January 2024 – Renewal Blog

Trial & Denial – 14th Nissan

Please read Matthew 26:57-27:14, Mark 14:53-15:1,
Luke 22:55-23:12 & John 18:13-38

YESHUA BEFORE ANNAS
First they led Him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that One Man should die for the people. …
The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them; they know what I said.”
When He had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how You answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike Me?”
Annas then sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. John 18:13-14, 19-24 ESV

This examination before Annas was informal, and extrajudicial, distinct from the formal trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. Yeshua was not yet accused of anything; so far, no judge had ascended the judgment-seat, neither were any witnesses called to give evidence against the prisoner. It was held with the view of extorting something from the captive, which might afterwards be used against Him. Brutality and intimidation were employed to try to force a confession. Yeshua‘s response exposed both this illegitimate procedure of trying to force a confession from the accused instead of hearing testimony from witnesses and Annas’ sin of plotting in secret against Yeshua’s life as opposed to Yeshua’s innocence in doing everything in the open: “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them; they know what I said.”

The inquisitor himself was so ashamed, and for the moment so confounded, that a zealous official struck Yeshua with his open hand. The innocent, unabashed face of our persecuted Lord was thus smitten because His simple defense had silenced His cruel opponent. Seeing his tactics were failing and feeling uncomfortably exposed, the senior Kohen Gadol (High Priest), Annas, sent Yeshua on to the official Kohen Gadol at that time, his son-in-law Caiaphas.

JEWISH KOHEN GADOL (HIGH PRIESTs)
The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, held the holiest position in Judaism. His role extended through history, from Aaron in ancient times until the destruction of the Second Temple. The Kohen Gadol‘s job was to oversee the Temple service and act as spiritual leader to the Jewish people. His most prominent responsibility was entering the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur – when the most sacred time, person, and place converged. Torah dictated that the High Priesthood was to be passed from father to son upon the death of the father (Leviticus 16:32). The first Kohen Gadol to serve in the Temple was Aaron’s descendant Zadok, who had proven faithful to David and to God’s will through significant trials, and the High Priesthood remained in his family line throughout the Solomon’s Temple and into the service of the Second Temple.

During the time of the destruction of the First Temple God had declared through Ezekiel: “But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the LORD GOD: They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge,” (Ezekiel 44:15-16).

After the death of Zerubbabel, there was a tendency to combine political and priestly leadership in a single office with the political leadership of the nation being invested in the High Priesthood. This led to unscrupulous men doing whatever it took to attain to the position.

The ascension of Antiochus IV Epiphanes to the Seleucid throne in 175 BC marked the beginning of the end of Israel’s true High Priesthood. Onias III, a descendant of Zadok, was deposed and replaced as Kohen Gadol by his Hellenized brother, Jason, who promised Antiochus IV higher tax revenues from the Jews and a secularization of the holiest Jewish office; then Menaulus, a non-Kohen from the tribe of Benjamin, promised Antiochus IV an even larger sum for the position of Kohen Gadol and the priestly line was usurped. The position had become one of political power, intrigue and wealth rather than obedience to God.

After their successful revolt against Antiochus IV, the priestly house of Hasmon (who were Levites but not descended from Aaron or Zadok) took on the role of Kohen Gadol. About a decade later Simon declared himself both High Priest and king. The High Priests’ assumption of monarchy was passed down through the generations and led to strife, division and civil war between brothers over the office until each one asked the Roman Empire to come and help him defeat his brother – leading to subjugation of the nation.

Although the First Temple saw only 18 High Priests throughout its 400 years, over 300 served during the Second Temple’s 420 years! The practice of buying the High Priesthood from their Gentile overlords continued (with some exceptions) throughout Hasmonean and Roman sovereignty. This explains the extremely high number of Kohen Gadols during this era (around 285 in 279 years).

Herod the Great (ruled Judea 37 – 4 B.C.) replaced High Priests at his pleasure. Herod’s first appointment to the position of High Priest was a man named Ananelus in 37 B.C. The following year, 36 B.C., he replaced Ananelus with Aristobulus III, who was only 17 years old at the time, but less than a year later he had Aristobulus III murdered through drowning and reinstated Ananelus. Then Joshua ben Fabus in 30 B.C., Simon ben Boethus (father of Herod’s third wife, Mariamne II) in 23 B.C., Matthias ben Theophilus in 5 B.C. and Joazar ben Boethus in 4 B.C.

Herod‘s son, Archelaus (ruled Judea 4 B.C. – 6 A.D.) appointed three High Priests: Eleazar ben Boethos in 4 B.C., Joshua ben Sie in 3 B.C., and Joazar ben Boethos sometime before he was deposed by Rome in 6 A.D.

Roman Legate, Quirinius (governor of Syria with authority over Judea 6 A.D. – 12 A.D.), appointed Ananus (Annas) ben Seth as the first High Priest of the newly formed Roman province of Judea in 6 A.D. Annas was born into an affluent and influential family. His name in Greek is Hannas, meaning “the Lord is gracious.” As leader of the Sanhedrin, Annas sat at the height of Jewish aristocracy. He was wealthy, well-educated, and in league with the ruling Roman authorities. Annas officially served as Kohen Gadol for ten years (AD 6–15). Even when he no longer formally held the title of Kohen Gadol, Annas continued to command so much of the authority of that office that he was still often referred to as Kohen Gadol, aided greatly by the fact that his five sons, and his son-in-law Caiaphas, were subsequently each appointed High Priest.

Roman Prefect of Judea from 15 A.D. – 26 A.D., Valerius Gratus, appointed Ishmael ben Fabus (Phabi) as High Priest in 15 A.D., replaced by Eleazar ben Annas in 16 A.D., replaced by Simon ben Camithos in 17 A.D., replace by Annas‘ son-in-law Joseph (Caiaphas) in 18 A.D. Caiaphas remained Kohen Gadol until 36 A.D., which was after Yeshua‘s crucifixion.

Annas may have continued to live in part of the High Priest’s palace when his younger relatives officially held the office. The sons of Annas appointed High Priest by their Roman overlords:
Eleazar ben Annas 16 -17 A.D.,
Caiaphas (son-in-law) 18 – 36 A.D.,
Jonathan ben Annas 36–37 and 44 A.D.,
Theophilus ben Annas 37–41 A.D.,
Matthias ben Annas 43 A.D., and his namesake
Annas ben Annas in 63 A.D.

Now the men who were guarding Yeshua began mocking and beating Him. They blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit You?” And reviling Him, they were saying many other things against Him. Luke 22:63-65 TLV

PETER’S FIRST DENIAL
Now those who had seized Yeshua led Him away to Caiaphas, the Kohen Gadol, where the Torah scholars and elders had gathered. Peter was following Him from a distance as far as the courtyard of the Kohen Gadol. And after going inside, he was sitting with the guards, to see the outcome. …
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A servant girl came over to him and said, “You also were with Yeshua of the Galilee.”
But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Matthew 26:57-58, 69-70 TLV

And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. …
And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.”
Mark 14:54, 66-68 ESV

Peter was following at a distance. And after they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”
But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” Luke 22:54b-57 LSB

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door.
So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.
The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” John 18:15-17 ESV

As we saw in Who Wrote Each of the Four Gospels 7 – The Witness of the Scriptures on John – Renewal Blog, the author of John’s gospel appears to have been a priest who lived in Jerusalem and served in the temple. So, he was known to the high priest, familiar with his palace and comfortable in its courtyard. He fit in with the other priests gathered to see what the commotion was about. Peter, however, was like a fish out of water. He didn’t know anyone else here, didn’t dress the same or sound the same, with his Galilean accent. Peter would have both looked and sounded conspicuously out of place in that setting. The lowly servant girl who kept watch at the door was the first one to guess at why this stranger was sitting among them, come over to Peter and challenge that he had been with Yeshua.

PETER’S SECOND DENIAL
When he went onto the porch, another servant girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Yeshua ha-Natzrati.”
Again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the Man!” Matthew 26:71-72 TLV

And he went out into the gateway (forecourt) and the rooster crowed.
And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”
But again he denied it. Mark 14:68b-70a ESV

A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” Luke 22:58 LSB

Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. …
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it and said, “I am not.” John 18:18,25 ESV

Fear gripped Peter, he was a stranger in a strange and threatening place. He had lashed out in the garden and slashed off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, and now he was in the courtyard with those who had witnessed his crime, those who were determined to kill his Master. He wanted to be there for Yeshua, but couldn’t do anything to help, every option only made things worse. He was traumatized and confused. How could this be happening? None of it made sense and there was nothing he could do to fix this mess. Before he knew what had happened, Peter had denied his Lord a second time.

PETER’S THIRD DENIAL
A little while later, some of the bystanders approached Peter and said to him, “Surely you’re one of them, too—your accent gives you away.”
Then he began to curse and to swear an oath: “I do not know the Man!”
Right then, a rooster crowed. Then Peter reminded himself of the word Yeshua had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
And he went away and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:73-75 TLV

And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”
And immediately the rooster crowed a second time.
And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
And he broke down and wept. Mark 14:70b-72 ESV

And after about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man was with Him too, for he also is a Galilean.”
But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.”
Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
And he went out and cried bitterly. Luke 22:59-62 LSB

One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. John 18:26-27 ESV

The pressure was mounting. Now it wasn’t just a lowly servant-girl who challenged Peter, but another man, someone who with authority, a servant of the High Priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, someone who had personal reason to want to do him harm. This time the questioning was more menacing. Peter felt trapped, like a cornered animal. He began to invoke a curse on himself, to curse and to swear an oath: “I do not know the Man!”

