Skip to main content

274. Moving Out

Psalm 118, Matthew 26:30, Luke 22:35-38, John 14:31
Key Verse: When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:40

As part of the Seder dinner, the participants recite, or read the Psalms known as the "Hallel" Psalms. 113-118. I have not devoted time to these Psalms or their placement within the dinner so as to keep the flow of the story going as simply as possible. However, Psalm 118, is the last Psalm sung. Probably, when Matthew mentions that they sung a hymn and then left, he was referring to this Psalm, which is a Psalm that recounts God's deliverance of His people and the strength that He gives and the promise of salvation to come.

At the Seder meal, there is usually an extra place setting, left untouched in the hopes that one of their great prophets out of their past, Elijah, will come and join them at the meal. Since Elijah had been taken to heaven in a fiery chariot and had not tasted death, (2 Kings 2:11-12) it was thought that he could still return to become a part of present history. It is hoped that Elijah can deliver them from their present troubles. Whether this was part of Jesus' last Seder or not is unknown, but the hope for a deliverer to appear, would certainly be there.

It is interesting that, before they leave the room, Jesus, their true deliverer, now gives them new instructions about the possibility of the need to protect themselves. "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything? But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." (Luke 22:35-36) Again, Jesus knows that He is leaving them in a hostile environment where they will be considered the outlaws. That is how He can be considered, "Numbered with the transgressors." (Luke 22:37 & Isaiah 53:12)

So now, they sing together the last Psalm. "O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless You. The Lord is God and He has made His light shine upon us. You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God; and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." (Psalm 118:25-27A, 28-29)

Then, they found two swords to take with them, which the Lord said was enough. (Luke 22:38) Notice, that Jesus believed that two swords among the twelve of them was "enough." They were not to rely on defending themselves with the sword, but rely first on God for their deliverance and protection. "Come now; let us leave," Jesus said, (John 14:31B) and they went out into the night.

Hymn: "Shalom"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

October 27 Save the Glaze for the Bunny

Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips of an evil heart. A malicious man disguises himself with his lips. But in his heart, he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it. If a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him. ~Proverbs 26:23-28 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 16 Thick Skinned Love

Whoever covers over an offence promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. ~Proverbs 17:9 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ~Matthew 18:15  The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ~1 Peter 4:7-8  Being offended seems to be the battle cry of the day. Instead of freedom of speech, everyone has the right not to be offended. If one is offended, then one has the right to exact vengeance on the offender because, of course, the offender KNEW that he or she was being offensive and just didn’t care. Is that how you see much of society behaving today?  There seems to be all of this offending and finger pointing that just keeps growing and growing. Nothing is being resolved, just more blame that grows louder a...
Post a Comment
Read more

January 24 You’ll See, He Remembers

The wise inherit honor, but fools He holds up to shame. ~Proverbs 3:35 “Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” ~Isaiah 3:10 “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” ~Hebrews 6:10-12 “The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.” ~1 Timothy 5:24-25 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~Matthew 12:36-3...
Post a Comment
Read more