Key Verse: He replied, "Go into the city to a certain
man and tell him, "The teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going
to celebrate the Passover with My disciples, at your house."
Matthew 26:18
Well, when we put it all together, we know that Peter and
John are the two disciples that Jesus sent on ahead to get things ready for the
Seder. We never learn just whose house had the famous Upper Room, but my
understanding is that it is speculated that it may have been associated with
John Mark's family who may have been related to Peter. Isn't it interesting
that this is a detail that God doesn't deem important. The fact that the house
had an upper room, may say something about the wealth of the family since many
of the houses were mostly one room with a platform for eating and sleeping and
the lower part housed the chickens and so forth at night. In the poorer houses,
socializing took place on the roof in the cool of the evening, but if this
house had an actual upper level, it may have been one of the more well to do
homes of Jerusalem.
If you've ever attended a Seder, or a Christian version of
the Seder, or a presentation by an organization such as Jews for Jesus, then
you know that preparation for the Seder has evolved since the original meal
described in Exodus 12.
Today, the meal is guided by a kind of script called a
"Haggadah." This script helps to guide, act out and remember the Jews' release from captivity. There are four acts to the dinner, separated by four
glasses of wine. There is the cup of Sanctification, the cup of Deliverance, at
which the plagues are remembered, the cup of Redemption, (we will be looking
more closely at this later), and the cup of Praise, to end the Seder.
The plate of the Seder is arranged with unleavened bread,
(matzo today), greens, (often parsley for dipping), bitter herbs, (a variation
of horse radish), a sweet paste called Charoset, as a reminder of the mortar
for the bricks made in Egypt, and salt water is present as a reminder of the
bitter tears shed while the people were suffering in bondage. The Lamb shank
and roasted egg are later additions after the time of Jesus' day to remember the
destruction of the temple of His day.
Throughout the evening, the movement of the meal will guide
worship and remembering what the Lord has done for His people. It also looks
forward to what He will do. If only His disciples had realized that the author
of the meal was among them. If only they understood that He was their true
sacrificial lamb.
John and Peter prepared a meal to remember history with the
master, unaware that history was in the making. The wine would be purchased.
The lamb would be roasted. The ceremonial plates would be prepared to tell,
what they thought, was a familiar story. In Truth, it would actually prove to
be the beginning of a new chapter in the history of God with His people.
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