Jesus Christ
The Passion
Jesus Betrayed: The Last Supper
by Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D.
Passover was now just six days away, and the enemies of Jesus were plotting his death: "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. But not during the Feast, they said, or there may be a riot among the people." -Matthew 26.
Jesus, however, was plotting his own death which would take place not at the hands of the Jews, but as prophecied, at the hands of Gentiles.
And he would be betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, a jealous man who loved money more than the Lord. "For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him." -John 6.
But Judas would first need be provoked. Mary of Bethany, would be the bait.
"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief." -John 12.
Judas was greedy for silver and gold, and jealous of his master's affection for this woman of Bethany, Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. He may have also felt betrayed by the realization that Jesus was in fact preparing to die. Thus, upon watching Mary lovingly wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair, and insensed at the money he believed had been wasted in annointing the feet of Jesus Christ, Judas decided to act.
"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him." -Matthew 26.
Lazarus, or some other secret disciple living in Bethany, now helped prepare the crucial last supper--the last meal of Jesus before his death.
"On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the passover must be killed, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover." -Luke 22.
We do not know if this "goodman" was indeed his disciple, Lazarus, "whom he loved." And yet, we are told that a disciple, "whom Jesus loved" joined the other 12 during the last supper: "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved" (John 13). And, we are told that this disciple is senior to all the other disciples not only because he is loved, and the close proximity he is given to the physical person of Jesus, but because the other disciples know that Jesus confides secrets to this beloved disciple which are not shared with the other men:
As they sat together at the last supper, "Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom Jesus spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon." -John 13.
In the Gospel of John, only the disciple "whom Jesus loved" is forwarned as to the traitor's identity.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus confirms to Judas, that he knows it is him:
"Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? And Jesus replied, so speaketh thou" -Matthew 26.
Jesus then goes on to explain that all twelve of his disciples will betray him and would soon scatter in fear for their lives. Peter exclaimed that this was not so.
"Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." -Matthew 26.
The last supper was of prophetic significance, as eating, and the betrayal leading to the sacrifice, symbolically recreated the eating of the passover, during the time of Moses, when God killed all the first born sons of the Egyptians--a terrifying event which led to the freeing of the Jews, the offering of the first Covenant, and their journey to the promised land.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses...Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night...and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment."
Jesus, with his 12 disciples, and the disciple whom he loved, would thus symbolically reenact the eating of the passover. Jesus would become the lamb to be slaughtered, and he would tell his disciples, this is my body, and this is my blood.
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." -Matthew 26.
|