The rooster crowed. Mark tells us it was for the second time. Yeshua turned and looked at him. Suddenly Peter realized what had been happening. He had done what he was determined he would never do, denied his Lord and best friend three times. He had totally failed. He knew it and Yeshua knew it, Yeshua had known it from the beginning and now Peter saw this weakness his Master had known all along, and he was devastated. He fled that place of utter failure, went out and wept bitterly, grieving the loss of who he thought he was.

TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN
Now those who had seized Yeshua led Him away to Caiaphas, the kohen gadol, where the Torah scholars and elders had gathered. …Now the ruling kohanim and all the Sanhedrin kept trying to get false testimony against Yeshua so they could put Him to death. But they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.
At last two came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I’m able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days!’”
The kohen gadol stood up and said to Yeshua, “Have You no answer? What’s this they’re testifying against You?”
But Yeshua kept silent. Matthew 26:57, 59-63 TLV

And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. …
Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimony did not agree.
And some stood up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”
Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.
And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” Mark 14:53, 55-61a ESV

And as the day came, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their Sanhedrin… Luke 22:66 LSB

John obviously did not have access to these proceedings before the Sanhedrin, and so gives us no record of them, as he only recorded that which he witnessed personally.

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; And fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: And let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; And let another take his office. Psalm 109:1-8 KJV
(Peter would quote this last verse in Acts 1:20 for choosing another to take Judas’ place in the twelve).

Although our Saviour was falsely accused and slandered when He had done no wrong, said no wrong and thought no wrong, it is worth remembering when we are falsely accused that (as Spurgeon preached):
When I have been slandered, I have often said to myself, “Ah! they have spoken a
lie against me; but, if they had known me better, they might have said quite as bad
a thing as that, and yet have only spoken what was true.” There is not one man
living, who is in his right senses, who would like to have all his thoughts written
down, or all his words and acts recorded.
(The Spurgeon Library | Christ Before Annas)

The Mishnah, written around 200 A.D. to record the Oral Torah of second temple times and beyond, presented Jewish ideals of their legal system. Few legal systems live up to their ideals. According to the Mishnah, capital cases had to be decided by a Sanhedrin of 23 judges, a Great Sanhedrin of 71 judges for accusations such a false prophet. It is unclear whether Caiaphas convened the full Great Sanhedrin of 71 judges or just formed a Sanhedrin of 23 judges sympathetic to his cause for this hastily convened court at the crack of dawn for a capital case trial. He did what was needed to ensure the desired verdict.

The Sanhedrin were not to originate charges but only investigate those brought before it by at least two credible witnesses who had warned the perpetrator immediately prior to committing the act that it was a capital offense and whose testimony had to be in total agreement in every detail. If the conviction in a capital case was unanimous but rendered too quickly the accused was acquitted on the assumption that the judges had not adequately considered the possibility of the defendant’s innocence. The Mishna concludes that:

A Sanhedrin that executes a transgressor once in seven years is characterized as a destructive tribunal. Since the Sanhedrin would subject the testimony to exacting scrutiny, it was extremely rare for a defendant to be executed. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: This categorization applies to a Sanhedrin that executes a transgressor once in seventy years. Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiva say: If we had been members of the Sanhedrin, we would have conducted trials in a manner whereby no person would have ever been executed. Mishna, Masechet Makkot, 1:10

The Talmud declares that “forty years before the destruction of the [Second] Temple, capital punishment ceased in Israel.“ This date is traditionally put at 28 A.D., a time that corresponds with the 18th year of Tiberius’ reign. From this time on, the Sanhedrin required the approval of the Roman governor of Judea (Pilate) before they could punish anyone by death, and only the Roman governor could order execution by the most shameful and cruel means – crucifixion.

These rushed proceedings to get Yeshua convicted and crucified while Pilate was in Jerusalem for Passover contravened Jewish law but those involved justified their unlawful actions on the basis of necessity.

The kohen gadol said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God, tell us if You are Mashiach Ben-Elohim!”
“As you have said,” replied Yeshua. “Besides that, I tell you, soon after you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the kohen gadol tore his clothes and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you’ve heard the blasphemy. What’s your verdict?”
“Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and pounded Him with their fists.
Others slapped Him and demanded, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Which one hit You?” Matthew 26:64-68 TLV

But He remained silent and made no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?”
And they all condemned Him as deserving death. And some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to strike Him, saying to him, “Prophesy!”
And the guards received Him with blows.
…And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. Mark 14:61b-65, 15:1 ESV

…saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.”
But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?”
And He said to them, “You yourselves say that I am.”
Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.” Luke 22:67-71 LSB

When their witnesses proved to be false the only legal option was to acquit the accused. They were too heavily invested in Yeshua’s guilt to do that. A sense of urgency propelled them to have Him convicted and done away with NOW, before His popularity could grow any stronger or the cries of “hosannah to the son of David” grow any louder and threaten their good standing with Pilate. No one who was not appointed by Rome could have any position of leadership over the people. That’s why groups like the Essenes considered the Temple leadership and practices irredeemably corrupt.

Yeshua‘s reply: “you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven” makes direct reference to Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13. It would have left no doubt in the minds of Caiaphas or those on the council: Yeshua of Nazareth was claiming to be the eternal Messiah and Son of God. Instantly, they all condemned Him as deserving death and some of these judges on the Sanhedrin showed their disgust by spitting on Him, mocking Him and striking Him. Solemn court proceedings had degenerated into mob violence, and that carried out by the very judges themselves!

For this sentence to be carried out they had to take Yeshua to Pilate.

TRIAL BEFORE PILATE
When daybreak came, the ruling kohanim and elders of the people conspired against Yeshua to put Him to death. And they tied Him up, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate, the governor. … …
Now Yeshua stood before the governor. The governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
“You say so,” Yeshua said.
And while He was accused by the ruling kohanim and elders, He did not answer.
Then Pilate said to Him, “Don’t You hear how many things they testify against you?”
Yeshua did not answer, not even one word, so the governor was greatly amazed.
Matthew 27:1-2, 11-14 TLV

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
And he answered him, “You have said so.”
And the chief priests accused him of many things.
And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”
But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Mark 15:1-5 ESV

Then their whole assembly rose up and brought Him before Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
And He answered him and said, “You yourself say it.”
Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”
But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.” Luke 23:1-5 LSB

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
They answered and said to him, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”
So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.”
The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” in order that the word of Jesus which He spoke would be fulfilled, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Are you saying this from yourself, or did others tell you about Me?”
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what did You do?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be delivered over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not from here.”
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”
Jesus answered, “You yourself said I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth? John 18:28-38a LSB

The Praetorium
The Praetorium was the residence of the Roman governor, and in the case of Judaea Province there was a Praetorium in both Caesarea and Jerusalem due to the Roman capital being at Caesarea, but the additional importance of maintaining a Roman presence in Jerusalem due to its place as the center of worship for Judaism. The structure “Praetorium” received its name from earlier Roman usage, originally identifying the tent of a general within a Roman encampment, and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.
After Herod the Great’s death, the palace he had built for himself in Jerusalem was used as the Praetorium – official residence of the Roman governors when they came to Jerusalem during major Jewish festivals. When Herod’s son, Herod Antipas (also known as King Herod or Herod the Tetrarch – the ruler who imprisoned and then murdered John the Baptizer) was in Jerusalem for the feasts he also stayed in this palace – each of them occupying a wing of the palace with their entourage. It was the second most important building in Jerusalem, after the Temple itself, and was situated at the northwestern wall of the Upper City of Jerusalem. It rested on a series of retaining walls rising 13 to 16 feet above ground level and consisted of two main buildings, each with its own banquet halls, baths, and accommodations for hundreds of guests. In the center of the Praetorium were gardens with porticoes. The grounds included groves, canals, and ponds fitted with bronze fountains.

John, with his particular focus on all things priestly, notes for us that the contingent from the Sanhedrin did not go into the Praetorium because entering this Gentile area would have made them ceremonially unclean and thereby unable to eat their Passover meal that evening. With Pilate’s history of brutally crushing any dissent or perceived threat to Rome’s absolute rule it is interesting that he shows any reticence to rubber stamping the Sanhedrin‘s verdict and executing this usurper who seemed so little moved by Rome’s power. He was used to men pleading or cursing, but this man did neither, showed neither fear nor disrespect but a quiet confidence that everything was going to some plan that Pilate could not grasp.

