Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered.
The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons. Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil -- disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over. -Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency, pp. 149-150
We come now to a crucial time in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. His enemies are plotting His betrayal and death (Luke 22:14-15). His disciples are gathered to observe the Passover (John 13:1). It is on this particular meal, the last Passover meal commonly referred to as "The Last Supper" that today's message refers to . For within 24 hours, Jesus will be crucified, and his disciples scattered, hiding in fear for their lives. But this was no surprise to Jesus, as He knew what would soon take place (Mark 10:33).
The last Passover meal is so critical for us to understand who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross. The Passover was first observed in Egypt, on the night the Jews were released from slavery from Egypt. Each household was to share a lamb that night as a part of the meal. They would take some of the Lamb’s blood and place it on the doorposts. By doing this, the lamb became for them a king of substitution for them (Deuteronomy 16:1-8; Exodus 12:1-28,43-49).
It’s important to realize that on this same night - Christ was betrayed . Christ became for us our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). What was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to do- Christ did (Hebrews 10:5). For He took away the hostility that sin causes- the judgment of God. Jesus symbolized his offering with bread and wine. There are three things you should notice about the bread:
First, it was unleavened. Leaven wasn't even allowed inside the house during the Passover (Exodus 12). Leaven represents sin in the Bible. The bread had no leaven in it just as Jesus had no sin in Him. He had no sin or blemish in him. If he had, then he would have the same sin problem that the rest of us have. If He did, then the cross would have been meaningless, He wouldn't have been able to die for anyone’s sins.
Second, this body Jesus said is given for you. The connotation is that His body is a gift. It wasn’t forced on Him by someone else. The Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus for most of his public ministry. But, God the Father didn’t allow it because his time wasn’t fulfilled. They were so blind with hate that they wanted to kill Lazarus too when he was raised from the dead.
We need to understand what 1 John 3:16 means when it says that Jesus laid down his life for us. Scripture indicates that God did this because he loves us and wanted to justify you in his presence. The Lord has been showing me that this plays out much like in a courtroom. The Lord is judge and the devil is your prosecutor.
He is the accuser of the brethren, the adversary. Charges are brought against you. The record of offenses are read. There are only 2 pleas you can enter. Guilty or Justified by Faith in Christ. You cannot enter a plea of innocent because the charges are true. You also can’t blame your mother, father, the schools, or your environment.
You need to understand this point- that Christ’s sacrifice allow me to stand before God- justified and at peace with Him. No one comes to God claiming innocent or ignorance. This is why it says this in Romans 5:1 “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Third, the bread was broken. The flogging that Jesus endured before going to the cross alone was enough to kill a person. Flogging involved a whip, a cat of nine tails, that had bits of glass and rock intertwined with it to open up a person’s skin and cause as much pain as possible.
Isaiah 53:5 says that Christ was “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our inequities ” There is also another significant passage in Isaiah 52:15. It tells us that Jesus was marred beyond human likeness. The physical beating that Jesus took for you and me is beyond words. But, worse than that is the sin that was hung on Jesus on that cross.
By every standard we have the cross is crude. The cross is violent. The cross is ugly. But, only by Jesus allowing Himself to be forsaken am I saved. Romans 10:9-10 says “That if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Scripture: Mark 8:34; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1; John 5:24; Luke 21:33; Luke 22:15 ; John 14:6
Prayer: Prayer: Forgive me my sins, O Lord; forgive me the sins of my youth and the sins of mine age, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, my secret and my whispering sins, the sins I have done to please myself and the sins I have done to please others. Forgive those sins which I know, and the sins which I know not; forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all of Thy great goodness. Amen
Have a blessed day!
Brandi
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