April 24
Judg 2:10-3:31 | PS 92:1-93:5 | Prov 14:1-2 | Luke 22:14-34
The Passover meal is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness to the Israelites in providentially freeing them from their bondage in Egypt. The meal is full of powerful reminders of their time of slavery as well as reminders of what God did for them. This meaning should never be minimized, but it is also important to remember that Passover, one of the seven feasts on the Jewish calendar, was also dress rehearsal for its later fulfillment in the life of our Messiah, Jesus. Jesus has already fulfilled the spring feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost), and will fulfill the final three fall feasts when He returns. There is so much symbolism in the Passover meal. Consider this: the matzoh is placed in a bag called an "echad" which means "one" in Hebrew. This bag has three chambers. The matzoh placed in the first chamber is never touched, never used, never seen. The second matzoh is broken in half at the beginning of the seder, half is placed in the second compartment, while the other half, called the Afikomen, is placed in a linen cloth and hidden. The third matzoh in the bag is used to eat the elements on the Seder plate. This is a picture of the Trinity, as the first matzoh that no one sees represents the Father. The third matzoh which is taken in as part of the meal represents the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. The second matzoh which is broken with half hidden in a linen cloth represents Jesus, the Son. Just as the Trinity represents One God in three Persons, the echad (or "one") in the Passover meal points to this. Realize that Jesus was also called "the Bread of Life" in one of His "I Am" statements.
We read in Luke 22:15-18, "Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come." Indeed, Jesus is waiting for all His people to be gathered to Him before He celebrates this future meal, called the marriage supper of the Lamb as seen in Revelation 19:9. He goes on to make the next statements which we should all be familiarized with as part of our Communion that we partake in, in 22:19-20, "He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you." Realize there are four glasses or cups of wine at the Passover meal, in order they are the "cup of sanctification", "the cup of judgment or deliverance", "the cup of redemption", and "the cup of praise". The cup that Jesus used in Luke 22:20 was the third cup, "the cup of redemption" as our Passover Lamb would indeed die on the cross, shed His blood, to redeem us from our sins.
Realize only God can issue a covenant between He and His people. Jesus, being God, brought forth the New Covenant, which was spoke of prophetically in Jeremiah 31:31-34, " “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”" Just as the old covenant was sealed with blood (Exodus 24:8), so the New Covenant was sealed with blood, the blood of Jesus. It is important that we never minimize or disregard the Old Testament. To do so will lead to confusion as Jesus came not to erase the Scriptures, but fulfill them (Matthew 5:17-18).
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: