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by
Doug Ward |
The biblical prophets corrected the people of Israel and warned of coming
divine judgment. They also brought a message of hope, revealing that after
judgment and exile would come a time of renewal and restoration. God would lead
the scattered tribes of Israel on a new Exodus back to a bounteous Promised
Land, where he would renew his covenant with them and place over them a
righteous king, the Messiah (Jer 30-31; Eze 36-37).
Jewish
hopes for this restoration were high when Jesus arrived (Lk 2:25-26,36-38), and
there was great excitement as his words and actions pointed to his messianic
identity (Lk 9:18-20; 19:28-40). There was also disappointment when Jesus made
no move to overthrow Roman rule (Lk 7:18-23). Instead, he spoke of being killed
and then raised from the dead in Jerusalem, a saying that puzzled and dismayed
his disciples (Mk 8:31-33).
As
it turned out, it was the death and resurrection of Jesus that would inaugurate
the much-anticipated new Exodus. We receive a hint of this in Luke 9:31, when
we are told that at Jesus' Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah "spoke of his
departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." The Greek word
for "departure" is exodos, which can refer both to one's
departure in death (2 Pe 1:15) and to Israel's Exodus (Heb 11:22).
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A
First-Century Passover |
It is fitting that this new Exodus would begin with a special Passover
celebration, and Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples was just such a
celebration (Lk 22:7-15). At this momentous meal he explained the meaning of
the Exodus on which he would be leading them. The different parts of the
Passover celebration helped communicate his message.
Like
the first Passover in Egypt, a first-century Passover in Jerusalem included a
roasted unblemished lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs (Ex 12:5-8). In
first-century Jerusalem, though, the lambs were slaughtered by priests rather
than by family groups. Significantly, the priests prepared a lamb for roasting
by using two skewers of wood. One was driven through the lamb's shoulders, and
the other went from its mouth to its buttocks. The two skewers were at right
angles, forming a cross that created a picture of the lamb being crucified.1
This custom reinforced the idea that the Passover lamb was a type of Jesus (1
Co 5:7).
There
are references to other first-century Passover customs in the Gospel accounts
of the Last Supper. In particular, a Passover celebration included four cups of
wine (m. Pesachim 10), and two cups of wine are
mentioned in Luke 22:17-20. The third cup is known traditionally as the cup of
blessing, and this nay be the cup that Jesus
associates with his shed blood and the New Covenant (Lk 22:20; Mt 26:27-28).
Notice that Paul speaks of "the cup of blessing" in connection with
this cup in 1 Corinthians 10:16.
The
Passover liturgy also included the singing of psalms (Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26),
specifically Psalms 113-118. These psalms contain much that had special
significance at the Last Supper. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of his saints," Psalm 116:15 states. Psalm 118:22-23 adds, "The
stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's
doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."
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Bread
of the New Exodus |
During the original Exodus God sustained the Israelites with manna, an amazing
food that came to be known as the "`bread of angels" (Ps 78:25).
Manna was a sign of God's faithfulness and a foretaste of the blessings of the
Promised Land.
In
the first century it was widely believed that the Messiah, a prophet like Moses
(Dt 18:15-18), would again bring manna from heaven. Teaching at the synagogue
in Capernaum a year before the Last Supper, Jesus stated that he himself was
the true bread from heaven, and those who placed their trust in him would
receive eternal life (Jn 6:35-59). At the Last Supper he added that the bread
of the Passover meal represented his body that would be broken for them (Lk
22:19; 1 Co 11:24). His sacrificial death would make possible the eternal life
of his disciples.
Another
kind of bread associated with the Exodus was the bread of the presence (Ex
25:23-30; Lev 24:5-9). In Israel's tabernacle and temple this bread was set out
before God each week in twelve cakes (one for each tribe of Israel), on a
special gold-plated table that also held vessels for incense and wine. The
bread, an offering from the people, was offered by the high priest and eaten by
the priests.
The
bread of the presence was a reminder of God's covenant with Israel, recalling
the special meal held in God's presence when the covenant was confirmed at
Mount Sinai (Ex 24:9-11). It symbolized the fact that God was present with his
people continually. During the pilgrim festivals at Jerusalem in the first
century, priests would bring the golden table out from the Temple's Holy Place,
show it to the people, and say, "Behold, God's love for you" (b. Menachot 29A).
The
bread of the presence also pointed ahead to the Last Supper, at which Jesus
confirmed the New Covenant with his disciples (Lk 22:20). Jesus is always
present with those who follow him in the new Exodus (Mt 28:20; Heb 13:5).
Christians
commemorate the Last Supper in celebrating the Lord's Supper. Having been
liberated from sin and death by the sacrifice of our Passover Lamb, we confirm
our covenant commitment and continue on the new Exodus, sustained by the manna
of the Bread of Life and guided by his presence with us and in us.
1See
Brant Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the
Eucharist, Doubleday, 2011, pp. 63-64. In the second century, Justin Martyr
mentions this practice in Dialogue with Trypho, chapter 40.
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