AS WE HAVE ALREADY seen, probably Jesus delivered the Olivet Discourse, which we have been studying during the past five months, on Tuesday evening as He sat on the Mount of Olives. So far as we know, Jesus never returned to the Temple for any other public activity. As to what He did on Wednesday and Thursday, we have no information. Hence, we must be silent in regard to this. Mark informs us, however, that two days after the deliverance of the Olivet Discourse, the Feast of the Passover and of unleavened bread drew near. The question arises, Does this put the Passover on Thursday of Passion Week? It would seem to do this. If so, that would put the arrest of the Lord Jesus on Thursday evening and the crucifixion on Friday, which position seems to be correct.

The Gospel Records show that the leaders of the Jews--the chief priests, scribes, and elders--were planning Christ's destruction. They were seeking an opportunity that they might take Him by craft or subtlety and put Him to death. But they were afraid to do this, because they feared that there would be a popular uprising among the populace. It is hard to conceive of men, in the position of the leaders of Israel, stooping to such depths. But sometimes Satan influences even good men to do evil, wicked things. Let us, in this connection, remember that Christ was delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, as the Apostle Peter, by inspiration, stated on Pentecost (Acts 2:23). God had determined that Christ should suffer and die for the redemption of the world. Whenever there is a dirty job to be performed, God selects those who themselves qualify for such a work. Men, by their failures, shortcomings, and sins, qualify for doing evil things that are necessary to be performed.

The passover lamb was slain on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish religious year, which comes around our Easter. One should study Exodus, chapters 12 and 13, in order to get the historical background of the Passover. Asaph, in Psalm 81:1-7 refers to the institution of the Passover. The passover lamb was typical of the Son of God. "For our passover also hath been sacrificed even Christ," so stated the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians, chapter 5. The blood of the paseover lamb was sprinkled upon the doorposts and lintels by the Hebrews the night when Israel left Egypt. The death angel passed over the land and slew the first-born in every house where there was no blood. There was power in that blood, which was typical of the blood of Christ. One must screen himself behind the blood of Christ, who is our passover, if he is to escape eternal punishment, banishment from the presence of God and the glory of His might forever.

The Passover was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was a feast to symbolize the purity of life that those who are cleansed and protected by the blood of Christ should live. Leaven is always a symbol of something evil. The Israelites had to search diligently to see that there was no leaven of any kind in their homes. This little ceremony, a very significant one indeed, was to indicate that all malice and evil of every type must be eliminated from the life of the redeemed soul in order to be well pleasing to the Lord.

Matthew (26:6-13) and Mark (14:8-9) and John (12:3-8) tell us of the anointing of the Lord Jesus by Mary, when He was in the house of Simon the leper at Bethany. Luke, whose record we are studying in this series, omits this incident, which is indeed a very important one. In the eyes of Mary there was nothing too dear to be used for her Lord. When she anointed Him with this precious nard, Judas immediately objected, saying that it could have been sold for a great sum and the money given for the poor. He was not really interested in the poor. He was interested in getting more money, for it was he who was the treasurer of the group, and constantly stole from the treasury that which was deposited. It is very easy for some people to become quite pious all of a sudden, and critical of others. Those practicing such tactics are not deceiving anyone but themselves.

When this objection was raised, Jesus said nothing should be done to the woman; for she was doing this in preparation for His burial: "She hath done what she could; she hath anointed my body beforehand for the burying. 9 And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her" (Mark 14:8,9). Nothing is too good for our Lord, who did everything for us to redeem us and to purchase us unto God.

In Luke 22:3-6 we have an account of Satan's having entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples. He was an adversary from the very beginning. The Lord Jesus knew that He had to be betrayed. He therefore was led to select as one of His disciples a man qualified to commit such a dastardly crime as to betray Him.

We are told that Satan entered into Judas. John, in speaking of this, said that the devil "having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him...." (John 13:2). Satan is always on the job. He is busy all the time, seeking every opportunity to take advantage of those who do not know of his existence and of his wiles.

Satan is constantly transforming himself into an angel of light and is always making suggestions to people, who little realize the source of the thoughts which come into their minds. "And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (II Cor. 11:14,15).

When Satan put it into the heart of Judas to betray the Lord, he went out immediately and made a bargain with the chief priests and the captains to deliver Jesus to them--a contract to betray the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. That he would do this was foretold by Zechariah when the latter impersonated the Messiah in the temple precincts before the rulers of the Jews and the worshipers present (Zech. 11:1-14). After Judas made the bargain to betray the Lord Jesus, he sought every opportunity of delivering Christ over to the authorities, at a time when the multitude was absent. But he had great difficulty in finding the opportune time.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us about Christ's sending two of His disciples to go to a certain place where they were to make ready the Passover, that they might eat it. Matthew and Mark simply say that two of the disciples were sent. Luke, however, tells us that those two disciples were Peter and John. According to our Lord's instructions, the two Apostles were to go into the city and, as they were entering, they would see a man carrying a pitcher of water. They were to follow him and were to tell the master of the house: "The Teacher saith unto thee, "Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready" (vss. 11,12). Peter and John obeyed the Lord's instructions and found the place, "as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover."

Our Lord's observance of the Passover Supper is so very important that I wish to quote the full statement of Luke, which is found in Luke 22:14-18, and which reads as follows: "And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come." The reader should note carefully that Jesus was talking about the Passover Supper, for which everything had been prepared by Peter and John. At the right time He sat down and, before beginning, He said that it was with desire that He had desired to eat that Passover with them before He suffered. For, He assured them, He would never partake of it again until it would be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. By this language He implied that, when it was fulfilled in the kingdom of God, He will again partake of the Passover. There is no escaping the plain teaching of this statement. After having made the assertion that He would not again eat the Passover until He eats of it in the kingdom of God, then Jesus re-emphasized the same thought in verse 18 by saying: "I shall not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine [the cup used in connection with the Passover Supper] until the kingdom of God shall come." In view of these two plain statements, we may be certain that our Lord will, when the kingdom of God comes in its fullness and power, observe the Passover. In fact, we have assurances back in the Old Testament that at least some of the ritualism of the Old Testament ceremonial system will be re-inaugurated and will be observed during the millennial reign of our Lord. For instance, in Zechariah, chapter 14, we see that the Feast of the Tabernacles, the last feast of the Jewish religious year, will be observed by all peoples on the earth. According to Ezekiel there will be a re-inauguration of many of the sacrifices that were in vogue during the Mosaic economy. Why will these Old Testament sacrifices, which look forward to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and which were discontinued after Christ nailed them to the cross and took them out of the way, be re-inaugurated in the Millennium? Of course, that point has not been made very clear in the Scriptures, but I believe that we are safe in saying that those things will have a retrospective function, just as they had a prospective one before the cross. It will be necessary for the people to have their minds called, in a graphic manner, throughout the Millennium, to the fact that their redemption was purchased with a price, yea, even with the precious blood of the Son of God. Thus those sacrifices and institutions will have the same function that they did before the cross of Christ, pointing people back to the Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sin of the world.

In Luke 22:24-30 we are told that the disciples had a contention among themselves as to who should be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The cropping out of this jealousy had appeared something like six months before this time--when the disciples were returning to Galilee after an absence of six months in four different retirements. One judges from Luke's statement that this controversy was revived, even at the time of the observing of the Passover. On the former occasion when the disciples had disputed as to rank among them, Jesus took a little child and set it in the midst of the crowd and taught them that they would have to become as little children, or they could in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt., chap. 18)

On this occasion He taught the same lesson of humility, but did so by an example of His taking the place of a servant. This is seen in the incident of His arising during the Passover Supper and girding Himself with a towel and washing the disciples' feet (John 13:1-20).

It is clear from what John records regarding our Lord's washing the disciples' feet that He was teaching them the lesson of humility, and that they should not strive to push themselves forward in the eyes of men, but should take the position of servant of all. The Apostles nowhere observed footwashing as an ordinance. But they did practice and teach humility, therefore we conclude that Jesus was teaching the lesson of humility by His washing the disciples' feet.

After Jesus sat down, having washed the disciples' feet, He called attention to the fact that one of those who were with Him at the table would betray Him. All asked, "Is it I?" When Judas asked if it were he, then the Lord told him that he was the one. Judas put his hand with the Lord's in the dish, and Jesus made a sop and gave it to him and told him that what he was to do, he should do quickly--that is, he should go out and execute his plan of delivering Jesus to the Pharisees, as he had agreed with them to do.