- THIS IS A SPECIAL PASSION WEEK MESSAGE FROM PASTOR KYLE -

FOR PRINTABLE PDF OF THIS MESSAGE, CLICK HERE.

------ ◊ CONTINUE READING ◊ ------

Passion Week: The Passover Meal

Passion Week - Part 4

Read Luke 22:7-23

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9 They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10 And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. 11 And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” 13 And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

14 When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. 21 But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. 22 For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23 And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

I would like to spend today and tomorrow looking primarily at some of the events that took place on Thursday, the day before Jesus’ crucifixion. In verses 12-16, Jesus gives His disciples very specific instructions that all came true as they carried them out. No ordinary person could’ve predicted such specifics. In this way, this event is similar to when Jesus told these same disciples how they would find the colt on which He would ride into Jerusalem. This is totally consistent with how all of Jesus’ earthly ministry was. Though fully man, Jesus was always fully God and was perfect in how He both carried out the Father’s will and how He always knew what was going on.

Even though Jesus demonstrated this in front of His disciples countless times, they still struggled to understand what He meant when He said that He would have to suffer and die and be raised up on the third day. Even at the time when the resurrected Christ was about to ascend into heaven, the disciples were still confused about the important difference between His first coming and His second coming. In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” They were thinking that Jesus was going restore the kingdom of Israel at this time, not realizing that Jesus was about to leave them to return again in the future to establish the millennial kingdom here on earth at His second coming.

Even though many were struggling to understand all that was about to happen, and even struggled to understand after it all happened, all this confusion began to go away after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). Only moments after this event, Peter gives an incredible sermon in which he says in Acts 2:22-24: “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” From this moment on we see a different Peter. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, he now fully understands the significance of the cross and the empty tomb.

It was never God’s plan for the disciples, nor us, to remain confused about the significance and purpose of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. In fact, there is nothing more clear in all of Scripture. God’s ultimate desire is that all men would come to Him for salvation, and He has made that evident through the clarity of the Gospel and through His patience and long suffering with each person on this planet.

As resurrection day approaches, thank God for all that He’s done in your life to make it possible for you to be saved from your sins and to have an eternal relationship with Him.

To God be the glory,

- Pastor Kyle