Matthew 26:26-35
Alternative devotions for Monday 22nd December
As Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples, He spoke are some of the most powerful and memorable words in Matthew’s Gospel. Along with their equivalent in the other Gospels, they have been at the heart of Christian faith and the life of the Church for thousands of years; and the text is awe-inspiring. Then as if to remind us of the perilous times in which this all took place, our passage concludes with Jesus’ discussion with Peter, which showed that the disciples still failed to understand; they were spiritually frail.
The Passover meal If we put together all we know about Jesus’ last days, then it appears that Jesus ate this Passover meal with the twelve disciples and other close friends, including women, who formed the nucleus of His followers. Today, many Christians have been blessed by taking part in a Jewish Passover meals in order to help them understand the significance of the meal, but we should be careful. The Bible only gives us a brief description of the meal, and it has little connection with the Passover meal we know today.
The Jewish Passover ‘seders’ used today were developed long after the time of Christ, and we know little of how the Passover was celebrated in Jesus’ day. So the currently well known structure of the meal, in which four cups of wine are drunk during the re-telling of the escape from Egypt together with the breaking of bread (the ‘afikomen’) and the eating of lamb, is all much later than Christ. We do not know which of the four ‘cups’ (traditionally identified with sanctification, the ‘plagues’, blessing, and praise) was blessed by Jesus as ‘His blood’ (26:27,28), for example, or whether these definitions were in use in Jesus’ day.
The sharing of the Bread In fact, Jesus said two things that were totally different from a Passover meal, and Matthew 26:16-19 is built around these two, mentioning little else of what was eaten or said. The first of these is the blessing of the bread, done during the meal and not at the beginning (‘while they were eating …’ 26:26); He said ‘take, eat, this is my body’ (26:26). Yet what was it that Jesus was asking the disciples to do? Sharing bread was one thing, but were they supposed to ‘eat’ Jesus in some way? Some feel this language to be too much and suggest that all of this is symbolic, but it is impossible for us to work this out from the text in Matthew.
However, we should remember that the whole Passover meal was celebrated as an allegory; a drama full of words and actions, which explain the deepest truths of God’s redeeming work. With this in mind, it seems that by asking the disciples to eat the bread, Jesus was asking them to share in His coming death. He knew they would abandon Him physically, but in this meal, He nevertheless invited them with extraordinary generosity to take a spiritual part in what He was doing.
The sharing of the Wine Jesus took a cup, and His offer for everyone to drink was a normal part of the Passover, as was the reference to the ‘Covenant’. When Moses shared the first Passover (Exodus 24:8ff), the Covenant was sealed by a sacrifice, and although it sounds gruesome to us, the blood was sprinkled on the people as a sign that everyone shared a relationship with God (Ex 24:8). However, the Covenant Jesus was talking about was different, as He explained; ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ (26:28). So this New Covenant was based upon the forgiveness of our sins; what supremely ‘good news’!
The blood of the new Covenant is Jesus’ blood, ‘poured out’ for the forgiveness of sins at the point of his death (see Isaiah 53:10f., Hebrews 10:16-19; 11:15, Romans 11:26,27); as Jesus continued to explain to the disciples (26:31-34). Jesus offered salvation through His death, like the lamb at the Passover meal. For us, He is the vital sacrificial ingredient which makes salvation possible, and by sharing the meal today, we fulfil Jesus wishes and share in His work. No wonder that this meal means so much to so many.
Jesus’ instructions After the Passover meal, the disciples celebrated by singing together (probably the ‘Hallel’ psalms 115 to 118), and the rest of this passage (26:30-35) reads like a prophecy of everything from that point to the end of the Gospel. Jesus knew the disciples would have difficulty, and prophesied this (26:31) using a scripture from Zechariah (13:7) which describes a shepherd being struck by the Lord, the death of some of the flock, but the salvation of a third. In this astonishing act of mercy and compassion, Jesus appears to accept responsibility for the disciples’ predicament!
Jesus then prophesied that He would ‘go ahead’ of the disciples. He was now confident to declare what would happen beyond His death, and He called the disciples back to where their journey of discipleship had begun, to Galilee (26:32). Lastly, the final scenario of this passage is the tragic conversation of Jesus with Peter, in which the disciples joined with Peter to declare that they would remain faithful and not stumble (26:35). Their self confidence had got the better of them, and Jesus knew what would happen (26:34).
The words of Jesus at the ‘Last Supper’ are extraordinarily powerful. They point to the heart of the Gospel message of the Bible, and to Jesus’ unique work of Salvation for all. This is the Church’s message today, and although people have always questioned this, the church as always been renewed on the basis of this great mission. Here is the heart of the Gospel not just of Matthew, but the Bible. Jesus, by His sacrifice on the Cross, is God’s provision for sinful humanity to receive the forgiveness of their sins, and so find a new relationship with God.
26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ 27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom.’ 30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Jesus then said to them, ‘You will all be shocked and stumble because of me this night; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” 32 But after I have been raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ 33 Peter replied, ‘Even if everyone is shocked by you, I will not stumble.’ 34 Jesus said to him, ‘Amen, I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ 35 Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not disown you.’ And all the disciples said the same.
© All text and pictures on this page copyright Paul H Ashby 2008 - all rights reserved
Bring peace into our homes this Christmas time, Lord Jesus. Help us to see beyond the trials of family life, and perceive Your hand at work even through the ups and downs of our earthly relationships. Give us a heart for one another so that we reflect Your goodwill and love in every part of our lives, and bring us the peace for which we long, Lord Jesus: AMEN
In the midst of our greatest needs; You, O Lord, are with us.
Your love sustains us,
Your peace heals us,
You mercy covers us,
Your energy empowers us,
Your power protects us,
Your vision guides us,
Your mission challenges us,
Your future invites us.
May we never miss the wonder of Your presence,
By being too wrapped up in ourselves!
Weekly Theme: Christmas
Pray for all who will struggle this Christmas time because their family life is not good. Pray for those you know and also the millions of children in the world who are orphaned.
On-going prayers
- Give thanks for your home, and everything within in it
- Pray for all who work across the world for the health of nations
- Pray for the country of Israel and all people who live there
THIS IS THE ALTERNATIVE BIBLE STUDY FOR TODAY - ON THIS PAGE ONLY, and the discipleship page see below
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