The Last Supper
"For I received from the Lord what Ialso passed to you:
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.'
In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,
'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it,
in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the Lord's
death until he comes."(1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
as Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover,
Jesus instituted "the Lord's Supper" also known
as "Holy Communion" or "Eucharist" in different Christian churches.
It is a constant reminder
that just as physical food and drink nourishes our physical bodies,
Jesus death and resurrection gives eternal life to our spirits.
May you take the death and resurrection into your heart and soul
so that Jesus who dwells in you may give you new life.
Jesus' Seven Last Words
Luke 23:34 - And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do."

Jesus looked down from the cross and asked his Father to forgive those soldiers Jesus still looks down at our
behaviour andsays, "Father, forgive them for they don't know
what they are doing."
Luke 23:43 - And he said to him, "Truly, I say to
you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
One thief mocked Jesus while the other humbled himself and said, "Jesus remember me
when you come into your kingdom." Both died, but one was give eternal life. Do we mock Christ
by our lack of faith or do we humble ourselves to receive eternal life?
John 19:26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved
standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he
said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple
took her to his own home.
It has been said that we are the only hands and feet
God has on earth. As Jesus watched his mother and his friend
tormented by his death, he probably longed to hold them and comfort
them. But the nails in his hands prevented him. So he called them to
turn to each other to be the arms he longed to wrap around them.
Perhaps in the absence of the physical body of our Lord we
too should turn to each other as parents, children,
brothers and sisters and comfort each other in
the name and Spirit of Christ.
Mark 15:34 - And at the ninth hour
Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?" which means,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?"
Did God really forsake Christ? Some believe that at that moment
Jesus had taken on himself
the sins of the world and was for the first time truly separated
from the Father. But consider this possibility.
"My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me"
are the opening words of Psalm 22.
In this psalm of lament it says, "they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing
they cast lots."(vs. 18) Perhaps Jesus was referring to this Psalm or even trying to recite it to
strengthen himself in that hour of physical weakness. Later in the Psalm it says "But you, O
Lord, are not far away!"(vs. 19) Could it be that this is the real point of Jesus words - that even
though it seems God had abandoned him his Father was really these near by?
John 19:28 - After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said(to fulfill
the scripture), "I thirst."
Jesus was the Water of Life, yet he experienced
thirst for our sake. The world responded to
his thirst the same way it responds to the thirst of all humanity - by offing vinegar instead of
water. Let us offer the Water of Life - Jesus Christ - to the thirsty people around us instead of the
vinegar of the world's sin.
John 19:30 - When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished";
 

What is finished? The sacrifice of the lamb of God. Jesus died for our sins and at the
moment of his death he purchased our forgiveness.
Luke 23:46 - Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy
hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.
With his last words and with his first Jesus gives an example for us to follow. May we all
commit our spirits to the loving care of our gracious Father in heaven.
An Old Wives' Tale?
"... returning from the tomb they told this to the eleven
and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Mary the mother of Jesus, and the other women with
them who told this to the apostles. But these words
seemed to them an idle tail, and they did not believe
them."(Luke 24:9-11)
The King of Kings was alive. Jesus whom they loved had
risen. It was beyond their wildest dreams. It seemed unbelievable.
So they decided not the believe
The other disciple did not believe and just wrote off the
resurrection as an idle tale, an old wives' tale. This was the news that
the Messiah, tit.
In the same way many today refuse to believe because it seems unbelievable
that a man rose
from the dead. They also think it unbelievable that God could love them and offer them eternal
life.
back to contents
Here is one old wife's (an archbishop's wife) testimony in song!
"HE IS RISEN"
The Great 50 Days
"after his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing
proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the kingdom of
God."(Acts 1:3)
In the church the season of Easter lasts for fifty days.
The first forty reminds us of the forty
days that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and before he ascended into
heaven. After Jesus ascended the disciples waited ten more days before
Pentecost when God
poured out the Holy Spirit on these first disciples.
Evidence for the Resurrection
The resurrection of a person from the dead was nothing new. There were resurrections in the
Old Testament and Jesus was known to have raised a girl and
Lazarus (After four days no less!).
But there is something different about Jesus' resurrection. It was not just a case of an individual
cheating death for a few years. After all Lazarus experienced physical death again. Jesus'
resurrection was a resurrection to eternal life. And it defeated death not just for him but for all
who believe in him. Consider these accounts of Jesus' resurrection:
The empty tomb: Matthew 28:1-8 - Mark 16:1-8 - Luke 24:1-11 - John 20:1-10
Appearances:
Matthew 28:9-10 - Jesus appears to the women coming from the tomb.
Matthew 28:16-20 - Jesus gives the great commission.
Mark 16:9-11 - Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.
Mark 16:12-13 - Jesus appears to two walking in the county - possibly those on their way to
Emmaus(Luke 24:13-35).
Mark 16:14-19 - Jesus appears to the eleven and commissions them before ascending.
Luke 24:13-35 - Jesus walks with two men traveling to Emmaus
and they recognize him when he breaks the bread.
Luke 24:36-53 - Jesus appears to the disciples, eats fish with them,
teaches them and ascends to heaven.
John 20:11-18 - Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene as she weeps by the tomb.
John 20:19-25 - Jesus appears to all the disciples except Thomas.
John 20:26-28 - Eight days after the resurrection Jesus appears to Thomas.
John 21:1-19 - Jesus appears to the disciples while the fish and commissions
Peter to "Feed my lambs." Acts 9:1-9 - Jesus appears to Paul on the road to Damascus.
In Corinthians 15:3-8 - Paul tells the Corinthians of Jesus appearances to more than
500 disciples and to himself.
Revelation 1:9-20 - The glorified Christ appears to John who is on the prison island Patmos to
reveal to him God's plan for history.
From these passages it seems clear that the empty tomb didn't convince
anyone that Jesus wasalive. The first reaction of all who saw it was that his body
had been stolen. It took either an angelor an appearance of Jesus himself to
convince people.Perhaps the most convincing evidence of the resurrection is
described by the hymn writer
Alfred Ackley who wrote,
"You ask me how know he lives? He lives within my heart."
Does he live in your heart?