Tag Archives: Passover

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE HOUR HAS COME – 56

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LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE HOUR HAS COME – 56

“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 fulfillment 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.” 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.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What a moment for Jesus! “The hour has come!” Finally, the dreaded moment…and afterwards…the glorious new covenant!

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

First, what did Jesus mean by “the fruit of the vine”? Literally, it meant the juice squeezed from grapes that was fermented and drunk as wine. Grapes were put under pressure until the juice was extracted! Did Jesus use this image to illustrate what He was about to endure? He was soon to go to Gethsemane – “the press”, where He was put under pressure until His perspiration flowed like blood flowing from a fresh wound.  

Second, not only was wine the product of grapes under pressure. It was also fermented to produce alcohol…matured and cured wine that has sybolic spiritual significance. 

Google AI says…

“In the Bible, wine functions as a symbol of joy, blessing, and divine favor, while also serving practical roles as a beverage, medicine, and element of worship. It is described as something that “gladdens the heart” (Psalm 104:15), represents the blood of the covenant, and is used to celebrate life…”

Jesus used the image of wine in His last celebration of Passover as the transition from the Old Covenant with its emphasis on law and performance, which He fulfilled and made obsolete, to the fully matured wine of the New Covenant and the inauguration of the era of God’s grace. This massive change would happen when His own life-blood would be “squeezed” from His body by the ”pressure” of crucifixion. 

What did Jesus mean…”until the kingdom of God comes”?

The opening words of His public ministry…

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…announced the soon arrival of the good news the Prophet Isaiah spoke of centuries before Jesus came…

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

After all the years of punishment and suffering for their disobedience to God’s covenant, epitomised by their persistence in worshipping idols, Isaiah announced the promise of the return of God’s reign.   

Jesus came in person to announce that the time had arrived. The restoration of God’s reign was on the horizon. When would it finally happen? 

At that moment, when Jesus passed the cup of wine to His disciples at that last Supper, He said, “The kingdom of God is on the brink of coming!” A few more hours until His last drop of blood would be shed, His last words spoken, His last breath drawn, and the curtain would come down on the final chapter of the era of “the Law” and its impossible demands. 

The heavy curtain, 60 ft long and 4in thick, in the temple, separating the presence of a holy God from His unholy people, was ripped in two from top to bottom at the moment when Jesus died. 

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭50‬-‭51‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The return of God’s rule isn’t for some time in the distant future when Jesus returns to earth. The moment Jesus emerged from the tomb, risen and glorified, He stepped out as king. He occupies the throne of heaven at the right hand of the Father…

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the evidence…

…and He shall reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

Did the disciples, at that moment, understand the significance of Jesus’ words? I think not! They were still too busy jockeying for position in this “kingdom” of which Jesus spoke. They had no clue of what God’s kingdom meant. 

In the very centre of this holy moment…

“A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Really!

Pentecost changed their perception forever. 

When does Jesus “drink wine again” with His people in the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God has come! In part, it is here. Whenever His people fellowship together around His table, sharing in the symbols of His death that ushered in His reign, He is present, drinking of the fruit of the vine, celebrating His death and His victory. He is “drinking wine” with us. 

To be continued…

MARK’S GOSPEL…BETRAYAL – 34

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Mark 14:1, 10-11, 17-20

“Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”

“They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over… When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?” “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.”

The plot thickens! Talk about a Hollywood murder mystery…the Bible story can rival any scriptwriter’s imagination, except that this drama is all about the truth. 

The focus shifts to the one shady character in this eternally conceived “stage production”. Strange that Jesus should have chosen Judas Iscariot as one of His closest associates, and that after a night of prayer! Did He know who this man really was? 

Since Jesus never did anything without the Father’s instruction and direction, grace offered Judas the opportunity, either to have an integral part in the disciples’ participation in Jesus’ mission on earth, or to be the one to drive the story forward to its inevitable conclusion. The choice was up to him. 

Imagine that! Jesus knew, from the beginning of His association with the Twelve, that there was a rotten apple in the box. Strangely enough, the other eleven were completely unsuspecting. So good was Judas at hiding his true colours that he had them completely fooled. When Jesus was about to disclose what was about to happen in the next few hours, and who would betray Him, they had no idea who among them would commit such a dastardly deed. 

What shaped Judas’ final decision? We don’t know except that there are pointers to his inner workings, probably more than one of his character traits, that drew him towards his action, and his expectations that Jesus had failed to fulfil. 

First, Judas loved money. It seems that, in his choice of master, he chose money. 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was obvious to the rest of the gang that Judas was a thief…they knew that he periodically rifled the purse, but he always wanted more. The promise of money…lots of it…lured him on to do the dirty deed.

Second, Judas probably had political aspirations. Like his fellow disciples, he wanted Rome gone. His early experiences of Jesus perhaps fired his hope. Here was  a man of power and authority like no other. Even demons fled at His command. So, what about the Romans?

