Luke 22:14-23 (ESV)

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

There’s something shocking here that I never noticed before. Jesus did not drink at the last supper.

The Greek word that’s translated here as “for” is “gar” and it’s a connector of explanation. Why has Jesus earnestly desired to eat this Passover with them? Because He will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

Why does He ask the disciples to divide up his cup of wine? Because from now on He will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

This ends up affecting how Jesus dies. Frederick T. Zugibe, in his book “The Crucifixion of Jesus, a Forensic Analysis” concludes that Jesus died of hypovolemic shock. Basically, the blood loss and dehydration killed Him. Not drinking the evening before – and then pulling an all-nighter praying, being arrested and being tried – significantly reduced Jesus’ fluid levels. This hastened His death.

Jesus was surprisingly weak the next day; the centurion needed to recruit Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross. He said He was thirsty; then He didn’t live long. Since He was already dead, the centurion didn’t break His legs. That was important – as it fulfilled Psalm 34:20.

He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (ESV)

It all makes sense. It’s thrilling – and to His glory – that modern forensic pathology can add to our understanding of 2000 year old scriptures.

General revelation is important and science is just the detailed study of general revelation. It’s a pity that science and Christianity are sometimes portrayed as incompatible. Christians love science; we invented it!

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. – Psalm 19:1-2 (ESV)

The study of God’s creation is exciting and edifying.

It even helps us understand scripture.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies