Lord's Supper: Luke 22:7-23

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Messianic Passover service the week before Easter. As simple as it was, it has changed the way I view the history of what I believe in a huge way. I believe that before we understand Christianity, we must have some basic understanding of Jewish culture and traditions. Since I have begun to make an effort to learn about Judaism, I have begun to understand how magnanimous Jesus' life, death and resurrection really were! It is interesting to me that modern-day Jews still practice the traditions that lead to Christ.

There is an element of the Passover meal in which three pieces of unleavened bread, or matzah, are taken out. The middle piece of bread is broken in half to symbolize the affliction suffered by the Jews, and one of the halves is wrapped in a special cloth and hidden. The Passover meal is a family tradition, so during the meal, the youngest child finds the special piece of matzah, also known as the afikomen (dessert), and presents it at the end of the meal. The father of the household buys the afikomen back from the child by giving them money or a gift. The last food eaten during the meal is the afikomen.

Do you see the similarities of this ceremony and the death and resurrection of Jesus? The three pieces of bread would be the Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The middle one is taken out and broken. It is then wrapped, just as Jesus was wrapped in burial clothes, and hidden, like a burial. The bread is then brought back and enjoyed by all at the table. "It is shared as the Passover lamb was shared from the time of exodus until the destruction of the temple." This piece of bread symbolizes the Passover lamb-- Jesus is also called the "lamb of God;" the ultimate sacrifice.

So in Luke, when Jesus is partaking in this very same meal with his disciples, he breaks this piece of matzah and instead of saying what they normally hear, he says, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." He opens their eyes to the prophecy they have been partaking in all their lives without even realizing it! Jesus is the afikomen, the dessert, the perfect Passover Lamb.

I think this last Passover meal with Jesus also is very powerful for the Gentiles, because it gives a new meaning to this meal-- not only to remember the Jews' freedom from exile in Egypt, but now also to remember the freedom from the slavery of humanity to sin. This meal covers all of us. We are all, Jews and Gentiles alike, to remember the event that freed us from the bondage of sin-- permanently.

That is why we partake in the Lord's supper. It is so much more than what we have made it.