Part 2

It will help us very much to understand this last supper of our Lord and Saviour if we go back and recall the circumstances of the first Passover supper fourteen hundred years before.

We read in the 12th of Exodus: "It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord, for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the Children of Israel in their generations."

You may remember that the children of Jacob had gone from Canaan into Egypt to buy food in a time of famine.

There they found their brother Joseph, whom they had sold as a slave, who now was the greatest lord in Pharaoh's kingdom.

Joseph was very kind to his brothers, and Pharaoh welcomed them and their father Jacob to stay in the land, and be nourished there.

But by and by there arose a king who did not remember Joseph, and he began to put burdens on these Children of Israel the Pharaohs, one after another, making them into slaves, till at last their bondage was so cruel that they turned to the Lord their God, and cried to Him to deliver them.

He raised up Moses; and at length there came a night—that wonderful night—when the whole multitude of the Children of Israel were delivered right out of Egypt!

God told Moses that on this night He was going to send a destroying angel through the land of Egypt, and that the firstborn of all the Egyptians and of every living thing was to be destroyed, as a great judgment.

But God had provided "a way of escape" for the Children of Israel.

He told them to take a lamb for each of their households, and to kill it and roast it and eat it that night in all their houses.

God told them that when they killed that lamb they were to save its blood in a basin, and take a bunch of hyssop and sprinkle that blood upon the lintel and on the side-posts of their doors; and He promised that if they did this, He would not allow the destroying angel to come near that house, and they would be perfectly safe. God said, "When I see the blood I will pass over you."

And this was why it was called "The Pass-over."

[Illustration: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.]

So during that night there was a dreadful cry in the land of Egypt, for in every house, where the blood had not been sprinkled, there was one lying dead!

The Egyptians were so terrified that they thrust out the Children of Israel—they and all their little ones escaped right out of the land of Egypt for ever! And this is why, the night before our Lord was crucified for us—the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world—He gathered His twelve disciples together, and sat down to eat that Feast with them in the upper room.

Jesus told them that, with great desire, He had desired to eat this Passover with them. He knew that to-morrow He would die.

And as they were eating, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and told them that one of them would betray Him.

Close to His side, leaning on His bosom, was the disciple whom Jesus loved; and Peter beckoned to him to ask the Lord who it would be who should betray Him?

So John, lying on Jesus' breast, whispered, "Who is it, Lord?" And Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I give a sop when I have dipped it." And he gave the sop to Judas Iscariot.

And as they were eating, Jesus "took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them saying, 'This is My Body, which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.' Likewise also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in My Blood, which is shed for you.'"

St. Paul says, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the Feast."

And from that Last Supper before His death, till now, nearly for two thousand years, in one unbroken chain, week by week, those who love Christ have partaken of this Holy Feast, in remembrance of Him, till He shall come back again.

The Holy Supper was over. Judas had left them to go and betray his Master, and was gone out into the darkness. In that wonderful conversation, as Jesus talked with them for the last time, He told them many things, which they understood more clearly afterwards. He told them that He would not leave them comfortless, but would come to them; He told them that He was going to prepare a place for all who loved Him, in the many mansions of His Father's house.

All His words were full of glory and comfort.

And then they sang a hymn together—Jesus and His disciples—and after that they went into the Mount of Olives, where the Easter Passover moon was shining among the sombre trees; and there it was that Judas found Him, and betrayed Him to the multitude.

VI. Peter Denies His Lord; and the Risen Saviour Forgives

The time had come at length for our Lord Jesus Christ to go to the death which He had come to bear for us.

He had told His disciples that He would be betrayed, and given into the hands of the Jews; and that now all the prophecies in the Old Testament about Himself were going to be fulfilled.

The disciples had listened, but they could not believe that such dreadful things would really happen to Him.

On the very night that He was betrayed by Judas, the Lord told them that all of them would be offended because of Him that night; and would forsake Him, but that after He was risen from the grave, He would go before them into Galilee, where they should see Him again.

Then Peter answered: "Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended!"

Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice."

Still, Peter, confident in himself, and confident in his love for his Master, said that he would rather die with Him than deny Him! And so they all said.

But Peter had to find out, by bitter experience, that he was weak in himself; for when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss in Gethsemane, and when the soldiers from the High Priest seized Him and too Him bound to Jerusalem, all the disciples forsook Him and fled!

[Illustration: PETER DENIES HIS LORD.]

Peter, however, followed Him afar off, right into the High Priest's palace; but the servants round the fire in the hall charged him with being one of the disciples, and their raillery, and the accusations of a maid, were Satan's wiles to cause Peter, to stumble and fall: and so he denied all knowledge of Jesus, with oaths and curses.

And at that moment the cock crew; and Peter remembered what Jesus had said: and horrified at what he had done, he hurried to the door; and as he went, the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And he went out and wept bitterly.

Poor sorrowful Peter! Ah, no one can fathom what he went through that night, and the next awful day of the Crucifixion: and the two following days, when the Lord's Body lay in the grave, and Peter recalled with agony that he had forsaken Him when He needed his love most! We can only picture it to ourselves; but it must have been truly dreadful.

At length came the third day, when Jesus had told the disciples He would rise from the dead.

Their hearts were so heavy with grief, and so slow to take in what our Lord had so constantly told them, that they did not expect, when they visited the grave on that third day, to find it empty!

The women with their loving hearts were the first to reach the spot, carrying sweet spices to anoint their Lord!

They had expected to find His dearly loved Body lying in the grave—dead. Instead, they found the grave empty and a Vision of Angels!

They were so frightened that they were hurrying away, but the Angel who was sitting within the empty tomb told them not to be frightened, for though they sought Jesus of Nazareth Who was crucified, yet He was not there, for He was risen!

And then the Angel gave them this message from God: "Go tell His disciples, and Peter, that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you."

Why was that separate message sent to Peter?

Oh, the graciousness of the forgiveness of Jesus! Peter had said "he was not one of them," meaning not one of His disciples. And it may be, that if the Angel's message had only been "Go, tell His disciples," that Peter would have been utterly hopeless.

But the sorrowing man had a message all to himself!

Ah, what that must have meant to Peter!

And we have another sweet assurance of the forgiving love of our God and Saviour.

We read, in the last chapter of Luke, that those two whom Jesus had met going to Emmaus after His Resurrection, had hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven that they had seen the Lord; and were greeted with the joyful news which the other disciples had also heard—that "the Lord was risen indeed, and had appeared to Simon Peter!"

We have no account of what Jesus said to Peter, nor what Peter said to Jesus.

But the fact is full of deepest comfort to all of us who so often grieve Him, that, in spite of Peter's sad denial, his risen Lord appeared to him, forgave him his sin, and restored him to his place among the others.

Thenceforward Peter became one of the most faithful of Christ's disciples; and when he preached that wonderful sermon at Pentecost, a few weeks afterwards, God gave him the honour of bringing three thousand souls to love and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was dead, but is alive again!

Many years afterwards, St. Paul mentions the name of Peter among the list of those who saw the Lord after His Resurrection. He calls him "Cephas;" but if you turn to the first chapter of St. John's Gospel, you will see that our Lord, when He makes Simon the son of Jonas one of His disciples, calls him Cephas, which means "a stone," or Peter; and I have read that Cephas means "a piece of Rock," and The Rock Itself—is Christ!

VII. "Father's Plan"

Now I want you to picture to yourselves an earthly father gathering his children around him before he took a journey.

He told them he would only be away a month, and at the end of that time it would be holiday time, and they could all prepare for a visit to the seaside.

He bade them get everything packed up; and he said he had engaged a house at a certain place, and had arranged with an experienced boatman to be at their service all day long.

He had hired a pony carriage for their mother, and everything was all ready when he should come home.

You can imagine how delighted the children were, and how they talked of nothing else but "Father's plan" for the whole month.

But did all this ever happen?

No; not one of these "plans" came to pass.