BEFORE HEROD
Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem in those days.
Now when Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length, but He answered him nothing.
And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, vehemently accusing Him.
And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a bright robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other. Luke 23:6-12 LSB

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet He did not open His mouth;
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away.
    Yet who of His generation protested?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people He was punished.
Isaiah 53:7-8 NIV

Yeshua was sent from one side of the palace to the other, from Pilate to Herod, and a friendship was born. The chief priests and scribes from the Sanhedrin followed His across to continue with their accusations and determination that the death penalty be applied before time ran out and the Passover was upon them. Herod had feared that somehow Yeshua might be a reincarnation of Yohanan the Immerser, whom he had imprisoned and then, at the insistence of his stepdaughter, murdered. Herod had enjoyed many a long and deep theological discussion with Yohanan, but Yeshua would say nothing to him, nothing! Relieved that Yeshua was clearly not Yohanan, Herod quickly tired of this sport, and sent him back to Pilate. With this political maneuver Pilate had gained an important ally in his efforts to govern these strange, stubborn people whose ways were so different to those of other groups in the Roman Empire with their insistence on only one God and vehement rejection of every Roman god, including Emperor worship.

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Have you ever been falsely accused, and what can we learn from how Jesus responded?
* What problems arose from the High Priests also taking political power?
* What can we learn from Peter’s denials?
* Why do you think many Jews considered the High Priesthood of Jesus’ day to be corrupt?
* What do you think of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin?
* What did Jesus’ hearing before Pilate and before Herod prove?

Arrest – 14th Nissan Night

Please read Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52,
Luke 22:47-54 & John 18:2-12

While Yeshua was still speaking, here came Judah, one of the Twelve, and with him a big crowd with swords and clubs, from the ruling kohanim and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The One I kiss, He’s the One—seize Him!’ And immediately Judah drew near to Yeshua and said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
“Friend,” Yeshua said to him, “do what you’ve come to do.”
Then they came up and threw their hands on Yeshua and seized Him.
Matthew 26:47-50 TLV

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.”
And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him.
And they laid hands on him and seized him. Mark 14:43-46 ESV

While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was coming ahead of them, and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.
But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:47-48 LSB

Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often gathered there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
He said to them, “I am He.”
And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?”
And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” in order that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled, “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one.” John 18:2-9 LSB

The arresting party most likely consisted of Temple police dispatched by Caiaphas, the high priest, and supported by a Roman cohort under its commanding officer. Cohort in ancient Rome was an organisational structure of soldiers, typically made up of six centuries of 80 men each (about 480 men). In the classical period, cohorts formed the primary administrative structure of provincial Roman armies and were garrisoned in provincial bases or outposts. In Jerusalem they were garrisoned in the Antonia Fortress which was on the north-west corner of the Temple mount, stood 115 feet high, overlooked the Temple and had a secret passage to the Temple so soldiers could quickly dispel any “trouble” that might erupt in the huge gatherings of Jews there during the feasts. Cohorts had a standing military police force which was deployed to ensure order in the city or region. They were also part of the Roman judiciary system, ensuring the enforcement of laws and ensuring a peaceful civil society.

Pontius Pilate had entered Jerusalem just a few days before, with much pomp and ceremony and legions of chariots, horses, and foot soldiers, dressed for battle and armed with swords and spears to remind the pilgrims that Rome ruled over them with unbeatable force. He would have been told of the other procession into Jerusalem with a man riding a donkey and the crowds of peasants and pilgrims welcoming Him like a king, and been relieved when that fizzled into nothing after He entered the Temple. His soldiers, looking down into the Temple from the Antonia Fortress, would have reported the commotion that same man made in the Temple the following day as He turned over the money changer’s tables and chased the animals out of the Temple courts. No doubt the question of how much of a threat did this man pose to civil order would have been in the discussions between Pilate and the chief priests shortly after his arrival. Roman governors relied heavily on their locally appointed leadership to help quell any unrest and collaborate in identifying and disposing of any threats to civil order. No doubt the need to dispose of this Man in a way that didn’t insight the multitude to riot was discussed – with the chief priests warning of what would ensue if Roman soldiers invaded the Temple to capture Him, rendering it ceremonially unclean and thereby ruining their Passover celebrations. A plot was formed to have Him arrested away from the Temple, and out of site of the crowd. Thus, Pilate put a cohort of soldiers at the chief priest’s disposal to ensure there was no civil disorder when the arrest was made at what would otherwise have been an inconvenient hour. Having the Temple police, rather than the Roman soldiers, lead this expedition and a Jewish trial find Him guilty before being handed over to Rome were all ways of minimizing the risk of a popular uprising among the people. The chief priests needed Rome to perform the execution, and Rome needed the chief priests to initiate the process so as to avoid inciting a riot. There wasn’t much time before the official Passover celebration, Pilate would be at their disposal to ensure this matter was dealt with expeditiously. A few of the soldiers likely went into the garden with the temple police, and the rest surrounded the garden to ensure no other groups could come to the aid of their target.

Yeshua had prepared Himself for this moment and stepped forward to meet His persecutors. His reply “I am” (“He” is added by the translators) is reminiscent of God’s response in Exodus 3:14: Say this to the people of Israel: “I am (ehyeh) has sent me to you.” So powerful was this declaration that the armed crowd drew back and fell to the ground. How easy it would have been to overcome them with divine power, but Yeshua had already surrendered Himself to the coming horrors. He allowed Himself to be bound and to be led away by the servants of the Sanhedrin; but He showed them, and us, that had He so willed, they would have been powerless against Him.

For now, Yeshua’s concern was simply to protect those with Him: “let these go their way.” This was no small feat, as the fate of those who followed other Messianic figures during Pilate’s reign attests to. In 36 A.D. a group of Samaritans followed one whom they believed was Messiah, Dositheos, up their holy mountain, Mt. Gerizim, to dig for some sacred vessels which he said Moses had buried there and Pilate ordered some of his legionaries to Mount Gerizim, who preceded to massacre the Samaritans. So great was the carnage that Pilate was recalled to Rome and vanished from history. Peter’s impulsive action threatened inciting a similar massacre in response, but also gave Yeshua more opportunity to display both His love and power. Miraculously, none of Yeshua’s followers were captured or killed this night and the Word He had previously spoken (John 6:39) “Of those whom You have given Me, I lost not one” was amazingly fulfilled.

And suddenly, one of those with Yeshua stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and he struck the kohen gadol’s servant and cut off his ear.
Then Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
At that hour Yeshua said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, to capture Me as you would a revolutionary? Every day I sat teaching in the Temple, and you didn’t seize Me. But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples fled, abandoning Him. Matthew 26:51-56 TLV

But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”
And they all left Him and fled.
And a young man followed Him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Mark 14:47-52 ESV

And when those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber? While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not stretch out your hands against Me, but this hour and the authority of darkness are yours.”
Now having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest, but Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:49-54 LSB

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the kohen gadol, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant’s name was Malchus.
So Yeshua said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath! The cup the Father has given Me—shall I never drink it?”
Then the band of soldiers, with the captain and the officers of the Judeans, seized Yeshua and tied Him up. John 18:10-12 CJB

In the upper room Yeshua had said: “whoever has no sword ( μαχαιρα machaira) should sell his garment and buy one,” (Luke 22:36) and the disciples had found two swords there to take with them. The noun μαχαιρα (machaira) denotes a slaughter-knife, a large knife used for killing animals and cutting up flesh; a short sword or dagger mainly used for stabbing; (figuratively) an instrument for exacting retribution. “Machaira” is the word used in Matthew 10:34 when Yeshua said: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (machaira)”; in Matthew 26:47 describing those who had come to arrest Yeshua: “a large crowd armed with swords (machaira) and clubs, sent from the chief priests“; and in Yeshua’s prophesy about the coming destruction of Jerusalem: “They will fall by the sword (machaira) and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.” The two machaira, “Lord, look, here are two swords” (Luke 22:38) may well have been what Peter and John had used to slaughter and cut up the lamb when preparing their Passover meal that night. Passover was the one festival each year where the heads of families, rather than the priests, slaughtered the required sacrifice. Now Peter was using his machaira in a vain attempt to slaughter the High Priest’s servant, but he was not the lamb of God who was to die to take away the sins of the world. How easy it is, after hearing what God is saying to us, to assume that would mean actions which He never intended.

Peter wasn’t the only one who thought they must have brought the swords in order to strike in defense of their Master. Luke lets us know that the question: “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” came from the group of those with Yeshua, not only Peter. He was just the first to act.

The Lord’s rebuke was quick and sharp: “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions of angels? How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” Peter’s great act of courage was a futile, meager effort that did nothing but put them all in danger. In comparison, Yeshua could command twelve legions of angels to defend Him. John tells us that a Roman cohort (480 soldiers) had accompanied this crowd to ensure any resistance would be instantly squashed, but this was nothing compared with the twelve legions (a legion was ten cohorts – ie 4,800 warriors), so about 58,000 angels, who were ready to stand by Yeshua’s side.

Then, in an act which both expressed love for His enemies and provided protection for His talmidim, Yeshua reached out and miraculously healed the ear of the High Priest’s servant. All evidence of Peter’s violent act was gone, and the only way to charge him for it would be to admit what a wonderful miracle Yeshua had done, undermining their case against Him.

With Yeshua refusing their ‘help’ in attacking His captors there was nothing for His confused disciples to do but flee this heart-wrenching scene. The only one to bring peace and calm to that situation in the garden was tied up like a common criminal as He was arrested and led away. We can find it easier to fight for Christ than to die for Him.

