Exegetical and Theological Study of the Institution of the Lord's Supper, Luke 22:7-23

Abstract

The subject of this research is ̳An Exegetical and Theological study of the Institution of the Lord‘s Supper: Luke 22:7-23‘. With a background of meals from the socio-cultural and religious perspectives, the dissertation talks about the social and religious significance of meals in both ancient and modern cultures. As one of the important institutions of Jesus before his demise, the Supper is affirmed to have been taken after the Jewish Passover meal. The thesis first investigates the understanding of Jesus‘ institution narrative in the Gospel of Luke to find out what he intends to communicate to his disciples and how they understood his words in the observance of the Supper. It then contextualizes the study within the Ghanaian church. After an exegesis of Luke 22:7-23 within the context of the Lord‘s Supper, the thesis discusses some major theological themes from the synthesis of the exegetical analysis. It then examines the relevance of the interpretation of the narrative account to the Ghanaian church after looking at how Ghanaians are celebrating the Supper today. This analysis will help us to engage the aspect of the Lord‘s Supper that has direct correlation with the Ghanaian way of life. The study was conducted using the narrative criticism in order to examine the effect of Jesus‘ words on the disciples. Approaching it from the exegetical and theological perspectives, I analysed the compositional structural elements of the text to underscore what Luke intended to communicated to his readers. Themes such as regeneration, forgiveness and baptism are discussed as prerequisite for discipleship. It also discusses unity among believers, the new covenant and salvation in relation to the Supper. The thesis establishes that the Lord‘s Supper was instituted precisely for the Disciples of Christ and that it is through faith that one can get the blessings associated with observing the Supper. It has also revealed that the supper represents both cooperate and individual family relation with God which must be emphasized in the Eucharistic celebration through a strong bond of unity. Again the death of Christ which is symbolically interpreted in the Lord‘s Supper was sacrificial. This conclusion was arrived at from the Jewish understanding of vicarious death. In sacrifice, blood is always presented as symbolism of life and so Jesus‘ death is to be understood from this background. The thesis also establishes that some of these important values been communicated through the Supper to the disciples are not alien to the Ghanaian traditional culture. Most of these values are practiced within the Ghanaian society. Therefore the celebration of the Supper helps Ghanaian Christians to better understand them as they appropriate the meaning of the Supper as interpreted in the Lucan account of the institution narrative. The thesis draws the conclusion that for the Ghanaian Christian, the Supper is a ritual that seeks to transform the believer. This transformation which occurs both in the way the Supper is observed and its meaning integrated into their daily relationship within the Christian community is what underlines the celebration of the Eucharist.