Holy Week - Thursday - Seating Dynamics At The Last Supper

The seating arrangement at the Last Supper, modeled after a "Triclinium," provides context for the lessons Jesus taught and the events that unfolded at the Last Supper. The last teachings and Intercessory Prayer of Jesus from the Gospel of John are often excluded from the events of Thursday. However, they offer essential teachings about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and give meaning to that precious and grand event. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered in Gethsemane is an invitation of love and condescension.

 Raw Transcript

all right it is Thursday of Holy Week
thursday and Friday are days that are
packed here with uh information
obviously we're only going to be able to
cover a few of the highlights of the day
i want to talk about the last supper the
intercessory prayer and then of course
Gethsemane uh first of all the last
supper let's put all this into context i
think we can understand a number of
things that are happening there and what
the primary teaching of Jesus is at the
last supper if we understand the setup
the context of the supper itself uh
first of all who sent to set up the last
supper in the upper room of a some
wealthy individual uh the it's it's
Peter and John right the greatest among
them and the least among them john being
the beloved the youngest likely and so
those two are going to go ahead and and
set up the tricenium which is a Roman
seating setup and it's something that
the Jews had adopted by this time and if
we use this seating chart then we can
understand a little bit more of what's
happening and what the context of of
Jesus's teachings are at the last supper
first of all Jesus as the host a
tricenium is a U-shaped table right
maybe there's three different tables
that are set up uh around each other i'm
going to put up an image to so that you
can see this you'd put couches or
pillows on the outsides of the table the
tables are low right it's not like we
have today in a modern world in modern
western world they're low and uh you
leave the middle open for entertainment
and for serving and so Jesus would be on
the opposite end of the door which is
where the server servers would come in
with the food and the entertainment
would come in and he'd be sitting second
to the right and on the right would be
the youngest and this would be John john
the beloved would be the only person to
Jesus's right when they sit there on
these couches or pillows what they do is
they lean on their left side you kind of
lean on your left side and maybe even a
little bit forward or and and and when
you lean on your left side you can use
your left hand to well both hands to to
to eat with but this is why John the
beloved would have his head toward the
bosom of Jesus because John would be
leaning to his left which is where Jesus
was on Jesus's other side would be the
guest of honor in this case it would be
Judas because we know that he is going
to dip a right together kind of with
Jesus and so he's right there on the
other side as the guest of honor
interestingly from there on going around
the tricenium around the U-shaped table
you would have the greatest moving all
the way to the least and the way this
would be set up is Jesus is actually
doing it backwards so that at the other
end of the table we're at the very least
position on the end facing opposite of
John and Jesus would be Peter the
greatest among them but he's in the
position of servitude this is the person
who would be helping with the servers
and maybe even serving those around him
as well moving out to get more food
etc so we get this scenario where Peter
right in fact even asks John he beckons
him this would be by a head sign or a a
a hand gesture trying to ask him to ask
Jesus who is it that is going to betray
him when Jesus says that someone here
will betray him so Peter is opposite of
John and he's able to get his attention
he's right across from him and but the
key in understanding this is remember
that there is a scuffle right with uh or
or a a little bit of strife among the
the apostles because they want to know
who the greatest is going to be now we
look at that term greatest and we think
of pride and everything else and maybe
there's a little bit of that but they're
really what they're really asking is
Jesus when you
leave when you are gone who is going to
lead and how is that hierarchal
structure going to be in place this is
something very important to them this is
you live by hier hierarchal structure
anciently and and so it's they're trying
to figure this out and it's not the
first time that they've asked about this
and so Jesus is going to teach them
something and he's going to say
essentially and I'm paraphrasing here
that uh you know the greatest among you
is the least among you and this is all
about condescension and he's a remember
he's about to go that night to
Gethsemane and condescend below all
mankind and take on all the sins of the
world and all the grief of the
world and and he's trying to teach them
that that's what greatness is and that
is who the greatest among you is is the
one who serves this is the same idea as
what Mormon is teaching us when he has
King Benjamin juxtaposed with King Noah
where King Benjamin's talk to the people
at the temple is about
service and King Noah is the one putting
heav heavy heavy taxes on the people and
everything's about him and all of his
wives and you know everything else right
he's juxtaposing the two this is by the
way Lehi's dream
that's what that represents king
Benjamin is the tree of life here and
King Noah is the great and spacious
building the tree of life represents
condescension look at First Nephi 11
that's what it's all about and
condescension meaning lowering yourself
below others or serving and loving
others is is exactly that it's the love
of God and that's what the fruit
represents on the tree and that's what
Jesus is trying to teach them you're
hanging on to the iron rod and you're
moving toward the tree well what is the
tree the tree is loving others it's the
love of God that you're going to do
yourself and you're actually going to
consume the fruit means that meaning
that you're going to take that same
thing on yourself and at baptism that's
what we do we take on the name of Jesus
Christ which means that we take on the
idea of the greatest among you is the
least among you it it's
charity and so he's teaching them this
and so when they're done with the last
supper and of course he's talking about
what he's about to do right breaking of
the bread the the the unleavened bread
and handing that out to everyone this is
my body and then of course the cup would
be one of the four cups that's used in
the seder meal i believe the cup of wine
that's divided among everybody there uh
the 13 that would be there and and this
is the the the the wine of the new
covenant right this is my blood the
blood of the new covenant and this is
about what he's about to do that night
in in
Gethsemane and but but at the end of
this he then goes and washes everybody's
feet well who would normally be the one
in position to do that it would be Peter
because he is seated in the position of
the least of the
servant so this is why Peter then is
protesting with Jesus saying why why are
you doing this i should be doing
this and and Jesus says "No see I am
