INTERESTING FACTS : Frederick Douglass, original name  Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, born February 1818?, Tuckahoe, Maryland, U.S., died February 20, 1895, Washington, D.C.; African American who was one of the most eminent human-rights leaders of the 19th century. His oratorical and literary brilliance thrust him into the forefront of the U.S. abolition movement, and he became the first black citizen to hold high rank in the U.S. government.[1]

 

"I have one great political idea. . . . That idea is an old one. It is widely and generally assented to; nevertheless, it is very generally trampled upon and disregarded. The best expression of it, I have found in the Bible. It is in substance, "Righteousness exalteth a nation; sin is a reproach to any people" [Proverbs 14:34]. This constitutes my politics - the negative and positive of my politics, and the whole of my politics. . . . I feel it my duty to do all in my power to infuse this idea into the public mind, that it may speedily be recognized and practiced upon by our people. "[2]

 

Daily Reading : LUKE 21 - 22

 

TEXT : Luke  22:14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.  22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:  22:16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.  22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:  22:18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.  22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.  22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.  22:21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.

 

THEME : Communion; Lord's Supper

 

Luke 21 

 

In this chapter we have,  I. The notice Christ took, and the approbation he gave, of a poor widow that cast two mites into the treasury (Luk_21:1-4).  II. A prediction of future events, in answer to his disciples' enquiries concerning them (Luk_21:5-7).  1. Of what should happen between that and the destruction of Jerusalem - false Christs arising, bloody wars and persecutions of Christ's followers (Luk_21:8-19).  2. Of that destruction itself (Luk_21:20-24).  3. Of the second coming of Jesus Christ to judge the world, under the type and figure of that (Luk_21:25-33).  III. A practical application of this, by way of caution and counsel (Luk_21:34-36), and an account of Christ's preaching and the people's attendance on it (Luk_21:37, Luk_21:38).  (Matthew Henry)[3]

 

Luke 22 

 

All the evangelists, whatever they omit, give us a particular account of the death and resurrection of Christ, because he died for our sins and rose for our justification, this evangelist as fully as any, and with many circumstances and passages added which we had not before. In this chapter we have,  I. The plot to take Jesus, and Judas's coming into it (Luk_22:1-6).  II. Christ's eating the passover with his disciples (Luk_22:7-18).  III. The instituting of the Lord's supper (Luk_22:19, Luk_22:20).  IV. Christ's discourse with his disciples after supper, upon several heads (v. 21-38).  V. His agony in the garden (Luk_22:39-46).  VI. The apprehending of him, by the assistance of Judas (Luk_22:47-53).  VII. Peter's denying him (Luk_22:54-62).  VIII. The indignities done to Christ by those that had him in custody, and his trial and condemnation in the ecclesiastical court (Luk_22:63-71).  (Matthew Henry)[3]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "Christ is our Passover."

 

Before Christ died on a Roman cross, he had a Passover Seder with his disciples.  That is, he celebrated the ancient ceremony of Moses' law that pertained to the children of Israel and their exodus from Egypt.  Eventually becoming slaves, the Jews were in Egypt for over four centuries (430 years).  After the Law was introduced, this ceremony - the Passover, was (and still is) one of Israel's most important.  In all, this ceremony of the Law was a reminder to Israel of their supernatural deliverance from Egyptian slavery by the Mighty Hand of God.  This event, Israel was never to forget.  Therefore, the Jewish people celebrate it to this day.

 

This is why we see Jesus and the Apostles celebrating the Passover.  They were keeping the "tradition," given to them (that is, the Jewish people) by Moses.  You should take notice that Jesus kept the Law, even to his attendance in the synagogues on the Sabbath day.  However, Jesus also broke with Jewish traditions that were not in the original Law of Moses, which of course, is the Law of God.  Specifically, Jesus taught against keeping traditions made by men since such traditions have the tendency to work against, weaken, or directly contradict the Word of God making it have no effect.  That is, not the effect or purpose God intended it to.

 

Mat 15:1  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Mat 15:2  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. Mat 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

 

Mar 7:6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mar 7:9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Mar 7:13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

 

Therefore, a sharp distinction should be made between traditions that are written in the Word of God, and traditions that are introduced by men.  Sadly, the Church as a whole, has received, accepted, and practiced traditions made by men to the exclusion of God's Word.  Such traditions can be found everywhere.  However, you should not think at this point, that every tradition is wrong.  Nor should you presume that every tradition, or any tradition, made by man should never be practiced.  It is just that traditions are in error when they contradict the Word of God, as many Jewish traditions did.  Therefore, any tradition that is opposed to the Word of God must be abandoned.  This is what Jesus did.  He kept the Law of God as it was written, and rejected and opposed the traditions of man that were simply that - traditions of the human mind and heart.

 

In the text of Luke 22: 14 - 22, Jesus introduces a Church ordinance.  You know it today as "Holy Communion." What it is in reality is a celebration of "our" Passover - Jesus Christ crucified.  The Biblical ordinances of the Church are Holy Communion and Water Baptism.  These are not simply "traditions." They are commands of Christ as you read them in the New Testament.  Therefore, you and I celebrate them (Holy Communion being on a weekly basis when the Church meets on the Lord's Day), according to Christ's commandments.  For he is our Passover.

 

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

Strangely enough, this commandment to "eat his flesh and drink is blood," (a metaphor of a spiritual reality, not, of course, a literal "eating and drinking" of the flesh of Jesus Christ) was one of the reasons many of his disciples' did not walk with him anymore.

 

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. Joh 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. Joh 6:59  These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Joh 6:60  Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? Joh 6:61  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? Joh 6:62  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Joh 6:64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

 

When Jesus spoke these words in John 6:53 - 66 on the subject of Holy Communion, he was speaking of his death on the cross and of the salvation of all who believe on him.  (An interesting fact, even though it is an undesigned coincidence, is the fact that many of his disciples' no longer followed him, has the numerals 666[5] attached to the verse.  Again, I mention this as interesting, not intended, since chapter and verse numbers were added to the New Testament about 1300 years after it was written.[6]  Still, it is interesting.) Jesus' death on the cross is the fulfillment of what the Passover represents in the Old Testament.  When comparing the Old Testament to the New Testament there is what is called "types" and "antitypes." These terms refer to the Old Testament giving a "shadow" of what was to come, but they were not designed two be permanent.  In the New Testament, we have the reality fulfilled that was intended by God from the beginning.

 

In particular, with respect to Jesus' death on the cross, and the Holy Communion supper, you have the reality of two events.  First, Jesus is the "Lamb of God" who came to take away the sins of the world.  Second, the Holy Communion supper shows the effect of the cross (forgiveness of all sins and the penalties attached to them) as well as the intimacy between Christ as the Head of the Church and all of its members.  In the New Testament, you are taught that you are "bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh."[7] In other words, you are the Body of Christ.  Therefore, Jesus Christ, the ultimate, supreme, and final sacrifice has "washed you in his blood." Because of this, you are as close to Christ as Adam's rib when God made Eve.  You are part of Christ.  Obviously, you cannot be closer to anyone than to be part of their body.

 

The blood of Jesus Christ has initiated a New Covenant, and you are part of the covenant.  Unlike the first covenant, you are washed, forgiven, filled, and made a new creature in Christ Jesus by faith.  Remember this as you take Holy Communion this Lord's Day.  Christ is your Passover.