"The Pattern" 5-7-23
Overview
The Pattern: Teaching and a Meal
Patterns surround us—in clothing, music, architecture, mathematics. Scripture, too, weaves a pattern, and once you see it, you cannot unsee it. In the ancient Near East, sharing a meal signified fellowship, friendship, and unity. From Genesis 18, where Abraham and Sarah set a table before three visitors, to the Passover, where God bound deliverance to a meal, the covenants of the Lord are again and again attached to tables. Tabernacle and temple worship carried this forward, and Jesus Himself was no stranger to table fellowship.
Luke shows us Jesus dining with four kinds of people: Pharisees, tax collectors, sinners, and disciples. And in every one of Luke's table scenes, a striking pattern emerges—teaching accompanies the meal. At Levi's banquet, Jesus teaches about the bridegroom Luke 5:29–35. In the Pharisee's house, when the sinful woman anoints His feet, Jesus teaches about forgiveness Luke 7:36–50. At Zacchaeus's table, He declares, "Today salvation has come to this house... For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" Luke 19:9–10. Teaching and a meal. A meal and teaching.
The road to Emmaus follows the very same pattern. As the two disciples walk those seven miles with the unrecognized risen Christ, they reveal their false expectation of a political Messiah who would conquer rather than be killed. Jesus then teaches: "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" Luke 24:27. Then comes the meal: "When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him" Luke 24:30–31. It is at the table that the resurrected Christ is revealed.
This same pattern holds the church together each Lord's Day: Word and Sacrament, the teaching of God and the meal of God. When Jesus instituted the Supper, He did not say "let this signify" or "let this remind you." He said, "This is my body... this is my blood" Luke 22:19–20. At this table we receive the risen Christ Himself, truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine. Who is worthy of such a meal? None of us—conceived in sin Psalm 51:5, guilty in thought, word, and deed. But hear the comfort of Luke 15:2: "This man receives sinners and eats with them." That is precisely where we fit. The beautiful Savior, who bore our sin on the cross, washes us in baptism once and feeds us forgiveness again and again at His table—the tangible gospel placed into our very mouths. The pattern is pervasive, woven through Scripture, through worship, through all our days. And beloved, you have been woven in.
Transcript
Let us pray. 3s
Indeed, beautiful you are, O Lord. 5s
Our beautiful Savior. 8s
You have brought us here this morning and you bring forth from our lips the words of praise, 12s
the words of praise of your beauty. 18s
We thank you for the cross, we thank you for the empty tomb, we thank you, Lord. 23s
For your beauty in Jesus' name. 29s
Would you open your Bibles, please, with me to the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. 35s
We continue in this Easter season study, in this great, great chapter, the road to Amayas. 41s
Luke the 24th chapter, page 76, if you are using a Puedition of Holy Scripture. 47s
Patterns, patterns. 56s
Patterns involve repetition and arrangement and sequence, don't they? 60s
When you think about things, there are so many patterns that surround us. 69s
Our clothing reflect oftentimes patterns, don't they? 76s
Mathematics, music, architecture, literature, speech on and on goes the list of these reflected patterns that are so very, very apparent. 82s
As we continue on in our study, in Luke the 24th chapter today, 98s
I want to show you today from Scripture, a pattern. 103s
A pattern that's in our text, a pattern that is reflected in the Gospel of Luke and a pattern that is even more pervasive than the pages of Luke. 108s
And this pattern involves Jesus and tables, Jesus and tables. 126s
In the ancient Near East, when one was invited to a dinner, that was an expression of unity and fellowship of friendship so often. 139s
That was an important invitation that would be extended and then when it was received, it signified something. 150s
It meant something. 157s
Well, that, of course, is reflective to our very day. 158s
The table fellowship and the table gathering and the importance and all of that which surrounds the table fellowship, the meal, the table gathering. 163s
That goes a long, long way back. 175s
Genesis 18th chapter, the three visitors, and Abraham and Sarah, they prepare a meal. 179s
The covenants of our Lord so often attached to them are meals. 189s
I think of the Passover. 195s
God freeing the people out of the bondage of slavery and Egypt propelling them to the promised land. 197s
God telling the people to mark the doorpost and the lintle with the blood of the lambs and God would pass over the homes. 205s
So marked and all would be well inside of those homes. 211s
God showing of his incredible power and his majesty and telling the people to celebrate the Passover every single year. 215s
In the Tabernacle worship, in the temple worship, in the liturgical worship, there were meals associated with it. 231s
This gathering around the table, these fellowship meals, they go a long, long way back. 244s
And Jesus was no stranger to the table fellowship. 252s
The Gospel of Luke tells us that there were four different categories of people that Jesus dined with. 259s
He dined with Pharisees, tax collectors, sinners, and disciples. 268s
When you look at all the meals of Luke, they can fall into one of those four different categories as he met with them around the table fellowship. 277s
For example, in the Gospel of Luke the fifth chapter, it says this, then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house. 288s
And there was a large crowd of text collectors and others sitting at the table with them. 299s
Then they said to him, 306s
John's disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink. 308s
Jesus said to them, you cannot make wedding guests fast while the bride groom is with them. 318s
Can you? 324s
The days will come. 325s
When the bride groom will be taken away from them and then they will fast in those days. 327s
He also told them, hey, parable. 332s
Now notice something. 335s
In association with the meal, in association with the table fellowship, there was teaching. 339s
There was teaching. 349s
Another example, Gospel of Luke, the seventh chapter, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. 352s
He went into the Pharisees house, took his place at the table. 357s
A woman comes. She's known as a sinner. 363s
Annoyance the feet of Jesus, the Pharisee is absolutely appalled at this action. 368s
And the Scripture reveals that Jesus began to teach. 378s
The table and teaching. 388s
One more, and we can go on and on on this Luke the 19th chapter. 394s
There's the key. 398s
As you remember, the key is was a chief tax collector. 399s
Chief tax collector of a very incredibly corrupt tax system in the day. 403s
If a tax collector would stop you, they literally could impose whatever tax they wanted. 411s
They could impose whatever limits they wanted to impose. 415s
They could tax you the number of wheels on your cart. 419s
The number of animals that were pulling your cart. 422s
They could tax whatever it is they wanted. 424s
They had to turn in a certain amount. 427s
And any amount that they could pocket. 430s
They pocketed. 436s
Well, on top of the scheme, then who's the one that's going to benefit the most? 437s
But the chief tax collector gets the cut the most money of it all. 442s
Tax collectors, and particularly the chief tax collector in ancient day, was absolutely despised. 449s
So when Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector wants to see Jesus, where does Zacchaeus go? 457s
It's not just because he's short and stature. 465s
He goes into the tree. Why? Because he's most protected there among the people. 467s
If he's in a crowd, a tax collector in the middle, can you imagine what might happen to the tax collector in the crowd? 474s
Scripture tells us, Jesus looks up. 485s
Zacchaeus, come down. 487s
I'm going to your house today. 489s
Table fellowship. 494s
And in the story, what's associated with going to the house? 498s
But there's also this teaching that's revealed. 504s
Luke 19, today's salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham. 511s
For the son of man came to seek out and to save the lost. 519s
Here's the point. 528s
In each table story in the Gospel of Luke, every single one of them. 531s
In each table story associated with the table is teaching. 539s
A meal and teaching. 552s
Teaching and a meal. 558s
It's no different with the two walking to a man's. 564s
Remember what we studied so far. 569s
It's a day of resurrection. 571s
Two of the disciples are making the seven mile trek from Jerusalem to a man's. 573s
Jesus comes alongside of them. 578s
Scripture says that the disciples were kept from recognizing Jesus at this point. 581s
Jesus asks, what are you talking about? 587s
Then they reveal their Christology. 589s
Their understanding of the person and work of Christ. 594s
And it was a false Christology, right? 598s
He says, we studied. 601s
Their Christology involved. 603s
Their understanding of the Messiah as being a political leader who would conquer the Romans and issue in a whole series of social reforms. 605s
It never entered their mind that the Messiah was going to die. 614s
Remember their concept of the Messiah is that the Messiah would kill not be killed. 618s
Then we studied last week. 626s
Jesus reveals his Christology. 629s
Look in the place, verse 27 of our text. 633s
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 639s
Remember, as Pastor Melon and I highlighted last week, how far was it? 649s
It was seven miles. 654s
Jesus has a wonderful opportunity to teach for an extended time as they are walking. 655s
About whole, about how all of the scriptures point toward him. 662s
So you've got teaching. 669s
Now watch what happens. 671s
Verse 28. 673s
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 676s
But they urged him strongly saying, stay with us because it's almost evening. 685s
And the day is now nearly over. 691s
So he went in to stay with them. 693s
When he was, here it comes. 698s
At the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 701s
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight. 711s
It was at the table in which they were granted the vision to understand that the one that they're conversing with, 721s
and at table with is the resurrected Christ. 730s
The pattern. 737s
Teaching. 744s
Meal. 748s
Teaching. 750s
Meal. 753s
Verse 27 again, then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 755s
he interpreted them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 760s
Verse 30. 765s
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 767s
