Holy Week: A Journey With MatthewIsampula

Thursday | The Celebration of Passover

For Matthew and the Jews, the Passover feast was the memorial of a past victory. The original Passover meal consisted of the roasted lamb, the unleavened bread, and the dish of bitter herbs (Exod 12:8-20). The lamb reminded Matthew and other Jews of the blood that was applied to the doorposts in Egypt to keep the angel of death away. The bread reminded them of their haste in leaving Egypt (Exod 12:39), and the bitter herbs reminded them of their suffering as Pharaoh’s slaves. However, in the last supper (Matt 26:26-28), Matthew became a privileged participant as Jesus instituted a meal that would be the memorial of His death.

Matthew is overwhelmed by the privilege.

Eating bread together was traditionally seen as an act of friendship, especially bread that had been dipped into the dish of bitter herbs. To be given a morsel of bread by your host was an honour, too. This privilege of participating in something new that Jesus was establishing is witnessed too in John’s Gospel where Jesus instructs His disciples of their new status as friends, and that ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay one’s life down for one’s friends’ (John 15:13-15).

A follower’s response: Participation

Matthew would have reflected on Jesus’ words, and been overwhelmed at the privilege of participation that Jesus was bestowing on his followers.

John Stott wrote:“…he took and blessed the cup, but then he explained its meaning and gave them to drink. Thus they were not just spectators of this drama of the cross; they were participants in it. They can hardly have failed to get the message. Just as it was not enough for the bread to be broken and the wine to be poured out, so it was not enough for him to die, but they had to appropriate the benefits of his death personally”. *

As a follower of Jesus, we too will be overwhelmed at the privilege of participating in God’s story of redemption.

Prayer

Loving Father, may we always remember that Jesus Christ gave His body and blood for the redemption of the world. And may our hearts fully understand the privilege of participating in that story of redemption, and of being an authentic follower of Jesus.

* John Stott. The Cross of Christ. IVP. 1986. 2009. P.83.