This is the night! This
is the night the disciples gathered with Jesus around the table and partook of
the Last Supper. This is the last time many of Jesus’ disciples would see him
again until after the resurrection. This night holds so much importance to us
as Christians today, and yet the disciples truly had no idea how important this
night would be. It is not as if the disciples gathered knowing that this was
going to be their last supper with Christ, they did not know that the next day
he would be dead. For the disciples this
night was special because they were gathering to celebrate Passover. I think
that many Christians today forget that the Last Supper was a Passover
celebration. More importantly, I think that we often fail to recognize the
significance of that fact.
So let’s take a little refresher course into our Old
Testament scripture for today, and remember the significance of this Passover
celebration. If we remember the story of Moses, then we remember that at that
time the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. The pharaoh who was afraid of the
growing number of Israelites ordered that the firstborn son of all the
Israelites be killed. Moses, a first born son, was sent down the river as a
baby in hopes that his life may be spared. He was saved and grew up in
nobility, until one day he saw an Egyptian guard beating a Israelite slave, and
Moses acted and killed the guard. After this he fled for a while, but with his
return he demanded to pharaoh that the Israelites be set free. Pharaoh refused,
and thus started the ten plagues, all leading up to the final plague, which was
ironically the death of all of the first born son’s; a form of punishment for
pharaoh’s killing of the first born sons of the Israelites.
That leads us to our scripture for this evening. It was
the night in which the tenth plague would fall upon the land of Egypt, and
Moses and Aaron gave orders to the Israelites for what they must do that
evening. And the instructions are very specific. A family it to obtain a lamb,
and if the family is too small, then neighbors should get together and share
the lamb. Here already we see a uniting of family and neighbors. It can’t be
just any lamb that is to be obtained, but this lamb must be without blemish. We
again see that the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall gather to
slaughter this lamb. Next we see that the blood and the flesh of the lamb play
an important part in this Passover. The blood of the lamb is to be smeared on
the doorposts of the houses in which they are gathering to eat. This blood is a
sign for the plague to pass over those families who are gathering together for
this meal; leaving the first born sons of those with the mark unharmed. The
blood wasn’t the only important aspect of the lamb however, because in the
scripture we also read about the preparation of the flesh for a meal. All of
the lamb was used and shared amongst the families. As the Bible tells us, these
families were saved from the plague while the rest of Egypt, including Pharaoh
himself, had to endure the horrible heartache of death.
As the disciples gathered with Jesus that evening for the
Last Supper, this is what they were gathering to celebrate. They were gathering
that God had shown love and mercy on his people sparing them from the tragedy
of death. They were celebrating the fact that God would go on to lead his
people out of captivity. They were celebrating the unity that this Passover
meal had come to represent; that this holy day was a time to bring friends and
family together united in their love and gratitude for God. The fact that the
Last Supper happened on this Passover celebration is extremely significant.
As the disciples and Jesus gathered around the table at
this Passover meal, Jesus took the bread and said to the disciples, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me." This
is a meal celebrating the great Passover, reliving the meal shared between
family and neighbors, a meal that saved the Israelite children from death; and
Jesus is now saying that this bread is his body. As Christians when we partake of Holy
Communion we realize that we are remembering this night, the night of the Last
Supper; but how often do we remember that this Last supper took place during a
time of celebration for Passover? Many may be wondering, what is the big deal
about that? Well, in this meal, the Last
Supper, Jesus is taking a tradition and celebration and uses it to reveal to
the disciples and the whole world a greater truth. That for centuries God’s
people have been unified in the remembrance of that Passover meal, but from now
on the disciples and the world with gather in remembrance of him. That the
world will be unified by Christ’s body; that when we gather in fellowship
around the table, we do it in remembrance of these mighty acts in Jesus
Christ. When we eat of that bread; we
are partaking in the lamb that saved us, the Lamb of God.
This leads to one of the
greatest points of significance between Passover and the Last Supper. After the
supper was over, Jesus took the cup gave thanks to God and gave it to his
disciples saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." This
is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for many for the
forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the new lamb! Just like the lamb in the Exodus
story, the lamb who would save the world must be one without blemish. At the
beginning of Lent we heard about the temptations of Jesus in wilderness by the
devil, and yet Jesus did not succumb to the temptations. Jesus led his life and
ministry without blemish, worthy of being hailed as the King of Kings, worthy
of shouts of Hosanna as he entered into Jerusalem, but also worthy of being the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Just as the blood of the lamb was placed on
the door frames signally the plague of death to pass over that house, Jesus’
blood is poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness sins; so that
whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life. This is the blood
in which we partake in when we share of the cup in Holy Communion.
All of this happened on
the night in which he gave himself up for us. A night in which he gathered with
his disciples already knowing those who would betray him, knowing full and well
what was going to happen to him. This week as we go through the highs and the
lows of Holy Week, from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem to Christ’s death
on the cross, to good news that the tomb is empty; we must not forget the
importance of this special night. That with this meal, Jesus revealed to his
disciples and to the world that he is the Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed
to save us from captivity to sin and death, and to establish with us a new
covenant. As we gather around the table, as we are united in Christ’s body and
blood, we must always remember this significance of this night.
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