Revelations from the Word

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The Passover of Jesus

by Jean-Louis Coraboeuf

"For, I tell you, I shall not eat it again, until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God… For, I tell you, from now on I shall drink of the fruit of the vine no more, until the Kingdom of God has come… In the same way He took the cup, after supper, and gave it to them, saying: This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you… You are those who have persevered with Me in My trials; that is why I have prepared the Kingdom in a testament, as My Father has done for Me, so that you may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom, and so that you may be seated on thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:16,18,20,28-30 Interlinear).

The testament is an act by which a person makes known his last wishes so that after his death, the beneficiary can make use of all or part of his goods. Just before dying, at the time of His last Passover, Jesus gave His Kingdom as a testament to His disciples. This testament took effect after the death of Jesus, the Testator (Hebrews 9:16-17). And so, all those who accept Jesus and His work on the cross, benefit from this testament. After the meal, Jesus sealed the renewed Covenant, which He was establishing by giving to His disciples the last cup of wine to drink, indeed, this was never usually drunk for it was reserved for the prophet Elijah who was to come to announce the Messiah.

The repeal of this testament will be celebrated by a meal at the table of Jesus in His Kingdom; it is in this way that the twelve apostles (Judas was replaced by Matthias according to Acts 1:15-26) will sit on the twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). At the time of His last Passover, Jesus wished to commemorate this by symbolically taking the bread and the wine in memory of what He was accomplishing for the Redemption of all mankind. In the same way today, this commemoration takes place at the time of a meal amongst the brothers and sisters in the House of God with those who are co-heirs of this testament; it is what Paul taught in the first Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11.

Since this commemoration prefigures the final meal, which will take place with Jesus at the time of the establishment of His Kingdom, it must therefore be celebrated with discernment and respect, out of consideration for the Person and Work of Jesus. In fact, where two or three people are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). As beneficiaries of the testament of Jesus, we have the joys of the Kingdom, but also the responsibility of proclaiming the Work of Redemption of Jesus Christ to all the nations.