Tuesday, May 20 – Matthew 25, 26

1. Why couldn’t the oil for the wedding lamps be shared? Matthew 25:8, 9

2. What were Jesus’ words to the owner of the house? Matthew 26:18

3. What prediction did Jesus make to the disciples after supper, and what prophecy would it fulfill? Mathew 26:31

Matthew 25 includes the 10 virgins, representing current Christians, all of whom were asleep, and only half of whom had enough oil to endure until the coming Bridegroom. There is also a warning concerning the judgment in relation to how we use the talents God has given us, and how we treat those who are less fortunate.

Matthew 26 focuses on the events surrounding the time of Yeshua’s last supper. How well do you know that account? Do you know what bread Yeshua (the Hebrew name of Jesus) said represented His body? Do you know why He chose that symbol beyond being unleavened? Do you know what cup He took and said it represented His blood? Do you know why He used dipping to point out Judas as the one who would betray Him? Do you know what hymn they sang?

If we understood the Passover, we would know all the answers to those questions. They are mentioned in the Passover Haggadahs (Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover) used during Passover.

In Exodus 12, we are told to remember the Passover and to eat bitter herbs. In the
Passover Haggadahs, we are instructed to dip a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) into horse radish twice. This is undoubtedly the symbol that Yeshua used to try to convict Judas.

The first time, we dip the matzah into only horseradish, but the second time, we dip the
matzah into horseradish and into what is called charoset, which is a mixture of apples,
walnuts and grape juice blended to a mortar consistency. The charoset is a sweet
mixture, which reminds us that even in our bitter experiences here on earth they are
sweetened by hope, faith, and God’s mercy.

By using the dipping into the horseradish as the sign, it was as if Yeshua was saying to
Judas, “Judas, you are very bitter. You think you are better than others, feel your
talents are not recognized enough, are discontent, and manipulate circumstances. Still, I can override your bitterness and change your life with my sweetness.”

“Also, because of your choices, you are going to cause me to go through a very bitter situation for the next several hours. I am going to be falsely accused, dragged through the city, condemned, beaten, have my flesh ripped out by whips with metal hooks, and God will place on Me the sins of the entire world. But through my suffering, the lives of many will be made sweet.”

There is a message here for us as well.

If you have been bitterly abused, neglected, mistreated, forgotten, overlooked, falsely
accused, wrongly condemned, fired, abandoned, left, beaten, raped, manipulated, or gone through other bitter experiences that, unfortunately, are not uncommon to humanity, allow God to cover your life with His mercy, His love, His goodness, His acceptance, Hisembrace. Let Him take your and pain. Allow Him to bear their sins against you and nail it to the cross.

Or if you have been the abuser and have caused other people to experience bitterness
because of the way you have mistreated them or neglected them, take your sins to the
cross, confess your sins to Him, die with Him, and accept your guilt and old ways of living to be crucified with Messiah, buried in the depths of the sea, and allow Him to resurrect a new life in you, one filled with the sweetness of His Holy Spirit, making you sweet aroma for God and those around you.

As for the other questions regarding which matzah, which cup, and which hymn, I invite you to watch the Ultimate Passover at www.ShalomAdventure.com.

Has it dawned on you that the modern-day “communion,” based on a Protestant
modification of a Catholic tradition, greatly lacks understanding of what happened during that important night of the Lord’s last Passover? While we can no longer truly “keep” the Passover with its sacrifices, etc., we can do better than replacing it with a watered-down version. “For indeed Messiah, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8.

Pastor Jeff Zaremsky