Oh, my Lord Jesus…Messiah…thank you for what you did on the cross for all of us. You are amazing and wonderful and I thank you.
How many of us read the story of the Last Super on Passover in the upper room with Jesus and His 12 disciples? Most have read, and/or, heard the story. But do people actually know what really took place at that Last Supper? Many do, but many do not. Something very important happened and it was not just the initiation of the communion for the church. When we take communion, it is a great thing to do. We need to do that, but something else was happening at that Last Supper and many don’t know about it.
The Last Supper was very important to understanding what and why Jesus went to the cross. At the Last Supper in that upper room, Jesus ate His last meal with the 12. But something way more was taking place as well.
As Jesus sat down to eat this particular meal for Passover with the 12…Jesus knew He was going to be betrayed and who would do it. There was a bowl on the table with a mixture of something to dip the bread in. Most don’t really know what it was, but the Jewish people absolutely knew. This mixture was called the KHAROSET. What is that? It was/is a mixture unique to the Passover Seder. The Jews on Passover would eat the Kharoset with bitter herbs as they commemorate their deliverance from Egypt. So why is that important at this particular Passover?
Jesus paused to take a piece of matzah…the unleavened bread on the night before He died (as was the custom) Yet this night was special and unique. This Last Supper, in the middle of the meal, Jesus said, “One of you will betray Me.” Then He said, “The one who dips his hand with Me into the dish will betray me.” Stop for a moment and think on this: The person who Jesus loved, taught, cared for, was a person who would betray the Lord to death and suffering. This person was Judas aka Yehudah, and it was Judas who dipped the bread with Jesus. Why is this important besides Judas being the one who betrayed Jesus?
On the Passover people (Jewish people) dipped a piece of Matzah into the Kharoset for a reason. Jesus and Judas dipped together and this had great significance. The kharoset and bitter herbs represent bondage and suffering of the Jewish people. The betrayal of Jesus was the delivering of Messiah over to the bondange and suffering He would face. The sign was that Judas would be the one to betray and deliver Jesus to suffering. Jesus knew to dip with Judas would cost Him His life and that in doing so would bring great suffering to Himself. He still did it for you and me.
The sign definitely meant that Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him, but He freely went to the cross for us. He went knowing He would suffer greatly and that the sins of the entire world were laid upon Him for this time.
Why dipping? The word in Greek is linked to baptism, which means to submerge and to overwhelm. Jesus life would be submerged in suffering…in our suffering…in my suffering, in your suffering, in the cup of our judgment, and in the process He would be overwhelmed. So He submerged Himself in the cup of our tears, and our hell that we deserved…and would take it away for us (but not all will accept this wonderful gift our Lord gave us and many will end up in hell…not by the choice of Jesus, but by their own will. Jesus bore our hell, so we wouldn’t have to bear it, but we can bear it if we reject Jesus in our life and choose to go another way.
Oh Lord, your love is so great for your creation. It amazes me how you have loved me and others yet how many times we didn’t listen and rejected you. On that cross you took my sins, my sorrow, my pain, and my tears…and you gave me an opportunity to have eternal life with you. I choose you Lord. I choose to surrender to you. I choose to serve you. How many times in my life over very stupid things did I reject you? How many times did I go my own way only to fall and fail? I hurt you and for that I am sorry. I confess my sins to you, and repent of them. I choose to serve you. I still mess up at times but I am so thankful that I can come to you and get right with you. Forgive me. Thank you for what you did on the cross for all of mankind. I wish all would follow you and be saved. I know we are living in an evil world right now and that it will get worse and worse. Save us soon Lord from that hour that is coming upon this world. Take your bride/the church home. Thank you Lord for all you did, are doing, and will still do for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray this. amen