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Curriculum > Youth > Year 2 > Lesson 17

CONCEPTS IN LESSON

• Highlight the potential in the Last Supper story for Jesus to get sidetracked by his disciples    
• Jesus invites and serves dinner to his disciples, even those who will disappoint and betray him
• Discuss how Jesus serves his disciples and instructs them to do the same

SUPPLIES NEEDED

• Device that allows class to view this video clip (from the movie Forrest Gump)

• Have a MAD LIBS book

• Or, print out the two mad lib stories from this .PDF

OPENING PRAYER

OPENING QUESTION

• We start today’s class with the opening question. One of the teachers will ask the question and then to give you some time to think of an answer, the teacher asking the question will also answer first to give you some time to think.
• Once the teacher answers the question, we'll go around the circle.
• When it's your turn, start with your name and then answer the question to the best of your ability.
• Here's this week's question:  What is a situation where you often find yourself feeling discouraged?

TRANSITION TO ACTIVITY

• Last class, we started a session of stories involving Jesus and food.
• Because food is this thing that keeps us alive (and can also be very tasty), it is a very central component of our lives.
• Which also means it often serves as an entry point to other ideas and issues
• In our previous lesson, we read and discussed the feeding of the 5000 story.
• And, we noted how the idea of abundance isn't necessarily easy to see, but with the take, bless, break, give approach by Jesus, then the abundance was more obvious.
• In today's story, there certainly are some things that Jesus wants the disciples to associate with meal and the food that they are sharing together.
• But, the meal is a pretty confusing situation.
• To help prepare us think about and understand why it's a confusing situation, let's start today's lesson with an activity of MAD LIBS.

EXPLAIN ACTIVITY

• For those who don't know what MAD LIBS is … this is how it works:

• You are going to help me write a story.
• At first, I'm not going to tell you what the story is about.
• Instead, I'm going to ask you for a certain type of word, like a noun (person, place, idea, or thing), a verb (an action), an adjective (usually describes the noun) or an adverb (describes the verb or adjective - usually ends in "-ly," like "gently").
• So, I ask you for one of those types of words and then you tell me the word that comes to mind and I'll write it into the story.

• Once I have all the words I need, then I'll read out-loud the story that we all helped to write.

DO ACTIVITY AND READ RESULTING STORY (DO TWO OR THREE STORIES)

TELL

• In our Mad Libs activity, sometimes the words we chose were funny, but other times they didn't make much sense.
• And this is because words have specific meanings to us. If we start switching them around with other words without paying attention to the other words that surround them, the story could get a little sidetracked or confusing, right?
• It is this potential to get sidetracked when things stop making sense that I want us to keep in mind as we read today's scripture story.
• Because, in today's story, we see a lot of confusion about who is doing what and why they are doing it.
• And in the midst of all this confusion is Jesus - having his last meal before he is arrested and then crucified.  
• We typically call this the "Last Supper" and it is the story upon which we base the religious practice (or sacrament) of communion.
• Let's see what happens in it.

READ SCRIPTURE LUKE 22:14-34

Recommend class reads it out loud; one person per verse

Luke 22:13 So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. 14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 Then he took a loaf of 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." 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!"

23 Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this. 24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

28 "You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29 and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31"Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." 33 And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!" 34 Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me."

ASK – answers are in parenthesis

• Verse 14 - Who does Jesus sit down to eat with? (the apostles - though, really, at this point, they are still disciples. "Disciples" means "student" and "apostle" means "sent out." They haven't really graduated / been sent out yet).
• Verse 15 - what are they celebrating with this meal? (Passover)
• Do you remember what story "Passover" celebrates? (the 10th plague of the 10 plagues in Egypt where God's angel of death "passes over" the houses with lamb's blood on the doorposts. The oldest child died in the houses without the lamb's blood on the doorposts. This led to the Israelites finally being allowed to leave Egypt. It's like a combination of USA's holidays of Thanksgiving and 4th of July)
• Still on verse 15 - Has Jesus been looking forward to this meal? (yes, "eagerly" even)
• In verse 19, what actions does Jesus do with the bread? (He takes the bread, blesses the bread, breaks the bread, and then gives the bread)
• Sound familiar!?
• In verse 17-20, Jesus equates his body and blood to the bread and wine of the Passover meal before sharing the meal with the disciples. This is the story we base the sacrament of Communion on. In verse 21, who does Jesus share this meal with? ("the one who betrays [him]")  
• And in verses 31-34 - who else is Jesus sharing this meal with? (Peter, who will deny him)
• Back to verses 23 and 24, what happens during the meal? (the disciples start accusing each other of betraying Jesus and then get in an argument about who is the greatest - probably as a way to prove that they'd never be the one to betray Jesus)
• Verse 26 and 27 - Does Jesus agree with the disciples assertions of greatness? (No)
• What does Jesus tell them a leader does? (serves; acts like the youngest, not the greatest)

