"A New Twist to an Old Tale"
Mt. 26:17-18, 26-30
Intro:
It’s the Passover. Jesus and His disciples will celebrate a 1500 year old custom. The Lord commanded Moses to institute this feast. On this night Jesus will give a new twist to an old tale as He applies certain aspects of the Passover to our salvation.
The Gospel writers do not let us forget the setting of this meal. During supper Jesus gave some surprising interpretations to the age-old ritual of the Passover. In Exodus we read that the Passover was to be "a memorial ... for ever" observed by people of faith. Their children would ask, "Why this feast? Why the ceremony? Why the ritual?" And Israel would retell the wonderful tale of how God delivered them from Egyptian slavery.
Passover was Israel’s most important feast. Jesus chose to draw from the symbolism of Passover to institute the Lord’s Supper. Matthew delights in showing the fulfillment of an Old Testament picture in the person of Jesus. Jesus could have easily allowed the Passover and all it’s meaning fade with the passage of time. But instead, He chose to cameo this ancient feast. He used some of its symbolism to convey His message of deliverance from sin.
The lamb, herbs, and music are not given much room in the Gospels as they record this event. But four features of the Passover meal are given attention in the New Testament. They are the bread, the cup, the blessings attached to them, and the promise.
The Bread
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
The unleavened bread (bread made without yeast), was also called "the bread of affliction" because Israel left Egypt in haste. (Dt. 16:3) How appropriate for Jesus, knowing all that awaited Him, to identify the bread of affliction with His own body.
Luke records Jesus saying of the bread, "this is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of Me." (Lk. 22:19) May we never forget how He gave Himself for us. May the Church never forget the gift of His life, which He freely gave in exchange for hers. May we never stop preaching the cross of Christ. And may we never forget the price He paid to reconcile us to God. (Rom. 5:10, 2 Cor. 5:17-19)
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds
because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by
Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight,
without blemish and free from accusation- (Col. 1:21-22)
The bread of affliction has come to represent the body of the Lord, the sacrifice given to take away our sins. As you hold a piece of bread symbolic of Christ’s body, remember the One it represents. Remember the cross on which He hung. Remember it was written of Him, "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." (Mt. 8:17) Be healed in heart, soul, and body. Eat the bread in recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice in our place.
The Cup
...He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ..."
The Jews were commanded to catch the blood of the Passover lamb in a basin (bowl). Then they were to dip hyssop into the bowl and strike the door posts and lintel. Doing so marked their house with the blood of the Passover lamb. This told the Destroyer their house was a protected. He had to pass over them without striking their first-born with death.
When Jesus held the cup aloft that evening, He said of it, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you..." (Lk. 22:20) If the cup represents the blood of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, then we are right in our assertion that we, like ancient Israel, must also have the blood applied that we might be saved. Christ’s blood is to be applied to the door-posts of our hearts rather than our homes.
Hebrews reminds us, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb. 9:22) We are assured that Jesus is willing to forgive us because He was willing to shed His blood. His blood was the ransom paid to liberate us from bondage of sin. He came to set us free. Paul wrote the Galatians,
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1)
When you drink the cup of the Lord, remember the life it contains. Remember the peace it offers. Remember the forgiveness and cleansing it provides.
The Blessings
For both the bread, and the cup, we read, Jesus gave thanks. We may glean from this the grateful insight that what Jesus did for us He did freely and without regret. There is no hint of second-guessing in the giving of Himself. He initiated this rite of the Church, knowing full-well the complete significance of each emblem representing His body and blood (His whole being, His life). And He did it with thanksgiving.
I am so glad that I can come to His table in full assurance that there are no strings held over my head. Though He never wants me to forget what He has done for my salvation, He does not want me to remember so He can manipulate my decision to live for Him. He does not lead us by the use of guilt.
Your memories of sharing this meal with the saints of God should be sweet and lined with joy. Thanksgiving marked the manner in which Jesus instituted this Supper. For you and I to observe it rightly, our continuation of the meal must also be marked by thanksgiving.
He blessed the Lord for the provision of the bread and the wine. He blessed the loaf and the cup. He blessed us with the memory of how He gave Himself. This Supper was instituted in love. It must also be observed in love.
Though myself, or someone else, may lead in prayer for the elements, you too can breathe a prayer of personal gratitude as you participate today. Spend the moments from when you receive the elements, until we eat and drink together, telling God thanks for the salvation they represent. And for the Savior they represent.
The Promise
We are often curious about what heaven will be like and what we will do when we get there. The Lord lets us in on one thing we can count on enjoying in His presence. Jesus gives us a glimpse into an eternal day when the kingdom is fulfilled. In Luke we read, When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And
He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment
in the kingdom of God." (Lk. 22:14-16)
Matthew 26:29 holds a similar promise.
I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day
when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.
It intrigues me to think my first meal in heaven will be similar to His last meal on earth. I marvel that, together with Jesus and all the saints of all the ages, I will be a participant when He finishes in heaven what He started in the upper room.
Today we know He joins us in our observance of this meal by faith. In heaven our faith will become sight. This is the promise for which we wait.
Close:
The bread, the cup, the blessings, and the promise are the aspects of the memorial meal Jesus chose as focal points for communion from the Passover. It was an ancient feast with a fresh application. Jesus took the old Passover story and gave it new meaning.
He still does that, you know. He still takes the-same-old-story and gives it new meaning. That’s what He wants to do with your story.
If you want to trade your old life in for a new one, why not do it today?