Perhaps his expectations were intensely personal. As a part of the disciple band, he was close to the top. Did he aspire to a position of power and influence in this new government he anticipated? Even a staggeringly astronomical salary to go with it? 

This is all conjecture but, judging by his behaviour and decisions, these suggestions are quite possible. 

It seems to me that the final straw that broke the camel’s back was Jesus’ humiliation of Judas, in public, not intended to destroy him but to warn him about his greed and hypocrisy. Hidden in the variations of the story of the woman who poured out her perfume on Jesus, was Judas’ hypocritical protest and Jesus’ stinging rebuke. 

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John recorded in more detail how Jesus revealed the identity of his betrayer, and the deciding moment when Judas acted. 

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”… Leaning back against Jesus, he (John) asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” …As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭21‬, ‭25‬-‭27‬, ‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This was not a case of “the devil made me do it.” This final decision, clinched by the devil according to John, was the end result of years of thought processes driven by  greed and deception. Judas has a narrative he believed and followed, despite the truth of Jesus’ life and teachings played out before him in real time. 

So, when it came to his final decision, the door to his heart was wide open for the devil to walk in and take control. 

Unfortunately for Judas, the truth of what he had done only hit him after it was too late to stop the inevitable. Not even the money he had acquired could silence his screaming conscience, so, true to the predictions of Scripture, he ended it all by his ignominious  death by suicide.

What does this whole saga tell us about Jesus? Never for one moment did any detail of this unfolding drama take Him by surprise. On the contrary, the story clearly show us, from its beginning, that He was fully involved in driving it forward to its predetermined conclusion.

Peter, on hindsight and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, laid the blame for Jesus’ death squarely where it belonged…on the shoulders of everyone who was involve, not only Judas who initiated and all those who carried it out but also all sinners including you and me. 

“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Planned by the Father before time and carried out by every category of humans, Jesus’ death was God’s masterpiece of mercy, crafted by His love, to rescue His crown of creation from self-destruction, and He chose to funnel the event at the appointed time, through Judas. 

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 3 Cont

Christian Life, ,
THE MEANING 
OF PASSOVER

Salvation comes by 
the atoning blood of 
Israel’s promised 
Sacrifice Lamb

On the 14th day of Nisan the sacrifice lamb is slain.                                        The blood of atonement upon the door brings salvation as the death angel passes overhead. It is the eve of the Passover.    The epic Exodus that follows sees God’s covenant people delivered from the bondage of Egypt.       

  

This was the Old Covenant 
fulfillment of Passover 
for national salvation.

Isaiah’s Prophecy 
of Messiah’s First 
Coming as the 
Suffering Servant

    

On the 14th day of Nisan
in 32 A.D., on the eve of Passover, Yeshua is crucified.  The blood of the promised Sacrifice Lamb is shed. This is the redemption God has provided. It brings salvation to His covenant people, delivering them from the bondage of sin and death.                                       


This is the New Covenant
fulfillment of Passover
for personal salvation.


                                     

SEEING JESUS IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL – LESSON 3

Christian Life, ,

LESSON 3

PASSOVER, UNLEAVENED BREAD AND FIRSTFRUITS

1.  PASSOVER

“These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times.

“The Lord’s Passover begins as twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month…” Leviticus 23:4, 5.

INTRODUCTION

These three feasts are grouped together because they took place over a period of eight days, beginning with Passover on 14th Nisan; Unleavened Bread which began on the day after Passover and continued for seven days; and First-fruits which was celebrated on the first Sabbath after Passover.

Below is a table of the dates of these three feasts in the year of Jesus’ death. Please note that Jesus died on the Thursday, not on the Friday as traditionally taught by the church.

THE MEANING OF PASSOVER

Before we examine the meaning of the Passover, there is something fundamental we must understand about the death of Jesus. The Bible presents His sacrifice from two perspectives: from the perspective of eternity and from the perspective of time (history).

From the perspective of eternity

“Christ being slain from the foundation of the world illustrates not only that He was foreordained to be slain, but also that the efficacy, or the beneficial effect of that death, is the same as if that sacrifice had been made before the creation of the world. Thus, Old Testament saints are washed clean in Christ’s blood the same as we are today. In other words, the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice is not limited by time. God had already chosen who He would save before creation, and had thus already ordained the Saviour to shed His blood for them, to make this possible. Their salvation wasn’t something which could be thwarted, it was something which was as good as ‘done’ from the time that God ordained it.”

(http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/slainfounda.html)

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” 1 Peter 1:18-20.

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” Revelation 13:8.

From the perspective of time

God set up the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant to teach His people about the price of sin. The blood of sacrificial animals was meant as a visual aid to prepare them to understand Messiah’s death as the payment for the debt of sin.

 “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11, 12.

“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:12-14.

Although Jesus’ death had eternal significance, it had to happen at a specific point in time; He would actually suffer and shed His blood for the human race on the day and at the time that the Passover lambs were sacrificed so that we could see what He had done. He was “revealed in these last times” for our sake.

