The Covenant of the Last
Supper
Communion is a way to commune with God while at the same time be in fellowship with each other
.
Jesus was fulfilling this part of the ritual that had been observed for centuries. All the symbolism of the Passover meal was being fully satisfied forever by Christ. Jesus was initiating a new covenant!
.
After
the Passover meal that night, they sang a song. Then, they went out to the
Mount of Olives, one of Jesus’ favorite places to pray. He
warned them that they would all stumble that very night because of what He was
about to face. The
disciples were clueless as to what “raised from the dead” meant.
.
Peter, along with the other disciples, assured Jesus that they would never stumble or deny Him. But, Jesus knew. He said that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed by morning. Jesus was not fearful of dying, but He was associating His death with the weight and the price of mankind’s sin. He was sensing His imminent separation from the Father.
.
.
Can you imagine being betrayed with a kiss? That is just what the wiles of the devil and his evil are like. He will approach you at your weakest moment. But, Jesus was in control of the situation even though it looked like the end. He submitted Himself to the mob that came out to arrest Him; it was all a part of God’s plan to redeem mankind.
.
Sometimes when it seems darkest, we
need to
remember that God has everything under control. When
you face a dark time, look unto Jesus. Look up! In
the daytime, we can only see a few yards – or, at best, a few miles. But
in the nighttime, we can see for hundreds or even thousands of miles. Just look
up at the stars and remember that He knows each one by name!
.
How much more does God know your name and your condition? If you are in covenant with Him, He will take care of you. Be assured that when you pray, even if you don’t know what the outcome will be, God entered the situation as soon as you prayed! That, my friend, is a promise!
Judy Jacobs
Let’s
walk with Jesus in the moments leading up to the Last Supper!
In
Matthew, Jesus says, “You know that after
two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be
crucified” (Matthew 26:2).
For the preceding months, Jesus had been
announcing His impending death. Now, He gives the exact date.
We
generally recognize this date on Maundy Thursday, which is the Christian holy
day falling on the Thursday before Easter.
During
this time, we see the foot-washing and last supper of Jesus with His disciples,
as described in the canonical gospels.
Scholars
(such as Finis Dake) pinpoint the actual date of the Last Supper as being
sometime after sunset on Wednesday of Holy Week.
However,
before the Last Supper even happened, Judas had already gone to the chief
priests and made a deal to hand over Jesus for the price of thirty pieces of
silver.
Can you imagine one of your hand-picked
associates betraying you?
Jesus
already knew who would betray Him when He announced, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
Then
He pronounced a “woe” on Judas
saying, “Woe to that man by whom the Son
of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been
born.”
That’s
a serious indictment.
Yes, God is love; but, He also expects our
love and devotion.
We
all have choices to make in life. I choose to follow Jesus as Lord of my life.
We
call it the Last Supper because it was the last time Jesus and His disciples
would eat together before His death.
The
original Passover meal is recorded in Exodus 12. God told the Jewish people to
take a male lamb without blemish, put its blood on the doorposts and lintel of
their homes.
God’s
last plague against the Egyptians was the death of all firstborn males, both
humans and animals.
The
Lord spoke this saying, “For I will pass
through the land of Egypt and will strike all the firstborn in the land …
against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment … and when I see the
blood, I will PASS OVER you” (Exodus 12:12-13,
emphasis mine).
The Passover meal was always in an intimate
setting in homes, not in public places or even the synagogue.
Jews
throughout all generations celebrated this feast commemorating the original
Passover event of their freedom from Egypt. The actual meal, or Seder,
included:
·
A time of reading;
·
Reminiscing;
·
Telling stories;
·
Eating special and symbolic foods;
·
Drinking four ceremonial cups of wine; and
The
menu consisted of bitter herbs (like veggies), dipped in salt and served with
horseradish, which reminded them of the afflictions in Egypt.
Originally,
the meat served was roasted lamb.
They
also served Matzah bread (cracker-like bread without yeast), which had a
special meaning.
The
Matzah bread was broken in half–one half broken again and served, while the
other half was hidden.
The
cups of wine were also symbolic as “toasts” to the miracles of God.
The
third cup of wine was called the cup of redemption. It was this cup that Jesus
shared with His disciples after He had broken the bread with them.
The
disciples had eaten this meal many times in their lifetime. But they had never
heard anyone say, “Take, eat; this is My
body.”
I
wonder if they looked at each other in amazement.
What Jesus was indicating by this was that
in just a few short hours, His body would be broken and marred by beating with
many stripes.
Later,
the disciples would remember Isaiah writing that “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we
are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Then
Jesus took the cup, gave thanks, and distributed it to the disciples saying, “Drink from it, all of you” (Matthew
26:28).
