there in verse fifteen. Jesus is driven by his desire to share this meal. It is the end of the sacrificial system, with its futile sacrifices. He is now replacing it with a way to remember his once-and-for-all sacrifice. “Earnestly desired” points to the importance of what he is doing. It must be remembered and shared. And that importance is punctuated in verse seventeen. “When he had given thanks” is from the Greek word, eucharisteo. It means literally, “the good grace.” He is literally showing us how to be thankful for God’s grace. That’s why we sometimes call the Lord’s Supper the Eucharist. It is all so wonderfully connected.

So here we are. In the Upper Room. Jesus alone with his disciples. We can hardly imagine what’s going on in his heart right now. He set his face for Jerusalem with determination. Not fearfully. Not with reservations. As he knows full well the cross awaits him, Jesus is filled with love as he spends his last night with the disciples. Remember, the passage tells us that Jesus strongly desires to do this. It’s truly a gift of love.

Again, here we are. The Lord’s Supper replaces the repetition of sacrifices for our sin. The cross will put an end to that. Why? Because God will treat Jesus on the cross as if he lived your life so God could treat you as if you lived his. As the Bible says, Jesus was wounded for our transgressions… bruised for our iniquities.

What that means is, from now on, there’s a new feast. The Passover is over and done. The Lord’s Supper has nothing to do with seeking God’s forgiveness for our sin. No…no…no. What we’re going to do in a few minutes is given by Jesus as a reminder. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that the Lamb of God, chosen by God, was sacrificed for sinners, satisfying God’s justice. Jesus’ life was poured out on our behalf so our sins can be fully forgiven.

No more Passover. Now it’s the Lord’s Table.

We’ll let the late New Testament scholar Paul S. Minear have the last word:

“THE TABLE BECOMES A PLACE WHERE HUMAN NEED MEETS DIVINE GRACE, WHERE THE PRESENCE OF JESUS TRANSFORMS THE SAD REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST INTO THE GLORIOUS PROMISE OF THINGS TO COME.”

And together, the transformed people of Covenant Church say:

SOLI DEO GLORIA…

To the Glory of God Alone