The first day of Passover was the last day of Jesus’ life. On the 14th of Nissan he celebrated
Passover, but he also was the
Passover.
How was it possible for him to do all of that in just one day?
The Hebrew day begins when the sun sets (around 6:00pm). Therefore, when
the 14th day of Nissan began, Jesus celebrated the Passover dinner.
At midnight, he went to the Garden
of Gethsemane
Before He became the Passover lamb, He celebrated the Passover feast
with his disciples. Today we will talk about Jesus’ last supper with his
disciples…
THE LAST SUPPER
When Jesus met with his disciples to dine on the last night before he
died, he wasn’t just saying goodbye to them. They were celebrating Passover together,
just as they did every year.
The breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine were not a new
ritual that Jesus was just establishing. Both of these are a part of the
Passover ceremony, which they celebrated every year. This is a feast that has
been celebrated since the Israelites left Egypt . Every year it is celebrated
by the people of God (Lev. 23:4-5).
(Exodus 12:14) This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall
keep it as a feast to the LORD;
throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a
feast.
(Exodus 12:24-27) You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for
your sons forever. (25) And when you come to the land that the LORD will
give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. (26) And when
your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ (27) you
shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over
the houses of the people of Israel
in Egypt
As it was customary for the Jews, every year Jesus and his disciples
celebrated Passover and the rest of the feasts. That was the reason why three
times a year they went up to Jerusalem from
Galilee, which was located in the northern part of Israel .
Jesus and his disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover feast. But
what his disciples didn’t know was that this Passover would be Jesus’ last,
because the next day He would die as the “Passover Lamb”.
But Jesus did know what would happen. That is why He was very excited to
celebrate this special feast, where he would be able to explain to them what He
would do as they celebrated.
(Luke 22:14-16) And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the
apostles with him. (15) And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to
eat this Passover with you before I suffer. (16) For I tell you I will not
eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God
Right then, the disciples didn’t understand what the Lord was telling
them, or what he had already explained during their supper. But Jesus still
said it so that they would understand later, when that part of the redemption
plan would be fulfilled.
THE PASSOVER SEDER
To understand what happened during that last supper, we must understand
how the Jews celebrate Passover.
The Passover ceremony is made up of several steps known as the “Seder”
(lit. order). Each step is made to remember what happened when they went out of
Egypt
and were freed from slavery.
We will now see what those steps are and how the Gospel explains the way
Jesus fulfilled them in his last Passover.
1. Cup of
Sanctification (Heb. Kadesh)
At the beginning they bless the first of four cups, and then they drink
of it.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
(Luke 22:17-18) And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he
said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. (18) For I tell you
that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of
God comes.”
2. Washing of the
hands (Heb. Ur’jatz)
Then they wash their hands.
3. Green Herbs (Heb. Karpas)
They dip a green herb into salted water and eat it.
The green herb represents the spring, which is when Passover is
celebrated. The salted water represents the tears they shed when they were
enslaved in Egypt .
4. Breaking of the
Bread (Heb. Yajatz)
In a special napkin with three sections, there are three pieces of
unleavened bread (Heb. Matzos). The piece that is in the
middle section is taken and broken into two pieces. One of the pieces goes back
where it was taken from, but the other is placed in another napkin, which is
hidden for the children to find at the end of the dinner.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
(Luke 22:19) And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke
it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
5. Narrating the
Exodus (Heb. Maggid)
A large portion of the celebration of Passover is when they tell the
story of the Exodus, specifically, when the Israelites were set free from
slavery.
(Exodus 13:8) You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of
what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt
During this step a second cup is poured, which is known as the “Cup of
Wrath”. For every plague they go through in the story they spill out a drop of
wine, but they do not drink of the cup.
6. Washing the
Hands (Heb. Rajtza)
They wash their hands a second time, and then a blessing is recited.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
In this step, Jesus went beyond the tradition. This time he washed his
disciples’ feet.
(John 13:4-17) rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and
taking a towel, tied it around his waist. (5) Then he poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel
that was wrapped around him. (6) He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Lord, do you wash my feet?” (7) Jesus answered him, “What I am doing
you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” (8) Peter
said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do
not wash you, you have no share with me.” (9) Simon Peter said to him,
“Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (10) Jesus said to
him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his
feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one
of you.” (11) For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he
said, “Not all of you are clean.” (12) When he had washed their feet and
put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you
understand what I have done to you? (13) You call me Teacher and Lord, and you
are right, for so I am. (14) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed
your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you
an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (16) Truly,
truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a
messenger greater than the one who sent him. (17) If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them.
7. Blessing of the
bread (Heb. Matzos)
They recite a blessing over the bread.
8. The bread is
eaten (Heb. Matzos)
After the blessing, they break the unleavened bread and give a piece to
everyone there.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
(Matthew 26:26) Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after
blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat;
this is my body.”
Jesus had already explained to his disciples what this meant, but they did
not understand it.
(John 6:48-54) I am the bread of life. (49) Your fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness, and they died. (50) This is the bread that comes down from
heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. (51) I am the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (52) The
Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?” (53) So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you. (54) Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
9. Bitter Herbs (Heb. Maror)
The bitter herbs represent the bitterness that the Israelites went
through when they lived in Egypt ,
when they were slaves.
To appreciate the freedom that God has given us, we have to remember
where He took us out from.
10. Eating the
bread with the herbs (Heb. Korej)
They then eat the bitter herbs along with a piece of unleavened bread.
They take some of the bitter herbs and place them on their piece of unleavened
bread. And as they eat it they remember the bitterness of the life they came
out of.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
Jesus seized this moment to tell them that one of them was going to
betray him.
(John 13:21-30) After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his
spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
(22) The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. (23) One
of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, (24)
so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. (25) So
that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” (26)
Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have
dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of
Simon Iscariot. (27) Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into
him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” (28) Now no one
at the table knew why he said this to him. (29) Some thought that, because
Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the
feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. (30) So, after receiving
the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
11. Supper (Heb. Shuljan
Orej)
For the feast of Passover, a special meal is prepared. If they were in Jerusalem during the
feast, they would eat of the lamb that they had sacrificed for that purpose.
They used to eat their supper seated in a reclined position, symbolizing
the peace that comes from being free.
12. Searching for
the bread (Heb. Tzafun)
After dinner, the children search for the piece of bread that was hidden
at the beginning of the feast. Whoever finds it, receives a price which is
known as a “rescue”.
This bread represents Jesus, who was broken, hidden in the grave, and
later came out from the dead and into the light.
13. Act of gratitude
(Heb.
Barej)
At the end of the supper, they say a blessing as an act of gratitude.
After the blessing, they drink of the third cup, which is known as the
“Cup of Redemption”.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
(Luke
22:20) And
likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured
out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
14. Songs of
Worship (Heb. Hallel)
After the act of gratitude, they sing songs from the Psalms 115 to 118.
After this, they drink the fourth cup of wine.
At the end they open the door to their homes as a
prophetic sign, to invite Elijah to come in and proclaim Messiah’s coming.
Jesus in his last
Passover>>
It was at this moment that Jesus took the last cup of
wine.
(Matthew 26:29-30) I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the
vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. (30)
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount
of Olives .
15. Exit (Heb. Nirtzah)
Those who cannot go to Jerusalem to
celebrate Passover end the celebration of the feast proclaiming: “Next year in Jerusalem !”
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