MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
MEN ALIVE 222 - Unveiling the Last Supper: A Journey Through History and Symbolism
Embark with us on a gripping exploration of the Last Supper's profound legacy, as we piece together the historical and cultural context of this sacred event. With Dr. Jim Cunningham joining us, whose expertise in adult education and directorial role at Go Teach Global brings a wealth of knowledge, we dissect the European depictions that have shaped our understanding for centuries. Together, we'll clear the mist surrounding the traditional imagery and reconstruct the setting as it might have truly been—complete with a U-shaped table and the revealing absence of servants.
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, paul Estabrooks, our teacher. As my longtime friend, dr Jim Penningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive.
Speaker 2:Many people have seen pictures of Michelangelo's painting called the Last Supper. It shows Jesus seated in the center of a long European-style table with six disciples seated to his left and six disciples seated to his right. Let me suggest the table in Michelangelo's painting is very European but may not be culturally accurate to the first century in Jerusalem. I lived in Jerusalem for a year and while we were there we discovered an interesting replica of the Last Supper set up by a group of Messianic Jews near Jerusalem. They had created a table arrangement just as the table would have looked like in 30 AD during the time of the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. Let me try and describe the table arrangement for you.
Speaker 2:First, there were no chairs. Chairs were low to the floor, perhaps 18 inches or 45 centimeters. The participants would sit either with their feet under the low table or recline back on cushions and mats on the floor. Second, the table was perhaps only one meter or three feet wide, in the shape of a letter U. If you were standing looking inside the U-shaped table used at the Last Supper, there would have been four mats on the left side of the U this is called the head of the table Five mats along the back and four more at the right were the foot of the table. Now back to the description of the table. In the culture of the day, this horseshoe shaped U-table had a head part and a foot part. The host sat two seats in from the head of the table.
Speaker 2:The honored guest sat at the head of the table in what was called the highest seat, the place of honor, and at the other end was the foot of the table, where the lowest seat Participants who served the meal would enter the open part of the U-shaped table to deliver food and place drinks on the table.
Speaker 1:Jim, it will help our listeners to know. It appears there were no servants bringing food and drink to our Lord at the Last Supper. Matthew 26, 17-19 says On the first day of the festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked when do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you? As you go into the city, jesus told them you will see a certain man. Tell him, the teacher says my time has come and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house. So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
Speaker 2:That's right, pablo. The Gospel record in Luke, chapter 22, says Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said Go and prepare the Passover meal so we can eat it together. It appears Peter and John arranged all the food and drink and headed placed on the table just before the disciples arrived. No servants are recorded as being in the room during the last supper. One more clue this room was apparently part of a house and it may have had only one entrance and maybe no windows. This is a key as to what is about to happen.
Speaker 2:In the story, the same two disciples that set up the table had witnessed an argument early among the disciples as to who was the greatest in the kingdom that they believed Jesus was going to establish.
Speaker 2:So Jesus, having observed them earlier debating over who was the greatest, had said to his disciples when you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The hosts will come and say Give this person your seat. Then you will be embarrassed and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table. Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say my friend, we have a better place for you. Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. In most settings the guests would arrive through the door. At the foot of the table, a basin of water and a towel was available for the servants of the host to wash the feet of the guests.
Speaker 1:We're getting the picture, Jim. There were no servants at the last supper, so there obviously was no one to wash the disciples' feet.
Speaker 2:And it's also noteworthy that Jesus did not mention in front of Judas where he would eat the Passover. Jesus did not want to be betrayed before the right time. John 13 says before the Passover celebration, jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon a scarier, to betray Jesus. So let's review this story to this point. There are twelve disciples sitting or reclining on the floor around this low-shaped U-table. Jesus is seated at the head of the table, the left side of the open U. Judas is seated to his right at the head of the table as the honored guest. The apostle John is on the left side of Jesus because the Bible says he was leaning on Jesus, so he was close.
Speaker 1:Before we find out where Peter was seated, let me remind you that you're listening to Men Alive with Dr Jim Cunningham from Go Teach Global. Go to goteachglobalcom to see how you can help the ministry of men alive. So, jim, where do you think Peter was sitting at the last supper?
Speaker 2:Pablo, our favorite New Testament professor, always taught us context, context, context. So I have a confession. The Bible does not say directly where Peter was sitting, but we read he was far enough away from John that he had to give signals to John for John to ask Jesus who's going to betray him. Let me give you my best guess where Peter was seated. The Bible does say Peter helped set up the room with John before the disciples arrived. Peter knew that John was a favorite of Jesus and would likely be seated beside Jesus. But Peter did not know who Jesus would choose that night to be his guest of honor. So Peter may have thought I'll take a spot at the lowest seat in the table. Maybe Jesus will say Peter, my friend, we have a better place for you. Come up here beside me to be the honored guest. Then Peter would think I will be honored in front of the other disciples.
Speaker 1:Wait, jim. You said there were no servants at this dinner, so no one washed the feet of the disciples when they came in. If there were no servants, whose job would it have been to wash the feet of the guests? Let me guess the person sitting at the lowest seat, at the foot of the table right.
Speaker 2:You got it, papal. If Peter chose the lowest seat to show he was humble, he forgot the job that went with the position when there were no servants in the room, washing the other guests feet. The Bible says Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. And whose feet do you suppose, jesus washed first?
Speaker 1:Judas Iscariot, the guest of honor who would soon betray him, was seated beside Jesus in the highest seat. We know this because Jesus whispered to him what you do, do quickly. And Judas left the room. The disciples thought he was perhaps sent out to pay for the meal.
Speaker 2:Jesus would have then washed John, the beloved disciples, feet. Who was seated next? To him and slowly worked his way around the back of the table, washing the feet of the 11 apostles until he arrived at Peter. The Bible says when Jesus came to Simon Peter, peter said Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied you don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will no, Peter protested.
Speaker 2:No, you will never wash my feet. Jesus replied unless I wash you, you won't belong to me. Then Peter, ever exuberant to show his loyalty to Christ, blurts out then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet. To which Jesus replied a person who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet to be entirely clean. And you, disciples, are clean, but not all of you, For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said not all of you are clean. After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked Do you understand what I was doing? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth slaves are not greater than their master, nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
Speaker 2:Now that you know these things. God will bless you for doing them.
Speaker 1:Jim, I know you like acting out scripture. Did you ever demonstrate the Last Supper as a play? Sure did.
Speaker 2:Even found twelve volunteers with beards to look more authentic in their bathrobes. Our biggest challenge was getting someone to sit where Judas was seated in the seat of honor. No one wanted to play Judas. On one trip overseas, my host had me speaking in several churches. In the first church I told this story and illustrated the table of the Last Supper, drawing on a whiteboard, how it was arranged. Later we had a time for questions. First question came up how often should we do foot washing? They missed the concept of servant leadership in life's daily activities. I gave an example of one church group that divided over whether men should wash only men's feet and women should only wash women's feet. Another church group divided over the question should the person who washes your feet also dry them, or should you dry your own feet, especially if your feet are ticklish? But unbeknown to me, this group practiced foot washing as a regular sacrament and wanted my support to say whether I thought foot washing should be done every Sunday, once a month or once a year. I mentioned that Jesus used this example of foot washing for a lesson on servant leadership. It was a necessary ritual in Israel in those days because feet got dusty in a dry climate with open toed footwear. The more accurate question should be how often should we practice servant leadership? Answer whenever and wherever we have the opportunity.
Speaker 2:Here's my question men, what disciple are you like? Are you like the apostle John, his beloved disciple, sitting as close to Jesus as you can get to hear and obey his every word? Or are you like the disciple who secretly wanted more honor and praise, while forgetting to do what was expected of him while sitting in that lower seat? Or, god forbid, are you like a Judas? You have followed Jesus for many years, you have pretended to be his servant, but deep within you have a hidden sin, a secret life that virtually no one has discerned. But you know in your heart that all is not well. You are in a place of honor and respect, but living a double life and a lie. I pray that today you will wash more than your feet. May you ask Jesus Christ, our Lord, to cleanse your heart and transform you into his likeness. Don't be a traitor like Judas. Be like John. Love Jesus, obey him and be as close to him as you can get there.
Speaker 1:You have it, men. Jesus wants us to practice servant leadership. Send your questions or comments to Dr Jim at menaliveintogodatgmailcom. That's menaliveintogodatgmailcom. And when you contact us, remember that Menalive is a listener supported radio program and podcast. We thank you for your encouragement. Menalive is a production of the ministry Go Teach Global. We invite you also to come visit us on our website at goteachglobalcom. There you will find background information about Dr Jim, and the second page gives you an opportunity to listen to any or all of the many other Menalive recorded programs. You can also help Dr Jim and me to respond to the requests we receive to teach our seminars in low income areas of the world where opportunities to learn are sometimes limited. You can help us make a difference. Go to goteachglobalcom today. Until next time, I'm Paul Estabrooks, on behalf of Dr Jim Cunningham, encouraging you to become Menalive, transformed into the character and image of Jesus Christ.