The pattern. 775s
The pattern. 778s
How pervasive is the pattern? 784s
A few months ago, my wife Denise and I, we went out shopping for a rug in our living room. 792s
We both enjoy those kind of things. 802s
And so out on the hunt we went. 806s
We looked at not a few rugs. 810s
And as we were looking at some rugs, there was another couple. 814s
I couldn't help it over here, their conversation. 817s
And the husband turned to his wife and said, 820s
Who knew that the rug would be the hardest thing to find? 823s
Well, we kept looking and went to a couple of different stores. 830s
Then we found it. 834s
It was just a little sample on the back was a picture. 836s
We brought it home and we thought, this will do well. 843s
It'll tie in well. 846s
When it arrived, we were even more delighted. 850s
Because we could see what we couldn't see in that picture on the back of the sample. 856s
We could see what we couldn't see on that little square that we had brought home. 863s
And what was quite evident underlying the rug woven right into it was a pattern. 872s
It was subtle, yet quite distinct, holding the rug together. 886s
Pervasive. 902s
We gather week after week on Sunday, the lords day. 912s
And on the lords day, the liturgy each week, it varies. 927s
The hymns each week will vary. 936s
The music each week will vary. 941s
The texts will vary. 944s
There's a similarity in the sermons in that each week based on scripture. 949s
There's law and there's gospel. 954s
There's the revelation of our sin and the revelation of our Savior. 957s
But each sermon also unique formed from the text for that Sunday and the gathering of God's people. 961s
Going where the text goes. 974s
Amit's all of the variety, however, one can break down worship. 981s
One can break down worship. 986s
It's historically been broken down this way into two different categories. 987s
The divine service is broken down into word and sacrament, teaching of God and the meal of God. 996s
The reception of the teaching and the reception of the meal and their held together. 1012s
When we come to this meal, each and every lords day. 1028s
When we come to this meal, we receive the resurrected Christ. 1035s
When Jesus instituted the sacrament for the first time at the Passover celebration, 1045s
Jesus didn't say, let this bread signify or remind you of my body. 1052s
Jesus said, this is my body. 1062s
When Jesus shared the cup, he didn't say, let this wine remind you of the blood that will be shed upon the cross, ours from now. 1071s
Let it remind you of the blood. 1084s
Now Jesus said, this is my blood. 1086s
Jesus didn't say, here is the bread and here is the wine and let it be a remembrance of the cross, a memorial of it. 1097s
Indeed, do we remember what Christ has done every time we come and we receive the sacrament? 1108s
Of course, Jesus said this do in remembrance of me, but it's also more because Jesus says, is my body and is my blood. 1114s
When we come to receive the meal, we receive the risen Christ, truly present in with and under the bread and the wine. 1135s
Who is worthy enough for such a meal? 1160s
Who is worthy enough to come and to receive such a meal? 1165s
The very one who was the guest of those two that walked on the road to a man who becomes the host. 1173s
And now we come and the resurrected Christ becomes the host of the meal. 1182s
Who is worthy to receive such a meal? 1190s
When one considers all of our sin of thought, word indeed, all we've done and what we've left undone, the height and the breadth and the all-than-compassing nature of sin. 1193s
The condition of sin we are in, Psalm 51 says, we were sinners since our mother conceived us. 1203s
Who is worthy of such a meal? 1213s
How comforting it is to hear these words from Luke 15. 1217s
And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, this fellow, speaking of Jesus, this fellow, welcome sinners and eats with them. 1223s
How comforting it is to hear that because that means that we fit right in, don't we? 1235s
We fit right in as the Savior. 1243s
Eat with sinners. 1253s
The beautiful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, bearing all of our sin on the cross, all of it, paying the debt that we could never pay. 1259s
Through His great sacrifice, the spotless lamb of God, for us sinners, we are reconciled unto God, that word of forgiveness is pronounced to us. 1272s
And in the sacrament of baptism where we are washed in the very victory, the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. 1288s
And in this meal that we celebrate each and every time we are brought together, we receive a new, this forgiveness of our sins. 1296s
Washed in the waters of baptism one time, receiving the meal again and again and again. 1311s
And the beautiful Savior puts the forgiveness right in our mouth and tells us to swallow it so that we know that we are not in the same way. 1323s
So it is for us the tangible gospel, tangible gospel. 1340s
And then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 1359s
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 1372s
They said to each other, we are not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road while he was opening the scriptures to us. 1379s
The pattern, the pattern teaching and a meal, a word of God and a meal with God. 1392s
The pattern, it is pervasive, pervasive in our worship life. 1410s
It is pervasive in all of our days. 1424s
The pattern and you beloved have been woven in. 1432s