Our Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday.
But Jesus had come to Jerusalem or rather a small town
adjacent to Jerusalem called Bethany, some time earlier.
His disciples had followed Him, convinced that this
return to Jerusalem would mean their deaths.
It was at Bethany that Jesus restored to life,
a man who had been dead and buried for three days.
When the Sanhedrin, the religious ruling body of Judea,
heard of this miracle, they reaffirmed that Jesus must die
in order to safeguard their positions and that of Judea in
the Roman Empire.
We celebrate the response of Jesus to this decision every
year as Palm Sunday, the day Jesus Triumphantly entered
Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. In order to understand
Palm Sunday within our culture, let's think of it an act
similar to buying every advertisement aired during the Super
Bowl and sending the message "I am here!"
This simple act created such fervor in Jerusalem that the
Sanhedrin could not touch Jesus. And that evening Jesus
went back to Bethany.
Why did Jesus return again to Jerusalem? And why did Jesus,
the last time He entered Jerusalem, slip into town unnoticed
only to be found through the deceit of Judas. Jesus tells us
Himself: "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer."
Luke 22:15
"this Passover..." was The Seder Dinner.
-
This ceremony and celebration that
had been commanded by God.
-
This ceremony and celebration that
had been an annual event ever since the Exodus.
-
This ceremony and celebration that brought most
religious minded Jews to Jerusalem every year.
-
This ceremony and celebration that had brought
Jesus to Jerusalem almost every year of His life.
Somehow, during the hustle and bustle of this week,
Jesus had arranged for a place to have this dinner.
He sent His Disciples into Jerusalem to find this place
and to prepare for this dinner. The Passover Dinner that
was the turning point between His Triumphant Entry and
His Death on the Cross. The Passover Dinner, with all of
it's symbolism, that was used by Jesus to explain His
Ministry one last time.
And, at the end of this dinner, Jesus asked His Disciples
to "Do this in remembrance" of Him. The early Church took
this request seriously. The Seder Dinner was the basis of
their Christian Lord's Day Service
for the next 300 years.
It seems like we have lost that foundation. But as more
and more Christians are including the Seder Dinner into
their Holy Week activities, as more and more Christians
are learning the significance of this ceremony and the
connection we all have with our Jewish heritage, and as
more and more Christians are inviting others to Seder,
The Body of Christ seems to be coming together around
The Lord's Table.
|