Then Mark adds an intriguing detail: And a young man followed Him, with nothing but a sindon (linen cloth) about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. An unnamed young man kept following Yeshua after all the apostles had fled. As Gethsemane was a walled garden with Roman soldiers likely stationed at the entrance, their fleeing was probably just to hidden places in the garden, from which they may have witnessed this strange event. Some of the most dedicated followers of Yeshua (e.g. the woman who anointed His head, this young man who kept following even after the apostles had fled) are left unnamed in the scriptures. This has led to much speculation by scholars and preachers over their identity, but maybe it’s not their identity that God wants us to focus on but their act of dedication. It doesn’t take an important, big named person, known to everyone, to do something of significance for Jesus.

The sindon (σινδόνα) was of fine linen cloth, which was made in Sindh, Pakistan and in Ἰνδός India. Such fabric was often used for fine garments, and to wrap dead bodies. Indeed, Yeshua‘s lifeless body would be wrapped in such after his crucifixion. This young man was probably wearing it wrapped around his waist to cover his nakedness. Mark describes the young man in question as a νεανίσκος neaniskos, meaning he was in the prime of his life, perhaps 15 to 25 years old, so the same age as Yeshua’s talmidim. Mark also tells us that this young man συνηκολούθει “was following” Yeshua, the term implied following as a talmid. But this young man, eager to keep following Yeshua even after others fail Him, was seized by those who had come to arrest Yeshua and in His desperate escape also falls into shame as he flees naked, having left behind his sindon in his captor’s hand. Like Peter, this unnamed youth’s act of courage is quickly stripped away and replaced with shame. Mark displays this naked runaway as symbolic of the total abandonment of Yeshua by all.

This fleeing nakedness, mentioned twice, points to the shamefulness of the disciples’ abandonment. There is only one other instance of “sindon” in Mark’s Gospel, it is in reference to the burial shroud of Yeshua (15:46). There, as with the story of our naked runaway, “sindon” occurs twice. Likewise, the word for “young man”, neaniskos, is only used twice in Mark’s gospel – here and after Yeshua‘s resurrection when the women saw a neaniskos clothed in a robe of brilliant white “leukēn“, just as Yeshua’s garment had been during His transfiguration. In utterly shameful circumstances, the disciple is stripped of the “sindon” he wore, and following an equally degrading crucifixion, a “sindon” becomes Yeshua’s burial shroud. Symbolically, Yeshua gets the garment of shame from the neaniskos and in exchange, the “brilliant white” garment Yeshua wore at his transfiguration now covers a neaniskos who makes the announcement at the empty tomb (16:5). This literary device symbolises the runaway neaniskos’ garment of shame in Mark 14 becoming Yeshua’s in Mark 15; and Yeshua’s garment of glory in Mark 9 becoming the neaniskos’ in Mark 16. Thus, Mark illustrates the shame of our failures being exchanged for the brilliance of Yeshua’s glory.

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Why did Jesus rebuke Peter?
* How did Peter end up acting contrary to what Jesus wanted him to do?
* Comment on the statement: “it easier to fight for Christ than to die for Him.”
* What’s the link to Pakistan or India?
* How did the exchange of our sin and shame for Christ’s righteousness and glory begin?

To Gethsemane

Please Read Matthew 26:30-46, Mark 14:26-42,
Luke 22:35- 22:46 and John 13:36-38, 14:20-18:1

After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:30 TLV

After singing psalms, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:26 HCSB

“I will not talk with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has nothing on Me. But in order that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.
“Get up, let’s go from here!” John 14:30-31 TLV

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, did you lack anything?”
They said, “Not a thing.”
And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword should sell his garment and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be completed in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its completion.”
And they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”
And He said to them, “It is enough.”
And He came out and went as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. Luke 22:35-38 LSB

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 NIV

Yeshua said of the ruler of this world: “he has nothing on Me.” This is variously translated: “he has no claim on Me”; “He has nothing in common with Me”; “there is nothing in Me that belongs to him”; and “he has no power over Me.” Whenever we sin we put ourselves in the place of having something in common with Satan, it gives him a claim on us and power over us for our sin provides something in us that belongs to the evil one. Yeshua lived totally free from any claim of Satan, and He died to give us that same freedom.

Despite His innocence and sinlessness Yeshua would be “numbered with the transgressors” just as Isaiah had prophesied, for all of God’s word is fulfilled.

God had supplied all their needs when Yeshua sent them out on mission trips without money belt, bag or sandals but this was no mission trip, this was the garden of Gethsemane (derived from the Aramaic ܓܕܣܡܢ (Gaḏ-Šmānê), meaning “oil press“) they were going to, the place of trial and testing, the place where their weaknesses, faithlessness and failures would be exposed. Here they could take everything they relied on for worldly success and find it inadequate. There could be no reminiscing “if only we had this or that we would not have abandoned or denied Him“, they had all they could take, and it made no difference. Their scattering was not for lack of money or sword, but lack of strengthening of heart. Yet even this was as the prophets had long ago foretold, even this was part of God’s plan of salvation. He works all things for good.

Even so, having carefully arranged for this last supper to be in a place not previously known to the twelve so Judas could not inform the authorities where this would be, now Yeshua returned to known patterns and places (as was His custom) – the time had come for what He had declared over the Passover Seder to be fulfilled.

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And so said all the disciples. Matthew 26:31-35 NKJV

And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. Mark 14:26-31 ESV

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers.”
But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” Luke 22:31-34 LSB

“Master, where are You going?” Simon Peter said to Him.
Yeshua answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow Me later.”
Peter said to Him, “Master, why can’t I follow You now? I’ll lay down my life for You!”
Yeshua answers, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Amen, amen I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times! John 13:36-38 TLV

“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered Zechariah 13:7 NIV

Peter wasn’t the only one who would fail this night – all were going to stumble and fall away, not one of the twelve would be left standing with Yeshua in His hour of greatest need. As Zechariah had prophesied about 500 years before, when the shepherd was struck all His sheep would scatter. Yet, knowing this, Yeshua had still called them friends and shared with them all that the Father had given Him.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. Now I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I selected you so that you would go and produce fruit, and your fruit would remain. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. These things I command you, so that you may love one another.” John 15: 9-17 TLV

THE WORLD’S HATE
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you out of the world; therefore the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for the sake of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me also hates My Father. If I had not done works among them that no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and have hated both Me and My Father. So is fulfilled the word written in their Scripture, ‘They hated Me for no reason.’ John 15: 18-25 TLV

Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice. For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land. Psalm 35: 19-20 BSB

More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me for no reason. My treacherous enemies, those who would destroy me, are countless. Must I now give back what I didn’t steal in the first place? Psalm 69:4 CEB

SPIRIT OF TRUTH
“When the Helper comes—whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about Me. And you also testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning. I have spoken these things to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will throw you out of the synagogues. Yes, an hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. They will do these things because they have never known the Father or Me. But I have spoken these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking Me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have spoken these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away! For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I still have much more to tell you, but you cannot handle it just now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; but whatever He hears, He will tell you. And He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said the Ruach (Spirit) will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 15: 26-27, 16:1-15 TLV

SHALOM IN CHRIST
“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me.”
Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean by telling us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me’? And, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
They kept on saying, “What’s this He’s saying, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what He’s talking about!”
Yeshua knew that they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, “Are you asking each other about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again in a little while, you will see Me’? Amen, amen I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will celebrate. You will be filled with sorrow, but your sorrow will turn to joy! When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you! In that day, you will ask Me nothing. Amen, amen I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Up to now, you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in metaphors. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in metaphors, but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day, you will ask in My name – and I’m not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
His disciples say, “See, now You’re speaking plainly and not in metaphors. Now we know that You know everything and have no need to be asked anything. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
Yeshua answered them, “Do you now believe? Look, the hour is coming – indeed has come – when you will be scattered, each to his own, and you will abandon Me. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!” John 16:16-33 TLV

Yeshua spoke these things; then, lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so the Son may glorify You. Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, so may He give eternal life to all those You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah, the One You sent. I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world came to be. I have made Your name known to the men of this world that You gave Me. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You. The words, which You gave Me, I have given to them. They received them and truly understood that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf. Not on behalf of the world do I ask, but on behalf of those You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You. I say these words while I am still in the world, so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Make them holy in the truth. Your word is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I make Myself holy, so that they also may be made holy in truth. I pray not on behalf of these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their message, that they all may be one. Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory that You have given to Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one – I in them and You in Me – that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me. Father, I also want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory – the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world did not know You, but I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

When Yeshua had said these things, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.
John 17:1-26, 18:1 TLV

Just four days before, Yeshua had entered Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate (in Hebrew, Sha’ar Harahamim, the “Gate of Mercy”) on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and been acknowledged as Messiah. Now He left Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate and, by the light of the full moon, trekked down the steep slope of the Kidron valley (John 18:1), across the bridge, then onwards towards an enclosed garden, or olive orchard (κῆπος), at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The word “Gethsemane” means literally “the place of the olive-press,” whither the olives which abounded on the slopes of the mountain were brought, in order that the oil contained in them might be pressed out. This night Yeshua would be similarly pressed.

