#1 The Passover supper was for the Jews only. This never changes in Scripture to also be for the church.
Exodus 12:43-45 This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
The Passover supper was a week long celebration and it was a full meal once a year. It had quite a few rules and requirements. It never changes in Scripture to become a snack for the church whenever convenient.
Exodus 12:18-19 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
Exodus 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
#2 Did the Lord change the supper? No! Did He give it some new meaning? Yes.
Luke 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Luke 22:15 With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
It is still called a “feast†and it is still called the “Passoverâ€Â.
The Lord did not change the way or the rules of the supper, but He did change what the participant was to be meditating on. The Lord gave a “forward look†to the coming Kingdom for the supper. For 1500 years the Israelites looked back to coming out of Egypt during the Passover, but here in Luke, He gives them a new look to the future.
Luke 22:29-30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel
Jeremiah foretold of this change centuries before
Jeremiah 23:6-8 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
#3 The Lord also informs the disciples that from this night forward when they keep the Passover, (once a year) they are to remember Him and His great sacrifice, along with that look to the future kingdom.
Luke 22:16-20…I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament (or Covenant) in my blood, which is shed for you.
The New Covenant (or Testament) is not for the church. The New Covenant will be made with the same people that had the Old Covenant, the nation of Israel. The church is not part of the New Covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31 & Hebrews 8:8 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
#4 The apostle Paul reminds the Jewish Christians at Corinth of what took place the night the Lord was arrested, and he rebukes them for their corruption of the Passover.
1 Corinnthians 11:20-30 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. The Lord’s supper was to be eaten at home…
What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not…. That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often It was once a year, remember.
as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death These are not our marching orders: we are to show His life and resurrection.
till he come. The church should not be looking for this coming: we look for the Lord coming in the air.
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Most of Christendom is guilty and eats unworthily.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (died). Do people die today when they keep this feast unworthily? No!
We do not have people sick and dying today when they keep this feast unworthily, but Corinth sure did because God was still dealing with Israel physically. The Christian Jews continued to practice the law (including the Passover etc.) until the book of Hebrews was written.
Please notice the four very distinctly Jewish things brought out in the context: (1) It’s the Jewish Passover taking place, (2) The New Covenant (Testament) which is for Israel is in view, (3) This 2nd coming is to the earth to set up the Kingdom, not to catch the church away, (4) Kingdom powers are taking place (judgment, sickness and death etc.). None of this is for the church!
#5 Breaking of bread?
Often Christians read that they “broke bread†in the Scriptures and their minds have been programmed to go immediately to the “supperâ€Â. Many Protestants also just can’t seem to be able to break away from Rome or human tradition. The following passages are often quoted to support the “often†and “snack type†supper that most of Christendom partakes of.
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 46..and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness
The disciples often ate together, but it wasn’t the Passover. They simply shared meals together.
Acts 20:7-11 And upon the first day of the week Saturday night after sundown
when the disciples came together to break bread Passover? No!
Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight… and as Paul was long preaching, he (Eutychus) sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft…Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread and eaten,
Passover again a few hours later? Of course not!
and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
Much of Christendom actually believes that this meeting mentioned here is what informs the church that we should have the “Lord’s Supper†on Sunday morning. They are in error, this meeting was Saturday evening (sundown is the start of the next day in the bible). And it was not the Passover!
1 Corinthians 10:3-4 … all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink:
Even Israel ate and drank spiritually:
They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them … that rock was Christ
#6 The age old battle.
John 6:52-53 How can this man give us his flesh to eat?…Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
It is a corruption and mixture of the Passover and Christ’s death that Rome somehow uses to try to fulfill these verses. Protestantism stumbles along with their own version of what they think is being taught, but both miss the context!
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
In John 3 the Lord is teaching a spiritual birth, in contrast to the physical birth. In John 4, it is living water in contrast to physical water. In John 6 it is spiritual meat and drink in contrast to the physical. God wants our hearts and minds to be in the spiritual realm not the physical.
#7 Israel had its authorized physical religion, but in the church “we are…â€Â:
Phillipians 3:3 … we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Real worship does not need physical elements.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
How do we eat “sincerity and truth� Ans. By keeping our feast (our fellowship) in the spiritual realm, not the physical.
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
How do we fulfill the above command? Ans. By not participating in Israel’s physical religion. “Which..â€Â
Hebrews 9:10-11…Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them (Israel) until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest …
The law, including the Passover supper was “imposed†on Israel “until the time of reformationâ€Â, but the church is free from that Law! Christ fulfilled the law.
#8 Flee Idolatry
1 Corinthians 10:14-17 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry…The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
One way to obey this verse and “flee idolatry†is to understand that we can’t eat this bread because, as the passage teaches, we “are†the bread!
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Our blessings are spiritual in heavenly places, not physical in earthly places.
Colossians 2:20-22 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances…Which all are to perish with the using?
Are you “subject to ordinancesâ€Â? If it is spiritual worship you practice, it will not “perish with usingâ€Â.
Colossians 2:14 ... Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us…nailing it to his cross;
The Law (including the Passover) was against us. But not any more thank God!
We do not need physical elements to accomplish true worship today. If you find yourself in need of something physical, you are probably an idolater.
Are you guilty of mixing some bible truth with Judaism, adding a little tradition of men and then some religious invention? Most are.
#9 Worship God in Spirit and in Truth
John 4:24 they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Heb.12:28 let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
We must worship God His way, or it is false worship. Our worship must be according to God’s word. It must be the truth. It must be acceptable to Him. It must be with reverence and godly fear and, of course thank God, we do have the grace to do it.
Galatians 3:1-3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, Who has put a spell on you?
that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Crackers and grape juice will help make me “perfect� NEVER!!
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Rome or Her daughters: “Yes, if the priest or preacher says some ‘magic’ wordsâ€Â
Galatians 3:10-13 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
When religious man tries to make Israel’s Passover into some kind of ritual for the church, he is in actuality trying to put us back under the law. And also, that unscriptural effort is an attack upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
It makes a difference what we believe!
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law
Jim Maurer
I did not write this but its the same end results had I had a hand in it and its better organized than I can write so I pasted this in. I hope it helps.
Tomlane
