Exodus 12:1-11 Luke 22:14-19
Since this is what is often called “Holy Week” we are pausing our series on James and looking at an important event during the week leading up to the Cross. The catalyst for everything that happened this week was the celebration of Passover. As Christians we call this the “Last Supper” but for the Jewish people in that time it was simply another Passover celebration.
Because it was Passover, Jerusalem was buzzing. It was full of people, from all over Israel and many other nations. Jewish men were supposed to attend Passover in Jerusalem if possible. They were supposed to eat the Passover meal only within the walls of Jerusalem and use a lamb that had been ritually slaughtered in the temple. Therefore, people travelled from far away to Jerusalem during this week.
This, as you can imagine, led to trouble. When you put this many people, all with different ideologies and motivations together it often leads to trouble. We see that today when large groups gather for something. It was normal for what we would today call terrorist attacks to occur. Some Jewish people would take this opportunity to revolt against Rome. Therefore, Rome had a heightened sense of security during these times.
In addition to the always present threat of violence it was chaotic simply because so many visitors were there and they all needed the ingredients to prepare for the meal itself. Here is a description of what it was probably like for the disciples from the book, To the Cross: Proclaiming the Gospel from the Upper Room to Calvary, by Christopher J. H. Wright.
Imagine the disciples hurrying around among the crowds in Jerusalem. They had to go and buy the bitter herbs that were needed to reflect the affliction of the Hebrews in Egypt. They had to buy fruit, apples, dates, pomegranates, and nuts, which were all ground together to make a paste that resembled the clay that the Israelites had used for bricks. They needed to clear the whole house of any possible yeast that might be there. And then they would bake some bread made without yeast—an unleavened flat bread. They needed to have water with salt in it, representing the tears that were shed. And there needed to be enough wine for four cups to be shared during the feast. And then, of course, they needed to get the lamb from the temple, slaughter it, and roast it for the evening meal. Then, after all that preparation of the food, the large upstairs room itself had to be prepared. All the food would be laid out in the center of the room on a low table or possibly a mat on the floor, and then cushions would be arranged in a U-shape around the table. People would recline on the floor, propping themselves up on one elbow on the cushions, and eating from the food on the table in the middle. The disciples would have had a hectic day getting all that ready. Passover was a busy time. (Christopher J. H. Wright, To the Cross: Proclaiming the Gospel from the Upper Room to Calvary (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books: An imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2017), 16–17.)
This can help explain some of the timeline discrepancies between the Gospel accounts. Not everyone would have been able to eat the meal at the same time so there was flexibility on when it was celebrated. A lot depended on when you were able to get your lamb. The priests are extra busy at this time with so many lambs to slaughter and they had to be done in the correct way. Also, with so many extra people in the city, the markets would have been extra crowded. The exact date and time of your family’s meal would have been dictated by these delays.
Before we get into the Passover meal itself it is helpful to read the command God gave Moses regarding Passover. This is found in Exodus 12:1-11.
When we look at the Passover meal in Luke’s Gospel, we notice in Luke 22:14 that Jesus and the disciples are reclining around the table. The command in Exodus was to eat it standing up. Is Jesus being disobedient or unfaithful here? Why are they reclining. This was a change that happened a long time prior.
In the Talmud, which was a book that set out Jewish law, it said that reclining now symbolized Israel passing from bondage to liberty. Since the time they occupied the land, they ceased standing and began to recline. Slaves would eat standing up and the Jewish people were no longer slaves.
The hour has come, in other words, all their preparations are now finished, and they are ready to eat. Jesus acts as the host and tells the disciples. Jesus tells them that He has fervently desired to eat this Passover with them before He suffers in verse 15. The KJV offers a very literal translation that says “with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” It sounds strange to our ears but it highlights an important aspect of Greek.
In Greek, when they duplicate something it shows strength. Jesus is declaring here that it is His deepest desire to eat this Passover with them. He has eaten others with them, but this one is going to have special meaning. Jesus is preparing them that this one is going to be different, not in how they celebrate but in what it signifies.
In verse 17 and 18 Jesus takes a cup, gives thanks, and remarks that He is not going to drink from the fruit of the vine from now on. Let us pause here because this is where some of the confusion on timing happens. It might be helpful to lay out the elements of the Passover so we can understand where we are at in this meal.
The meal begins with a blessing and the first cup of wine
Next, the food is brought in among them the bitter herbs and the lamb
The eldest son would then ask about what the night means and the father, or host, would tell the Exodus story.
They would then sing some of the Psalms, likely #s 113-115
They would then partake of the second cup of wine
The bread would be blessed and they would eat it with the bitter herbs and fruit and the host would explain why. The bitter herbs represent their bitter experience under Pharoah.
Next, the meal itself is eaten, the lamb is completely consumed.
A third cup of wine is shared and the second half of the Psalms are sung, #s 116-118.
Finally, the fourth cup of wine is shared and the celebration ends.
Luke is beginning here with the first or second, of the four cups. Mark on the other hand begins with the third. As you read the different accounts it is important to understand where they are at in the celebration.
In Luke this could be either the very beginning and then Luke skips the bringing of the food and the story or he begins after these events. In the end it doesn’t really matter. We are at the point of the service here where the food is going to be consumed. There is debate as to whether Jesus partakes of this cup or not. We are not going to solve that here. Personally, I think He did likely drink from this cup but stops after this because of what the next cup represents. I will explain when we get there.
In verse 19 we see Jesus breaking the break and this now seems familiar to Christians because it is what we celebrate when we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
Normally, the host would break the bread in silence, but Jesus takes the opportunity to change the meaning. Remember, He has desired to desire to celebrate this meal with them. This is why. He is going to change what it means. No longer is the bread and herbs to represent their suffering in Egypt but now it is going to represent the suffering He endures for all humanity.
There is a gap between verses 19 and 20 for them to eat the lamb and sing more Psalms. We mustn’t think the bread and cup happened in immediate succession. Even though Luke does not mention the other traditional elements we can be safe in assuming they happened. They are after-all celebrating the Passover.
We now come to the third of the fourth cups. Again, Christians are familiar with this image because it is what we celebrate in the Lord’s Supper. This is the cup of the New Covenant. In Jewish tradition, it has a different meaning. Let’s take another pause and look at what each of these four cups represented for the Jewish people and this will explain why I think Jesus refrains from drinking.
The meaning of the four cups comes from the book of Exodus. Exodus 6:6-8. Here is a picture to show their meaning.
The third cup speaks of redemption. Jesus does not need redemption; therefore, He has no need to partake. The redemption is for us.
This is what we are doing when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and why it is important we do so in a worthy manner as Paul commands. We are recreating the bread and third cup. We then symbolically do the fourth cup by proclaiming this until Jesus returns. Our future is not tied to a land but to a new heaven and new earth.
We can see why Jesus desired to desire to partake this particular Passover with His disciples. He is moving towards a new understanding of who He is and what He is about to accomplish.