Then Yeshua comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He tells the disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
And He took along Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Then He tells them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Then He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping; and He tells Peter, “So couldn’t you keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again for a second time He went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, let Your will be done.”
And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them again and prayed a third time, saying the same words once more.
Then He comes to the disciples and says to them, “Still sleeping? Taking your rest? Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Get up, let’s go! Look, My betrayer is near.” Matthew 26:36-46 TLV

And they went to a place called Gethsemane.
And He said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
And He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. And He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, My betrayer is at hand.”
Mark 14:32-42 ESV

Now when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:40-46 LSB

To this familiar spot, with its many happy associations from much time spent there together, Yeshua led His talmidim, after such rich teaching along the way. They may have simply expected to pass the night there, as many Passover visitors were accustomed to camp in the open air since the city was overflowing with pilgrims for the festival. This was no happy occasion, the weight of it pressed heavily on Yeshua as the full horrors of the cup He was to drink assaulted Him: “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death”.

In keeping with the practice which He had recommended, Yeshua usually went aside by Himself to pray; but this time He felt the need of having friends nearby – friends on whose sympathy He could rely. As He had done on a number of occasions before, Yeshua took Peter, James and John with Him to witness this pivotal moment. This time it was not His power and glory they were going to behold close at hand, as when He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead or was transfigured on the mountain; but they were to witness His human weakness and deep humiliation. So great was His torment that He sweat drops of blood, which would likely have left His face red and swollen, the disfigurement had begun even before man laid a hand on Him.

Only Luke, a physician by profession, and whose writings manifest an intimate acquaintance with the technical language of the Greek medical schools of Asia Minor, provides us with this detail of Yeshua’s suffering. Luke referred to Yeshua’s sweat (idros) – a much used term in Greek medical language – as consisting of great drops of blood (thromboi haimatos), a medical condition alluded to by both Aristotle and Theophrastus. The Greek term thromboi (from which we get ‘thrombosis’) refers to clots of blood. In modern medical terms this rare condition is called hematidrosis and has been found to be caused by severe mental distress rupturing the tiny capillaries in the sweat glands, thus mixing blood with perspiration. While the extent of blood loss generally is minimal, hematidrosis also results in the skin becoming extremely tender and fragile, which would have made Christ’s pending physical insults even more painful. Even before Yeshua endured the torture of the cross, He suffered far beyond what most of us will ever suffer. His penetrating awareness of the heinous nature of sin, its destructive and deadly effects, the sorrow and heartache that it inflicts, and the extreme measure necessary to deal with it, make the passion of Messiah beyond our comprehension.

This cup, in which so many bitter ingredients besides death were mingled, such as treachery, betrayal, desertion, mocking, rejection, false accusation, injustice, torture, the horror of all our sin being laid upon Him even as He suffered being forsaken – the inconceivable separation of God from God. Prayer was His refuge, as it must be ours. The soul that can cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ does not walk in unbroken night. Whatever the weight laid on Yeshua by His bearing of the sins of the world, it did not take from Him the consciousness of sonship. But, on the other hand, that consciousness did not take from Him the dark awareness that the world’s sin lay upon Him. Yeshua recoiled at the horror of what He was to undergo, yet He chose the Father’s will none-the-less.

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Jesus knows all the ways in which we will fall and fail – from His response to knowing how the disciples would fail Him how do you think He reacts to our failures?
* Luke 22:31-32 states: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” Why do you think that God would concede to Satan’s demand? How do you think Peter’s denial of Christ was related to his ability to later strengthen his brothers?
* Jesus prayed in John 17 firstly that the disciples would be one as He and the Father are one, and then that we would be one as He and the Father are one – what evidence is there that God has answered those prayers?
* In obeying the Father’s will Jesus suffered terribly – what is our response when obeying God involves suffering?
* Describe a time in your life when prayer has been your only refuge, there was none you could rely upon except God.

Last Supper – 14th Nissan Night

Please read Matthew 26:20 – 30, Mark 14:17 -26,
Luke 22:14-34 & John 13:2- 14:19

The Passover Seder
Seder means “order.” The Passover Seder is a ceremonial meal that uses certain foods in an ordered retelling (Haggadah) of what the LORD did for Israel when He brought them out of Egypt and to remind them of God’s promised redemption of themselves. The commemoration of the paschal lamb (called the “pesach”) was stressed in remembering that God had passed over (“pasach”) the homes of the Israelites in Egypt during the slaying of the first-born. The Passover Seder retells this story through a meal where each of the foods and the order in which they are eaten symbolize various aspects of this awesome event. It grew out of God’s command to eat the roasted lamb “with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs” (Exodus 12:8) on the night before they were to leave Egypt in conjunction with His commands to “tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8) and to “keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year” (Exodus 13:10).

From 116a of the Talmudic tractate of Pesachim, it is clear that considerable portions of the seder service were already adopted prior to the destruction of the Temple in the year 70 AD:
“They filled a second cup for him. At this stage the son questions his father. If the son is unintelligent, his father instructs him to ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights? For on all other nights we eat leavened and unleavened bread, whereas on this night we eat only unleavened bread. On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night bitter herbs…”

The Haggadahs developed to celebrate the Passover meal center around the text of Exodus 6:6-8 and the four promises God makes to the sons of Israel within it:
1. “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
2. and I will deliver you from their bondage.“
3. “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
4. “Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God.“

In Hebrew the number four has allusions to governance, and service. On the fourth day of creation, God separated the day from the night and created the sun, moon and stars to “govern the day and the night” (Genesis 1:16-18) and the fourth (middle) lamp of the Menorah is called the “servant light” because the other candles are lit from it. Governance and service are also heavily associated with the Messiah. Yeshua came to serve and give His life for many as our Passover lamb (Matthew 20:28) and all authority in Heaven and earth belong to Him (Matthew 28:18).

In Jewish writing, the number four is represented by the fourth letter: ד‎ (pronounced “dalet”). It is an image of a door frame. (‘Door’ in Hebrew is pronounced “delet”). God commanded the Israelites to paint the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts at the first Passover. Moreover, the visual image of the Hebrew number four as a ‘door’ points to Yeshua as the Messiah and our Passover Lamb. Yeshua said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).

Within the Passover Seder, the number four is prominently featured: 4 divine promises, 4 cups of wine, 4 main foods and 4 questions.

Each of the four cups of wine correspond with one of God’s promises from Exodus 6:8.
1. The Cup of Sanctification: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”
2. The Cup of Judgment / Deliverance: “I will deliver you from their bondage”
3. The Cup of Redemption / Thanksgiving: “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm”
4. The Cup of Praise / Consummation: “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God.”

Yeshua celebrated Passover with His disciples the night before He was crucified (Matthew 26:18-19; Mark 14:14, 16; Luke 22:11, 13, 15), incorporating many of the symbols, actions, motifs, and forms that have long been customary in Passover Seders (although the Seder was changed after the Temple was destroyed in 70AD as they could no longer sacrifice a lamb for the meal). In preparing for the Passover, Peter and John would have put the roast lamb, the Matsa (unleavened bread), the bitter herbs, the haroset (nut and fruit mixture) and four cups of wine on the table, as all the elements required for the Passover Seder are put in place beforehand.

Traditionally, Passover Seders begin with the line: “This is the bread of affliction…Let those who are hungry, come and eat!” This is an invitation that everyone, especially the poor, is to be included in the blessings of Passover. Doors are often left open throughout the feast as an additional gesture. The Passover Seder invitation is similar to a Messianic prophecy in Isaiah and several of the Messiah’s invitations:
“Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost….
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.” Isaiah 55:1-2

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one
who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
Revelation 21:6

Now it was just before the feast of Passover. Yeshua knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them until the end. John 13:1 TLV

Now when it was evening, Yeshua was reclining at the table with the Twelve.
Matthew 26:20 TLV
And when it was evening, He came with the twelve. Mark 14:17 ESV

And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22:15-18 LSB

Yeshua began the Passover Seder with His expressed longing to partake of this with them before His suffering and the announcement that this would be the last Passover that He would eat with them until its fulfilment in the Kingdom of God. The main theme of Yeshua’s Haggadah is “the Passover foreshadows the Messiah.” Judaism teaches that, at the Messianic banquet in the kingdom, the Messiah will receive his coronation rites, take four cups in his hands, and pronounce the blessings over wine preserved in its grapes since the foundation of the world.

Yeshua took the first cup of wine and blessed it. The blessing over wine was simply, “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.” Yeshua may have added a second blessing pertaining to the festival day, making mention of the Exodus from Egypt and the sanctity of the festival season. The first cup is called “The Cup of Sanctification.” Sanctification means to be set apart for a special purpose. Israel was sanctified and set apart by God to be His chosen people. The twelve men at the Seder table with Yeshua were also set apart and specially chosen by Him to be His talmidim. This cup is associated with the first of four divine promises from Exodus 6:6-8, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

Yeshua then repeated His reference to kingdom come: “for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:18). In Jewish imagination the Messiah was coming to overthrow Roman oppression throughout Judea and inaugurate His kingdom. Did the disciples think Yeshua was saying He would do this before the next Passover and were they looking forward to reigning with Him and enjoying all the privileges of leadership?

