The Passover with the Disciples & the Lord’s Supper
Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:13-25, Luke 22: 7-23, John 13:1-20
These passages all begin with the celebration of the Jewish holiday of the Passover. The Passover occurred as the final plague against Egypt in Exodus 12. No one was exempt from this, not even God’s chosen people of Israel. In order to protect the firstborn of their families they were to slaughter a spotless, one-year-old, male, lamb, and paint the blood on the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 12:4-8).The Lord passed over these houses because of the blood of the lamb which covered them, just like the blood of Jesus which covers us as believers. After the Passover, it was to be celebrated annually for the people of Israel that the Lord rescued His people out of Egypt by the blood of a lamb. The Passover being celebrated at the time of Jesus is a reminder of the great salvation that the Lord brought to his covenant people amidst an act of great judgment. It also points to Jesus as the final Lamb who shed his blood on a cross to free us from and cover our sins.
We see Jesus in these passages preparing to celebrate the Passover and have a final meal with his disciples. He sends Peter and John ahead to prepare a space for their Passover, telling them where to go and who to talk to, and leading them to prepare the upper room (Mark 24, Luke 22). This place is important, it is where they are going to share the last Passover meal, where Jesus will foretell his betrayal and his death. Over the course of the meal we also see the institution of the Lord’s supper. Jesus takes bread, breaks it, and says “Take; eat; this is my body” and then he takes a cup and says “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). This symbolic gesture is to represent Jesus’ body, soon to be broken, and his blood soon to be shed, and this blood is now the “blood of the covenant”, a new covenant that Jesus would fulfill through his death and resurrection. This is not only important for what is about to happen on the cross, but also for us as Christians, knowing that we are to partake in this same act in remembrance of what Christ did on our behalf. (Paul writes to the Corinthian church about how to go about practicing taking it in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.)
The Passover meal served to the Israelites is a reminder that the Lord had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt and set them free. The Lord’s supper does the same for us, as we now get to be reminded how Jesus’ body and blood, broken and poured out for us, means that we are no longer slaves to our sin. The Lord’s supper is the foundation and enduring symbol for our new covenant in Christ. The truth of this passage is the truth of our salvation.
As we approach the crucifixion and resurrection, we get to look to hope in the God of salvation. The God who was just and merciful in providing ransom for the Israelites in Exodus, is the same God, who came as a person to ransom us from our sins. Celebrating the Lord’s supper reminds us of how we’re covered by the blood, just as the Israelites were during Passover.
Where do you need to receive the Lord’s mercy in your life today?
