Title Matthew 26:17-30
Two great things happened during the Passover meal. One is that Jesus revealed that one of his disciples would betray him, and the other was that he ate the Lord's Supper with a special meaning, not the usual Passover supper.
First, while sitting with the twelve disciples, Jesus made the shocking remarks, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." The disciples were greatly troubled by this sudden and surprising remark, and each inquired, "Lord, I am not." Then Jesus said, "He who puts his hand into the bowl with me will betray me." This does not necessarily mean that one Judas Iscariot will put his hand into the bowl of bread at the same time as Jesus. Since all of the disciples will often put their hands in the same bread bowl during the meal, it should be understood that the statement is referring to once again that he must have been one of the disciples who were eating together. But Jesus made it clear that there will be a traitor who will betray you, but it is not because of his betrayal that you are going down the road of death, but because it is already written in the Bible, that is, according to God's prophecy. That's what verse 24 says, "The Son of Man goes as it is written about him."
Jesus then celebrated the first Lord's Supper, which we continue to observe today. Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Breaking bread is the act of breaking bread in two. This was symbolic of his body being crushed and torn on the cross.
Verse 29, “But I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” is pointing. And these words teach us that the Lord's Supper not only brings us back to the past, namely, the substitutionary death of the cross, but also makes us hope for what is to come, that is, the coming of the Lord to complete the kingdom of God and a feast to eat and drink together there. There is.
Verse 30 says, “Then they praised and went out to the Mount of Olives.” It was customary to sing Psalms 113-118 at the Passover. And those who came up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover had to stay within the city limits at night. The Mount of Olives was on the east side of Jerusalem, and Bethphage, on its slopes, was considered the edge of the city of Jerusalem.
The story of today's text shows us that Jesus knew all about how His suffering and death would be accomplished. This means that Jesus did not reluctantly and passively suffered the suffering and death of atonement, but acted actively and actively. This indicates that Jesus had a clear sense of fulfillment of the mission he had received from God the Father. Jesus knew that His time was near (18) and He Himself had already prepared the Passover supper to share with His disciples. And he wanted to use the Passover Supper as a tool to explain the reason and meaning of your suffering and death on the cross. Jesus knew he would be delivered to death by the betrayal of one of his disciples, and he knew who he was. Tell him that the meal he shared with his disciples was the last meal of his life on earth, that is, that he knew now that his death was imminent, and that he knew that it was a torn and bloody death on the cross. give.
The fact that Jesus knew all the hardships and death that He was going to suffer and went through each process Himself was not an accident or an unexpected accident, nor was it done according to the schemes of the wicked people of the world, nor was it the will of God. It means that it has been done as you have been appointed. As we see in verse 24, “The Son of Man goes as it is written about him” means that this is a fact that God has already revealed to the prophets. Therefore, the death of Jesus is not actually a victory for his enemies, but a victory for Jesus, and it is God's grace to save the world and the fulfillment of his plan. Why would Jesus tell Judas that one of his disciples would betray him, and let Judas know that the Lord knew it was him? It can be said that it was to do your work at your appointed time by allowing Judas, who felt he could no longer hide his treachery plan, to carry out his plan without delay.
It is very symbolic that Jesus celebrated the Lord's Supper and was crucified on the occasion of the Passover. Jesus, who only foretold His suffering and death to His disciples, and did not explain why He, the Son of God and Messiah, had to suffer and die, began to teach the reason and meaning clearly. It teaches that Jesus' death on the cross is God's work of saving God's people. It teaches us that just as the angel of death passed through the houses of the Israelites by applying the blood of a lamb, so it is through the blood of Jesus Christ that we are set free from sin, God's wrath, and death. It is teaching that Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross are not defeats or failures, but great triumphs, so the sufferings and crosses that his disciples must bear are also sufferings of glory and the cross of victory.
Our participation in the Lord's Supper is an act of faith that recognizes, accepts, and confesses all these truths the Lord has taught in His body. Every time we partake of this sacrament, we must renew that the suffering and cross that the Lord makes each of us bear is not shame and defeat, but the suffering of glory and the cross of victory, and we must resolve to live a life of joy, thanksgiving and loyalty .