Lesson video

Hello everyone.

I'm so pleased that you have joined me.

My name is Mrs. Hardy and together we are going to be learning and finding out new things and I'm sure you are going to do brilliantly.

Welcome to today's session from the Unit, Holy Week, what do the stories say and what is their meaning? This lesson is called The Last Supper, Different Christian Interpretations.

The end of today's lesson, you are going to be able to describe how different Christians might interpret the meaning of the Last Supper.

Let's work hard and we will do amazingly in this lesson.

Now, in today's lesson, there are some special words that we need to remember and learn the meaning of.

So we're going to practise saying these together.

Shall we begin? I'll say the word first and then you will repeat it, and we'll do that a couple of times to get those words stuck into our heads.

Are you ready, here we go.

Firstly, today's lesson focuses on the Last Supper, Last Supper.

Now that's what we call the final meal that Jesus had with his disciples.

Also in today's lesson, we're going to be finding out about something called Holy Communion.

Holy Communion, well done.

This is the Christian service where the Last Supper is remembered.

Next we have Pesach, Pesach.

This is the name for the Jewish Festival of Passover.

Then we have the word Covenant, Covenant.

Now this is a sacred promise between God and his people.

And finally we have the word Passover.

Passover, Passover is a Jewish celebration of the story of Exodus, and we also know that it's also known as Pesach.

So we are learning already.

Now, I want you to pop those key words into your head because they're gonna come up on our slides and I want to see if you can spot them when they turn up.

And our lesson is in two parts.

Firstly, we're going to be answering the question, how and why did Jesus celebrate the Last Supper? And secondly, how do Christians reenact the Last Supper? So let's get started with the first part.

How and why did Jesus celebrate the Last Supper? Now, I think we are going to hear from Aisha.

She's going to explain to us what we mean by theology in religious education because theology I think is what we're going to do today.

Is that right Aisha? Oh, she says that theologians are interested in stories, texts and traditions.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining what the deeper meaning of these stories, texts and traditions are.

We can also look at the difference they make to people today.

Thank you, Aisha.

So in this lesson, we're going to be using the tools of theology to better understand different Christian worldviews about the Last Supper.

Now, when we're talking about the Last Supper, we need to remember that we are talking about the person called Jesus.

And you might know that Jesus lived more than 2000 years ago in a place called the Middle East.

So have a look at our globe, see where the Middle East has been circled and then you can see a larger map of where Jesus spent his time whilst he was on earth and the places that he travelled around.

Perhaps you remember some stories from other lessons to do with Jesus and what he did in these places.

Here's Alexia to tell us all about what she knows about Jesus.

Now, Alexia has a Christian worldview and attends an Orthodox church.

She says, in my church we learned that Jesus was Jewish.

He followed Jewish traditions and celebrated Jewish festivals.

We read in the Bible that Jesus went to the synagogue to learn about Jewish teachings.

Now you might just want to pause for a moment and talk to somebody in your room with you about the fact that Jesus, who Christians worship, was actually Jewish.

And you might want to just talk about that for a moment and think about how when he was on earth, he followed the Jewish religion.

Now let's do a little check-in and make sure that we understand what we've just learnt.

So during his time on earth, Jesus was A Christian, B, Muslim, or C, Jewish.

Why don't you show me your right answer? What are you going to choose? Well done, if you selected C, Jewish, then you would be correct.

During his time on Earth, Jesus was Jewish.

Now, one of the Jewish festivals that would've been celebrated by Jesus was called Pesach.

It's also known as Passover, and it's related to a Jewish story called the Exodus.

Now, Jesus was at a Passover meal with his disciples the evening before his death at Easter time.

Christians today learn about the Last Supper, how it's connected to Pesach, the Exodus and Jesus' death.

Let's have a look at this painting.

What do you think it might show? You might wanna pause the recording and just have a closer look at what the picture shows.

Who do you think is in the picture? Where do you think it's taking place and what do you think these people are doing? Okay, so pause the recording now.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you've had a chance to look at the painting closely and you've had a little think about what it shows.

Now this painting is by an artist called Leonardo da Vinci and it's called "The Last Supper".

So you might have been able to spot that there's a very important looking person in the middle of the picture, and that would be Jesus.

And he is surrounded by his disciples.

It looks like they've been enjoying some food and some drinks together, and now they all look like they're talking about something very serious.

I wonder what that might be.

Now, just before Jesus was crucified, he shared a special Passover meal with his disciples in Jerusalem.

And in the Bible there is a reading in the New Testament that is from a book called Luke and chapter 22, verses 14 to 34.

And it says, when the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table and he said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer for I tell you I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, take this and divide it among you.

For I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

Now, the disciples would try and work out what Jesus was trying to tell them when he gave them that message.

I wonder if you have some ideas about what he meant.

This meal is something that Christians call the Last Supper today, in the picture, this is depicting Jesus.

Now, at the Last Supper, Jesus broke bread, shared it with his disciples and offered wine asking them to do this in remembrance of him.

And we have another Bible reading that we can look at that helps us to understand what happened at the Last Supper.

Now this Bible reading says, "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way after the supper, he took the cup saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table, the son of man will go as it has been decreed but woe to that man who betrays him.

They began to question among themselves, which of them it might be, who would do this?" So Jesus is having the bread and telling them that it's reminding them of him and also with the wine.

And he's saying to do this again after he's gone to remember him, but he's also warning them that someone is going to betray him.

Now, Jesus also gave his followers a new covenant and prepared them for the challenges that they would face.

Do you remember when Jesus took the bread and broke it, what He said? Did he A say, this is my blood given for you.

Remember we're talking about the bread.

Did he B, say this is my body given for you? Or did they C say, this is my life given for you? Why don't you stop the recording, have a little think about your answer and then come back.

Okay, welcome back, what did you choose as your answer? Was it B? If it was well done, you are correct.

When Jesus took the bread and broke it, he said, this is my body given for you.

Okay, so look again at this painting, thinking about the Bible readings that we've just read, what event might have just happened? Have a little moment to think about it.

Okay, I wonder if you have said that they might have eaten together.

Jesus might have just broken the bread.

Jesus may have passed around the wine.

Jesus may have just told everyone that someone is going to betray him.

Perhaps that is what they are whispering about behind their hands and perhaps they're saying, who? Who is it going to be? Or maybe they'll say, not me.

It's not gonna be me.

I wonder if you can spot all of those different people in the painting.

Just spend a couple more moments having a look.

So during the meal, Jesus predicted that his disciple, Judas would betray him and his disciple Peter would deny knowing him.

And now we can see Jesus explaining what's gonna happen and the disciples being very concerned about what they have heard.

Okay, Laura's here and we have to find the missing word in her sentence.

Jesus knew that one of his disciples would, Him, and your choices are love, hurt or betray.

Now just have a little think about the painting that we saw and pause the recording to discuss your answer and then come back and tell me what you have chosen.

Welcome back.

Okay, did you select betray? If you did, you are right.

Jesus told the disciples that someone would betray him.

Let's have a look at this picture next.

This is a wine goblet and some bread.

Do you remember we learned that Jesus said that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood and he wanted his followers after he was gone to continue having meals together and remembering him through the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine.

Now during the Passover meal, unleavened bread is eaten.

This was a reminder of how quickly the Jews had to make their escape from Egypt.

There wasn't time to wait for the bread to rise.

Now at the Last Supper, Jesus said that the bread represented his body.

During the Passover meal, the wine represented the Jews being freed from slavery.

At the Last Supper, Jesus said that it represented his blood.

Here's Alexia again, she talks about how some Christians interpret Jesus' words about bread and wine being body and blood.

It can be quite confusing thinking about what Jesus meant by saying that.

Okay, help us out, Alexia.

She says, I think that Jesus used the bread and wine to show the disciples that they should remember his death and that his plan was to save people in a new way.

This new way is known as the New Covenant.

Thank you, Alexia.

Now let's just pop back to the Bible verses and have a little look at what else was Jesus' message to his followers whilst they were celebrating this Passover meal at the Last Supper.

So he said, "A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another." So what's the command he's telling them? He's telling them that they must love each other.

Then he says "By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." So after the Exodus, God had given the Jews 10 commandments.

During the Passover meal, Jesus gave one new commandment.

Jesus knew it would be hard for the disciples after he left and he was getting them prepared for this.

Love would keep them united and would help them to carry on when he was gone.

Jesus wanted others to see that His disciples followed his example.

Izzy and Lucas are here thinking about the most important way Jesus helped his disciples understand what to do when he was gone.

Remember the Last Supper happened on the Thursday before the good Friday when he died.

So let's have a look at what Izzy and Lucas say and who do we think has got the best answer as to how Jesus helped his disciples understand what to do when he was gone and why is it the best answer? So Izzy, Izzy says, Jesus wanted his disciples to help others.

He told them to love each other so everyone could see that they were his disciples and friends.

Okay, Lucas, what are you going to say? Lucas says, Jesus told his disciples to remember him each time they had bread and wine so that they knew this had all been planned.

Okay, so have a little look at what Izzy and Lucas have said.

We are trying to think about the most important way that Jesus helped his disciples to understand what to do when he was no longer there.

So have a look again at Izzy and Lucas's answers.

And you have a think about who has got the best answer and why is it the best answer? Why don't you pause the recording now, you can talk to the person you're with to think about what you are going to put as your answer and then come back and we'll see what your ideas might be.

Welcome back everybody.

Let's have a look at what a possible answer might look like.

Here are some examples of what we may have answered.

You may have put, I think that Izzy had the best answer because she explained that Jesus wanted his friends to help each other so their behaviour should be loving and kind when he was gone.

Oh, so she's remembered that commandment when he said to his disciples that they had to love one another.

Oh, but you might have thought that Lucas has got the best answer because remembering Jesus would be the most important thing the disciples could do when he was gone and they would be able to do it every day.

'Cause everybody has meals every day.

Okay, so did you go with Izzy who thought that it was about everybody being told to love one another after he is gone? Or did you think it was Lucas who said that the most important thing was remembering Jesus after he was gone? Okay, we're onto the second part of our lesson now.

How do Christians reenact the Last Supper? So here we have our bread and our wine again and we're gonna think now about a service called Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is the service where Christians remember the events of the Last Supper.

It is known by different names in different denominations of Christian churches.

It's also called the Eucharist, Mass or even the breaking of bread.

There are also some differences between what different Christians believe happens during Holy Communion and in how and when it is acted out.

And also not all Christians participate in Holy Communion.

So it's important to remember that not everybody is the same.

Oh, let's have a look at these lists of statements and I want you to tell me which one is not true about Holy Communion? Is it a service that reenacts the Last Supper? Is it true that it's also known as mass or Eucharist? Is it true that it's celebrated differently by different Christians? And is it true that all Christians celebrate Holy Communion? Pause the recording now and let us think about your answer and then come back.

Welcome back.

So you've had a little bit of time now to look at the four statements and decide which one of these is not true about Holy Communion.

Which one did you choose? It was D.

Give yourself a big round of applause if you got that one right.

Well done, you've been listening really well.

In my Greek Orthodox church, we reenact the part of the Last Supper when Jesus asked the disciples to remember him through Holy Communion using bread and wine each week.

At Alexia's Greek Orthodox Church, the Holy Communion bread is called Prosphora.

It has special markings on the top and the wine is placed in a special chalice.

We can see these here.

So we can see the bread with the special imprint on top, and the wine is in that special chalice.

Now, Alexia says "We take part in Holy Communion every Sunday and on special occasions.

First of all, the priest blesses the wine and bread.

