Jesus fulfils it all

There's a funny US evangelist who asks cashiers if they take Bible pay? He gets a quizzical look, and asks if he can try and puts his Bible on the card reader like you would a credit card. The transaction goes through – he must have taped a card to the inside cover. Then he asks – do you know why it works? Because Jesus paid it all! And does a crazy dance. Weird way of starting a conversation that works because America still has enough people that are aware of Christianity that they are amused or bemused.

Fact is Jesus has paid it all – but He has also fulfilled it all. The promises and prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

There was a key incident in the life of the Old Testament people of God that points to Jesus. And it was such a big deal God made it an annual festival, which Jesus is part of in today's passage to finally fulfil it.

Turn with me to Mark 14:12 and while you find it I will tell you about the Passover.

After Joseph and his multicoloured Dreamcoat, Israel was in Egypt for 400 years where they were gradually put into slavery. They cry out to God who calls Moses to be their deliverer and set them free.

The Egyptians were hard-hearted so there are a series of plagues called down, that get increasingly bad. The last is that the firstborn of every household will die. To protect the people of God, they are told to sacrifice a lamb to eat, but daubs its blood on the doorpost so that the angel of death passes over that house. The people of God are saved by the blood of the lamb and set free from slavery. The flee and go down through the parted sea (looks like baptism) and come out of the other side never to go back to the old life. That's a real event that is also a picture of what Jesus will ultimately do as the lamb of God whose blood shed will save us from slavery to sin.

Every year since then the Israelites hold a seven day feast of unleavened bread (they escaped quickly so could only bake flat breads, no time for sourdough!) The Passover was held on the first day.

The synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke all connect the last supper and Lord's supper on Thursday as part of the Passover night. But John connects the crucifixion on  the Friday to the Passover on that day. Looks like an error! But Passover / Feast of unleavened bread are overlapping

Because it is connected to the lunar calendar the 1st C Sadducees and Pharisees argued over the dating and one lot did it thurs and one did it Friday.

The gospel writers can use that Jesus and the disciples do it Thursday, the Pharisees do it Friday.

So we can see the Passover beautifully fulfilled in Christ in two ways.

Four elements used in the Passover – bread, wine, bitter herbs and the lamb itself.

Matthew, Mark and Luke speak of the bread and wine and imply the herbs because of the dipping, but no Lamb – because Jesus is the Lamb now!

The previous Passovers were insufficient coverings but sufficient foreshadowings

Read v12-16 Setting the Table

The fingerprints of God are all over the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

He prophecies how they will get to the place where they will have their last supper together.

Men didn't normally carry water jars, it was a woman's job. Sorry Ladies – international women's day didn't start until 1911! It would have been noticeable. Then, they find the pre-prepared room.

This is another example of the death of Christ not being Satan winning, but God's plan to rescue mankind all along.

Read v17-21 The enemy is present

The effects of sin are huge. They were literally in the presence of God and sin was there, temptation was being succumbed to.

Jesus prophecies a betrayer who will eat bread fulfilling David's prophecy in Ps 41:9

The disciples all wonder is it me? Any of us could have been Judas – and they all were sinners, they all fled, they all needed Jesus death as their substitute.

It's God's plan, Jesus foreknew, but Judas is still also responsible for his sin. God knows you are sinner, loves you and died for you!

Read v22 – 25 The Last Supper

As we saw the Passover was celebrated as a reminder of what happened when the Israelites were set free. It's an annual reminder of what God has done. This time Jesus is showing them it's also pointing forward to a greater setting free.

Mark uses the bread and wind to show the Passover is now done away with and the Lord's supper, communion is the new way to remember what God has done.

The four elements of the Passover – bread, wine, bitter herbs are their, but no mention of the Passover Lamb, because Jesus is the Lamb of God who will be the last great sacrifice.

The unleavened bread is interesting.

To quote a messianic Jewish website…

Matzah is unleavened bread. To make these large sheets of cracker-like flatbread, the dough is uniformly pierced before baking. In the oven, the matzah acquires spots of brown or black. When looking at the middle piece of matzah, with its lined piercings and its browning resembling bruises, it's easy to see a picture of the Messiah who was pierced for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and by whose stripes we are healed. (See Isaiah 53:5.)

This is my body Jesus says – it will be striped by the whip, pierced by the spear, and bruised. As we eat the bread he want us to remember. Never be forgetful of what He has done. Jesus says, Take it, for this is my body. Jesus takes this bread which symbolizes His body and what He is about to go through for the disciples and all those who would follow Him later, including us today, and saying, “My life, my body, my piercing, my stripes, and my wounds are for you. I want you to take it, I want you to receive it and let it nourish your heart, your soul, your mind and receive all the benefits that come from my life.” Just as this bread that was pierced, striped, and bruised nourishes our physical bodies, so the physical sacrifice of Jesus who was pierced, striped, and bruised nourishes our spiritual bodies. Receive Him, take Him, accept Him.

The wine was most likely the third cup – the cup of redemption. During the Passover it represented God delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Jesus takes this cup and repurposes it to refer to the redemption of God's people from sin. The cup of wine represented the Lord's blood and the redemption of our souls. He bought your freedom from the slavery of sin.

We do communion every week, because we are forgetful. You only have to watch the news to see history repeating itself, because people don't remember. The bread and wine help us remember what the Lord has done and the kingdom that he started and will one day complete.

V26-31 Run away

Enemy was present in stirring Judas to betray and everyone else to runaway! Not me says impetuous Pete – I'm more reliable. So Jeus prophecies he will deny 3 times, the last time before the cock crow. Peter's pride will have to die before he can be used.

Wrapping up – what does this mean for us?

Jesus fulfilled it all. We are all before we come to Christ and are born again – dirty rotten stinking sinners – betray Jesus, run away or be proud.

God knows so at just the right time Christ died for us. – He knows the details of what's going on in your life and in the world and he is in control.

The disciple's question “is it i?” challenges is to examine our hearts.

Lastly – there is always hope after failure.

Have to respond well

Judas – tried to make it good his own way – returning the money. DIY salvation doesn't work

Peter jumped out of a boat to rush back to Jesus and was restored.

Always come to Jesus!