How carefully Jesus distinguished between the Passover and the communion in the upper room that night. Just which of these was the last supper it is hard to decide. Whichever meal it was, it was surely the last one He ate with them on this earth; except for the fish and honey He ate before them in the evening of resurrection day, we do not know that He partook of another meal. In the case of the communion it is perhaps more true to look upon it as a breakfast rather than a supper, for it was the first meal of a new era, even as the Passover was on the day it was inaugurated.
Upon that occasion God also instituted a great time-change for His people. True enough it was eaten at night, but although it was the last meal of the day, it was the first meal of an era then dawning as new as could be for Israel. But when Jesus partook of it with His disciples in His day, it was truly a supper, for it was the final meal of the closing dispensation of the law which He fulfilled. Fulfilling it He removed it, swiftly replacing it with another which was to be the inaugural meal of the opening dispensation of grace, a breakfast indeed.
There must be no ground for mistake though, no confusing the two meals. He made a complete break between them by an interlude of foot-washing. 'Rising from supper and laying aside His garments He girded Himself' for the task (how significant the words seem now) and washed His disciples' feet ere He allowed Himself to institute and they to partake of the communion. They had walked that old path long enough, now they must walk the new. They who were not priests of the Old Covenant were to be priests of the New; they were to handle and eat the New Sacrifice and drink the New Blood.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.