A thousand years ago an army of 11th century crusaders re-occupied Jerusalem, taking back the Holy Land from the Moslems who had stolen it three hundred years earlier.  After defeating the warring Moslems, the crusaders sought to preserve the sites of our Lord which had been destroyed by the pagan intruders by constructing durable buildings which still stand today.

          Crusaders often get a bum rap for their zeal and deeds.  The modern press labels them as the invaders, but they weren't.  The Crusaders did not start those wars for the Holy Land.  It was the Moslems who centuries before had spread their coercive word by the sword and ravaged sites sacred to Christianity.  Crusaders, no matter what others may say, had the noble plan to re-take lands lost at the hands of invaders.  They couldn't abide having the Holy Land in the hands of pagan unbelievers.

          As is done today, when the war was won, the crusaders helped to rebuild the conquered territories.  They set up commerce and even provided food in areas where there was famine.  They are most remembered, however, for re-building churches and other structures near the known sites of our Lord's ministry.  There are many crusader fortresses and buildings still standing all over Israel.

          One such building stands in the south side of the old city;  it's called the "Upper Room" and is located near the probable area of the original upper room where Christ fed His disciples.  One can never tell about exact locations there.  Between Roman armies who sacked Jerusalem, Caesars who tried to eliminate Christianity, and the followers of Allah who desecrated everything Christian, the original sites have been obscured.  But at least we have some reminders of where Christ did His ministry.

          This 40 by 40 foot Upper Room of the crusaders was built of carved limestone with romanesque vaulted ceilings 14 feet high.  Today 200 or more pilgrims can stand in it and hear guides tell how Christ and His disciples had the "Last Supper", as they call it (actually it was the first supper of the believers).

          There's a sort of stage on one end of the Upper Room, and you can almost see Leonardo daVinci setting up that long table and posing Jesus and the twelve all on one side of the table so he could paint his famous work.  This room is a major stop for all tourists, but it's certainly a far cry from what really happened that night.

          The original upper room was the second story of a large mud brick house with a ceiling of 7 feet high or less.  It measured fifteen feet on a side, if that much.  This room was rarely used in the daytime because of the intense temperatures, and it acted as an insulating buffer between the roof and the lower rooms where people lived and worked.

          Jesus told His disciples to go there to prepare the Passover meal.  Preparations included food and drink, but no furniture, because none was needed.  Traditional Passover meals among men had them reclining on their sides, heads to the center, leaning on their left elbows, with the occasional fellow sitting cross legged for comfort.  Matzos, that hard flat unleavened bread, was eaten, as were cups of wine, pieces of boiled lamb, bitter herbs, saltwater and several other ingredients to commemorate the occasion. All these could be purchased in abundance from the Jerusalem merchants who eagerly looked forward to the Passover shopping rush.

          The Passover was shared to recount God's liberation from slavery in Egypt.  The meal began when the youngest person present, the disciple John, asked, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"  The passover celebrant, in this case Jesus, then began to recount how God delivered His enslaved people by a series of plagues, culminating in the tenth and final plague.  The celebrant would tell how the blood of the lamb was smeared on the doorposts of the Israelite homes so the Angel of God would pass over them as he brought death to the firstborn of all Egyptian homes.  It was a dramatic meal and no matter how often people attended it, their reflection of God's providence strengthened their faith.

          The food they ate was interesting.  The matzos flatbread was broken into three portions, and a quarter portion, called the "afikomen", was hidden in a cloth and laid aside.  Why this was done, no one really knew, except that it had always been done that way before.  It was also called the Bread of Redemption, and usually left uneaten.  Many feel it was this portion that Jesus took, broke and gave to His disciples saying, "Take eat, this is my body."

          There were four cups of wine during the meal and the Gospels tell us it was the third cup which Christ gave to them saying, "Take and drink;  this is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you."  Those special words changed the whole ceremony - indeed they changed history after His death and resurrection.  Never again would the followers of Jesus of Nazareth meet on Passover in the old way.  Never again would they just do it once a year.  Never again would God's people relate to Him in the ways they had before.  The Last Supper in the Upper Room became the first Lord's Supper all over the world.

          The Upper Room was a place of temporary safety.  There they met their Lord, and there they found strength in their fellowship.  After the resurrection, they met there and Jesus appeared among them.  After His ascension, Christ's followers met in the Upper Room, and there they celebrated the new meal which freed them from the bondage of their sins.  But the Upper Room was a temporary haven of refuge.  Soon His followers dispersed into all of Israel and the world.  The Upper Room was rarely used after that and was finally destroyed in 70 AD.

          Where is your upper room?  Where can you go to meet your Lord and have your fellowship with other believers?  Where is your safe haven away from the cares and hassles of life?  Is it your church, or a corner of your living room?  Is it a Bible study or a private retreat only you know about?  Wherever it is, it will not be a perfect place.  A betraying Judas might be there or a denying Peter.  A doubting Thomas will certainly be there and a sleepy young John.

          They will be there because you are there.  You and I at one time or other are the Peters and Johns and Judases and Marys and Marthas.  We will come looking for God and will find Him in His Word.  The food we are nourished on there may not always taste good, but will always be food from God.

          There, in the Lord's presence, you will pray and know God's love and mercy.  There you will receive His eternal blessings.  There in the Upper Room of your heart you will seek God and you will find Him.  May you set aside that special Upper Room, where you find the Lord, the Upper Room of your heart where you are blessed by His eternal presence.  Amen

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.