Thursday,13-14 & 15 NISAN
The day before a feast had been given in honor of Jesus in Bethany. It must have been held before sunset, because it was stated it was two days before Passover, when the Sedar would be eaten, and then would follow the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. A Special or High Sabbath would be in effect the 15th of Nisan, thus Passover would be on the 14th. Jesus is asked by his disciples about the Passover meal.
PREPARING THE PASSOVER MEAL
Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-13
And now then came the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, so Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”
It becomes somewhat difficult to pin down the timeline of events. I have looked at dozen of sources, but there were conflicts among all of these as to the precise timing. Two of the Gospel writers, Mark and Luke are very specific, stating this was the day the Passover lambs were sacrificed. It has been traditionally accepted that Jesus was sacrificed at the same time as the Passover Lamb, but this presents a problem. The Passover Lambs were sacrificed the day before Passover, when the Seder Meal would be eaten, at 3:00 PM.. There are some sources claiming the lambs were slaughtered on Nisan 14, but frankly that conflicts with what the Gospel writers say here. Therefore, I am more inclined to accepted the sources that say that it was during the afternoon of the day before.
However, there was another sacrifice of lambs which fit the sacrifice of Christ, the Tamid Lambs.
Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.Exodus 29:38-43
First note God made this a daily and perpetual sacrifice. Second, let’s look at when these two lambs were sacrificed. One was sacrificed in the morning and the other in the evening. In-between these two Tamid Lambs were all the other sacrifices performed by the priests on that day: The Sin, The Guilt, The Burnt, The Meal and the Peace Sacrifices. In other words, they began the sacrifices with the first Tamid Lamb and ended them with the second Tamid Lamb, all was sandwiched between the two. The first lamb was sacrificed at 9:00 A.M. and the second was sacrificed at 3:00 P.M, the exact hours Jesus was on the cross. Thus, Jesus encompassed all the sacrifices for the people. (The exception in this would be the Passover Lambs, which were sacrificed after the Tamid limbs.)
The hours between the two Tamid Lambs were when the Jews would pray what were commonly known as the Eighteen Blessings. During those hours, Jews in the Temple would be praying for redemption, forgiveness of sins, the coming of the Messiah and the resurrection of the dead.
The first lamb refers to the first coming of the Suffering Servant; the second to the second coming of Yeshua as king. (Source: Torah Life Ministry) [The First Century Jews would not have been aware of these references since they did not see two comings of Messiah.]
His [Jesus] disciples, they said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Behold, go into the city, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, ‘My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
“And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”
And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
In former times, the Passover meal would have been eaten in the Temple and the priests would have sacrificed the lambs. After the return from the Babylon captivity and building of the second Temple, this changed a couple of times over the years. Now people would have the Seder meal in their own homes and do the lamb sacrifice themselves. The Jews were moving away from strictly following God’s directions.
Anyway, on the day before Passover, they would also have selected the Passover Lamb at this point. The lambs would be one-year old unblemished males. They would have been rounded up on Nisan 10, the day we today refer to as Palm Sunday, and displayed for inspection for five days afterward, which corresponds to the five days that Jesus made his appearances in the Temple and was examined by the Religious leaders.
The disciples may have also went to this man’s house to search out any leaven.
JESUS WASHES HIS DISCIPLES FEET
Matthew 26:20, Mark 14:17, Luke 22:14-16; 24-30, John 13:1-20
And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when the hour came, he reclined at table with the twelve apostles. [The day would have changed at sunset and it would now be Nisan 14, beginning of Passover]
And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. or I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
“You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.
He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Foot washing was generally done as guests entered a home on
Passover. The task was performed by the lowest class of people, either a servant or a slave. it would never be done by the head of the family, who would be considered high above such a task. Jesus is the head of the family at this dinner, but he performs the task illustrating what he had just told the disciples.
This has always been in his teaching. These same disciples had carried on their argument of who among them was greatest more than once. One such argument occurred one day as they entered Capernaum and at that time Jesus sat them down and told them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) This was apparently an ongoing argument among them and they just couldn’t seem to learn. Jesus was going to teach this and end their bickering by example.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Impulsive Peter, here he displays he is full of pride. Then when Jesus upbraids this, he jumps quickly to the extreme; “wash all of me”.
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
“ Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
“I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ [See Genesis 3:15.] I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
This seems another place where Jesus is telling us God and He are one.
JESUS INSTITUTES THE LORD’S SUPPER
Lets look at what was before them at the seating. Of course, there was no seating. They would recline upon pillows placed about the low table, perhaps 18 inches above the ground.. It did not look like Da Vinci’s Last Supper at all. Their sandals would be off, probably just left so after the foot washing.
Position of the guest around the table was assigned. The head of the family, in this case, Jesus, would be at one end of the table. The guests would then wrap around the table from the oldest to the youngest (or perhaps from the most important to the least important, though I doubt after the bickering, position of importance would have been used here).
The table setting before them would consist of four glasses or cups for the ritual wine, one plate, any cutlery and napkins. There would be several candles on the table. Also before the dinners would be charoseth, a dark paste made from nuts and fruit; unleavened bread, vegetables and karpas, a vinegar of salt water for dipping. The name karpas read backward is an acronym meaning “600,000 were enslaved with back breaking labor” and the salt water represents the tears they shed, references back to the Egyptian enslavement.
During the course of the meal, there will be four drinkings of wine, each from one of the four ritual cups. It is a red and warm wine. A prayer is recited over each cup.
Matthew 26:21-29, Mark 14:18-25, Luke 21:17-23 , John 13:21-32
And as they were were reclining at table and eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”
One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
He answered, he said to them, “It is one of the twelve. “He who has dipped his bread in the dish with me will betray me. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?”
He said to him, “You have said so.”
Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.”
So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.
Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had
given thanks after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise he took a cup, after they had eaten, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. Drink of it, all of you, This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Truly I tell you that from now until the kingdom of God comes. I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
This, of course, was the installation of Communion. Communion is a Sacrament, that is something we do because it was directly commanded by Christ. There are two sacraments: Communion and Baptism. Some Churches add to these two such things as confirmation, penance, anointing of the sick, Holy Orders and marriage. These are ceremonies, practices and traditions, but are not Sacraments because they were not ordained by Christ. Marriage was ordained by God and some say it was implied by Christ, but that is an argument for another day. We will stay with two and our main focus here is The Lord’s Supper.
Communion is very important and should be taken seriously. Like Baptism, it is an identification of us with Christ. It should only be partaken of after prayer and an examination of ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 Paul gave this warning:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
One question that may come to mind is, “Why bread and wine?”
Bread and wine are part of the Passover Meal and would have been very handy, but there may be a bit more to this than convenience. Jesus referring to the bread as his body is not a new idea. It can even be connected to his birth. He was born in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew meant “House of Bread”. He even called himself the Bread of Life”
In John 6 Jesus performs one of his most spectacular miracles, one of the feeding of the multitude of thousands who came to hear him. Afterward, in John 6:28-35, his disciples question him and this conversation ensues:
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Again I will ask, why bread and wine?
I would say it is because both are not originally formed as bread and wine. Bread comes from grain, such as wheat, and wine comes from grapes. Both the grain and the grapes must be crushed and essentially die before they can be made into bread and wine. We find that we must also be crushed and die in order to be transformed in Heaven.
When Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday, some Greeks came who wanted to speak to him. They approached the Apostle Philip.
Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:22-26)
At the last supper the bread broken is tied to the idea that Jesus is about to die and be resurrected.
If the feeding of thousands with a few loaves of bread was his most spectacular miracle, we also in the bread and wine must look back on his first Miracle. Jesus and his few disciples came to a wedding in Cana and there was a social crisis at hand.
When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. John 2:3-4
I would like to say something further about the wine at Passover. Recall in setting the table I mentioned there was a plate and four cups for wine. Realize that each diner did not have individual setting. The food was shared from these four cups and the plate.
So why four cups and not just one? There were four breaks to drink wine during the meal. Each time, the wine was poured into a different cup and words are said having meaning for that cup. When Jesus institutes Communion he is at the third cup. How do we know? Because this cup is drank at the end of the meal. It is poured when the last of the bread is broken and eaten. This is called the cup of redemption.
BEGINNING IN THE UPPER ROOM JESUS STARTS A FAREWELL
Matthew 26:31-38; 30, Mark 14:27-31; 26, Luke 22:31-38, John 13:33-14:31
After Judas has exited, Jesus makes some remarks that lead into a dialogue with the Apostles that indicates they still don’t quite get it. And as usual, we will find that Peter is the first to speak out.
“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
“Lord, why can I not follow you now?” Peter said to him, “I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Peter answered him, “Even though they all fall away because of you, I will not. I will never fall away.”
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly, trulyI tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny that you know me. three times.”
Peter said to him emphatically, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
Thank God for Peter. In a way it is a comfort to see his failures, for if Peter can mess up so many times, what can we expect of ourselves?
And he [Jesus] said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?”
They said, “Nothing.”
He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.”
And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.”
And he said to them, “It is enough.”
Notice they hear him, but at the same time they don’t. Their minds are on what they can do on their own. They only picked up on his mentioning a weapon. Now the dialogue continues between Jesus and his disciples. Take note at what they respond to showing they still don’t really grasp what he is telling them.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that. I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Whenever you see the double words at the beginning of what is being said, whether “Truly, truly” or “Verily, verily”, this is an emphasis that what is about to be said is the absolute truth.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Here Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit. We have had the Trinity spoken through the night, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”
This is Judas Lebbeus Thaddeus.
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
And when they had sung a hymn, Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives and his disciples followed him.
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