The cloud of war came that summer, and darkened all the bright prospect.

That visit to the seaside never came off. Instead, their father was detained in a foreign country for months and months; the lodgings were shut up, for the coast was in danger; the boatmen had to join the Navy; the holidays came, indeed, but an epidemic at the school spoilt all plans for many months, and the children had to learn, and so had the dear mother and father, what bitter disappointment means. And yet nothing seemed more certain than "Father's plan."

But there is One Whose Throne is above the highest Heavens; and when He plans, there is no mistake; no war can hinder it; no illness nor misfortune can prevent the carrying out of what He purposes.

In chapter xlvi, of Isaiah we read what God says about this, and it is a very solemn verse—

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure . . . I have purposed it, I will also do it."

When we look into our Bibles, and begin to think about the things which God has told people beforehand, and which have come to pass, we are amazed to find how many there are, and how wonderful are the fulfilments.

THE PROPHECY IN EDEN.

Gen. iii. 15.—Gal. iv. 4.

The first Prophecy, and with it a great Promise, was given by God in the Garden of Eden.

When Adam and Eve were disobedient, and were tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit, God could not let them stay in that beautiful garden any longer, but He told Adam he must go and dig the ground. And God told Satan that he would be like a Serpent always, and eat dust; and then God gave this promise to Eve, that her Seed—that meant one of her children's children, long after, should bruise the head of the Serpent who had deceived her.

And this came true four thousand years after!

God sent His Son; and it was through the death of Jesus on the Cross that He destroyed the power of Satan; for those who turn to Jesus Christ for Salvation have Everlasting Life given them.

PROPHECY OF THE FLOOD.

Gen. vi. 17.—1 Peter iii. 20.

In the two thousand years after that promise in the Garden of Eden, there came to be a great many people on the earth, but most of them were very wicked, and at last God said that He would destroy the wicked people by a great Flood, in one hundred and twenty years.

But there was one man who loved God, and his name was Noah.

So God told Noah He was going to send a Flood, and He instructed him to prepare an Ark, so that he and his family should be saved from the Flood.

But though it was such a long time that the Ark was being built, and God was very long-suffering, at last the day came when He told Noah to come into the Ark with his wife and children, and to take two, and in some cases seven pairs, of every living creature into the Ark with him.

Then "the Lord shut them in" safely, and the rain began, and never ceased till even the highest mountains were covered right up.

Thus the Word of the Lord, spoken one hundred and twenty years before, was fulfilled.

At length the rain stopped and the waters began to go down, and at last the Lord told Noah to come out of the Ark. So he and his family and all the living creatures came out; and Noah built an Altar, and the Lord accepted his sacrifice.

Then God gave a beautiful Promise and a beautiful Prophecy, and of both we see the constant fulfilment now.

The Promise was, that He would never send a Flood again: and the Prophecy was—"While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

And then God gave them the Token of His Promise, in putting His rainbow in the cloud whenever there is rain and the sun shines at the same time.

God said He would look upon the rainbow and remember His covenant not to send another Flood; and when we turn our eyes to that beautiful coloured arch above us, we can say reverently: "God is looking on that bow too."

The rain reminds us of the Flood; but the sunshine reminds us of God's love: and the rainbow itself reminds us that in that great love He gave His beloved Son. He is our rainbow of Promise.

VIII. Prophecy of the Jews: A Separate People

Numb. xxiii. 9.—Rom. ix. 4, 5.

I have heard children say carelessly:

"Oh, that is only an old Jew!"

And when my children were little, I used to tell them that we should love the Jews, and be kind to them, and pray for them. For they are God's own dear people, and our Lord Jesus Christ was a Jew, when He came to earth and took our human nature.

It is true that the Jews are scattered all over the world now for their unbelief and disobedience; but by and by, God tells us, they will be gathered in their sows land, and Jesus will reign over them as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

In Numbers xxiii. 9 we find a prophecy about the Jews. Balaam prophesied: "The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations."

