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Boston UBF
May 16, 2014

The Bread and Wine - Body and Blood

Matthew 26:17-30

1. Why do Jewish people celebrate Passover?

Passover is an annual celebration to commemorate God's liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. Specifically it refers to the tenth plague God cast upon Pharaoh of Egypt, which was a spirit that took the lives of firstborn children throughout Egypt but passed-over any household that had the blood of a sacrificed lamb smeared above its doors. This plague was ultimately what broke Pharaoh’s hardened heart and caused him to cast the Jewish people out of Egypt, giving them their freedom.

When the Jewish people received news of their freedom they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread/dough to rise (leaven) so there exists a long standing tradition of eating unleavened bread during Passover. A majority of the Jewish men during Jesus's time would make an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate this event. Tradition demanded travel to Jerusalem to sacrifice a Passover lamb at the Temple during the afternoon of the 14th day, and then consuming the Passover sacrifice (the Seder) once the sun had set, and the festival had formally begun on the 15th. [In Judaism, a day commences at dusk (sunset) and lasts until the following dusk.]

2. The Passover Meal and why we are guilty of betraying Jesus?

Let’s imagine that we are all transported to the last supper. Each one of us is a disciple eating the Passover meal with Jesus. [There are 15 steps to the Seder but the following is a simplified account]

i. We drink wine (only those 21+) and recite a blessing in honor of the holiday
ii. We wash our hands in a large bowl of water in preparation for our meal
iii. We begin to eat vegetables dipped in salt water to symbolize the lowly origins of the Jewish people and the tears shed as a result of slavery.
iv. We listen as Jesus himself retells the story of the Exodus from Egypt
v. Then as we continue to eat our meal Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." (21).

"The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me." (23).
As a disciple I hear this and there is only one thing going on in my mind. That is that I know I dipped my hand in that bowl so does that mean that I am the betrayer? I instinctively cry out, "Surely you don't mean me, Lord?" We try and justify ourselves: I've been a good Christian for a good portion of my life I couldn't betray you seeing the acts you've performed and hearing the things you have said. Yet the fact that we ask confesses our guilt.

Looking back on this event we know that Judas is the betrayer which makes it easy to point a finger and remove any trace of guilt. [Don't worry guys we didn't betray Jesus it was him, he is the person responsible not us, he is the traitor **while pointing at the wall**] However, placing blame on Judas wasn't Jesus's intention and it shouldn't be what we take away from his sacrifice. This is why Jesus never specifies publicly Judas's name as the betrayer. The truth is that we are all responsible for Jesus's death because our sin (anything that violates the ideal relationship between ourselves and God) is the reason for his death. To believe otherwise is to believe that you are without sin. And it is this ignorance that can drive people to be a slave to sin all their lives, void of happiness and incessantly seeking to master transient pursuits. Why are we guilty? We're guilty because if we could lead a life of faith and purpose without evil then Jesus wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself. We didn't earn this sacrifice and we don't deserve this sacrifice but through it we can experience true freedom. For this reason Jesus is our "Passover Lamb" that allows us an eternal connection with God that can't be severed by our sin so long as we believe/trust in his sacrificial love.

3. How much do you Value your Salvation?

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin.” (26-28).

Jesus's body was broken for us and more than that his blood was spilled "for the forgiveness of sins." Jesus explains how his blood sealed the covenant which promises the forgiveness of sins. What is critical regarding this entire situation is to realize that the disciples didn't have to eat or drink the bread and wine Jesus offered. Their acceptance of his sacrifice was part of the covenant. For us it is important to note that there is a difference between reading the word of Jesus and feeding upon the word of Jesus. Feeding upon the word of Jesus implies that we have accepted it and can expect nourishment from it. We can spend our entire lives reading about Jesus's sacrifice; however, until we accept his sacrifice we can't expect to derive nourishment from it.

The act of symbolically ingesting Jesus's body and blood conveys how Jesus's sacrifice will nourish you and become a part of you after you accept it. Jesus cared so much about us and our salvation that he dedicated his entire life to teaching us and sacrificing himself for our transgressions (the most powerful human in existence). How much do you value your salvation? How much do you value being able to wake up knowing that the kingdom of heaven itself is at your fingertips available to guide you every step of the way through all your obstacles.

This week was hard for me. I got little sleep, was pushed to the limits at my job, and was haunted by the thought of preparing for this Easter Conference. However, I'd rather fight tooth and nail every day for the rest of my life knowing Jesus is by my side than know that I am a slave to something transient and ultimately of null value. Jesus is my Passover lamb and although I could not earn it or deserve it, I am no longer a slave to sin.

Allan Blanchard