Complimentary Story
From the very onset of time, mankind has fallen victim to Satan and his devious ways. Since destruction of the Canaanite empire, every nation throughout history that has repudiated the moral laws of God has fallen victim to His wrath. Such is the moral chaos we are experiencing today! As a result of being biblically illiterate, we have allowed, among other things, the murder of 65 million preborn children, and celebrate lifestyles that God calls an abomination. But Jesus said He is coming back, and a study of the Passover meal, which is remembered by Christians as the Last Supper of Christ, gives us meaning to His words. Not every verse in the Bible should be taken at face value. When Scripture was written, writing styles and meaning of words were different. As an example; in New Testament Greek “hate” means to l’ove less,” “love” means “action” or “charity,” and “prayer” means “worship” (Matthew 21:13). Politics, culture, climate, agriculture, and overall living conditions were unique. Reading the Bible is not the same as studying the Bible.
Jesus often used everyday life experiences when teaching about the kingdom of God. One occurrence is when He referred to Himself as “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:14-16). In early days of Israel almost every family owned a few sheep. Need existed for a shepherd to guide these sheep to grazing ground and then water and protect them. In case of flocks mixed together, the head shepherd assigned a certain name to each flock. When the shepherd called them by name, the sheep followed. Shepherds did not drive their sheep, they led them. Christ, “the Head Shepherd,” calls His sheep by name and protects those that follow.
Another occasion was when He was in viewing distance of the small town of Tarachia, whose main industry was salting and curing fish. To illustrate a point He said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13). Tarachia was 700 feet below sea level. Temperature and humidity caused fish to spoil quickly without curing and salting. When salt was mixed with dirt, it became worthless. Jesus’ illustration demonstrates Christians are to preserve every aspect of society while keeping ourselves from being dirtied by the world and worthless.
Then there is the example in Matthew 5:14-16. Every evening in a Jewish region conquered by Rome, legions lit bonfires at hilltops they guarded. Lights from lamps in houses along the hillsides burned brightly. Jesus’ illustration of “a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” was a challenge to His followers. The lifestyle of Jesus’ followers was to be as visible to people around them as were lights from camps and lamps that lit the evening sky. To know truth and yet not be willing to stand for truth is similar, Jesus says, to “lighting a lamp and putting it under a basket.”
On the day before Passover, Jesus and His disciples completed a short two mile journey from the house of Simon the leper to the outskirts of Jerusalem. Before them was the Golden City with its temple. The branches and leaves from olive trees with thick twisted trunks provided shelter. Barley harvest was at its highest, replacing wheat as the “staff of life.” Workers were busy “bringing in the sheaves” of grain stalks. The outer side portions of the field were left for gleaning by the needy (Leviticus 23:22). Because bread was considered the most important food for life, when Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger,” (John 6:30-58), His words take on a clearer meaning.
Due to the fact that there was of a shortage of drinking water in many regions and an abundance of grapes, wine became the staple drink and equally as important as grain was for food. Grape vines grew along the surface of the earth and their fruit under the leaves so they were able to soak in the moisture of the heavy night’s dew.
Jesus words, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing,” (John 15:5) illustrate the similarity Christ is to us. Just as the grape vine is important to the sprout or branch that produces the fruit, so is our dependency on Jesus. The New Testament writers used the word “fruit” in many ways. James to describe good works (James 3:17), John the Baptist described “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8), and Jesus stated, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16, 20). Dead branches were pruned so productive branches could produce more fruit (Jn. 15:1-2), illustrating Jesus prunes our lives so we can bear more fruit. In all these cases, the word “fruit” describes the demonstrative results of Christian maturity.
During the Passover Feast (Seder) the city took on a holiday feeling as almost two million visitors brought their sacrificial gift to the Temple. This strained the city’s water supply which was barely enough to furnish the needs of a few thousand people. For obvious reasons, anyone carrying a jar filled with water would be a rare and noticeable sight. Nevertheless, Jesus called Peter and John to go into the city to prepare the Passover meal. He said they would see a man carrying a jar of water. This man, called by God to “work behind the scenes,” was to lead them to an upstairs room (Mark 14:13-14).
The Seder was most likely prepared before Jesus entered the room. The table was three-sided, unlike the famous painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. A custom was that no less than ten people sit together at the Passover meal. If short, anyone was welcomed to make up the difference. Seating was by authority and that person arrived at the table first. The left wing was the most important with Jesus (host) occupying the second position from the end. To the left and right of the host were considered positions of honor (Matthew 20:21,23), the left being the greater. According to custom, one normally rested on one’s elbow and ate with the right hand. Therefore John, who was leaning on Jesus’ chest (John 13:3), must have been to the right of Jesus. Interestingly, Judas, rather than Peter, was probably given the seat of honor to His left because Matthew 26:23 reports Jesus as saying, “He that dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.” Perhaps Peter became angry at this arrangement because an argument developed shortly thereafter regarding who was the greatest (Luke 22:24).
As was customary, a folded napkin was placed on the table in front of each diner. In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand the Hebrew traditions of that day. When the servant set the dinner table, he made sure it was exactly the way the master wanted. If the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, clean his beard, and then wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. In those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I'’m done.” But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the folded napkin meant “I’m coming back!”
Passover diners served themselves by breaking off a piece of unleavened bread and dipping it into a common dish. We cannot know what was in the clay dish into which Jesus dipped with His betrayer (Matthew 26:23), but it could have been stew made from something other than the Pascal Lamb, lentil stew, or vegetables. The menu consisted of four cups of watered wine for each person, illustrating the four expressions of deliverance employed in Exodus 6:6 -7. The fact that most of the wine our biblical forefathers drank was red may be deduced from the many biblical passages connecting blood with grapes (Deuteronomy 32:14), (Ezekiel 19:10), (Isaiah 63:3), (Isaiah 49:26). When Jesus raised the cup of red wine and said, “This is My blood” (Matthew 26:27-28), He acted in accord with many of the Old Testament verses.
As is still common today, when the Seder commenced, the head of the family took the unleavened bread in his hands and proclaimed, in the same Aramaic language that was spoken by Jesus, “This is the bread of affliction. Let us who are hungry come and eat.” It is not difficult to imagine Jesus using similar words when the Gospels report that “Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it” (Matthew 26:26-28). In Hebrew, “bless” means “thanks.” Jesus did not bless the food but gave thanks to the Creator for the food.
After the meal, a hymn, most likely a Psalm of thanksgiving (116:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 16-17) was sung, and Jesus and His apostles departed and climbed the steep hill to the Mount of Olives. It was at this location that Jesus stated to Peter, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” (Matthew 26:34). Scripture states they then ventured down to the foot of the mount to a garden area called Gethsemane. What happened thereafter changed history forever.
“Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to find the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Peter and the other disciples . . . Then Peter arrived and went inside. He noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded and lying to the side...” (John 20:1-7). (Emphasis added).
John 14:1-3 states, “Do not let your heart be troubled….In my Father’s house are many rooms….And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (Emphasis added). John tells us the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not thrown aside like the grave clothes, but folded and lying to the side in that stony coffin. Why is this important? Because the folded napkin meant --- “I’m coming back!”
If you have not already done so please call on Christ today to be your Savior. We are all sinners saved by His grace.
