Luke 22 reminds me of the difference between Holidays and Holy Days. Some of the most solemn events in our nation’s history have become a 3-day weekend of beer and BBQ. The true sacrifice is forgotten and replaced with tradition. Today’s chapter personalizes some old pictures. We begin just before “the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover”. This was a 1400 year old memorial to the miraculous escape of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Every symbol had its origin in the Exodus. “Jesus sent Peter and John… Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover… When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table”. Each element of the meal represented the history of the Jewish people. The bread of haste and holiness, the horseradish forming tears of slavery, the sweet apples of freedom, 3 sheets of Matzah, and 4 cups of wine. It was during the Passover meal that Jesus revealed the New Covenant, radically changing the meaning of the symbols, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer… I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God”. Near the end of the meal, the middle Matzah (which had been broken, wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden) was retrieved. This was the bread that Jesus broke and gave His disciples saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me”. The bread did not become His flesh; He transformed the symbol of hope into a reminder of the Resurrection. He then took the third cup of wine, the “Cup of Redemption” that had represented the covering blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt. “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you”. The wine became the symbol of the “once and for all” sacrifice that would be made to redeem all who believe.
While the New Covenant was being revealed, the disciples were arguing about who will be the greatest and who will betray the Lord. I believe each was uncertain in his own heart. All of us have faltered and failed too, but Jesus prayed for Peter, “that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”. Do you need to be strengthened?
The rest of the chapter establishes both the humanity and the deity of Christ. After dinner Jesus prayed in the garden, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done”. Some believe He was afraid of the torture and death awaiting Him, but that was His purpose. He was a willing sacrifice, but He will return as a warrior-king. Maybe He was describing the Cup of Judgment; instead graciously extending mercy even to His tormentors. “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly”. I believe His prayer even included me, “For while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In contrast, the disciples were asleep. He told them, “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation”. It would have been much easier on them to hide or simply remain quiet. Just then, a crowd approached with Judas leading them. Judas identified Jesus with the kiss of betrayal. Jesus addressed the Jewish leaders, “I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns”. Late night is often a time for spiritual darkness. After His arrest, we read “Peter followed at a distance”. That describes many of us today too. Next we see Peter vehemently denied even knowing Jesus. Afterwards, Peter “wept bitterly”. Repentance often comes with tears. The merciless Roman guards beat and mocked Jesus while they waited for Pilate. So they brought Jesus to the Temple Elders who asked, “If you are the Messiah, tell us”. He answered only, “You say that I am”. In anger, they concluded, “Why do we need any more testimony?” Friend, do you see yourself in any of these old pictures? Maybe it’s time to remember the sacrifice that we celebrate.