greater than you therefore I am the
least among all of you including you
Peter and I am going to watch your feet
and everybody else's feet here and I'm
going to serve all of you i'm going to
lower myself below all of you and this
is what I will do tonight." And in the
celestial economy in the celestial
hierarchy this is how it works it's the
opposite of how it typically works in a
temporal world you know where where you
are uh where the greatest among you is
the greatest among you jesus is the
servant king where he enters in at the
beginning of the week as the king he
shows everyone here that he is the
servant king and that is who we are
supposed to be servant kings and servant
queens now moving beyond this we don't
usually include this in discussions of
uh the last week of Jesus's life of the
Holy Week but then we need to talk about
the teachings of Jesus in the in in the
Gospel of John we usually just take
things from the synoptic gospels john is
my favorite gospel and he adds so much
here to our understanding about
teachings this is all the teachings of
Holy Week of the last week of Jesus and
and we come in here where his last
teachings are in chapters 14 to 17
essentially and and and in chapter 14
this is where we get in my father's
house are many mansions if it were not
so I would have told you i go to prepare
a place for you he's about to go and do
this so he's talking about many mansions
many outcomes many places for people to
go i'm going to go prepare a place for
you i'm going first to prepare a place
for you in the mansions in heaven right
where I am there ye may ye may be also
right this is only an invitation and I
am going to create the
way and I invite you to come with me and
I will invite you to be one with me and
with the father but it's not assurityity
this is all based on repentance this is
all based on changing our character to
become more like Jesus he goes on and
says I am the way the truth and the
life so what I do now this condescension
this charity right all built on this
faith hope and charity we discussed on
Tuesday this is this is how you will be
you need to be follow what I do come
follow me not just listen to me right
come follow me be like me and those that
will assimilate to that truth to that
way that truth and that life are the
ones that will be with
him those are the ones that will be with
him others of us that don't do that will
not be with him we will have a different
place prepared for us that's what that
means
right
um I believe thou he says in verse 10 of
14 believe thou not that I am in the
father and the father in me right this
is where we get a Protestant view and
really a a mainstream Christian view of
the Trinity which is not the case but uh
this is where you know something they
they use to support that uh he goes on
and says "The words that I speak unto
you I speak not of myself but the father
that dwelleth in me he doeth the
works he doeth the works." Right so the
father does these works i give my will
to
him right i don't want to drink this cup
but if I must I will i will do thy will
father that's the that's the example
it's not just his obedience it's the
example to us we need to do the same
thing and then we will be in him and he
will be in us and we will be one as he's
going to say in chapter 17 okay and we
move on to this and he says
"Look if you shall ask anything in my
name I will do
it." Okay in my name in other words be
like me follow my example and then he
goes on and says "If ye love
me keep my
commandments." Right that is the way the
and and and the truth and the life
if ye love me keep my commandments we
talk so much about does God love me how
much does God love me god loves me so
much it's so great it's so wonderful but
that's only one side of the coin that's
only one side of atonement that's only
one side of rec reconciliation the other
side is us loving him and how do we love
him we obey his commandments which helps
us put on the character of God to become
more like him because that is what he is
looking for right even says here in
verse 17 even the spirit of truth that
we should follow so very important
teachings that we get there and then on
to the intercessory prayer i'm going to
move all the way to chapter 17 here for
time sake for I have given unto thee
this is verse 8 for I have given unto
them the words this is Jesus in his
prayer to the father talking about his
apostles his
disciples for I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me this is that
concept of DBR if you follow my cup
podcast and they have received them and
have known surely that I came out from
thee and they have believed that thou
did send me right this is all about
becoming one right and now I am no more
in the world but these are in the world
still right i come unto thee holy father
keep through thine own name those whom
thou hast given me that they may be one
as we are so again the example of being
one has nothing to do with being the
same being otherwise the disciples here
would also be part of the trinity
somehow right that's not what it means
all right the the Hebrew word underlying
word for one here is a and h can mean
the number one but it also means a union
right a sum of parts that are brought
together as one kind of like Adam and
Eve should be one flesh and so the idea
is we follow that that truth that life
that way the words of Jesus we follow
that example and then we can become one
with God it's not a matter of okay I
have gone through Gethsemane and the
cross and the resurrection and now we're
all one it's not a big kumbaya scene
it's much better than that it's much
greater than that it is these are the
ones that have followed me these are the
ones who have kept the commandments
these are the ones who have loved me and
they are had been given that invitation
and they have done it and therefore they
are one with me as I am one with you
father that's Zion right one heart and
one mind he sums it up in verse 21 that
they all may be one as thou Father art
in me and and I in thee that they also
may be one in us okay now on to
Gethsemane i'm not going to speak as
much on that even though that's the
heart of everything but that's what gets
discussed the most um obviously at this
point then he he's going to leave after
he gives these teachings he is going to
intercede for all of mankind in
Gethsemane take on the sins of the world
pay the price which is what is required
in the spiritual economy so that we can
repent it's not so that we will just be
saved we we need the clarifier on
there it it is so that we have the
opportunity to repent
and if if we do not repent it's as if in
as the Book of Mormon says it's as if
nothing happened right it's as if the
the the atoning sacrifice didn't happen
outside of resurrecting with a physical
body but the the fulfillment the full
purpose of the atoning sacrifice of
Jesus Christ is exaltation for the
children of God and so what it does is
it paves the way and offers a loving
invitation to all of God's children to
choose the
right to obey the commandments to put on
the character of God to grow to develop
in faith hope and
charity so that we can have a place
prepared for us in the mansions of
heaven so that we can be more like Jesus
Christ more like our heavenly father so
the greatest event of all time in all
space is a paving of the way and an
invitation of love that still respects
agency i'll see you tomorrow