Passover Communion

Passover Communion

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Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11: 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

We are in our yearly Easter series which will conclude this Sunday with a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

For the last two weeks we have been following the footsteps of Jesus as He made His last earthly journey from the Galilee to the Garden of Gethsemane, from the Golgotha to the Garden Tomb, and from the Resurrection to the Ascension. These days are clearly marked in all four Gospels. What a wonderful and powerful time of the year for the believer.

On our journey with Jesus we have met men like Zacchaeus, the Young Rich Ruler and Lazarus. We learned that sometimes it may seem to be all about one person when in fact the rippling effect of one sinner repenting makes all of Heaven rejoice for all the good it does in God’s bigger plan.

This past Sunday we found that:

Jesus left Jericho and came to Bethany 6 days before the Passover.

John 12

1 ¶ Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.

The Passover feast lasts for 7 days.

The best we can figure, given that the account is recorded in all four of the Gospels, Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19 and John 12,

Jesus arrived in Bethany late on a Friday afternoon just before sunset.

The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday, this was the great Sabbath called Shabbat HaGadol, or the Sabbath before the Passover feast. On Saturday, most likely after sunset, Martha prepared a great supper for Jesus and many people came also to see Lazarus. (John 12:9) On Sunday, the first day of the week, Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt.

During the next few days Jesus ministers to so many people in and around Jerusalem, encountered the Pharisees and many rulers of the people believed in Him. It was in these days that Jesus washed the disciples feet one night after they had eaten and gave them command to serve one another.

Since Jesus arrived in Bethany on Friday late afternoon, six days before Passover begins. This would have put the first day of Passover, six days later, on Thursday. (Saturday being day one and Thursday being day six)

We are told that Jewish custom and tradition in that time held that if a festival occurred on the day before the Sabbath it was postponed until the next day so that people would not have to refrain from work on two consecutive days.

So, it was most likely on a Thursday, the first day of the Feast of Passover, also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, only one day before Jesus was crucified, that Jesus said to His disciples:

Matthew 26 NKJV

17 ¶ Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

18 And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."‘"

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"

23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.

24 "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but 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."

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."

26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.

28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

After supper Judas left the group while Jesus and His other disciples left the city and found a place of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, half way between the old city walls of Jerusalem and the village of Bethany. It was in that garden that Jesus embraced His destiny with peace before Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Jesus was taken from that garden back into the city and judged all that Thursday night and Friday morning before being led out of the city to Mount Calvary and nailed to a cross around noon. From noon until about 3pm there was darkness across the land.

At about 3pm, on Friday, the traditional time of the slaying of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus cried with a loud voice, declared His work finished, and gave up His Spirit and died.

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The Apostle Paul later wrote:

1 Corinthians 11

23 ¶ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.