Passover was the first step in this learning process.

“The first Passover came into holy history nearly 3500 years ago. The family of Israel were captives in Egypt at that time. They were about to embark on their first great adventure as a people. And under Moses a new nation was about to come into being. On the eve of that epic exodus out of the bondage of Egypt they were given their instructions for Passover. They were to sacrifice a lamb and place the blood upon their door posts.

“That night the angel of death passed over Egypt and over the Israelites dwelling at Goshen. Those households with the blood of the lamb upon the door were protected. Through the blood of the lamb they were saved from death. This was a salvation event of huge significance. And they would remember it forever. The Passover marked the national salvation and the deliverance of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt.

“This was more than a national political salvation. At that time the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb was showcased before the whole nation of Israel. It was something personal to every household. It was also a portent of something far greater than they could imagine. Something that would happen on a future Passover. 

“The great salvation afforded those who were obedient to YHVH-God was demonstrated in the family of Israel. And later, at the time of the Exodus, the power of the blood of the lamb to save was demonstrated before all the families of Egypt, the gentile superpower of the day. Everyone with eyes to see stopped and to look and take note. The atoning blood of the lamb secured salvation for the firstborn of all the families who were obedient. Salvation came through the atoning blood sacrifice of a lamb.

“This was, and always will be, the essential meaning of Passover. All the previous blood sacrifices even going back to the Garden of Eden looked forward to a coming greater, ultimate, Sacrifice Lamb. In His atoning blood all the previous accounts based upon faith and a blood sacrifice would be taken note of and covered. If there was faith in the heart of the one making the sacrifice then their sins would be accounted for, and settled.

“Our father Abraham knew about that promised Sacrifice Lamb. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham’s willingness to do this believing God would bring life back from death was the essential faith of Abraham. And this faith was necessary on his side of the covenant. The lamb with his head caught in the thicket of thorns was of course provided by YHVH-God. The lamb provided for Abraham on this occasion was a substitute for the life of his son Isaac.

“We see the crucifixion drama foreshadowed in that awesome scene. Abraham’s only son Isaac was a little boy submissive and humble unto death. Isaac carried the wood necessary for his own sacrifice up a lonely hill. He allowed himself to be bound by his father.

“This was an awesome, even an awful place of slaughter. It was also the Holy Place that would bring atonement for sin. YHVH-God saw faith demonstrated in the obedient actions of His covenant partner Abraham. And so the God of Abraham then acted powerfully on His side of the covenant on behalf of His friend.

“The rest of the story of Abraham’s family is a matter of written record. Holy history is the story of the family of the faithful. The account of the ultimate Sacrifice Lamb is laid out in the pages of Holy Scripture. We see the promised New Covenant fulfillment recorded in the pages of the New Testament.

“So this event, the Passover sacrifice, was more than a celebration of the salvation of the Israelites from the death angel on their exodus out of Egypt. Four millenia ago our father Abraham had testified that

“God will provide Himself, a Lamb”. (Gen.22:8)”

http://endtimepilgrim.org/passover.htm

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – PASSOVER – THE BRIDGE BETWEEN OLD AND NEW

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PASSOVER – THE BRIDGE BETWEEN OLD AND NEW

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So, they prepared the Passover. Mark 14:12-16

Passover was on them. How did Jesus approach this season, with eagerness or dread? How did He feel about His disciples’ three years of training? Had they really understood who He was and what He had come to do? How accurately would they interpret His sacrifice and carry on His mission on earth?

The next step in this unfolding drama was Passover – to Jesus a significant piece of the puzzle. It would not just be another Passover meal, a commemoration of Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. This time it would be a transition from Old to New Covenant, from animal sacrifice to the once-for-all sacrifice of the Son of God, from many lambs year after year to one lamb for all people for all time.

As a rabbi, Jesus was thoroughly versed in Old Testament prophecy but, more than that, He was fully aware of every prophetic Scripture reference to Himself. He was prepared and equipped for the path ahead but not His disciples. They had not yet caught on to the significance of His coming. How many of them took time out to follow His example of intimacy with the Father? Probably none at this point. They were still spectators of His life – watching and wondering but not yet involved. He urged them to participate but their desire was not yet strong enough to drive their passion.

The instructions He gave for the preparation of the Passover seem to indicate that He had already set up a liaison with a homeowner friend, or that He had a prophetic insight into the events ahead. Whichever way, the disciples followed His instructions and everything happened just as He had predicted.

Unknown to His disciples, this would be His last and most intimate time with them before His arrest. As one reads through John 13-17, one detects a deep tenderness in Jesus in this time with His disciples. What would they remember of those last hours with Him? What would they treasure on hindsight? Once the horror of these events was past and their beloved Master was alive again, what would be uppermost in their minds as they reflected on the drama which had unfolded before them?

Pentecost would change everything!