Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. --Exodus 12:21-23
The Old Testament looks forward to Christ, the Lamb of God. The New Testament alludes to Old Testament themes and gives them new meaning. Nowhere is this more evident than in Mark 14:12-21
The Symbolism
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
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a period of seven days, during which no yeast was to be consumed. In fact, in preparation for this week, observant Jews would go through and remove all leaven from their homes. In this way, they were commemorating the holiness of God. Leaven symbolized sin, and they were using this as a symbol of removing sin from their lives.
During this time, a sacrifice would take place at the Temple. A lamb without blemish would be killed, commemorating the first Passover instituted by Moses when the people were still slaves in Egypt. Moses commanded them to make bread without leaven, because there was not time to let the dough rise. He also commanded them to take the choice lamb, the perfect one without spot or blemish, and prepare it to be eaten. Each year thereafter, a Passover lamb was sacrificed on the altar in the Tabernacle or the Temple, to memorialize the salvation of the Jews from slavery and bondage. As Christians, we know that Jesus is our Passover Lamb, without spot or blemish, sacrificed for our salvation.
The Passover meal included lamb and bitter herbs, as well as wine and unleavened bread. The bitter herbs represented the hardship the people of Israel endured during their time in Egypt. It took time to prepare so that all the elements could come together when the time was right. Similarly, God chose this particular Seder, or Passover meal, when all the preparations had been made and the time was right. "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6).
The Sign
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
When I was growing up, I was taught that Jesus was giving the disciples easy and obvious directions. Carrying water, according to first century customs, was woman's work. To find a man carrying water would have been out of the ordinary, and easy for the disciples to see and follow.
As I was studying for this devotional, however, I discovered that in a remote corner of Jerusalem there lived a sect of monastic Jews known as the Essenes. These people were set apart from the rest of the Jews, and devoted themselves to studying the Scripture and searching for Messiah. The Essenes were only comprised of men; there were no women members of this sect. Therefore, if they needed water, it was a man who would go fetch it.
Further, as part of their culture, the Essenes would always have a room prepared for guests. Jewish tradition held that people should take in travelers and sojourners, and show hospitality to them. The Essenes held fast to this tradition, so it would not have been unusual for them to have a room ready for anyone that had need. So while the Essenes are not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, they may have had a part in the life and ministry of Jesus.
In any case, the signs point to Jesus as the Passover Lamb, the symbol of salvation and hope, the one true Messiah. He is Prophet, as He predicted that these events would unfold as they did; He is Priest, as He intercedes for His people and provides the sacrifice for them; and He is King.
The Sorrow
And when it was evening, He came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me." They began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one after another, "Is it I?" He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with Me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of 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." --Mark 14:17-21
Jesus made a prediction, that one of those in the room with Him that evening would betray Him. I want you to notice how each of them responded. This was a time of introspection, of setting aside all pretense. There were no loud denials, no cries of, "Not me, Lord. Not on Your life!" Not even Peter, who had earlier rebuked Jesus when He predicted His death. No one even said, "May it never be." Instead, each man humbled himself, and admitted his own sinful nature. Each of them knew they had the capacity to be the very one of whom Jesus spoke. As holy as they tried to be, as blameless and perfect as they wanted to appear, they each knew in their hearts there was hypocrisy.
And what of Judas? For three years he had been in the inner circle of the Son of God. He had listened to the teaching. He had seen the miracles. He had witnessed Immanuel Himself, God with us. Yet his heart was hardened, and he succumbed to his sinful nature. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21).
These twelve men were devout. They had removed the leaven from their homes in preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They had confessed their sins, and were following close to Jesus, yet even they knew that repentance is met with sorrow. Yes, the Passover is a celebration of God's provision and mercy, but it includes the bitter herbs, the sorrowfulness for the sin that made grace necessary. It is with this attitude that forgiveness is best received and appreciated.