Still His disciples could not imagine what Yeshua meant by His “suffering“, but they were excited about being part of the Kingdom of God, important parts of this kingdom. Once again, they started arguing over who would be the most important.

And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But not so with you; rather the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as the one who serves. Luke 22:24-27 LSB

And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into the washbasin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.
So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not realize now, but you will understand afterwards.”
Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet – ever!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. John 13:2-17 LSB

It seemed that whenever Yeshua talked of the kingdom His disciples thought in terms of their exalted position in this kingdom – surely being those closest to the king would give them special rank and privileges, others would have to bow to them and serve them. Yeshua kept telling them His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world and doesn’t operate that way. Now He showed them what He meant. As the lord and king of all the world He took the position of the lowliest servant in the house and began washing their feet – such loving service is what greatness in God’s kingdom looks like.

After the first cup, a bowl of water is passed around for everyone to dip their hands into so they can wash before eating (Yeshua had just washed their feet). Then they took part in a ritual involving karpas (green vegetables) dipped into a red wine vinegar or saltwater sop. The karpas symbolizes the initial flourishing of the Israelites in Egypt after Israel and his sons moved there under the protection of Joseph. After the leader of the Seder praises God for the karpas, everyone eats their dipped vegetables. The second blessing is: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruits of the earth.” A saltwater sop represents the tears of slavery in Egypt and/or the tears of the mothers whose sons were killed by Pharaoh’s decree, and a red wine vinegar sop represents the lamb’s blood of the first Passover that the hyssop was dipped into to mark the lintels of their doors so the angel of death would pass over the Israelite houses.

As the Master and his disciples dipped the karpas into the dish of vinegar, He said, “Amen, I say you, one of you will betray me.” Mattai 26:21 DHE
As they were eating, He said, “Amen, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
And being very sorrowful, they began, each one, to say to Him, “I’m not the one, am I, Master?”
And He replied, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with Me, he’s the one who will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes, just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!”
And Judah, the one betraying Him, replied, “I’m not the one, am I, Rabbi?”
Yeshua said to him, “You’ve said it yourself.” Matthew 26:21-25 TLV

Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?”
And another said, “Is it I?”
He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.” Mark 14:18-21 NKJV

But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table. For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
And they began to argue among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. Luke 22:21-23 LSB

“I do not speak about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
From now on I am telling you before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.” John 13:18-20 LSB

“The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with Me, he’s the one who will betray Me.” (Matthew 26:23 TLV). The other disciples had not observed whose hand dipped into the vinegar simultaneously with their Rabbi, but Judas Iscariot knew. Judas alone knew that his hand had dipped the karpas into the vinegar at the same moment as the hand of Yeshua. This indicates that Judas must have been reclining next to Yeshua at the table. Carrying on the pretense of ignorance, Judas turned to Messiah and asked, along with the others, “Rabbi, is it I?”
Yeshua said to him privately, “You have said it.” Imagine how uncomfortable Judas would have felt, sitting there trying to pretend that everything was normal while having already been paid to betray Yeshua and just now discovering that his Master knew what he was doing.

Before eating the lamb, the participants at a seder had to discharge their obligation to eat unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs. Yeshua continued leading them through this ceremonial meal, adding new meaning to the familiar elements of it as He showed how everything pointed to His upcoming suffering and death.

It is customary to have three matzah stacked on the table for the Passover seder. Two are traditional for Sabbath and festivals (when they usually use a leavened bread), as a reminder of the double portion of manna the Israelites gathered before every day of rest in the desert (Exodus 16:11-22). The third on Passover is to break at the beginning of the seder service. The number three has symbolic significance. It represents the three measures of fine meal from which Sarah baked cakes for her husband Abraham’s three angelic visitors (Genesis 18:6); the three categories of Jews – Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael – that make up the Jewish people; the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who received the promises which ensured they would be redeemed from Egypt and whose covenant with God Israel was redeemed to fulfill. For us the three matzah also represent God being Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now while they were eating, Yeshua took matzah; and after He offered the bracha, He broke and gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
Matthew 26:26 TLV

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Mark 14:22 ESV

And when He had taken some bread and 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.” Luke 22:19 LSB

Yeshua pronounced the bracha (blessing for bread): “Blessed are you, LORD our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” He may have added the additional blessing for the festival, “… who has sanctified us with his commandments and has commanded us about eating matzah.” Then He broke the bread of affliction, ate some, and distributed it among his disciples, telling them, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Yeshua, who said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48) was the true bread from Heaven. He was unleavened and without sin. Yeshua was uncorrupted by the world and completely without sin, and because He allowed Himself to be broken by laying His life down on our behalf His sinless death made it possible for us to have eternal life. The broken unleavened bread of Passover now represented His sinless life and His crucifixion. Yeshua instructed His disciples to henceforth eat the bread in remembrance of Him. With those words, He invested the Passover ritual (and every eating of bread, their stable food) with new, additional significance. Previously, His disciples ate the unleavened bread at Passover in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. Now it is in remembrance of the One who brought a greater deliverance to us through the affliction of His own body. As Paul says, “For as often as you eat this bread … you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Yeshua distributed the unleavened matzah– the bread (lekhem) of affliction (oni) reminding them of their slavery in Egypt – according to seder custom, and turned His attention to the bitter herbs and Passover lamb. After a blessing for the bitter herbs and the lamb, they began to eat the main course.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives anyone I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
When Jesus had said these things, He became troubled in spirit, and bore witness and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”
The disciples began looking at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So, Simon Peter gestured to him to inquire, “Who is the one of whom He is speaking?”
He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered, “He is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.”
So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. And after the piece of bread, Satan then entered into him.
Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were thinking, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor.
So after receiving the piece of bread, he went out immediately. And it was night.
John 13:20-30 LSB

Again the disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one Yeshua spoke. The twelve men had spent the last three years together in the most incredible of adventures. They had walked and talked, learned and argued, eaten and drank, camped and travelled together. They had seen the sea calmed, the sick healed, demons cast out, and the dead raised. Their shared experiences forged a close bond out of which betrayal must have seemed unimaginable. The unspeakable thought broke their hearts.

The ‘disciple Yeshua loved’ reclined at the table beside the Master. Judas may have reclined in the place of honor on Messiah’s left. That arrangement explains how Judas dipped into the dish (karpas) at the same time as their Rabbi and how Yeshua could easily give him the morsel. This ritual is called “korech.” According to the custom, one should combine the matzah, the Passover lamb, and the bitter herbs, and eat them together (korech) as a sort of sandwich to literally fulfill the verse that says, “They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11).

The bitter herbs remind the participants in a seder of the bitterness of the suffering in Egypt. For disciples of Messiah, the bitter herbs would now remind them even more strongly of the bitterness of the night He was betrayed and of the onset of His suffering.

How did Judas know where Yeshua would be found that night? Luke tells us: So during the days Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, but in the nights He went out and stayed on the Mount of Olives. (Luke 21:37 TLV). This pattern was disrupted on the nights when they dined in Bethany, but by this time in the evening it was clear there would be no sojourn in Bethany this night. Judas knew where they stayed among all the groups of festival pilgrims who camped on the Mount of Olives during Passover, their respite was taken in the walled garden of Gethsemane – a secluded place, separated from the other pilgrims, and thus perfect for the betrayal.

It was night; and Judas stepped forth from light out into darkness; from the presence and guidance of the Light of the World, to be possessed by and guided by the prince of darkness. It was night; and John could hardly have written these words without remembering those he had written but a short time before: “If a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.” (John 11:10). It was night, and the darkest deed since creation was about to unfold.

Therefore when he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.
Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:31-35 LSB
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.”
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How do we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. If you have come to know Me, you will know My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all so long and have you not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from Myself, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. ” John 14:1-26 LSB

And He took a cup; and after giving thanks, He gave to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the removal of sins. But I say to you, I will never drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Matthew 26:26-39 TLV

And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Mark 14:23-25 ESV

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:20 LSB

After eating the Passover meal, participants in a Passover Seder pour a third cup of wine to accompany grace after meals. Some refer to the third cup as the cup of thanksgiving because it accompanies the prayer of thanks for the food. Likewise, Paul refers to the cup of the Master as “the cup of thanksgiving.” (1 Corinthians 10:16) Our Master said the blessing for wine and distributed the cup to His disciples, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The third cup of wine is also called “The Cup of Redemption.” It is associated with the third promise of Exodus 6:6-8, which is: “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm.” The normal symbolism of this cup is emblematic of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, now the Lamb of God used it to signify His own sacrifice.

After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:30 TLV

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:26 ESV

The Hallel
Hallel (literally “praise”) is a collection of Psalms (113-118) included in the morning service on Jewish holidays, Rosh Chodesh (the new moon), and on Passover eve. Psalm 113-118 rejoices in God who has provided salvation for His people and continues to look toward the Lord for a future salvation. These Psalms are typically sung or chanted joyously with Psalm 113 – 114 sung during the Passover Seder, and Psalm 115 – 118 sung while holding aloft the fourth cup of wine following Grace After Meals, and the final verses (beginning from Psalms 118:21) are repeated twice. In Temple times, when all of Israel gathered in Jerusalem to sacrifice their Passover lambs, the entire crowd sang Hallel together.