Then I go with the other children and elderly people to the front of the church, followed by the rest of the congregation." So let's do a little check.

Alexia said that she has Holy Communion in her Orthodox church.

Now did she say she had it every Sunday, one Sunday a month, or every two weeks? Just pause and have a little think about your answer to that one.

Off you go.

And welcome back.

So you were thinking about Alexia having Holy Communion in her Orthodox church and she has it every Sunday.

A big thumbs up to everybody who got that right, well done.

Now she says that each person receives a piece of bread and is given a sip of wine on a spoon.

You have to be baptised in her church to receive Holy Communion.

She says, my favourite part of Holy Communion is when the priest says a blessing.

He puts each person's name into the blessing.

It feels special when I hear him say Alexia.

And here's the spoon used at my church.

In Alexia's Orthodox Church, the wine is taken from A, a shared chalice, B, a shared cup, or C, a shared spoon.

Pause the recording and we'll find out what the correct answer is.

Okay, welcome back everybody.

What answer did you put down? If you put C, a shared spoon, you were correct.

In Alexia's Orthodox Church, the wine is taken from a shared spoon.

Brilliant to everybody who got that one right.

Okay, we're gonna hear from a different Christian now, this is Asher.

Now Asher has a Christian worldview.

He goes to a free church and is a Protestant Christian.

In his church, the congregation take part in Holy Communion on special occasions and that's usually about once a month.

So I wonder if you've spotted a difference already between Asher and Alexia.

Alexia had Holy Communion every week, and Asher has it about once a month.

Now in Asher's church, people eat bread and drink wine or grape juice to remember when Jesus died.

He says, as a Christian, I take part in Holy Communion to remember Jesus dying on the cross and what his sacrifice means to me.

When my church takes communion, everyone is invited to come to the front of the church to collect the bread and red grape juice.

We then go back to our seats and listen to the Bible verses when Jesus said that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood.

We heard those Bible verses earlier on in our lesson.

And this is another difference, isn't it, between Asher and Alexia because Alexia had her Holy Communion at the front of the church.

But Asher's church collect the bread and the wine and then they go back and sit in their seats before they eat and drink it and they have red grape juice instead of wine.

Let's see what else Asher tells us.

He says, then we eat the bread together.

It helps us remember Jesus together.

Well thank you Asher, for letting us know about that.

Okay, to do a check-in, I want to find out if you can remember which of these objects is not used during Asher's communion.

So we've got A, a special spoon, B, the wine in a special cup and C, the bread.

So which one of these is not used during Asher's Communion? Have a little think about your answer.

Pause the recording.

You might want to talk to somebody about what your answer is and why.

And then come back and we'll see what the correct answer is.

Welcome back, what did you choose, A, B, or C? If you chose A, you would be right.

It wasn't Asher's communion where they use the spoon.

It was Alexia's communion where they use the spoon.

Well done if you remembered that difference.

We're gonna meet a third Christian now, this Christian is called Danielle and she attends a Roman Catholic church.

Holy Communion takes place in a church service called Mass at her church.

Now Danielle says about this special occasion, I would describe Mass as the heart of my faith.

Taking part in this service each week keeps me grounded, reminding me of what truly matters.

It inspires me to live out Christ's teachings in my everyday actions.

Danielle says, "When I receive the Eucharist, I truly believe I am receiving the body and blood of Christ.

It's a moment of grace where I feel spiritually nourished and renewed.

It reminds me of Jesus's sacrifice and his unconditional love.

The Eucharist strengthens me, gives me hope, and helps me to face life's challenges with a sense of peace and purpose." Let's have a little check.

Danielle said that for her, the Eucharist was, what was it? A, the body and blood of Christ.

Was it B, taking place once per month or was it C, something that gave her peace? Now, I wonder if in this one, there might be more than one correct answer.

Have a little pause of the recording and either think to yourself what the answer is or maybe talk to somebody who you are with.

