Luke

Two timetables were about to fit together.  About 1,500 years earlier, the blood of a sacrificed lamb was smeared around the doors of God's people in Egypt (Exodus 12:21-23).  The threat of death was coming to every house in the country, but God said, "... when I see the blood I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13).  God commanded that a lamb could substitute for the life of the firstborn in every believing household; and then they would all be set free from slavery in Egypt.

The Passover meal was normally a domestic family event in the houses where people lived (Exodus 12:46).  But Jesus and His travelling disciples had no home.  So, the Master authorised two disciples to go ahead of the group to prepare a place to eat together and make the meal.  However, the place was not their choice.

The time had come.  The Passover meal had been prepared and the apostolic team gathered around Jesus.  It was a critical moment which was to define the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new.  It was the culmination of Israel's history which had pointed to God's Redeemer buying back sinful humanity from Satan's control.  In a few hours' time, the cross would become the torturous instrument of death. The image of the dying Jesus would be most dreadful to watch, but it needed a clear explanation, or it would remain a mystery.

Although our Christian communion celebration came from Jesus' Last Supper, it was a normal Passover meal but with prophetic interpretation.  Jesus explained how His blood was symbolised in the cup of wine.  It was very personal: His body was broken, and His blood was shed, for all who will believe. Paul reminds the believers in Corinth that Christ’s body was broken for them, personally (1 Corinthians 11:24).

There is no doubt that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was both very bad and very good, at the same time.  It had all the marks of Satan's evil destructive malice against God; and yet it secured salvation for all who trust in the sacrifice of Jesus (see www.crosscheck.org.uk).  However, some people get confused.  They think that if the betrayal of Judas was all part of God's plan leading Jesus to His death, then surely, he should not be blamed for his thoughts and actions.
 

At the end of the Last Supper, after Jesus had demonstrated that He was to be the sacrificial Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world and redeeming His people, the disciples had a big argument!  That meal, which set the pattern for the Holy Communion, became a springboard for power politics amongst the disciples.  Somehow, the sacred solemnity of the Passover with all its prophetic significance for Jesus and every believer, and the gravity of Christ’s coming Passion, was ignored because of the long running sub-agenda of which of the disciples was going to be the greatest wh

Having rebuked the disciples for arguing about who would be most important in Jesus' Kingdom (Luke 22:24-26), the Lord changed the metaphor from politics to serving at table.  It would have been a poignant moment.  He, their Lord and Master, had just taken the role of a slave in washing their feet before the supper (John 13:1-17).  He hosted the Passover meal serving them bread and wine which represented His body and blood (Matthew 26:26-28).  

Strange though it may seem, Satan has to apply to God to do his wicked work (Job 1:6-12).  The Evil One had already been given permission to enter into Judas (Luke 22:3) – he had Jesus’ permission but make no mistake, Judas was intent on betraying Jesus and was fully responsible for that desire and behaviour.  Then, Satan wanted to invade Simon Peter's life, but Jesus intervened.  A test of Peter's loyalty would still be allowed, and he failed that test (Luke 22:54-61), but Satan was denied permission to rip his faith into shreds and prevent him from repenting and being resto

Peter, the fisherman, was a man of action.  He liked making decisions and announcing what he intended to do.  So when Jesus told him that evil was lurking around him, and Satan wanted to destroy him (Luke 22:31-32), he thought that his own moral strength and courage would win through.  Peter wanted to prove that he was the best of all the disciples.  Even though Jesus had said that Satan's desire to ruin Peter was so strong that Jesus had to intervene, the arrogant disciple still protested that his loyalty to Jesus was rock firm.

With the cross looming into view, Jesus prepared His trainee apostles for the next few days, which would be the pattern for the rest of their ministries.  He reminded them of the times when they went out in His Name (Luke 9:1-6; Luke 10:1-20).  When they operated under His authority, they had all they needed: even when they went away from Jesus on mission trips, the Lord provided for their needs, using His servants along the way.  But shortly, they would be on their own; weak, frightened and apparently defenceless.