TELL

• This meal happens hours before Jesus is arrested
• So what he is doing here is saying goodbye to his disciples and he's telling them how they can remember him.
• But it's not the best of meals, is it? Here are some of the things that don't make for decent memories:

• Eating with a friend who was planning to betray him
• Eating with a friend who will most likely deny knowing him in a time of need
• An argument between his students about who was the greatest one - definitely a title Jesus did not care to bestow upon any of them .

• If you were Jesus in this moment, you might be discouraged. I know I would be.
• It is Jesus' last moment of free life and everything he has been teaching his students is seemingly lost on them.
• The people who are closest to him are failing him in that moment
• And, that's happening while he's about to face of an impending arrest, false accusation, and likely capital punishment.
• With all that negative evidence in front of Jesus, he should be a bad mood. He should want to be alone. He should have lost his appetite.
• And yet, what Jesus actually does is speak words of welcome and anticipation ("I've been looking forward to this")
• And then, he shares words of instruction with his disciples that

• Remind his disciples how they can remember him and
• Helps them know why he is able to be so patient with his students even as they fail him on his last night of life: Because he's there to serve them, not for them to serve him.

• The reason Jesus can offer this invitation and instruction even in the face of all these negative occurrences is because he does not get confused or sidetracked about what he is to do.
• In short, he is not a MAD LIBS story.
• He remembers - at all times - that he is to serve his students, instead of being served by his students

TRANSITION TO MOVIE CLIP

• To help us think about how a mindset "to serve" can help a person do amazing things in the face of a very discouraging situation, let's watch the following movie clip from Forrest Gump
• Forest, a simple man, is in a firefight battle during the Vietnam war when he realizes his buddy, Bubba, is missing. Once he realizes that Bubba is missing…well, let's see what he does.
• NOTE: This is a video clip of a battle/war scene, so there is some grime, wounds, and blood, but nothing too graphic.

WATCH MOVIE CLIP

ASK – answers are in parenthesis

• Where was Forest doing at the very start of the clip? (he was running away)
• What caused him to change his mind? (He realized Bubba wasn't with him)
• So, did Forest find Bubba in the clip? (No)
• Why? (because he kept helping others)
• Did they all want to be helped? (No - the last person Forest saved, Lt. Dan, did not want help)
• Was Forest injured while he was helping? (Yes - something "bit" him)
• Was greater injury likely if Forest kept looking for Bubba? (Yes)
• Did Forest let any of that stop him from looking for Bubba? (No)

TELL

• Forest becomes very clear about what he needs to do once he remembers that he is to serve and help Bubba.
• Jesus had a similar clarity in today's story, but was even clearer since he never forgot or got sidetracked in the first place.
• Not only does Jesus not run away, but he offers opportunity to others to remember that they are to also serve and in so doing, would gain clarity in how they are to respond / act in both stressful and calm situations.
• Does Judas therefore reconsider? Does Peter then ask how to respond better in the upcoming moment? No, they do not do those things.
• But they are given the opportunity to do so during the sharing of the meal.   
• And that opportunity is the gift of the invitation and actual experience of communion that Jesus offers. He offers the opportunity to participate in a community event and reconsider decisions.
• That offering and invitation is still available every time we participate in the communion.
• That's the good news for today.

CLOSING PRAYER

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Luke 22:14-34

Last Supper

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