Right
then and there, Jesus was fulfilling this part of the ritual that had been
observed for centuries. All the symbolism of the Passover meal was being fully
satisfied forever by Christ.
Jesus was initiating a new covenant!
Wow,
what a night! What covenant relationship! What intimacy! A true prophetic
occurrence!
Then
Jesus said this, “I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you
in My Father’s kingdom.”
In
doing this, Jesus not only fulfilled the Jewish Seder observations, but He was
also giving them hope for His return.
Christians in the first century began to “break bread” or have communion on a
daily basis.
Remember,
the first Christians were all Jewish until God opened the door to Gentiles
(like Cornelius through Peter).
Luke
recorded a beautiful picture of the church, alive and in action, saying;
“Now
all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their
possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So,
continuing daily, with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house
to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising
God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church
daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44-47).
Perry
Stone calls communion “The Meal that Heals.”
It
heals our bodies, and it also allows us to join together with pure motives and
a clean heart and conscience.
After
the Passover meal that night, they sang a song. Then, they went out to the
Mount of Olives, one of Jesus’ favorite places to pray.
He
warned them that they would all stumble that very night because of what He was
about to face.
Jesus
quoted Zechariah, saying, “Strike the
Shepherd” and the sheep would scatter.
Trying
to give them hope, He then said, “But
after I have been raised from the dead, I will go before you to Galilee” (Matthew
26:32).
The
disciples were clueless as to what “raised
from the dead” meant.
They
were still struggling with the statement regarding them being made to stumble.
Peter, along with the other disciples, assured Jesus that they would never
stumble or deny Him.
But,
Jesus knew. He said that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster
crowed by morning.
I know we’ve all done this – making rash
promises to God without the knowledge or the power to fulfill them.
Remember,
the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Maybe
the disciples are sensing that something is going awry in their estimation –
maybe Jesus isn’t going to deliver them from Rome … and why does He talk about
His death?
Matthew’s
gospel changed the scene as Jesus began praying in Gethsemane. He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this
cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Your will.”
Jesus
was not fearful of dying, but He was associating His death with the weight and
the price of mankind’s sin. He was sensing His imminent separation from the
Father.
When
Jesus finished praying, He woke up His sleeping disciples and said that it was
time to go. His betrayer was present. While He was still speaking, Judas
approached Jesus and kissed Him.
Can you imagine being betrayed with a kiss?
That
is just what the wiles of the devil and his evil are like. He will approach you
at your weakest moment.
But,
Jesus was in control of the situation even though it looked like the end. He
submitted Himself to the mob that came out to arrest Him; it was all a part of
God’s plan to redeem mankind.
Sometimes when it seems darkest, we need to
remember that God has everything under control.
When
you face a dark time, look unto Jesus. Look up!
In
the daytime, we can only see a few yards – or, at best, a few miles.
But
in the nighttime, we can see for hundreds or even thousands of miles. Just look
up at the stars and remember that He knows each one by name!
How much more does God know your name and
your condition?
If
you are in covenant with Him, He will take care of you. Be assured that when
you pray, even if you don’t know what the outcome will be, God entered the
situation as soon as you prayed!
That, my friend, is a promise!
My
next post will be on the Crucifixion and the events leading up to it. So, keep
watching! Redemption is about to come, even though all hell may break loose.
What are some situations in which you are believing for redemption to come forth?
Hi, I’m Judy Jacobs.
Welcome to my blog!
I’m a worship leader, psalmist, writer, mentor, speaker, and
a lover of Jesus. I’ll tell you some fun stuff about myself if you scroll
down (or you can read my official
bio here); but first, let me tell you how I want to serve you:
I believe you have gifts, anointing, and a calling from God,
and I want to help you walk in them.
The Bible says that everybody has a gift, talent, anointing,
and calling. Sometimes, however, it’s tricky trying to find out what your
purpose on Earth is. But you know what can get you down the road a lot
more quickly? A MENTOR!
Here on my blog, you will receive MENTORING. You’ll also
receive lots of prophetic encouragement about your gifts–encouragement that
will help you step into your ministry with POWER!
Also, I want to help you hear the right-now, prophetic word
of the Lord!
Sometimes, I’ll share the prophetic words, prayer
directives, and urgent war cries the Lord gives me for you! Other times,
though, I’ll be teaching you how to hone your OWN ability to hear God. (Yes,
YOU have ears to hear God too–and you can prophesy as well!)
I want to mentor you to go deeper in God.
You might also like:
Broken For You
Written by : Janet Lunt
CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . .
.
https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2019/01/broken-for-you-janet-lunt-broken-for-me.html
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Broken For You
In celebrating His
supper, remember His sacrifice
CLICK HERE . . . to view . . .
https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2021/02/broken-for-you-at-last-supper-jesus.html
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