Theme

Our sharing food reflects God’s generosity

Questions

• Breaking of Bread is a phrase used to mean both having a meal together, or the communion meal remembering Jesus’ death. How does either sharing communion together, or having a meal together bring us close to one another and to God?
• In v.19 Jesus instructs his followers to “do this in remembrance of me”.
  • Look at v.17-20 (compare with 1 Corinthians 11:23-26): what is Jesus telling his people to remember?
  • Why do you think the action of eating and drinking helps to remember, rather than simply remembering what Jesus said?
• At the last supper table there were all kinds of people gathered around the table, including the one who would betray Jesus (v.21) and some who were more interested in their own advancement than what Jesus was saying (v.24).
  • How do you feel about the fact Jesus welcomed these people to his table?
  • How can Jesus’ table be an example to us, his followers?
• Look at v.24. Are you surprised that, at such an important time, this argument rose among the disciples? Why/why not?
• Compare v.24-27 with Luke 14:7-11.
  • What do Jesus’ words tell us about the way the world regards status, and the way God regards status?
  • How does serving one another also honour one another (think back to Romans 12:10)?
• Although it was their last meal together before Jesus’ death, the last supper meal looks forward to the coming Kingdom of God (v.15-17 & 1 Corinthians 11:26). Look at the parable Jesus told in Luke 14:15-24.
  • If we live as kingdom people now, what does this parable tell us about welcoming others to our table?
  • In Luke 14:23, the master tells the servant to “urge” the outcasts to come into the banquet. How can our tables be places of welcome for people who don’t think they have a place in the kingdom of God?
• Jesus got a ‘bad’ reputation among some religious people because of the people with whom he chose to eat or the places he went to eat (see Matthew 9:10-11 & Matthew 11:19)?
  • Do you think the kind of judgements we find from the Pharisees are around in the church today?
  • Do you think Christians should continue Jesus’ pattern of eating with the ‘wrong’ people or in the ‘wrong’ places? How do we do this?
• Acts 2:46-47 describes the earliest believers both meeting for worship and breaking bread together.
  • What do you think in the connection between worship and the generosity of welcoming others to eat with you?
  • How can you display this attitude of worship and welcome?
• What one thing can you do to commit to eating with others? Commit yourself to doing it – it may help to tell someone else about your decision so they can remind you about it.