Di Last Supper

One room for upstairs, small oil lamps dey give light. Thirteen people sit round one low table. Jesus pick one flat bread, give thanks, and break am. Di sound soft. But e go echo for two thousand years.

Na di day of Bread wey No Get Yeast, when dem dey sacrifice di Passover lambs. All over Jerusalem, families dey prepare for di big meal. Jesus send Peter and John go front. Go prepare di Passover for us. Where? dem ask. As una dey enter di city, one man wey carry jar of water go meet una. Follow am enter di house wey e enter, and ask di owner, Where di guest room dey? E go show una one big room for upstairs, wey dem don arrange finish. Prepare everything there. Dem go, and dem find everything exactly as Jesus tell dem.

When di time reach, Jesus lie down for di table with im apostles. My heart don dey long to eat dis Passover with una before I suffer, e talk. E take one cup, give thanks, and talk, Take dis one and share am among una. Then e take bread, give thanks, break am, and give dem. Dis na my body, wey I give for una. Do dis to remember me. After di supper, e take di cup again. Dis cup na di new covenant for my blood, wey I pour out for una. Di room quiet well well.

Then Jesus talk something wey cut through di quiet. But see, di hand of di person wey go betray me dey with me for dis table. Di disciples look each other face. Who fit be? Dem begin ask among demself which one of dem go ever do such thing. And then, something wey hard to believe, di talk turn to argument. No be about who fit betray am. About which one of dem big pass.

Jesus no shout for dem. E teach dem. Di kings of di nations dey lord am over dem people. But e no go be like dat for una. Di one wey big pass among una suppose be like di youngest, and di leader like di one wey dey serve. Who big pass, di one wey sit for table, or di one wey dey serve? No be di one wey sit for table? But I dey among una as di one wey dey serve. Then e talk with kindness. Una don stand with me for my trials. And e promise dem place for im kingdom, to eat and drink for im table.

Now Jesus turn to Peter. Simon, Simon, Satan don ask to sift all of una like wheat. But I don pray for you, make your faith no fail. And when you don turn back, strengthen your brothers. Peter protest. Lord, I ready to go with you to prison and to death! Jesus answer am gently, but firm. I tell you, Peter, before di cock crow today, you go deny three times say you know me. Jesus already know say Peter go fall. And e don already pray make e get up again.

Then Jesus warn dem say hard days dey come. Di first time wey e send dem out, dem no carry money bag or extra sandals, and dem no lack anything. Now things go different. Scripture talk say dem go count am among di lawbreakers, and e don near to happen. Di disciples raise two swords. Lord, look, two swords dey here. E don do, Jesus answer. Christians don understand dat short answer for different ways, but nobody for dat table understand yet wetin di night go bring.

Passover na meal of remembering. God tell Israel for Exodus say di night wey e bring dem comot from Egypt go be memorial, wey dem go keep forever. Di Mishnah, one collection of Jewish teaching wey dem write down around di year two hundred, describe Passover meals with at least four cups of wine, together with bread wey no get yeast and bitter herbs. Luke, interesting enough, mention two cups for di table of Jesus, one before di bread and one after di supper. So when Jesus talk say, Do dis to remember me, e dey talk for one meal wey already be all about remembering.

Di Last Supper. You go find am for Luke chapter twenty-two, verse seven to thirty-eight. For im last night, di King of all things take di place of di one wey dey serve. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where you fit be di one wey dey serve dis week?