The Great Exchange

Luke 22, verses 1 to 23.

Luke 22:1–23

Now, the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called the Passover.

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they fear the people.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.

He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.

And they were glad and agreed to give him money.

So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

Then came the day of unleavened bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying,

Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.

They said to him, Where will you have us prepare it?

He said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.

Follow him into the house that he enters, and tell the master of the house,

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

And he will show you a large upper room furnished.

Prepare it there.

And they went and found it, just as he had told them.

And they prepared the Passover.

And when the hour came, he reclined at table and the apostles with him.

And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

For I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said,

Take this and divide it among yourselves.

For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

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.

And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying,

This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.

For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined.

But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.

And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Everyone appreciates a good deal.

We're elated when we find a good bargain at the grocery store.

Or when our favorite sports team makes a good trade.

Conversely, however, no one likes to be ripped off.

No one likes to be short-changed.

To get the short end of the stick.

Least of all, us.

And in our passage for today, we find two exchanges.

First, a terrible exchange.

And then, the great exchange.

And both of them are extremely unfair.

Unequal exchanges.

But they work to our favor.

By God's grace.

First exchange we see is of Judah's exchange of his master for money.

And the second exchange we see is Jesus' exchange of his life for our salvation.

And the main point that Luke wants us to take away from us.

We are to remember the Passover lamb who was sacrificed for our inclusion in the kingdom of God.

So let's first look at Judah's exchange of his master for money.

Verse 1 tells us that now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was one of the most important festivals for which Jews, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims,

gathered from all over the world to Jerusalem.

Because that's where it had to be celebrated.

On Passover Day, an unblemished year-old male lamb was sacrificed at the temple to commemorate Israel's exodus from Egypt.

And then after sunset that day, which is, according to Jewish reckoning, when a new day would begin,

after sunset they would eat this Passover lamb, thus beginning a week-long celebration,

this festival called the bread, the Unleavened Bread.

And because of this close connection between the Passover day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

gospel writers often use those two terms interchangeably, which has led to some confusion among some people.

But here it's referring to both.

Ironically, however, as this holy feast is approaching,

it's a feast that celebrates God's sparing and saving of Israel.

And as this is approaching, the very leaders of Israel, the Jewish leaders,

who should have been busy with preparation, preparing their hearts, preparing the temple for this great celebration,

instead they are busy plotting to kill Jesus.

Because in the preceding chapters we've seen over and over again how these chief priests and the scribes,

they sought to discredit Jesus by asking Him thorny political questions

and posing these theological dilemmas that they thought had no answers.

But each time Jesus thwarted them and proved Himself to be the superior teacher.

So that it said in Luke 20, verse 40,

Luke 20:40

they no longer dared to ask Him any question.

And not only did Jesus outwit them,

He directly exposed their hypocrisy

and challenged their authority as the leaders among God's people.

And all of this happened, Jesus did this,

not in private quarters,

but in the hearing of all the people out in the open.

In fact,

in these Jewish leaders' home court,

right in their backyard,

in the temple precincts.

And so you can imagine they were embarrassed and enraged.

And their prideful sulking soon hatched this murderous plot.

And so it says in verse 2,

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Jesus to death,

for they feared the people.

Especially because there were so many pilgrims,

hundreds and thousands of them in the city,

and Jesus was very popular.

There were many among them who were Jesus' followers and disciples.

These chief priests and scribes did not dare to arrest Jesus in public,

lest they cause an uproar in the city,

riots, protests.

And so they were plotting together,

How can we get this done?

How can we put Him to death without upsetting the masses?

They were prevented from carrying out their murderous intent,

not because they feared God,

whom they are accountable to,

which should have been the reason,

but instead they were prevented by the fear of man.

But it's not just the chief priests and the scribes

that are plotting at this juncture.

There are greater, stronger spiritual forces at work.

It says in verse 3,

Satan,

Satan,

Satan,

Satan,

who is not an adversary or accuser,

he is described in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 2,

Ephesians 2:2

as the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

He is prince,

a ruler among the evil spirits.

He is at work in Judas' betrayal.

So the language of entering into someone implies some kind of possession and control.

And I don't want you,

especially if you're a believer,

here to fall prey to unwarranted fears about demon possession.

So let me assure you that true believers indwelled by the spirit of God

cannot become possessed by evil spirits.

Now, Christians can give ground to the devil,

give opportunity to the devil,

and come under significant demonic attack and influence.

That's why Ephesians 4, 26 to 27 teach us not to remain angry for long,

lest we give an opportunity, a foothold to the devil.

However, Christians cannot be possessed by the devil

because Colossians 1, 13 says,

God has delivered us,

God's people,

from the domain of darkness

and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son.

We now have a new allegiance.

We're in a new kingdom,

not under the prince of the power of the air's authority anymore.

We're under Christ's authority in a new kingdom of God.

And this is why whenever the New Testament speaks of demon possession,

it invariably involves unbelievers, non-Christians.

It happens in the context of evangelism.

So in the Gospels, for example,

when Jesus encounters an unbeliever who is demon-possessed,

it says that Jesus casts them out,

exorcises the demon.

But in all of the New Testament epistles,

letters that are written to the church,

to God's people,

there is not a single instruction on exorcism.

When it comes to instructing believers on spiritual warfare,

the language that the New Testament uses is remarkably consistent.

1 Peter 5, 9 says,

resist the devil.

Ephesians 6, 11 says,

stand against the schemes of the devil.

James 4, 7 says,

resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

Why?

Because when it comes to believers,

the exhortation is never to cast them out,

because they're not in you,

but rather it's to resist them,

because they're outside of you,

and are oppressing you,

and attacking you,

and pressing in on you.

But Judas here is subject to internal possession.

Satan enters into him.

Now, that doesn't mean that Judas is not personally responsible for what he did.

We see that his personal agency is not erased,

because he still held accountable for his deed in verse 22 later.

But there is a satanic conspiracy behind Judas' betrayal.

Earlier in Luke chapter 4,

Luke 4 · chapter mention

Satan appeared three times to tempt Jesus,

to tempt him to take his life into his own hands,

to disobey his father.

But Jesus triumphed in that encounter,

and overcame his temptations.

And it's said at that point,

in Luke chapter 4, verse 13,

Luke 4:13

that the devil, Satan,

departed from Jesus until an opportune time.

And since then,

Satan has not appeared in the Gospel of Luke

as a character,

as a direct agent.

He's been mentioned by other people,

but he has never appeared as a character in the story.

And this is when he first reappears

after Jesus' temptation.

So then this is the opportune time

that he's been waiting for

to finally, in his own mind,

to try to get the best of Jesus.

And we can see here that Satan is not,

you know,

waging his war on God's people

and God's kingdom

in a willy-nilly fashion,

in an unplanned manner.

He is planning.

He's strategizing.

He waits for the opportune time.

He handpicks people like Judas

with whom he can do great damage.

It says in verses 3 to 5,

Then Satan entered into Judas,

called Iscariot,

who was of the number of the twelve.

He went away

and conferred with the chief priests and officers

how he might betray him to them.

And they were glad

and agreed to give him money.

In order to avoid a public outcry,

remember that the Jewish leaders

were trying to figure out

how to get Jesus arrested privately.

And here is an insider,

one of the number of the twelve,

a member of the most exclusive

and intimate group

of Jesus' disciples,

volunteering to betray

his teacher and Lord.

And this is a great boon

to these Jewish leaders

because he knows,

Judas knows Jesus' schedule.

He's itinerary.

So he can direct the chief priests

and the scribes

to arrest Jesus

in a secluded place

outside of the view

of the crowds.

This has just fallen

onto their laps.

So of course,

he says they were glad.

They're delighted.

And notice the terrible exchange

that takes place here.

It says in verse 3,

Satan entered into Judas

and it says in verse 4

that Judas went away,

that is,

away from Jesus.

The two words in the Greek

enter and went

are exactly the same

except for the prefixes.

So it highlights this contrast.

Satan went into Judas

so that Judas went away from Jesus.

Satan entered into Judas

so that Judas exited

from Jesus' presence.

It's a horrible exchange.

An unthinkable betrayal

by one of Jesus'

most intimate companions.

And why did Judas

commit such a despicable act?

What had Jesus done to him?

The Bible only gives

this one reason.

Verse 5.

And they were glad

and agreed to give Judas money.

Judas discerned

that the Jewish leaders

were hostile toward Jesus.

He deduced that

they intended to kill him,

to harm him.

And he went to them

seeking to make a deal.

I think I can make some money

off of this.

I see what they're up to.

And he found

the Jewish leaders'

financial offer agreeable

because it says in verse 6

he consented.

It's like a formal deal

taking place.

He consented

and sought an opportunity

to betray Jesus to them

in the absence

of a crowd.

This is especially shocking

because the Gospel of Luke,

really more than any other gospel,

warns against

the love of money.

Jesus has repeatedly warned

about the love of money

throughout this gospel.

He said in Luke 16,

Luke 16:13

verse 13,

No servant can serve

two masters.

For either he will hate

the one

and love the other,

or he will be devoted

to the one

and despise

the other.

You cannot serve

God and money.

Judas could not serve

both Jesus

and money.

And Judas chose money.

He was a lover

of money.

John 12,

4-6 tell us

that he was a thief

who helped himself

to the communal purse

of Jesus

and his 12 apostles

to help himself.

We have a catchphrase

in English

that dovetails well

with this story.

You've heard the phrase,

follow the money,

right?

I looked up the origin.

I think it comes from a movie

that none of us

have probably seen.

If you want to identify

the root of political corruption,

if you want to identify

the mastermind

behind some criminal activity,

follow the money.

Ask yourself,

who will profit

from this venture?

Because the money trail

will inevitably

lead you to the culprit.

It's no wonder

that 1 Timothy 6,

10 says,

the love of money

is a root

of all kinds

of evils.

It is through

this craving

that some

have wandered away

from the faith

and pierced themselves

with many pangs.

Judas

wandered away

from the faith

and pierced himself

with many pangs

because he loved money.

And this example

of Judas' betrayal,

one of the 12 apostles,

one of the most trusted friends

and followers of Jesus,

is intended to teach us

that being

around Jesus

doesn't necessarily

indicate

that we are

with Jesus.

It's possible

to pay

lip service

to Jesus

without actually

loving him

with your whole heart.

it's possible

to look like

a Christian

without being one.

You may have

all the

cultural

accoutrements

of Christianity.

You may very well

have the appearance

of being a Christian.

But here's

the true test.

Is there anything

that you love

more

than you love

Jesus?

Is there anyone

that you love

more

than you love

Jesus?

There can be

only one

King,

Lord,

and God.

In order to submit

to Christ

as our Lord

and Savior,

we have to

subordinate

all of our

other relationships,

interests,

and allegiances,

and priorities

to following him

and loving him

and worshiping him

and serving him.

So do you crave

the respect

and approval

of other people

more than you desire

Christ and his love?

Do you want

to be liked

by your peers

more than you want

to become

like Jesus?

Do you want

to be successful,

wealthy,

more than you want

to be faithful

to Jesus?

Jesus.

I'm not talking

about trying

and failing.

We could try

and fail

and then repent

and believe again.

Everyone sins.

Every Christian

sins.

But the difference

between the Christian

and the non-Christian

is that a Christian

always repents

of his sins

and turns

toward Jesus

in faith

clinging to him

for salvation.

Is Jesus

the one

whom you

are living for?

No servant

can serve

two masters.

This is the reality

for either

he will hate

the one

and love the other

or he will be

devoted to the one

and despise the other.

Human beings

are by very

nature

servants.

That's how

God created us.

That's why

Philippians 2.7

says that Jesus

emptied himself

by taking the form

of a servant

and what is that

form like?

Being born

in the likeness

of men.

To be a human

is to be

a servant.

Bob Dylan

had it right.

You've got to

serve somebody.

It's woven

into the very

fabric of

human identity,

human existence.

The question is

whom will

you serve?

There can only

be one master

and there's only

one who is

worthy to be

your master

and that is God.

Is God

your supreme

authority

in life?

Are your beliefs,

your behaviors,

are they grounded

in and guided

by God's word?

Or are you

your own master?

there's a word

for that.

A word

for someone

who claims

to rule,

claims to be

a master,

but doesn't

have the right

to rule.

It's called

rebellion.

It's called

treason.

It's called

sin.

And we

are all

guilty

of it.

And that's

what necessitates

the second

exchange,

the great

exchange.

Let's turn to

verses 7 to

23 here

and it

says the

Passover

that was

approaching

in verse

1 is now

here.

Then came

the day

of unleavened

bread

on which

the Passover

lamb had

to be

sacrificed.

So Jesus

sent Peter

and John

saying,

go and

prepare the

Passover

for us

that we

may eat

it.

But Peter

and John

are unaware

of any

prior arrangement

that Jesus

had made

so they

ask him

in verse

9,

where will

you have

us prepare

it?

And Jesus

replied with

a very

specific set

of instructions

in verses

10 to

12,

behold,

when you

have

entered

the city

a man

carrying

a jar

of water

will meet

you.

Follow

him

into the

house

that he

enters

and tell

the master

of the

house,

the teacher

says to

you,

where is

the guest

room where

I may

eat the

Passover

with my

disciples?

It's an

amazing

story.

It reveals

Jesus'

foreknowledge,

supernatural

knowledge,

but also

the fact

that he

is in

total

control

of the

situation.

It

shows

that Jesus

is in

full

command

of his

destiny,

his journey

into Jerusalem

and ultimately

toward his

death.

And that's

why Luke

notes in

verse 13

with wonder,

and they

went and

found it

just as he

had told.

And they

prepared the

Passover.

This is in

here to show

us that

Jesus is

not a pawn

in the hand

of Satan

that entered

into Judas

or Judas.

He is not

a hapless

man that

happens to

be in the

wrong place

at the

wrong time.

Jesus is

the Lord

of creation.

He is the

Son of God

in total

control,

fully aware

of all that

is happening

around him,

and he's

heading very

deliberately

to the

cross where

he will

die for the

sins of

his people.

This is

his choice,

and he's

taking those

steps.

And Peter

and John

are preparing

an unblemished

Passover lamb

for supper

as Jesus,

the blameless

lamb of God,

readies himself

for the cross.

And it says

in verse 14

that when the

hour came,

he reclined

at table

and the

apostles

with him.

There's so

much drama

and anticipation

building up

to this meal.

Notice the

way Luke

builds it up.

He drums

up the

expectation.

First,

he told us

in verse 1

that the

feast of

unleavened

bread drew

near,

which is

called

the

Passover.

The

week-long

feast was

approaching,

but not

yet here.

And then

in verse 7

he told us

that then

came the

day of

unleavened

bread,

on which

the Passover

lamb had

to be

sacrificed.

And now

finally in

verse 14,

when the

hour came.

So he

goes from

week to

day to

the very

hour that's

been building

this up.

What is

this moment

that he's

looking forward

to?

And it's

the feast,

and Jesus

is the

guest of

honor,

and he's

reclining at

table,

which shows

that it's

a formal

banquet where

they recline

instead of

sitting,

and his

disciples are

with him.

And Jesus

says to his

disciples in

verse 15,

I have

earnestly

desired to

eat this

Passover with

you before

I suffer.

The

Passover

comes around

every year.

Jesus has

celebrated this

with him

multiple times

already.

Why was

Jesus

particularly

eager to

eat this

Passover?

He tells us

in verse 16,

4,

I tell you,

I will not

eat of it

until it is

fulfilled in

the kingdom

of God.

This is the

last Passover

meal before

Jesus'

suffering,

his death.

And he will

not get to

celebrate it

again with

them until,

he says,

until it,

until the

Passover is

fulfilled in

the kingdom of

God.

until the

Passover is

completed,

brought to

its intended

end and

fulfillment,

Jesus will

not eat of

it again.

This is

confirmed by

verse 17 and

18 as well

where he says,

and he took a

cup and when

he had given

thanks he

said,

take this

and divide

it among

yourselves.

For I tell

you that

from now

on I

will not

drink of

the fruit

of the

vine until

the kingdom

of God

comes.

The coming

of the

kingdom of

God parallels

the coming

of the

Son of

Man that

Jesus spoke

of earlier

in Luke

Luke 21:27

chapter 21

verse 27.

It's a

reference to

his second

coming and

the consummation

of the

kingdom of

God.

Until then,

the kingdom

of God,

until the

kingdom of

God is

fulfilled,

Jesus will

not drink

this Passover

wine or

eat this

Passover

bread with

his disciples

again.

