Submitted by Pastor Reggie Koop, Watson Baptist Church

The key scripture I want to look at is Luke 22: 1, 7-20. These verses describe the events of Jesus and the disciples on the night right before Jesus was betrayed, called the Last Supper, which on the calender falls on Thursday, called Maundy Thursday, during Passion Week, right before Good Friday, which is right before Easter.

This supper was planned by Jesus to celebrate Passover with his disciples in Jerusalem at a time when Jerusalem was probably the most populated. A place was secured, which would have probably been impossible to get, with all the people celebrating the Passover and the table was prepared. Remember, a lamb was sacrificed for the meal, “a sacrificial lamb.” What was Jesus called?

On this night, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, instituting the Lord’s Supper, which is also called communion. The Passover meal has a specific order in which food is eaten, prayers are recited, and songs sung. Each item on the Passover plate has a specific historical meaning related to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and their freedom from slavery. I Corinthians 5:7 identifies Jesus Christ as our Passover, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

There are several symbols in the Passover representing Christ. One is the shank bone of a lamb. During the tenth plague in Egypt, God instructed the Israelites to cover the door posts and lintels with blood of a spotless lamb so that the Lord would “pass over” their homes and preserve the lives within. For us this is Jesus who is the “Lamb Of God” and His sacrifice preserves the lives of all who believe.

There are other symbols of the Passover meal that we can look at deeper, possibly at a Bible study, but there is one more symbol I want to look. There are four cups of wine used at various times during the meal. Each of these glasses has a name. The first glass is the “Cup of Sanctification,” the second glass is the “Cup of Judgment,” the third glass is the “Cup Of Redemption,” and the fourth glass is the “Cup of Praise.”

Later in the supper, Jesus took the third glass and used that cup as a symbol of the new covenant in His blood. Luke 22:20, “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.” Then look at Luke 22:42. Jesus took His disciples to the Mount of Olives to pray right before He was betrayed. He said, “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but thine, be done.” Jesus fulfilled the Passover symbolism and tied the feast with a new meaning. He is the Passover lamb for us.