* Psalm 113 is an introductory psalm of praise to our glorious God.
* Psalm 114 reflects upon the salvation God provided for His people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promise Land. This provides a picture of the way God will ultimately rescue His people from the bondage of sin to freedom in Christ.
* Psalm 115-118 are Messianic, they prophetically look forward to the eternal salvation that will be provided for His people.

Psalm 113
Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of Yahweh;
praise the name of Yahweh.
Let the name of Yahweh be praised
both now and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of Yahweh be praised.
Yahweh is exalted above all the nations,
His glory above the heavens.
Who is like Yahweh our God—
the One enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile
in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of His people.
He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 114
When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language—
Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion.
The sea looked and fled;
the Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.
Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?
Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
Psalm 115
Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throats.
Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and shield.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;
He will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord’s,
but the earth He has given to the human race.
It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.
But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah
Psalm 116
I love the Lord because He has heard
my appeal for mercy.
Because He has turned His ear to me,
I will call out to Him as long as I live.
The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of Yahweh:
“Yahweh, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.
The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For You, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
“I am severely afflicted.”
In my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?
I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people.
The death of His faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord’s sight.
Lord, I am indeed Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.
I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people,
in the courts of the Lord’s house—
within you, Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Glorify Him, all peoples!
For His faithful love to us is great;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 118
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”
I called to the Lord in distress;
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.
The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is my helper,
Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.
All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.
They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.
They surrounded me like bees;
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.
You pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!
The Lord’s right hand is raised.
The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly!”
I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.
Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You
because You have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This came from the Lord;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Lord, save us!
Lord, please grant us success!
He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt You.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.

They sang with gusto. They sang with all their hearts. These words they’d know since childhood, now taking on new meaning. Their beloved Yeshua, the light of the world, the stone the builders rejected, was to become the festival sacrifice, bound with cords. They sang for some time; this was not a brief chorus. Song was very much part of their Jewish culture and worship of God.

Here’s a video that gives some idea of what Yeshua and His talmidim‘s singing of the Hallel may have been like as an exuberant expression of praise: HALLEL at The Western Wall | Psalm 113-118 | English Subtitles | JEWISH CELEBRATIONS (youtube.com)

“Shalom I leave you, My shalom I give to you; but not as the world gives! Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid. You’ve heard Me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe! John 14:27-29 TLV

“Now you are those who have stood by Me in My trials, and I grant you a kingdom, just as My Father granted one to Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:28-30 LSB

Yeshua had been so insistent and persistent in training His talmidim to lead by serving because of the great responsibility of leadership He was to bestow on them – they were to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. That is part of the reason that the first thing the eleven apostles did after Yeshua‘s ascension was to choose someone to replace Judas and return their number to twelve: “one of the men who have been with us continuously throughout the time the Lord Yeshua traveled around among us, from the time Yochanan was immersing people until the day Yeshua was taken up from us — one of these must become a witness with us to His resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22 CJB) This suggests that there may have been more than just the twelve at the last supper, although the focus was clearly on Yeshua teaching them.

In the days of Yeshua, participants in a Passover Seder sang through the Hallel (Psalms 113–118). They recited a portion of the psalms before the food in conjunction with the second cup, and they recited the remainder of the psalms after the meal in conjunction with the fourth cup. The Gospels mention Yeshua and the talmidim keeping the same custom: “After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26 TLV). Before they left for the Mount of Olives, however, they lingered over the fourth cup. Yeshua said the blessing for the last cup. In conjunction with the last blessings over the fruit of the vine, He said:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He trims so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and is dried up. Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned.
“If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.”
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.
“I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. Now I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I selected you so that you would go and produce fruit, and your fruit would remain. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.
“These things I command you, so that you may love one another.”
John 15:1-17 TLV

As they were preparing to leave the upper room for the journey to Gethsemane, Yeshua took advantage of the opportunity of their very last cup of wine together to share a parable of the grape vine and its branches, teaching us of the need to always abide in Him. We cannot produce fruit by our own efforts, but only as the life of Christ flows through us.

Once more Messiah emphasized the necessity of loving one another, which again is only possible through abiding in His love. The conversation turned to the focus of this evening, that Yeshua was about to lay down His life for them (and for us). He called them friends, not because of what they had done, but because He had shared with them everything He’d received from the Father. His command to them was simple, love one another. With that they left the upper room.

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59. The Bible Says. The Passover Seder. The Bible Says.com. [Online] [Cited: January 1st, 2023.] https://thebiblesays.com/tough-topics/the-passover-seder/.
60. —. Jesus’s Last Supper as a Passover Seder. The bible Says.com. [Online] [Cited: January 1st, 2023.] https://thebiblesays.com/tough-topics/jesuss-last-supper-as-a-passover-seder/.
61. Page, Roy. The Order of Feet Washing and The Lord’s Supper. Logos Apostolic. [Online] [Cited: January 2nd, 2023.] https://www.logosapostolic.org/bible_study/RP126-2OrderLord’sSupper.htm.
62. Evidence Unseen. (Jn. 13:1) Does John contradict the Synoptics regarding the Passover meal? Evidence Unseen. [Online] [Cited: January 2nd, 2023.] https://www.evidenceunseen.com/bible-difficulties-2/nt-difficulties/john-acts/jn-131-does-john-contradict-the-synoptics-regarding-the-passover-meal/.
63. Biblical Hermeneutics contributors. Luke 22:16 – Did Jesus say he was not going to eat THAT Passover? Biblical Hermeneutics. [Online] [Cited: January 2nd, 2023.] https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/22040/luke-2216-did-jesus-say-he-was-not-going-to-eat-that-passover.
64. Joy, John P. Ratzinger and Aquinas on the Dating of the Last Supper: In Defense of the Synoptic Chronology. Academia New Blackfriars. [Online] 2012. https://www.academia.edu/94284490/Ratzinger_and_Aquinas_on_the_Dating_of_the_Last_Supper_In_Defense_of_the_Synoptic_Chronology.
65. Biblical Hermeneutics contributers. In the early church, was the Last Supper Considered a Passover Feast? Biblical Hermeneutics. [Online] 2019. https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/22042/in-the-early-church-was-the-last-supper-considered-a-passover-feast?rq=1.
66. Herbert, R. The Man with the Water Jar. Tactical Christianity. [Online] https://tacticalchristianity.org/the-man-with-the-water-jar/.
67. Ross, Lesli Koppelman. What Is Matzah? Unleavened bread is the central Passover symbol. My Jewish Learning. [Online] [Cited: January 4th, 2023.] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/matzah/.
68. Posner, Menachem. What Is Hallel? Chabad. [Online] [Cited: January 9th, 2024.] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4181720/jewish/What-Is-Hallel.htm.
69. Wall, Nathaniel. Jesus Sings at the Last Supper. Alpine Bible. [Online] April 15th, 2017. https://www.alpinebible.com/2017/04/jesus-sings-at-the-last-supper/.
70. Humphreys, Colin J. The Mystery of the Last Supper: Reconstructing the Final Days of Jesus. The Bible and Interpretation. [Online] April 2021. https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/mystsup358021
71. Smith, Barry D. The Chronology of the Last Supper. Westminster Theological Journal 53:1 (1991): 29-45. [Online] https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/wtj/chronology_smith.pdf
72. Goodacre, Mark. Dating the Last Supper a Day Early? NT Blog April 22nd 2021. [Online] https://ntweblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/dating-last-supper-day-early.html

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Describe leadership in the Kingdom of God and how it differs from leadership in the world.
* What sort of leadership do you see in the churches in your region and nation?
* What would it look like for our leadership to follow the pattern set by Jesus?
* How do we demonstrate that we are loving one another as Christ lovers us?

Preparing the Last Supper – 13th Nissan Day

Please read Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12 – 16,
Luke 22:7 – 13 & John 13:1

Although the Gospels of Matthew and Mark record Judas’ conversation with the chief priests straight after describing the anointing of Yeshua‘s head, as they contrast this unnamed woman’s act of sacrificial love with this disciple’s horrid betrayal, such would have been late at night, and it is likely that he went at first opportunity this next morning (13th Nissan morning) to be able to get an audience with these religious leaders of their nation.

Yeshua had entered Bethany six days before Passover, on Nissan 9th. The next day, Nissan 10th, the day that lambs were chosen for the Passover Seder, Yeshua entered Jerusalem (John 12:12) through the east gate to shouts of “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Blessed is the king of Israel!” In their shouts the crowds were choosing Yeshua as the true Lamb of God, even as Yohanan the Immerser had declared: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Each Lamb for the original Passover was examined for four days after it was chosen (Exodus 12:3,6), to make sure it was without spot or blemish. Likewise, Yeshua was examined, tested over and over by being asked question after question over these four days, and they could not find any fault with His answers. He was without sin, without falsehood, without spot or blemish.

