March 28, 2013 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
Then came the day of
Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus
sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may
eat it.”
The Day of Unleavened Bread had
come. It was the day of days for the Hebrew people. Millennia before, the Lord had brought His people out of Egypt
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. It had come at a price, though.
Plagues had been visited upon the Egyptians in the hope that Pharaoh would be
convinced to release the Lord’s
people from their slavery. But after nine plagues, there was no convincing. Pharaoh
had hardened his heart; then the Lord
completely hardened it for him. But the Lord
has determined that He would free His people. The death of the firstborn of
Egypt would be the method. That would be the final act.
So the Lord gives instructions to His people. Prepare for leaving,
for quick flight. Make unleavened loaves. Slaughter an unblemished lamb and
roast it. Take the lamb’s blood and paint it over the lintels of the homes. Eat
with your belt around your waist and your staff in your hand. For the Lord is about to bring His salvation. He
will pass over the houses of His people and keep them safe from harm. And after
this salvation had been accomplished, the Lord
instructs His people that they annually must eat a meal that recalls that night.
And so when that annual day
comes in Jerusalem, Jesus instructs His disciples to prepare to make their
annual remembrance of the Passover: “Then
came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be
sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover
for us, that we may eat it.’” But this Passover is different
because of what will happen that night. This was the day on which the Passover
Lamb would be sacrificed; another day when the Firstborn would die and the Lord would deliver His people. Jesus was
preparing a Passover for His people that would fulfill what was done millennia
before in Egypt.
That is what you remember on
this night. As Jesus’ people, you have been given something great to remember.
Your salvation has been accomplished. It was done with outstretched arm and
mighty hand. But the deliverance is not from the Pharaoh’s enslavement. No, it
is from a much worse tyrant. There is the blood of a lamb that marks and brings
salvation, but not one that is raised in pens and pastures. No, this Passover
Lamb is the Firstborn Son of God. There is a meal that you have been given to
eat. But this time, the menu is not unleavened bread; it is the bread that
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
Tonight
is set aside to remember what took place on that Day of Unleavened Bread in
Jerusalem: “And when the hour came,
[Jesus] reclined at table, and the apostles with Him…. And He took bread, and
when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My
body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ And likewise the
cup after they had eaten, saying, “’This cup that is poured out for you is the
new covenant in My blood.’” Those words disclose what has been offered for
your salvation. Jesus’ body is given for you. Jesus’ blood is poured out for
you. That is what brings you freedom and deliverance. That is what has been
given to make you His people.
Just
as the Lord brought Israel out of
slavery, so also He has brought you out of bondage. It is just as you learned
it from your catechism study: “He has redeemed me, a lost, and condemned
person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of
the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood, and with
His innocent suffering and death.” This is the manner of your deliverance: the
body of the Son of God given for you; the blood of the Son of God poured out
for you. They are given to redeem you.
Remembering
these things, you hear again how Jesus made you His own, how He has given you access
to the Lord’s holy places. This is
what the apostle wants his audience to know: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places
by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through
the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water.” Through His body given for you and His blood
poured out for you, Jesus grants you the ability to stand in the presence of
God, to be in His sanctuary. Whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup,
confidently believing this Word and promise of Christ, dwells in Christ and
Christ in him and has eternal life. So you can “live under Him in His
kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”
The
meaning and significance of this night is not that Peter and John went into a
Jerusalem house and prepared the Passover meal for Jesus. No, the subject and
objects need to be reversed. The meaning and significance is that Jesus
prepared the Passover Meal for Peter and John and James and the countless
number of individuals whom He has made His people. Jesus has prepared the
Passover Meal for you—not just a dinner that remembers something that happened
long ago, but a banquet that distributes salvation to you right now.
So
as you eat and drink this meal of the new covenant, you have the Lord’s words spoken to you: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will
remember their sin no more.” That forgiveness which the Lord promises is yours because Jesus has
taken all the plagues and death upon Himself. The death of the only-begotten
Son of God, the Firstborn of God, brings life to you. He is the Unblemished
Passover Lamb who takes all your blemishes upon Himself. He has borne them. He
has overcome them. He has put them out of the Lord’s
remembrance. And so you have the deliverance that was promised. This releases
and frees you. The salvation has come at a price, but it is the price that has
been paid for you.
So
come and eat without cost. Eat the bread that satisfies. Drink the cup of
eternal blessing. Partake of the Passover Meal that is prepared by Jesus for
you. Remember what He has done for you. Show how He gave His body into death
and poured out His blood. For this Jesus was delivered for your offenses and
raised for your justification, so that your sins will be remembered no more.
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In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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