As they were eating the Passover, Jesus took the bread,
blessed it, gave it to them, and said, “Take, this is my body.” He then took a cup, gave it to the disciples,
and they drank from it. Then Jesus said,
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” Then Jesus informs the disciples that this
would be the last time that He tastes wine until the day that He will drink it
in the New Kingdom.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
This is one of the coolest stories that people who aren’t
familiar with the Jewish tradition of Passover miss. Let me explain the part about the bread. During the Jewish Passover, there are three
pieces of unleavened bread put in a basket.
As Passover begins, the middle piece of unleavened bread is broken and
half of it is “hidden.” In the middle of
the Passover, this middle piece is sought out and “ransomed” back to the head
of the family, usually for a pre-determined price. It is assumed that it is during this time of
the ransoming of the middle piece of bread – the Afikomen – that Jesus says,
“This is my body.” Christians might find
it interesting that there are three pieces of bread – Father, Son, Holy
Spirit. Christians might also find it
interesting that the middle piece – the “Son” – is broken and “buried.” Finally, Christians should find it
interesting that this middle piece of bread is ransomed. For 1,500 years the Jews had been enacting
out this ritual of remembering the sacrificial lamb. Now it can be seen it in true life, in Jesus,
not just as a ritual. God’s planning
over the millennia is incredible.
Are you inspired by how God can make a ritual celebrated for
1,500 years point so directly to the events of Christ’s death? Why does this inspire you?
Second Thought:
The cool things don’t stop there. There is something significant in the
symbology of the cups as well. In a
traditional Jewish Passover there are four cups. There are the cups of sanctification, praise,
redemption, and hope. It is assumed that
Jesus speaks the words over the wine during the third cup – the cup of
redemption. The third cup is that cup
which immediately follows the afikomen.
This is the cup that focuses on the redemption of the Hebrew people
through the sacrifice of the lamb and the blood that was shed upon the
doorposts. How cool is it that this
ritual had already been celebrated and waiting for Christ through 1,500 years
of tradition among the Hebrew people!
How does this add to the amazement from the prior
point? How does this point to God truly
being at work in this world and not just some supreme deity that set the world
in motion and then walked away to let it evolve as it chose?
Third Thought:
Jesus tells His disciples that He won’t taste again until
the New Kingdom. That is a sign that
Jesus was planning on dying. This is a
comment on finality to His disciples.
Jesus isn’t planning on coming back.
At the same time, how neat it is that this wine and bread at the
Passover is the last thing Jesus ate before dying! Here is a meal that God set into planning
1,500 years prior and it is the last thing Jesus partakes of in life! That’s incredibly symbolic! What is the next meal that Jesus will
participate in? Jesus will participate
in the feast of the Lamb, when judgment day is over and all the faithful are
gathered together with God. For me, this
is even more proof of the wisdom, planning, and omniscience of God.
How would you have felt as a disciple hearing Jesus say that
He isn’t planning on eating again in this lifetime? Knowing the full story, how does it make you
feel about the power of God?
Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 14: 26-31
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