The time came for the festival of unleavened bread, known as Passover. The chief priests and the scribes looked for a way to assassinate Jesus, a difficult task because of the crowds.
The satan entered into Judas, whose surname was Iscariot, who was one of the company of the Twelve. He went and held a meeting with the chief priests and officers, to discuss how he might hand Jesus over. They were delighted, and promised to pay him. He agreed, and started to look for an opportunity to hand him over to them when the crowds weren't around.
The day of unleavened bread arrived, the day when people had to kill the Passover lamb. Jesus dispatched Peter and John.
'Off you go,' he said,'and get the Passover ready for us to eat.'
'Where d'you want us to prepare it?' they asked him.
'Listen carefully,' said Jesus. 'As you go into the city a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him, and when he goes into a house, go after him. Then say to the householder there,"The teacher says,'Where is the living-room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?'" And he will show you a large upstairs room, laid out and ready. Make the preparations there.'
So they went and found it as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
When the time came, Jesus sat down at table, and the apostles with him.
'I have been so much looking forward to eating this Passover with you before I have to suffer,' he said to them.
'For - let me tell you - I won't eat it again until it's fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'
Then he took a cup, and gave thanks, and said,'Take this and share it among yourselves. Let me tell you, from now on I won't drink from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.'
Then he took some bread. He gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them.
'This is my body,' he said, 'which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.'
So too, after supper, with the cup:'This cup', he said,'is the new covenant, in my blood which is shed for you.
But look here! The hand of the one who will betray me is with me at this table. The son of man is indeed going, as it is marked out for him; but woe betide that man by whom he is betrayed!'
They began to ask each other which of them was going to do this.
Luke has told us that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem to accomplish his Exodus. Jesus longs for his disciples to understand what he is doing and at the center of that longing has been his desire to share this meal with them. When Jesus wanted them to understand the atonement he did not offer a theological treatise, but something to do...share a simple meal...a meal rich with meaning,importance and truth. This is a Passover meal, the powers of evil...like Pharaoh's regime... are gathering round and doing everything they can to prevent it, Jesus has been preaching judgment on Israel and Jerusalem, and that judgment was going to come to fruition, but Jesus was going to lay down his life as the Passover lamb to allow his people to escape it. How? By taking the full weight of all the world's evil upon himself. The 'satan's' job is to accuse and that accusation would begin here with Judas...Jesus has been and would be falsely accused of being a false messiah, a deceiver, a false prophet, and worse by some...essentially a liar who is putting Israel in danger...in fact Jesus was innocent, it was Israel who was guilty, but he would take the punishment, because with all the powers of evil doing their worst, even to crucify the one who brings salvation, it is by his faithfulness in that event that God would defeat all of those powers. Those powers will still rage and will still seek to pull God's people back into slavery, but the rescue is secure.
Father, grant us mercy that we might be clothed in a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other as you've forgiven us that we may come to Your table in a worthy manner and do so in remembrance of the holy one, the crucified one, the resurrected one, the ascended one, Jesus Christ our Lord, your beloved Son. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment