Our Passover Lamb

Well, as I'm sure you can tell, the passage that I just read is set within the context

of Israel's annual feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

The Passover, which kicked off the week of Unleavened Bread, was and still is the highlight

of the Jewish liturgical calendar.

And if you're unfamiliar with it, you may be helped to know that the Passover meal is

a really beautiful, rich commemoration of the Exodus when God delivered and redeemed

his people from bondage as slaves in Egypt.

In that Exodus, God established the feast of Passover as a means for them to remember his

grace and his mercy towards them, and he commanded that they continually observe that throughout

their generations.

In fact, Exodus chapter 12 and verse 14 says this,

Exodus 12 · chapter mention

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.

And God went through and explained to them exactly how they were to keep this feast and what they

were to do, even what they were to wear, and the times that they were to observe the meal

itself.

And the Passover meal had especially in view the final plague from God against Egypt.

If you'll remember, in this tenth and final plague, God, through Moses, told Pharaoh and then also

the children of Israel that the angel of death was going to pass through in the night, and he

would kill every firstborn of every household.

But in that judgment, God provided a way of escape.

For any house that had, as God had instructed, sacrificed a lamb, spotless, one year of age, and taken the

blood of that lamb and spread it on the doorpost and on the lintel of the house, any sign of that

blood on the house, God would pass over that house.

And we see in that a picture of our own judgment and redemption.

All of us are destined for judgment because of our sin and our bondage to sin, yet God gives us a

way of escape from his very own judgment against said sin.

And that's really the point of the passage that we study today.

Here's what Exodus 12 and verse 13 says.

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses wherever you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Hence the name Passover.

So families rehearsed this story yearly as they gathered together, typically as family units.

They would gather and they would observe this feast.

They would remember God's redemption that he had provided for them.

And this celebration is actually the reason that Jesus and his 12 disciples are in Jerusalem at this particular moment in Mark's gospel.

They have gone there to observe the feast of Passover, and of course, Jesus understanding that this will be the moment of his crucifixion.

The Passover is not merely the context referring to the background of these verses.

The Passover is actually the very focus of these verses.

In fact, Mark goes out of his way here in this passage to ensure we understand that this final section of his gospel is inextricably linked to the Passover and its significance and its meaning.

Just in the first three or four verses, just in the first three or four verses, he says Passover by name four different times.

He goes out of his way to do that.

He wants us to see this is not only in the time frame of Jesus' life, the Passover feast, but what Jesus is about to accomplish is in relation to the significance and meaning of the Passover feast.

You see, there's an anticipatory element in this meal, in this celebration.

As the people remembered the first exodus from Exodus 12, they also looked ahead with anticipation, with longing for a new exodus.

In their minds, this exodus would be from bondage to Rome.

And as they reflected on the prophets in the Old Testament, they set that within their immediate context.

And they longed for this exodus from Rome, from this freedom from bondage, and that God would then reestablish the kingdom of Israel for them.

So every year as they gather for this Passover meal, they're not only looking back, they're looking forward.

And their anticipation is right, but their understanding of it was wrong.

The Passover from Exodus 12 does point forward to a greater Passover, but it's a spiritual Passover.

When God would deliver his people in Christ from sin, not from Rome.

That's the entire purpose of God sending his son Jesus to us.

The entire reason that he's here.

The entire reason that he came.

The entire reason he was sent by God was so that he would be our perfect, once for all, Passover lamb.

John the Baptist picked up on this early.

You'll remember in John chapter 1, as Jesus walks through Galilee, John sees them and he lifts up his voice.

John 1 · chapter mention

And it says, the next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

So from the very early days of Jesus' ministry, the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, has already lifted up his voice and assigned to him this title, this description, lamb.

Not just any lamb.

The lamb.

The lamb that has come from God, therefore, is the perfect, spotless lamb.

And by being that lamb, he has come to take away the sins of the world.

And of course, Mark understood that Jesus' crucifixion was how he fulfilled the Passover and John the Baptist's proclamation.

And as we walk through these verses together this morning, I want you to see that Jesus is indeed the lamb of God, slain for the redemption of sinners like you and me.

And not only is that the reality of who Jesus is and what he has done, but in this Passover meal, in this specific Passover meal,

we see Jesus extending the invitation for you to come and receive this freedom and forgiveness that is found in him.

And I think three headings will help guide our thoughts.

One, preparing the Passover.

Two, fulfilling the Passover.

And then finally, transforming the Passover.

Okay, let's first look at preparing for Passover.

Verse 12,

Remember, Jesus and the disciples are staying about two miles outside of the city in a town called Bethany.

But the Passover meal was to be observed within the city walls of Jerusalem.

This meant that there was a measure of planning and preparation that was required ahead of the meal.

And keen to start such preparations, the disciples asked the Lord what he would have them to do.

The first day of unleavened bread here in this verse refers to the time designated for the Passover celebration specifically.

And the phrase, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, is speaking of Thursday afternoon.

Remember, Jews reckoned their days from sundown to sundown.

So typically what would happen is the lambs for the Passover meal would be sacrificed in the temple on Thursday afternoon,

or at least the way it would have unfolded in this particular week with the days.

Thursday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, at sundown on Thursday afternoon, the Jews would have viewed that as the beginning of Friday.

And so they would observe the meal itself between sundown on Thursday evening until midnight.

God had said, don't let it extend beyond midnight.

Those were the regulations that they had to follow.

And so you'll see some of the timing is being expressed by Mark here in this verse.

Now the fact that the disciples asked for Jesus' wishes regarding where they would have the meal

suggests that Jesus would be the one presiding over the celebration itself.

The way this would typically work with families is as these family units would gather together,

typically as this is fitting for today being Father's Day,

it was the father of the family, the patriarch of the family,

would be responsible for presiding over it,

which meant he was responsible for making sure the meal is prepared appropriately,

that all the elements are there, that a place to have the meal is provided.

As the meal and the celebration is carried on,

it would be his responsibility to explain the significance of it,

to tell the story of the Exodus.

He would oversee all of these things and all of the blessings and all the prayers.

It was reserved for the head of household.

Well, the fact that the disciples have come to Jesus,

asking for the details of what they need to do,

suggests that he is the one presiding over it.

He would have held that honored position.

He would be the one teaching the significance of the Passover

on that particular evening with his disciples.

Now this isn't surprising to us.

We would expect it to be this way.

But it is an important note as we move forward in the text.

While the disciples that Jesus sends is preparing for the traditional Passover,

what Jesus has done and is doing is preparing them for this final Passover.

And as we continue in these verses,

I want you to notice the control that Jesus has over every element of the evening.

He has arranged it.

He has provided it.

He has set it up in order to teach this vital lesson to these men.

Verse 13,

He sent two of his disciples and said to them,

Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.

Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,

The teacher says, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?

He will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.

There prepare for us.

And the disciples set out, went to the city, and found it just as he had told them,

And they prepared the Passover.

So at some point in the week, Jesus had prearranged all of the details regarding where they would observe the meal.

But he moved to it with tremendous secrecy.

He only sends two of his disciples.

Luke says it was Peter and John who were designated to do it,

And they went into the city to prepare, but he didn't tell them where to go.

Instead, he told them to watch for a specific signal.

The signal would be a man carrying a jar of water on his head,

which in that culture was unusual.

It would be like a man in our culture carrying a purse.

It was the women and the slaves that would carry the jars of water.

The men would be responsible for carrying the wine skins, but not the water jars.

So as they go into the city, the crowded city,

Remember, all of these people have gathered in that specific place to observe the Passover.

This man with the water jar would have stuck out to the men.

They would have known, go to him, inquire of him where we are to go.

And that's exactly what happened.

He stands out among the vast crowds.

He led them to the place where Jesus had made arrangements.

And once they were there, Peter and John found a large upper room

with everything that they needed to prepare the meal,

just as Jesus had said.

He had arranged it.

He was in control.

But the question here is,

Why were Jesus and his disciples acting with such secrecy?

Why such stealth movements in this moment?

Why is he not wanting to be recognized as they move into the city?

Well, look back to verse number one.

We read last week.

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

and the chief priest and the scribes were what?

Seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him.

So things have intensified.

It's no secret to Jesus that they've been trying to kill him.

They've been trying to do that for years now.

But now things have really intensified in Jerusalem.

In fact, it is John 11, 57 that says,

Now the chief priest and the Pharisees had given orders

that if anyone knew where he was,

he should let them know so that they might arrest him.

Why is he moving in secrecy?

Because they're trying to kill him.

And they've told everybody in the city,

If you see where Jesus is,

it's your responsibility to tell us

so that we can do what we want to do with him.

He was moving in the same kind of secrecy.

You and I would move in in this moment.

But some skeptics have looked at this,

and they have argued that Jesus was acting in fear,

aware of the plot against him,

and afraid to face death.

The same skeptics have argued that

Jesus was not the Son of God.

He was not the Messiah.

He was a towering religious figure to be sure,

but he was the unfortunate victim

of his own fanaticism, they would say.

And they would point to this passage

and say that Jesus was just caught up in all of this,

and this is proof why he's moving in secrecy.

Therefore, he's afraid of what might happen to him.

But Jesus wasn't acting in fear at all.

His testimony in the Gospels, again and again,

proved that he was intentionally moving towards the cross,

not away from it.

He knew what lie ahead.

He knew what awaited him in Jerusalem,

and he was intentionally moving towards it.

And with wisdom, Jesus moved in secrecy,

not to avoid the cross,

but to face it at precisely the right time.

This was the most important Passover in all of history.

And according to Luke's account,

Jesus was even longingly awaiting it

so that he could teach his disciples

the significance of Passover

in regards to what would happen to him on the cross.

Luke says this.

He said to them,

I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you

before I suffer.

Jesus isn't afraid to die.

He's not trying to avoid the cross.

He's actually working within the will of the Father.

And this meal was the final step

on the road to the cross.

Now before we move on,

let's take a step back for just a second

and look at the big picture

of what's happening in Jerusalem.

All the preparations across the city are unfolding.

Thousands of people have gone to the temple that afternoon

to sacrifice their lambs.

They've made their way.

They've made their preparations.

As Kent Hughes said,

the whole city was redolent

with the inviting aroma of roasted lamb.

Yet they had no idea

that a greater spiritual exodus

was about to take place

as the perfect sinless lamb of God was slain.

Think about that.

Jesus is in the midst of the city.

Everyone around him

is observing and reflecting on the redemption of God.

And here is Jesus among them.

And they have no idea

that he is the redemption of God.

But he's preparing his disciples for it.

Number two, fulfilling the Passover.

Fulfilling the Passover.

In the first section,

we find Jesus preparing his disciples for Passover.

In this section,

he explains that his current circumstance

is what is fulfilling

what the Passover typified.

Look at verse 17.

When it was evening,

he came with the 12,

and as they were reclining at table and eating,

Jesus said,

truly I say to you,

one of you will betray me,

one who is eating with me.

And they began to be sorrowful.

And to say to him one after another,

is it I?

Is it I?

We have a small glimpse

into the insecurities

of the disciples here, don't we?

We typically look at them

because of the mistakes

that they made regarding their pride.

But here,

Jesus says,

one of you will betray me.

And each one does not say,

is it him?

No, they ask,

is it I?

They understood,

I think at this point,

the nature of their own hearts,

their own ability to sin,

their own ability to fail miserably.

At the appropriate time that evening,

we're told in verse 17,

when most people probably had resorted

to their respective feast,

Jesus and the other disciples

arrive in the upper room.

And the Passover celebration began

in each home sometime after sunset,

as I said,

it would conclude by midnight.

And there was an extensive liturgy

that Jesus would have followed

in presiding over this meal.

Mark skips all of that

and he compresses it down

so that what we see Jesus saying

in these verses

is probably a few hours

into the meal itself.

And at that point in the celebration,

Jesus drops a bomb on the room

by revealing one of them

will betray him.

And in exposing this betrayal,

Jesus quotes Psalm 41,

declaring that the betrayal itself

was actually the fulfillment of Scripture.

John is the one that tells us this.

John chapter 13 and verse 18,

John 13 · chapter mention

Jesus says,

but the Scripture will be fulfilled.

And then he quotes Psalm 41, 9.

He who ate my bread

has lifted his heel against me.

So we see here,

God has not only predetermined

the crucifixion of Jesus,

but he has ordained the very means

by which he would go to the cross.

And it's another reminder

that though Jesus was betrayed

and murdered by the hands of men,

it was God the Father

who delivered him up

to be the substitute for sinners.

Do you remember Peter's sermon

in Acts 2 over Easter?

This Jesus delivered up

according to the definite plan

and foreknowledge of God,

you crucified and killed

by the hands of lawless men.

Do you see what Mark is expressing here?

What Jesus is even teaching his disciples

that what is about to happen

is not unknown to me,

neither is it unknown to the Father,

neither is it beyond our control.

This is actually the plan.

And everything that's unfolding,

though it's sorrowful in my betrayal,

I am going as it has been written

of me to go.

And as you might expect,

a heavy, sorrowful spirit

immediately descends on the room

and the disciples begin to inquire

about the betrayer.

Verse 20,

Jesus narrows it just a bit.

He said to them,

it is one of the twelve,

one who is dipping bread

into the dish with me.

So it seems here that there was

more than just the disciples

in the room.

Perhaps the friends from Bethany

had come along with them.

And perhaps it was necessary

that in the room,

in the midst of the inquiry,

Jesus narrows down

from the larger group of disciples

to the immediate apostles

that he had chosen,

the twelve.

He says it will be one of the twelve.

Meaning that it would not be someone

who was on the fringes of his group,

but he would actually be betrayed

by someone closest to him.

Not as someone whom he barely knew,

at least in his relationship,

earthly relationship with him,

but someone who was a close friend

and companion to him.

And of course,

Jesus knew all along

that Judas would betray him.

And yet it never stopped him

from expressing his love

and his kindness

and his friendship

to Judas.

What a compassionate Lord.

What a gracious God.

To know what awaits him

and to even know

who would be responsible

for it taking place.

And yet all along the way,

Jesus stillers the same kindness

to Judas.

He shows the same love to Judas.

He shows the same miracles to Judas.

He teaches the same truths to Judas.

What is this a sign of,

if not anything,

but the compassionate grace of God?

But then again,

the question is,

why didn't he expose Judas

in this moment?

Why not just say,

and it's Judas?

I mean,

surely he could have at least

prevented Judas

from coming along

or knowing where it was

that he was gonna be

on that night.

As Kent Hughes said,

it would only take a nod

toward Judas's direction

and Peter would have had him

in a headlock in a moment.

Jesus doesn't do that.

Why?

The answer's in the next verse.

Verse 21.

For the Son of Man goes

as it is written of him.

This was a part of God's plan.

Jesus wasn't gonna get in the way

of the Father's plan.

You know,

if God allowed us

to see our future,

you know what we would do?

We would fight relentlessly

against everything

that we didn't like

about what he shows us.

And we would work hard

to make better

all the things

that we did like

in what he shows us.

That's what we would do.

Not so with Jesus.

He was always aware

of what would unfold

with Judas.

Still,

he was utterly committed

to obeying the will

of the Father,

which he knew

to be found

in the pages

of Scripture.

Isn't that what he says?

The Son of Man goes,

I am going

as the Father

has said for me

to go

in his word

as it is written.

But again,

that doesn't mean

Jesus is an unwilling

participant

in procuring

our redemption.

He pursues

the Father's plan

willfully

and joyfully.

Remember John 17.

For this reason,

the Father loves me

because I lay down

my life

that I may

take it up again.

No one takes it

from me,

Jesus says,

but I lay it down

of my own accord.

He's willing

to do this.

I have authority

to lay it down.

I have authority

to take it up again.

This charge

I have received

from my Father.

And then the writer

of Hebrews

tells us

in chapter 12

and verse 2

that it was

for the joy

that was before him

that he endured

the cross.

Do you see?

He's not an unwilling

participant.

He is obedient.

He is willing.

He is joyful.

It is his desire

to provide

this redemption.

So we see

Jesus

does not only

act in obedience

to the Father's will,

but he acts

in unity

with the Father's will.

Do you see

the difference here?

We can act

in obedience

without acting

in unity.

My kids do it

all the time.

Right?

Right, Ashlyn?

Say, Ashlyn,

it's time

to go to bed.

Oh,

just a little

while longer.

Eventually,

she makes

her way there.

she acts

in obedience

to my will.

Not necessarily

in unity with it.

Not Jesus.

He acts

in obedience.

He acts

in unity

with the Father.

Perfect unity

among the Trinity.

With joy,

he procures

our redemption.

Sinclair Ferguson

says,

Jesus is completely

submitted

to his Father's will.

That will

has been revealed

in the Scripture,

and he bows

to it.

Because his life

is governed

by the teaching

of Scripture,

his death

will be neither

an accident

nor a tragedy.

But notice,

Jesus did not

believe the Scripture

in merely hypothetical

or theoretical ways.

He believed it

and obeyed it

without compromise.

Now,

set this thought

within the context

of Mark's teaching

on true discipleship.

what does it mean

to be a faithful

follower of Jesus?

It means to act

as he acts,

to go where he goes,

to think as he thinks,

to be faithful

in following him.

And how did Jesus

lay out the plan

for following him?

By being obedient

to the Father

through the Word of God.

Faithful discipleship

begins with a commitment

to the very Word of God,

to the Scriptures.

verse 21 again,

Jesus closes,

but woe to that man

by whom the Son of Man

is betrayed.

It would have been better

for that man

if he had never been born.

There's a lot

we could say here.

It's probably best

that I mention

just a couple of things

and move on

and leave it to you

to dig in a little further.

But here's the main point.

just because this path

was the will of God

didn't mean Judas

wasn't responsible

for his own sin.

Now there's mystery

in this, isn't there?

But this verse

makes it clear

that God's sovereignty

over us

neither violates

our human freedom

nor does it absolve us

of guilt.

Judas' sin

was as much his own

as Jesus' righteousness

was his own.

It's a reminder

that

no person

will ever stand

before God

and rightfully claim

that they are innocent

or undeserving

of his judgment.

we cannot look

to the sovereignty

of God

and say

I am what I am

because of you.

This is your fault

and judgment

against me

is unfair

or undeserving.

Paul confronts

that particularly

that particular

objection

in Romans chapter 9.

Romans 9 · chapter mention

It's not always

easy to understand

how is it possible

that God

could be

so sovereign

over the events

of Judas' life

and yet still

hold Judas

accountable

and I can't connect

all of those dots

in a way

that would be

satisfactory to you today

but what I know

is it's what the Bible

teaches

that God is both

sovereign over us

and yet we are

still responsible

and culpable

for our

sin.

So don't think

that you'll ever

be able to stand

before God

and claim any kind

of innocence.

You will stand

in judgment

and our only hope

in that way

is God's grace

through his son

Jesus Christ.

Okay so we see

the preparations

for the Passover

we see the fulfillment

of the Passover

finally

we see the transforming

of the Passover

transforming it.

Some of you

have experienced

a very high church

form of worship

and your experience

in church

you know what I mean

by that.

I don't mean by high church

I don't mean that

in a pejorative way

I mean it as just

in the structure

it's very formal

it's very structured

perhaps the mood

is a bit more solemn.

You've experienced

that before.

Others of you

have experienced

a very low church

form of worship

where basically

anything goes

at any time.

I can remember

Andy and I

have talked about

this before

I can remember

going to visit

my grandparents church

in West Virginia

as a kid

and it was

they had a very low

church form of worship

where they would

start the service

by saying

anybody have a song

to sing

or who wants to come

and do the thing today

there's not really

any structure to it

you just kind of

went about it

and did it as

you wanted to do it.

If we're not careful

we'll think of the

Passover meal that way

that they just kind of

got together

and whenever the food

was ready

they indulged

and somebody said

a blessing

and they just went

through it

and they did the thing.

