Luke 22:1-13 – The Passover Lamb
The first step in putting Christ to death is taken by the religious teachers of the Jewish nation. The very men who ought to have welcomed the Messiah try to kill Him. We must not allow modern chief priests and scribes to make us crucify Christ again. We must test what the church leaders say by the Word of God.
The second step towards our Lord’s crucifixion is the treachery of one of the twelve apostles. Judas Iscariot follows Christ all through His ministry. He hears Christ preach and sees Christ’s miracles. He preaches himself and speaks like the other apostles. There is nothing to distinguish him from Peter, James, or John. But he is a hypocrite, betrays his Master, helps His enemies to kill Him, and dies in his sin. But why? Why does Judas betray Christ? Because he loves money. The religious leaders agree to pay him for his betrayal, and Judas’ covetousness destroys his soul. Let us watch and pray against the love of money. A poor man is just as liable to it as a rich man. It is possible to love money without having it, and it is possible to have it without loving it. Let us be content with what we have.
Finally, we see in these verses the close connection between the Passover and our Lord’s death. God’s perfect wisdom and power arranges that the Lamb of God should die, at the very time when the Passover lamb is being slain. The death of Christ is the fulfilment of the Passover. He is the true sacrifice to which every Passover lamb has been pointing for 1500 years. What the death of the lamb has been to Israel in Egypt, His death is to be to sinners all over the world. The safety which the blood of the Passover lamb provides for Israel is to be provided far more abundantly by Christ’s blood for all that believe in Him.
Questions
- Why does Judas betray Christ?
- How is Christ like the Passover lamb?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.