That's why

this meal is

often called

the Last

Supper.

That's true,

but in

another sense,

this meal is

actually the

second to

last supper.

it's the

penultimate

supper because

it foreshadows

the eternal

heavenly banquet

that Jesus is

anticipating and

looking forward to

celebrating with

his disciples.

This is why

Jesus was so

eager,

desirous of

this banquet.

He wants to

savor this

banquet because

it's the last

time he'll get

to enjoy this

Passover with

his disciples

until that

time.

he wants to

enjoy this,

he looks

forward to

this because

it's to

him a

foreshadowing,

a picture of

that ultimate

banquet to

come.

I find this

very moving

that he says,

I earnestly

desire to eat

this Passover

with you.

Let me

illustrate why

this way.

when a man

takes his

wife out for

a date,

he should

say,

hey,

I reserved

the table at

a special

restaurant so

we could have

dinner together

this Friday

night.

I'm not going

to tell you

where it is

yet,

I don't

want to

surprise you,

but I

think you'll

really like

it.

I already

secured the

babysitters,

so be ready

for me when

I come home

at 5 p.m.

He shouldn't

say,

hey,

we don't

have anything

better to do

tonight.

You don't

go out to

eat?

What are you

in the mood

for?

I'm not

saying that

you can't

ever do

that,

but you

get the

point.

The first

ask shows

intention

and care,

while the

second ask

shows laziness

carelessness.

And Jesus

here is

definitely not

doing the

first.

He's

definitely not

doing the

second ask

in this

passage.

Everything

has been

preordained.

He has

been eagerly

anticipating,

desiring,

and looking

forward to

this banquet.

He had

arranged for

everything to

happen,

just as he

had said,

and he

tells these

disciples,

these bumbling

disciples,

these selfish

disciples,

these slow

to learn

disciples that

have been

pestering him,

pushing him,

the very

reason he's

headed to

the cross,

and he's

looking eagerly

forward to

this moment,

to eat with

them.

the Passover,

according to

Exodus 12,

was supposed to

be celebrated

with one's

own family.

But here,

Jesus,

as the head

of this new

household of

God that he

is forming,

he dines with

his disciples.

In Luke 18,

Luke 18:28–30

verses 28 to

30,

Peter has

said to

Jesus,

see,

we have left

our homes

and followed

you.

And Jesus

said to

him,

truly I say

to you,

there is

no one

who has

left house

or wife

or brothers

or parents

or children

for the sake

of the kingdom

of God,

who will not

receive many

times more

in this time

and in the

age to come

eternal life.

This scene,

this last

supper,

is an enactment

of the church,

the family of

God.

Jesus is

saying in

this meal,

you have

left your

homes,

you have

left your

families to

follow me.

Your home

is with

me now.

You're

part of

my family

now.

You're

going to

be a

guest

at the

eternal

banquet

that my

father's

preparing.

That's

Jesus'

heart.

John

14,

2 to

3,

during the

same

Passover,

last

Passover meal

with the

disciples,

Jesus

says this,

in my

father's

house are

many rooms.

If it

were not

so,

would I

have

told you

that I

would go

to prepare

a place

for you?

And if

I go

and prepare

a place

for you,

I will

come

again,

and will

take you

to myself,

that where

I am,

you may

be also.

Jesus is

longing to

be with

his disciples

before his

departure,

as well as

his longing

to celebrate

this last

Passover meal

with him.

they're

explained

by this,

this is

what explains

Jesus'

earnest desire

to eat

the

Passover

with

them.

And if

you are

a child

of God,

if you're

a member

of the

family of

God,

with the

same

eager

anticipation,

it's for

you,

to join

you,

for you to

join him

at the

heavenly

banquet.

He is

earnestly

desired

to eat

this

Passover

with

you.

Do you

look forward

to that?

Does that

anticipation

shape the

way you

live now?

As Jesus

continues in

this meal

with his

disciples,

he says

in verse

19,

and he

took bread,

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.

Jesus is

using

figurative

language

here.

Scripture

nowhere

describes

the bread

as

becoming

the

physical

body

of

Christ

in

any

shape

or

form.

Just

as

when

Jesus

says

in

John

John 10:9

10

verse

9,

I

am

the

door,

if

anyone

enters

by me,

he

will

be

saved.