But that's not

actually how it was

there was actually

a very specific liturgy

that they followed

and the Passover celebration

had very specific

things to go through

very specific moments

and actions

and foods

and descriptions

and prayers

and blessings

and Jesus would have

followed this structure

as he was presiding

over the meal.

and what we see

Jesus doing

in these verses

is transforming

the meaning

of the Passover

and instituting

what we know

and call

the Lord's Supper

and understandably

the four gospel authors

compress this event

into the moments

when Jesus

instituted

this ordinance

but what I'd like

to do

as we finish today

is work through

these verses

in the context

of the Passover

liturgy.

I think it would

actually be really

helpful for us

to understand

at what points

Jesus interjects

these thoughts

and at what

significance

they hold

regarding

the Passover.

Now

before you think

that I'm just

super smart

and figured all

this stuff out

what I'm about

to give you

is the reconstruction

of this liturgy

done by William Lane

who is a commentator

and he has written

a fantastic

exegetical commentary

on Mark's gospel

but he's looked

at the ancient documents

to reconstruct

how this would

have been.

So this is coming

for him.

I think it will

be helpful to you.

Here's how it starts.

The blessing of the meal

and the blessing

of the first cup.

So just like we would do

they open up

with a word of prayer

and a blessing

and they move forward

and then comes

the first cup of wine.

There's actually

four different cups

of wine served

in the Passover meal.

Each has a link

to a promise

from God

in Exodus 6.

The first cup

I will bring you out.

The second cup

I will deliver you.

The third cup

of redemption

I will redeem you

and the fourth cup

of consummation

is I will take you.

I will take you

to be with me.

And so as they would

observe this meal

and they would drink

each cup of wine

this would have

a description

and it would have

a significant meaning

attached to it

as they would go through.

So they would have

the first cup of wine.

After they have

the first cup

the food is brought out

and it's displayed

on the table

before them.

It's arranged

a very specific way

and then the youngest

son in the room

or perhaps the youngest

person in the room

would ask a question.

It's the same question

every year.

Why is this night

different from other nights?

Why is this dinner

different from other dinners?

Jesus and then the father

or the leader

this case being Jesus

would recall and tell

the story of the exodus

and he would explain

God's redemption

of his people.

Now I want you to pause

and consider the significance

of this for a moment.

Can you imagine

you're in the room

Jesus the son of God

is presiding over the meal

and he is the one

explaining God's redemption.

No one in the history

of Passover liturgy

would have ever said it

with the same passion

and ability

and truth

with which Jesus

communicated these thoughts

on that night.

and you can just imagine

knowing what his intention

is in teaching

that as Jesus explains this

he does not quickly

and lightly skip over

the important details

of the exodus.

No.

He explains them

with significance

and with truth

and perhaps the way

that those people

in Galilee

lifted up their voices

and said

who has ever taught us

like this?

Who has ever taught

with such authority?

Perhaps the disciples

on this night

are experiencing

that emotion

once again

as they listen

to Jesus

talk about redemption

what authority

what truth

they are receiving

in this moment.

And then they would

sing together

Psalms 113

through Psalm 115

and that part

of the service

would include

with the second cup

of wine.

Now after they finished

the second cup

there was an interpretation

of the detailed elements

of the meal.

So at this point

all the food is displayed

Jesus would have gone

one by one

to each element

of the foods

and you can find

all the descriptions

about what those foods were

and he would have

explained the significance

of that food

why they were eating it

as a part of the Passover

and why it mattered

to the Passover story.

Now I want you to notice

what Jesus would have done

with the bread.

There's a platter of bread

on the table.

He hasn't broken it

and distributed it yet.

Okay.

We haven't got there yet.

Jesus picks up

the platter

and this was

the customary blessing.

Here's what he says.

This is the bread

of affliction

which our fathers ate

in the land of Egypt.

Let everyone

who hungers

come and eat.

Let everyone

who is needy

come and eat

the Passover meal.

Now I need to keep

that in mind.

Jesus lifts the bread.

Let everyone

who is hungry

come and eat this bread.

Let everyone

who is needy

come and eat

this meal

and enjoy

and partake

in this Passover moment.

And then comes

another blessing.

Praised be thou

O Lord

sovereign of the world

who causes bread

to come forth

from the earth.

In other words

God the Father

is the provider

of the bread

that Jesus

is then inviting

people to come

and to eat

if they're hungry

and to eat

if they are needy.

And then as

the liturgy continues

the leader

or the Father

would have taken

a single piece

of that bread

unleavened

and he would have

begun to break

off pieces of it

and they would

pass it along

to whoever

is in the room

and this would be

done in silence.

This is a reflective

moment.

This is where

Jesus interjects

and he breaks

the silence.

Verse 22

As they were eating

he took the bread

and after blessing it

he's just done

these blessings

I said

he breaks it

and he gives it

to them

and then he speaks

in the silence

and he says

take

this is my body

this is my body

literally

this is me

this is me

I am giving

to you

in this moment.

Thereby

Jesus takes

the significant

meaning of this bread

to the Passover

with its invitations

and its blessings

and he transforms

its meaning

in order to say

I am this bread

it's me

take

me

can't remind you

of what Jesus

said in John chapter 6

John 6 · chapter mention

truly truly

I say to you

it was not

Moses who gave you

bread from heaven

but my father

gives you

the true bread

from heaven

for the bread

of God

is he

who comes

down from heaven

and gives life

to the world

and they said

to him

sir

give us

this bread

always

and Jesus

said to them

I am

the bread

of life

whoever

comes to me

shall not

hunger

whoever

believes in me

shall not

thirst

and he goes

on to say

truly I say

to you

whoever believes

has eternal

life

I

am the bread

of life

your fathers

ate manna

in the wilderness

and they died

but this is

the bread

that comes

from heaven

so that one

may eat of it

and not die

I am that

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

my body

Jesus is

the bread

of life

and in this

final Passover

he offers

himself

to us

in the bread

now put

yourself

in the room

Jesus has

just lifted

the platter

and said

let anyone

who is hungry

come and eat

let anyone

who is needy

come and take

in the meal

and then he

immediately says

God is the one

who provides

the bread

from the earth

and then he says

I am that bread

so come to me

if you are hungry

come to me

if you are needy

come to me

and he transforms

the entire meaning

of this glorious

beautifully

rich

redemptive

meal

and he invites

all who are hungry

to come

and feast on him

by faith

and by feasting

on him

in faith

they in turn

receive the life

that cannot be taken

eternal

life

and forgiveness

and he invites

us to it

and just as he

broke the bread

in that moment

so would his body

be broken

for our sins

his death

brings us

life

he

does this

so come

and eat

he's inviting

you

to receive

this life

in his name

believe

on him

the bread

well after this

they would have

eaten the meal

they would have

enjoyed the fellowship

together

communion

with one another

in those moments

another significant

part of our

understanding

of the Lord's

supper

as we commune

with one another

and it's during

this moment

of fellowship

as they

eat

that Jesus

tells of his

betrayal

so we kind

of take a step

backwards in the

text here

this is the point

he would have

said that

and he goes

through it

and this portion

is closed

with the third

cup of wine

the cup of

redemption

I will redeem

you

God promised

and then Jesus

interjects something

new into the

liturgy again

verse 23

this time

and he took

a cup

and when he

had given

thanks

he gave it

to them

and they all

drank of it

and he said

this is my

blood

of the

covenant

which is

poured out

for many

this is the

third cup

and he

transforms

its meaning

this cup

of redemption

is no longer

about the

Passover

and Exodus

this cup

of redemption

is about the

blood that he

would spill

the very next

afternoon

on Calvary's

cross

as our

perfect

lamb

is sacrificed

in our

place

and he

says

this blood

is the

sign of

the new

covenant

that God

had foretold

in all of

those prophets

you can go

back to

Jeremiah 31

you can see

the promise

of this

covenant

there is

anticipation

all through

the Old

Testament

a greater

king is

coming

a greater

one is

coming

he will

provide

salvation

he will

provide

redemption

he will

provide

a new

covenant

and Jesus

