October 29 ~ tammi

Today's reading from the One-Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Mark 14:1-2, 10-26; Matthew 26:1-5, 14-30; Luke 22:1-30; John 13:1-30.

Today's passage is really quite monumental.  In it, we have Judas agreeing to betray Jesus, which ramped up the Jewish religious leaders' plan to kill Jesus.  They'd planned to wait until after the Passover because they feared the people's reaction, but now Judas gave them an in.  We also have the preparations for the Passover celebration shared by Jesus and His twelve closest disciples, which is interesting and we'll look at that more closely in a moment.  And then we have the foot-washing ceremony, the confrontation and dismissal of Judas, but the really stunning stuff is this:  we have here in this passage the VERY LAST Passover feast ever and the VERY FIRST Communion ever!  This is HUGE!!!

I listened to and read this John MacArthur sermon and was really blown away by the significance of the goings-on in these verses.  I know I always say this, but seriously, take the time to listen!!  Download it to your mp3 player and listen while you houseclean or go through it tonight instead of watching nonsense on TV, whatever ~ you won't be sorry!!  (It's a full hour long, so get yourself a cuppa tea and settle in somewhere comfy)

Okay, so the first thing that struck me was how Jesus orchestrates the Passover celebration and everything around it.  I've never given much thought to the way He sends Peter and John ahead of everyone to get things prepared, but look at all the secrecy:

Peter and John had been sent away by Jesus from the group of the Twelve to get things ready for the Passover.  They had gone away to an unknown place. They had met a man without a name, carrying a pitcher of water. They were to follow him, he would go to a house, they would go to that house, unnamed. They would prepare [the Passover feast] there. Later, Jesus would come with the ten.

Why all the secrecy? Jesus had to get into a position where the crowds would leave Him alone. He had to also get in a position where the streets were empty to people so that no one would know where He was going. He had to keep the secret from His disciples because Judas was looking to betray Him at the most convenient moment he could. He wanted his money and he wanted it fast and he wanted out. And so Jesus had to keep the secret from Judas who would have easily discerned that a perfect place to capture Jesus would be in a room, in an upper room, where the streets were empty of people and He was only there with His Apostles and they could move in and take Him with no muss and no fuss and no public scrutiny. Jesus had to protect Himself for that night from Judas, from the crowds, and so no one knew except Peter and John and they never came back to tell the rest.

Jesus is controlling all the contingencies in every detail at every step to effect His purpose. He does not want to be arrested before this night because He has to accomplish so much on this night. Remember now, the Passover is instituted by God. If it is now to be eliminated, it must be eliminated by God. Not just anybody can shut that down, nor can just anybody inaugurate the new memorial that we know as the Lord’s table, or communion. He must do it.  (all emphases added)

Isn't that incredible??  I love how Jesus, knowing all His life what He came to do, made sure that He would be sacrificed at exactly the same hour as all the ceremonial lambs would also be sacrificed.  For thousands of years, millions of substitutionary Passover lambs have been sacrificed in anticipation of this final Sacrificial Lamb and now Jesus makes sure it happens perfectly according to ceremony.  I think that's beautiful.

So Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Passover ~ the LAST Passover ~ and then we come to the monumental transition from the old covenant, the Old Testament, to something brand new:  Commuion. The Holy Eucharist.  The Lord's Supper.

What happens here? I’ll tell you what happens. This is the end of the whole ceremonial law, all the dietary laws, all the Sabbath laws, in fact there’s no more Sabbath. Immediately after this, the church starts to meet...when? The first day of the week. This is the end of the ceremonial law. This is the end of all the ceremonies, all the rituals, all the rites, all those social things that separated the people, the Israelite people, from the Gentiles. They’re all gone. The moral law doesn’t change because God doesn’t change.

This is the end of all the rituals. This is the end of all the sacrifices. This is the end of all the altars, all the temple had to offer. This is the end of the priesthood. This is the end of the holy place. This is the end of the Holy of Holies and God would split the curtain from top to bottom and throw it wide open for anybody and everybody to walk in and out. This is the end of everything that they knew in all of their religious life that was symbolic. No more ceremonies, no more rituals, no more priests, no more sacrifices, no more altars, no more temple, no more holy place, no more Holy of Holies, it’s all gone. He dies, He rises, they meet on Sunday and they are a priesthood and there is no more sacrifice ever until the Lord institutes some memorial sacrifices and the Passover in the Millennial Kingdom.

Isn't that absolutely breath-taking?!

What is the New Covenant? The New Covenant is the covenant of Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, it’s the saving covenant. It’s the covenant of forgiveness and salvation, it’s the covenant by which God forgives sinners and it’s ratified in the death of Christ. God forgave sinners before Christ died. God forgives sinners since Christ died. But God forgives all sinners because Christ died. He ratified the covenant even though it was in effect before His death, as it’s in effect after His death. He ratified it in His blood. That had already been applied before it even happened because He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

The New Covenant is the only Covenant that saves. The Mosaic Covenant, the Covenant of Law damns. This covenant, the New Covenant, saves.

How can God do that? Only when justice has been satisfied. You can only be delivered from judgment when death has been accomplished that satisfies God. It has to be the death of an innocent substitute who is satisfactory to God and that is Christ by God’s own choice. God made Him sin who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. I’ve said this so many times, God treated Jesus on the cross as if He lived your life...so He could treat you as if you lived His. (all emphases added)

About the only thing I can think of to say to wrap this up is,

"HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD!!"




Tomorrow's passages: John 13:31-38; Mark 14:27-31; Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:31-38; John 14:1-15:17.