Tag: significance of three

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.

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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48. Sielaff, David. The Upper Room. Associates For Scriptual Knowledge. [Online] October 12th, 2005. https://www.askelm.com/news/n051012.htm.
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50. Lanser, Rick. The Hebrew Calandar of the Second Temple Era. The Shiloh Excavations. [Online] March 17th, 2023. https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/5035-the-hebrew-calendar-of-the-second-temple-era.
51. Ritenbaugh, John W. What the Bible says about Ben Ha Arbayim. Bible Tools. [Online] [Cited: December 28th, 2023.] https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/6865/Ben-Ha-Arbayim.htm.
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53. —. New Month – Passover. House of Essenes. [Online] April 7th, 2022. https://houseofessenes.org/index.php/2022/04/07/new-month-passover/.
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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
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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?