Now we were looking at what Danielle had said, about what the Eucharist means to her.

Let's have a look at the correct answers.

Oh, there were two answers, this was a tricky one.

So for Danielle, the Eucharist or the Holy Communion meant that it was the body and blood of Christ and it was something that gave her peace.

So there were two answers to that check-in, well done if you managed to get both of them.

So here we have our three Christians who have very kindly shared with us today what they believe about Holy Communion and how they reenact the Last Supper through that Holy Communion in their churches.

We had Alexia, we had Asher and we had Danielle.

Alexia was from an Orthodox church.

Asher was from a free Protestant church and Danielle was from the Catholic Church.

Now they all take part in Holy Communion.

But can you think what is similar and different about the way each of their churches carry out the Holy Communion? So start having a little think back at all the information that we've been learning today.

Maybe it's something about how often the Holy Communion takes place.

Perhaps it's something to do with how they carry out the Holy Communion, whether they go to the front of their churches to collect it, whether they sit at their seats when they take it in.

Maybe it's to do with some of the objects that they use during their Holy Communion.

So just spend a moment having a little think about that.

You might wanna pause the recording and talk with the person next to you about all the things you've learned from our three Christians in our lesson today.

Welcome back.

I wonder how many brilliant ideas you had about the similarities and the differences between these three Christians and what they taught us today about what they believe about Holy Communion and about how they carry out Holy Communion in their churches.

Okay, here is a practise task for us.

Izzy's going to join us.

She has been thinking about how Christians reenact the Last Supper.

She says, I think all Christians reenact the Last Supper in exactly the same way.

It's just eating bread and drinking wine.

So is Izzy correct? I wonder if we can think of two similarities between the way that our three Christians celebrated Holy Communion.

That would mean that Izzy was correct, but also I wonder if we can think of two differences between how Alexia, Asher and Danielle celebrated Holy Communion.

So pause the recording, write down your ideas, and then we'll come back together and explore what those answers are.

Welcome back everybody.

I hope you have been busy discussing and writing down all of your brilliant ideas.

So remember Izzy said, I think all Christians reenact the Last Supper in exactly the same way, it is just eating bread and drinking wine.

So what might some of the similarities have been between the way that Alexia, Asher and Danielle celebrate the Holy Communion that has led Izzy to her answer? So you might have said that Izzy is not correct.

Many Christians celebrate Holy Communion, but not necessarily in the same way.

It's not just eating bread and drinking wine.

They are sharing bread and wine to remember the Last Supper and about how the next day Jesus was going to die.

They all gather in church to do this with other Christians.

So it's not just eating bread and drinking wine 'cause people might do that at home, but it's when they gather in church to do this together with other Christians.

Okay, you also might have said some differences.

So you know that this celebration of Holy Communion is known by different names.

Do you remember that in Danielle's Roman Catholic Church, it's called Mass, and you might remember that in some churches like Alexia's Orthodox Church, they celebrate Holy Communion every week.

But other people, like in Asher's Protestant church, they celebrate it once a month.

And also they don't always use the same thing.

So in Asher's Church they had grape juice instead of wine.

And at Alexia's Church, people drank it from a spoon rather than from the special cup.

I wonder if you had some different similarities and differences that you remembered about Holy Communion in these three different places? Well done if you thought of some more ideas.

Now we've come to the end of our lesson.

So we were looking at the Last Supper, different Christian interpretations, and we have learned four key things.

We learned that the Last Supper is the name of the event where Jesus had his final meal with his disciples.

We know that Jesus was a Jew and he would've celebrated Pesach, which is also known as Passover today.

We know that the events of the Last Supper teach Christians important information about who Jesus was and how they should behave.

Lastly, we know that for many Christians, Holy Communion is an important part of their faith.

Thank you for learning with me today.

It's been a pleasure to spend this time with you and I hope you have learned lots and you're going to remember lots about how different Christians celebrate the Last Supper through their Holy Communion.