Now on the first day of matzah, the disciples came to Yeshua, saying, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” Matthew 26:17 TLV

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Mark 14:12-16 ESV

Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” Luke 22:7-13 LSB

God’s Instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread / Passover
You must watch over it (the lamb) until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. They are to take the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the crossbeam of the houses where they will eat it. They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over a fire. With matzot (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs they are to eat it. …
“This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to Adonai. Throughout your generations you are to keep it as an eternal ordinance. For seven days you are to eat matzot, but on the first day you must remove hametz (yeast) from your houses, for whoever eats hametz from the first day until the seventh day, that soul will be cut off from Israel. The first day is to be a holy assembly for you as well as the seventh day. No manner of work is to be done on those days, except what is to be eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared by you. So you are to observe the Feast of Matzot, for on this very same day have I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you are to observe this day throughout your generations as an eternal ordinance. Exodus 12:6-8, 14-17 TLV
“It [the Passover lamb] shall be for you in safekeeping, until [up to] the fourteenth day after this New Moon [month], and they are to slay it—the entire assembly of the community of Israel—between the setting-times [Hebrew ben ha arbayim]”.
Exodus 12:6 SB (The Schocken Bible).

“These are the appointed feasts of Adonai, holy convocations which you are to proclaim in their appointed season. During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening (ben ha arbayim), is Adonai’s Passover. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) to Adonai. For seven days you are to eat matzah. On the first day you are to have a holy convocation and you should do no regular work. Instead you are to present an offering made by fire to Adonai for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation, when you are to do no regular work.” Leviticus 23:4-8 TLV
“These are the appointed-times of YHWH, proclamations of holiness, which you are to proclaim at their appointed-times: on the first New-Moon [month], on the fourteenth after the New Moon, between the setting-times [Hebrew: ben ha arbayim] (is) Passover to YHWH. On the fifteenth day after this New-Moon (is) the pilgrimage festival of matzot [unleavened bread] to YHWH...” Leviticus 23:4-6 SB

“Observe the month of Aviv (Nissan) and keep the Passover to Adonai your God, for in the month of Aviv Adonai your God brought you out from Egypt by night. You are to sacrifice the Passover offering to Adonai your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place Adonai chooses to make His Name dwell. You are not to eat hametz (leavened bread) with it. For seven days you are to eat matzot (unleavened bread) with it, the bread of affliction—for you came out from the land of Egypt in haste. Do this so that all the days of your life you will remember the day when you came out from the land of Egypt. No hametz should be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day may be left overnight until the morning. You may not sacrifice the Passover offering within any of your gates that Adonai your God is giving you. Rather, at the place Adoni your God chooses to make His Name dwell, there you will sacrifice the Passover offering in the evening at sunset [ba erev] – the time of your coming out from Egypt. You are to cook and eat it at the place Adonai your God chooses, then you will turn around in the morning and journey home (lit. ‘return to your tents’). For six days you are to eat matzot. On the seventh day there is to be a solemn gathering for Adonai your God—on it you are to do no work. Deuteronomy 16:1-8 TLV

The night of the Passover was the event which initiated ADONAI bringing the Israelites out of Egypt; yet Pharaoh’s decree: ““Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me” (Exodus 12:31b-32) was only the beginning of the journey. The Israelites were still in Egypt as they walked to the Red Sea border. So, the full remembrance of God’s deliverance consisted of two separate feasts: Passover on the 14th and seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, from the 15th to the 21st. The Feasts were consecutive, and they shared a common food, Matzot (Unleavened Bread). Pesach (Passover) and Matzot (Unleavened Bread) are two separate remembrances which are inexorably connected and intertwined.

Matthew, Mark and Luke describe Yeshua’s last supper as a Passover meal, whereas John makes it clear that the temple sacrifice of the Passover lambs was the following afternoon, at the time of Yeshua‘s death, and describes Yeshua’s last meal as just before the feast of Passover.

Scholars have proposed many different theories for this apparent contradiction, but none has been able to provide an uncontested argument. One possible explanation relates to the interpretation of the Hebrew phrase: ben ha arbayim, which is literally translated as “between the evenings” and was used in regard to when on Nissan 14th the lambs were to be sacrificed. The original meaning was between sunset and dark, a period of about an hour, and some schools of thought among the Second Temple Jews (including Hasidim, Essenes and Samaritans) still held to this, which meant that they sacrificed their Passover lambs once the sun set to mark the beginning of Nissan 14, roasted it and ate it that night. Karaite Jews continue to this day celebrating Passover on the eve of Nissan 14. Such a brief time was insufficient to sacrifice all the lambs for the multitudes that now flocked to Jerusalem each year for Passover, so ‘ben ha arbayim’ had been reinterpreted by the temple authorities to mean “between the ninth hour (3pm) and sunset“, which meant that they sacrificed the Passover lambs in the temple on the afternoon of Nissan 14. With the Jewish day beginning at sunset, they now ate the Passover meal at the beginning of the fifteenth day of the month, which is also the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Rabbinic Jews still celebrate Passover on the night of Nissan 15. It appears that Yeshua and His talmidim joined those who ate the Passover on fourteenth Nissan, and thus He was able to institute a commemoration of what was to take place the following afternoon as the Pascal lambs were sacrificed in the temple.

What is clear is that God wants us to associate both Yeshua’s death on the cross and His last meal with His disciples, which foretold and illustrated this death, with Passover and the redemption of the Jews from slavery to live as His people in the promised land. Just as the Passover lamb was killed and its blood on the doorposts of their houses protected the Israelites from the destroying angel and redeemed them from Egyptian slavery, so Christ’s blood redeems us from slavery to sin and death.

He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; at your house I am to keep the Passover with My disciples.”’”
The disciples did as Yeshua had ordered them, and they prepared the Passover.
Matthew 26:18-19 TLV

And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”
And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover. Mark 14:13-16 ESV

And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”
And they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”
And He said to them, “Behold, after you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.”
And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. Luke 22:8-13 LSB

On the morning of Nissan 13th, Yeshua‘s disciples asked Him where He wanted them to prepare the Passover meal for Him. He responded by sending two of them, Peter and John, with cryptic instructions that gave nothing away except for the known that their Passover meal would be in Jerusalem as per the Torah. Even if Judas had incited the question in order to find out the location so he could tell the chief priests he would have been left none the wiser by Yeshua’s reply. Likewise, if Judas had been in Jerusalem dealing with the chief priests at this time and then sort information from the other disciples when he returned, they would have had nothing that he could use to betray their location for the meal that night. There would be no alteration to God’s perfect timing for Yeshua’s arrest, this last meal together would not be interrupted, it was too important to the Father’s plan.

In ancient Israel, getting the family’s supply of water from the well was women’s work. It was carried by them in pitchers of earthenware either upon their shoulder or head. Some have proposed that there was a group of Jewish men who would have carried water jars – the Essenes. Certain groups of Essenes were celibate, and their men also did women’s work. Essenes had their communities, not only in Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found, but also in various towns throughout Judea. These were also one of the groups that ate their Passover meal during the night of Nissan 14th, a day earlier than the temple authorities.

The Essenes are thought to have had a community in Jerusalem. It is argued that the southwest edge of Jerusalem, which was topographically higher even than the temple mount, contained an “Essene Quarter,” and had its own “Essene Gate” mentioned by Josephus, through which they went down to collect water from the Pool of Siloam in the southern part of the ‘lower city’ of Jerusalem.

Whether the man carrying the jar of water, who met Peter and John in Jerusalem, was an Essene or not we don’t know. What we can deduce from the text is that he, and the owner of the house he took them to, were unknown to Peter and John, yet knew who they were talking about when they said “the Teacher” and welcomed this opportunity to host Yeshua and His talmidim for such an important occasion.

While Yeshua still tarried with the other disciples outside the city, Peter and John were doing their preparations. These would have included ensuring that there was not even a crumb of leavened bread in the room, slaughtering their lamb and roasting it without breaking any of its bones (Exodus 12:46), and purchasing the other foods for the meal from the many Passover street markets in Jerusalem during the feast days. “And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus12:8).

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* Describe how the Passover lamb provided a picture of Messiah.
* What is the significance of Passover and why do you think God chose this time of year for Jesus to die for us?
* Does your culture have any ceremonial feasts? If so please describe them and their significance.
* Are there any household tasks in your culture that are considered “woman’s work” like carrying the water jar was in Jesus’ time? What do people think of a man doing this “woman’s work”?

Please read Matthew 26:57-27:14, Mark 14:53-15:1,Luke 22:55-23:12 & John 18:13-38

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

Please read Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52,Luke 22:47-54 & John 18:2-12

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

Please Read Matthew 26:30-46, Mark 14:26-42, Luke 22:35- 22:46 and John 13:36-38, 14:20-18:1

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

Please read Matthew 26:20 – 30, Mark 14:17 -26,Luke 22:14-34 & John 13:2- 14:19

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

Please read Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12 – 16,Luke 22:7 – 13 & John 13:1

Reference List

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

Please read Matthew 26:57-27:14, Mark 14:53-15:1,
Luke 22:55-23:12 & John 18:13-38

Please read Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52,
Luke 22:47-54 & John 18:2-12

Please Read Matthew 26:30-46, Mark 14:26-42,
Luke 22:35- 22:46 and John 13:36-38, 14:20-18:1

Please read Matthew 26:20 – 30, Mark 14:17 -26,
Luke 22:14-34 & John 13:2- 14:19

Please read Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12 – 16,
Luke 22:7 – 13 & John 13:1