He

doesn't

mean

by

that

he

is

a

literal

door

with

a

handle,

but

he

is

the

door

to

heaven

in a

figurative

sense.

The

bread

which

can

easily

be

broken

represents

the

body

of

Christ

because

the

body

of

Christ

will

soon

be

broken

on

the

cross

for

the

spiritual

nourishment

and

salvation

of

many.

God

That's

why

Jesus

says

here,

this

is

my

body

which

is

given

for

you.

This

is

my

body

which

is

given

on

your

behalf.

There's

a

substitutionary

and

sacrificial

aspect

to what

Jesus

is

talking

about

here,

to

his

death

on

the

cross.

You

can

see

that

also

in

the

wine

that

they

drink.

Verse

20

says,

and

likewise

the

cup

after

they

had

eaten,

saying,

this

cup

that is

for

you,

is

the

new

covenant

in my

blood.

And

who

is

Jesus

speaking

to?

For

whom

is

the

body

of

Christ

broken

and

the

blood

of

Christ

poured

out?

Jesus

is

speaking

to

his

family,

to

his

disciples,

to

his

followers,

those

who

have

been

adopted

into

the

family

of

God

through

repentance

and

faith.

Because

sinners,

rebels

guilty

of high

treason

cannot

hope

to

join

the

heavenly

banquet

in the

kingdom

of

God.

They

deserve

to be

shot

out

of

the

kingdom

and

punished

for

their

rebellion.

And

that's

what we

all

deserved.

But

God

in

Christ

reconciles

us

to

himself.

He

takes

the

people

that

have

broken

their

covenant

with

God

and

enters

into

a

new

covenant

with

them

through

Jesus.

And

that's

what

Jesus

is

speaking

of

here.

The

new

covenant

is

an

allusion

to

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 31:31–33

31

verses

31

to

33

where

God

promises

to

establish

a new

covenant

where

he

puts

the

law

of

God

into

people's

hearts

to

transform

people's

hearts

so that

they

desire

to

and

follow

God's

word

instead of

constantly

rebelling

and disobeying

as Israel

historically

has done.

Our

covenant

is a

legally

binding

relational

commitment

much like

a marriage

between

a man

and a

woman

or the

relationship

between

a parent

and a

child.

That's

why it's

not surprising

that God

often describes

himself as

Israel's

husband

or the

church's

husband

and he

calls

Israel

his

firstborn

son.

These are

very intimate

and intensive

relationships

and they

also have

legal aspects

to it.

You could

examine that

in our

own

lives.

A

father

is

legally

required

to

provide

for

his

child

just

as

husband

and

wife

are

legally

joined

together

and are

responsible

for

one

another.

We

can

see

that

in

the

benefits

like

shared

health

insurance,

disability,

joint

taxes,

etc.

Our

covenant

with

God

likewise

is

intimately

and

intensely

relational

but it's

also

legally

binding.

That's

what a

covenant

is.

We

have

duties,

obligations

that we

are to

perform

before

God.

The

old

covenant

was

established

at the

time of

the

Exodus

when in

Exodus

Exodus 24:8

24

verse

8

Moses

took

the

blood

of

the

sacrificed

oxen

and

sprinkled

it

on

the

people

setting

them

apart

and

marking

them

as

people

who

are

holy

to

God

set

apart

for

God's

special

purposes.

But

in

the

new

covenant

it

says

in

Hebrews

Hebrews 10:19–22

chapter

10

verses

19

to

22

It's

the

sprinkling

of

Jesus'

blood

that

established

the

new

covenant

and

this

explains

a very

curious

omission

in

this

passage.

Notice

it says

in

verse

7

Then

came

the

day

of

unleavened

bread

on

which

the

Passover

lamb

had

to

be

sacrificed.

You're

supposed

to

sacrifice

a

lamb.

That's

the

centerpiece

of

the

meal

during

Passover.

But

look

through

this

passage.

There's

not

a

single

mention

of

the

eating

of

the

lamb

during

this

supper.

It

only

mentions

the

bread.

And

the

wine.

Why

is

this

the

case?

It's

because

Jesus

is

the

ultimate

Passover

lamb.

Because

Luke

wants

to

make

sure

that

the

focus

as

we

read