April 2022
Nougat 20
We are still in the season of Passover and today’s Holy Nougat
“Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” Mark 14:14 NIV
It would not have been uncommon for small groups such as the disciples to share the Passover meal. For, though the original directions in Exodus 12 suggests the feast was for families, one can see that this could easily be a community affair. Part of the Passover tradition includes sharing (testifying) of God’s grace in rescuing the Children of Israel from Egypt. It was a celebratory event, despite its solemnity. Through the retelling of the story, all who partook of the feast were also reminded of their being part of God’s chosen; while hearing the assurance that YHWH Sabaoth was their defense.
If however, Jesus IS the Passover Lamb, then Jesus desired to commemorate the Feast prior to the actual Feast of the Passover. Whereas I have not found evidence that that was normative, it is does explain in part Jesus’ cryptic state-ment in Matthew 26:29 and Luke 22:18. There, Jesus is noted for saying He would not drink of the vine once again until the disciples joined Him in Heaven.
My speculation is that Jesus, aware that His death was imminent, opted for an ‘early’ Passover, especially since He added new meaning to the Passover feast. Plus, there is the possibility that Jesus simply desired to have a last meal with his friends and disciples. And what better meal than one that celebrated God’s grace and protective care?
Hence His request for the room (large enough) that could accommodate such a feast. One surmises that the room was clean, aired and had been furnished enough for meals to be served and disciples to recline. (We can also presume that the person said yes).
Today, Jesus desires to eat more than one last Passover meal with us. In one sense, each time we share the commemorative Feast (Eucharist, Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper), we are eating with and of Him. But Jesus also desires that we do more than *remember, celebrate* and anticipate His saving grace. His greater desire is to live within us (as more than a guest), in our hearts.
So if we are asked to prepare our guest room for Jesus to share the ‘new covenant in His blood’, is our room ready for Jesus to remain forever? What changes are needed?
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May all we seek be found in Christ