says

here it

is

and it's

in my

blood

it's

found

in my

sacrifice

on

the cross

see every

year

they would

gather

and they

would

slaughter

a lamb

and they

would

spread

the blood

on the

doorpost

at least

in Exodus

that's what

they did

they spread

the blood

on the

doorpost

but this

sacrifice

was insufficient

to provide

true atonement

so they did

it every

year

over

and over

and over

it's the

precursor

to this

system

that God

gave them

of daily

sacrifices

for their

sin

and burnt

offerings

of praise

and all

these things

they had

to do

to try

to rid

themselves

of uncleanness

but they

could never

rid themselves

of the

uncleanness

they just

had to keep

coming

over

and over

and over

again

all of that

anticipating

one day

God will

give us

a true

atonement

a final

atonement

and here

it is

said

atonement

once and

for all

no more

sacrifice

necessary

he is

the Passover

lamb

his blood

was sufficient

to pay for

our sin

once and

for all

forever

this was

the message

of the

apostles

Ephesians

1

Paul says

in him

we have

redemption

through his

blood

the forgiveness

of our

trespasses

according to

the riches

of his

grace

first Peter

Peter says

it

you were

ransomed

from the

feudal ways

inherited

from your

fathers

not with

perishable

things like

silver and

gold

you can't

buy your

salvation

Peter says

but instead

it was with

the precious

blood of

Christ

that of

a lamb

without

blemish

or spot

John the

apostle says

the same

thing

if we walk

in the

light

as he is

in the

light

we have

fellowship

with one

another

and the

blood of

Jesus

his son

cleanses

us

from all

sin

so come

and drink

receive

the sacrifice

of his

blood

by faith

for the

forgiveness

of your

sins

they would

have

finished

with

psalms

116

to 118

they would

have sung

them as

hymns

and then

comes the

fourth and

final cup

of the

meal

and Jesus

does one

more

alteration

he refuses

this cup

verse 25

truly I say

to you

I will not

drink again

of the fruit

of the vine

until that

day

when I

drink it

new

in the

kingdom

of God

William Lane

says

Jesus had

used the

third cup

associated

with the

promise of

redemption

to refer

to his

atoning

death

on behalf

of the

elect

community

the cup

which he

refused

was the

cup of

consummation

associated

with the

promise

that God

will take

his people

to be

with him

this is

the cup

which Jesus

will drink

with his

own

in the

messianic

banquet

which inaugurates

the saving

age

to come

this was

Jesus's

promise

that

fellowship

with him

through his

cross

will continue

until the

day he

returns

to take

us home

it implies

both his

own

resurrection

and our

resurrection

something

these disciples

would have

looked back

on with

tremendous

confidence

comfort

it's also

why in

observing

the Lord's

supper

we proclaim

not only

that Christ

has died

and Christ

has risen

but Christ

will come

again

as Paul

says in

first

Corinthians

11

as often

as you

eat this

bread

and drink

the cup

you proclaim

the Lord's

death

until he

comes

now we're

finished

but track

with me

in this

meal

what does

Jesus

do

he says

I'm the

bread

come and

eat

I'm about

to spill

my blood

for your

sin

come and

drink

and I'm

promising you

that so long

as you come

to me in

faith

you will

have

fellowship

with me

until the

day that I

finally bring

you home

a promise

of assurance

I will

return

the kingdom

will be

ours

we will

reign

forever

together

in perfect

unity

it's a

wonderful

promise

so what

do we

do with

that

we

believe

we

believe

and we

follow

Jesus

used the

bread and

wine as

symbols of

his gospel

and receiving

them as

symbolic

of believing

him as

savior

and lord

and so I

want to

extend

Jesus'

invitation

to you

this morning

will you

come and

eat

I don't

mean eat

the bread

I specifically

didn't do the

Lord's Supper

today for this

reason

to make this

point

that unlike

some people

have taught

through the

years

it is not

the eating

of the bread

itself

and the

drinking

of the

wine

itself

that brings

us

salvation

it is

what is

represented

in those

things

the fact

that you

recognize

Jesus by

faith

as the

son of

God

and the

savior of

your sin

and that

you follow

him

as lord

so come

and feast

by faith

on him

he'll turn

no person

away

who does

take