Luke 22:14-16 14And when the hour came, he reclined at table and the apostles with him. 15And he said to them, “I have desired with desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I say to you that I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
The time had come for the important annual event of the Passover celebration. The word hour could represent the specific time of day for the meal, but it also marks a significant movement in the overall story of Jesus’ suffering as the Savior of the world. This Passover was the most significant of all time because it was now being fulfilled once and for all through the Lamb of God. After this special meal, the Passover would take on new meaning for those who would believe in its deeper meaning. Jesus kept the Passover as an obedient Jew and included his disciples as his extended family. The symbolism of this special supper connects the Christian faith with the Old Testament. There is continuity between the practices of Judaism and the
This meal is the seventh eating situation mentioned in Luke’s Gospel (5:29–32; 7:36–50; 9:12–17; 10:38–42; 11:37–44; 14:1–24; cf. also 24:28–32). The typical way of eating a feast meal like this was to recline on one’s side. Tables and chairs were not part of the typical eating situation like this. Everything in the Passover meal was symbolic. Every element of the meal had a deep meaning in Israel’s history and faith, focused especially upon the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. The meal traces the story of how God led the people to freedom from Egyptian slavery. The meal symbolized the important stages of this story so that a new generation would remember God’s salvation.
Jesus had looked forward to this particular Passover celebration because it would be the inauguration of the new covenant. It would become symbolic of what was about to take place. He knew that this was his last Passover on earth with his disciples. He also knew he was about to suffer. Verse 16 gives an interesting prediction about how Jesus would one day eat the Passover again with his disciples when the kingdom of God is fulfilled. The strongest form of negation in Greek is used in the sentence construction (a subjunctive verb negated with ou mē).
The next Passover Jesus will eat with his disciples will be the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb that will be celebrated with the redeemed when he comes again (Revelation 19:6-9). The two meals could be a reference to the same celebration. When Jesus comes again, all our questions will be answered. We will have deep understanding of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper that the church has celebrated for two thousand years. Meanwhile, we remember and anticipate the Passover Lamb and how he has provided the escape from slavery to sin, doubt, fear, and condemnation.
For older posts, click here.