God separated them in various ways to be His own people. He promised to go with them; and He also gave them certain laws which they were to keep. They were not permitted to marry outside their own nation; they were only allowed to use certain animals for food, and the animals must be killed in a certain way, so that the blood was poured out. They were forbidden to worship idols, or to follow the practices of the nations round them.

They were to keep one a day week holy, and they were to go up to Jerusalem once a year to keep the Passover.

These rules kept them separate from all other peoples, and as long as they obeyed God they were abundantly prosperous.

Thus the prophecy spoken by Balaam so long ago, about the Jews being a people apart by themselves, is fulfilled to the very letter to-day.

PROPHECY OF DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT.

Gen. l. 24.—Josh. xxiv. 32.

Once when God was talking to Abraham, and promising to give the Land of Canaan to his children, He told him that they should be strangers in a land which was not theirs for four hundred years, and should be afflicted by those among whom they dwelt; but "also the nation whom they shall serve will I judge," said God, "and afterwards shall they come out with great substance."

The Children of Israel, who are now called the Jews, travelled from Canaan into Egypt to their brother Joseph, because, of the great famine, and lived in Egypt for four hundred and twenty years.

But when Joseph came to die, he called his brothers to his side and uttered this prophecy: "I die; and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." And Joseph took an oath of his brothers, saying: "God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence."

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten years, and they embalmed and put him in a coffin in Egypt.

But when the time came for the children of Israel to be delivered from Egypt, as they escaped from their cruel task-masters, in all their hurry and confusion, Moses remembered to take the bones of Joseph with him; and as the Children of Israel wandered in the Wilderness, they bore that coffin with them, till at last they reached the land of Canaan which God had promised to give them. Here Joshua, who led the people after Moses' death, buried the bones of Joseph in Shechem, in a piece of ground which Jacob had bought before he was carried down into Egypt at the time of the famine.

Thus the prophecy uttered hundreds of years before was fulfilled to the very letter.

PROPHECY OF THE CAPTIVITY.

Jer. xxv. 12.—Dan. i. 1-3.—Ezra i. 1-6.

Many years had passed away, during which the Children of Israel had been governed by judges, and by the kings of Judah and Israel; but gradually the people got slack; they forgot the Lord that brought them out of the land of Egypt, and forsook His commandments and fell into idolatry and dreadful sin.

At length God told the Prophet Jeremiah that the sins of the people were so great that He must send Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to carry them away captives, and that they would serve him for seventy years, while the land of Canaan should be a desolation, and enjoy her Sabbaths.

We read in the first chapters of Daniel about this captivity.

Meanwhile God was very pitiful to His people whom He had had to punish, and He sent them this message through Jeremiah:—

"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform My good work toward you, in causing you to return to this place."

God told Jeremiah to tell them to build houses and make families during that seventy years; to pray for their enemies, and to ask God to send them peace. And God heard their prayers; and when the seventy years were accomplished, He fulfilled the prophecy in a very wonderful way, by raising up Cyrus, King of Persia, to send the Jews back to rebuild God's Temple at Jerusalem. And Cyrus helped them in every way, even giving them back the sacred vessels of the House of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken; and by encouraging his people to help the Jews by giving them silver and gold, and beasts to carry the treasures, and all that they needed.

Thus God fulfilled His own word, and the people returned at the end of the seventy years.

IX. "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord"

Isa. xl. 3.—Matt. iii. 3.

Seven hundred years before our Lord Jesus was born, in Bethlehem, the Prophet Isaiah foretold that a man would live in the wilderness, and would cry aloud, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make straight in the desert a highway for our God! . . . The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever! . . . O Jerusalem that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" That was the prophecy, and we read the fulfilment in the Gospels of Matthew and John.

"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, and saying, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!"

Do you not think that John the Baptist must have felt greatly honoured to know that he was this messenger of the Lord?

He was the cousin of the Lord Jesus. And before John's birth, an angel told his father, Zacharias, that his name was to be John, and that he should be great in the sight of the Lord, and should preach in the spirit and power of Elijah, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord.