Jesus' Last Supper "At Home" Page
Bake bread together
Find a recipe for unleavened bread similar to what was eaten by Jesus and his friends at their Passover meal (the Last Supper). Here is one
While you are working together to make the bread, remember the story of the Israelites, who did not have time to wait for the bread to rise when they left Egypt. If necessary, look up the story in Exodus 12:33-39.
Do puzzles together
Read the story of the Last Supper in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark; compare those tellings to Luke’s retelling that we have been focusing on during the workshops.
Matthew 26:17-30
Mark 14:12-26
Luke 22:7-20
Then do puzzles and other activities to review the story.
To find puzzles do an internet search on "Last Supper puzzles for children."
This suggested source for puzzles includes two levels of word search, crossword, fill-in the blanks, and a coloring page (scroll down the page to find "The Last Supper").
Gather with other families for a Seder Meal
Jesus was celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples during the event we call “The Last Supper.” Jesus and his disciples were devout Jews who celebrated all of the Jewish customs and feasts. Passover was one of the most important, as well as one of the oldest, Jewish festivals. Passover commemorated an event that happened more than a thousand years earlier.
The story of the first Passover involves a dramatic incident described in the Old Testament book of Exodus. God had heard the cries of his people who were suffering as slaves under the Pharaoh of Egypt. “Let my people go” are the familiar words of Moses, who was called by God to lead the people to freedom. As to be expected, Pharaoh said no! What happened next was a series of plagues sent by God. The tenth plague, the one that finally freed the Israelites, was that all first-born sons in Egypt would die.
Gather with other families in your church for a Christian Passover (Seder) meal. You can find instructions online for meals that tie in the Old Testament tradition to the New Testament celebration that became the Communion/Eucharist/Mass that we celebrate in our church today.
A few online resources for family Seder meals:
http://www.crivoice.org/seder.html
http://www.catholicculture.org...ties/view.cfm?id=544
Or, just gather with friends from church or your neighborhood and enjoy a meal together.
Have a family art night
As a family look at famous paintings of the Last Supper. In addition to the familiar daVinci Last Supper, do an internet search and look for others. For instance, Dali’s Last Supper is interesting and filled with symbolism.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali
Bible Paintings: The Last Supper has a number of different artists’ interpretations, as well as some suggestions of things to consider when looking at the paintings.
Do an internet search for "Last Supper Paintings" to find others.
Compare the different artists’ interpretations.
Consider the mood of the paintings (suggested by colors used, posture of participants, and facial expressions).
Talk about why the artist may have decided to include certain details.
If you want to dig deeper, articles at wikipedia.com and other sites will help you look at details and symbolism.
For example:
Michael Anthony Novak, a Catholic theologian, presented a paper on the subject of this piece in 2005. He proposes that DalÍ’s intention was not to simply paint the event of the last supper. He states: “DalÍ's true intention, which he has masterfully accomplished on this canvas, is to remind us of what is occurring in every celebration of this mystery of bread and wine: that the worship here on Earth makes present the realities of worship in Heaven.”
—Novak, Misunderstood Masterpiece
