Ash Wenesday Preview - The Crucial Hours
He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” (Matthew 26:18 ESV)
This afternoon or this evening, in our Ash Wednesday services, we will study these words from Jesus, particularly the words, “I will keep the Passover.”
On that Thursday night, Jesus sent his disciples to prepare the Passover meal because God had commanded the people of Israel to observe the Passover every year, at the same time each year. But many Jews forgot this command of God. I’m sure some of them did not celebrate it because they thought they had better, more important things to do. But not Jesus. He was going to keep the command to observe the Passover.
Because that was what Jesus came to do. He had said earlier in his ministry that he had come to fulfill the law, and that meant the whole law of God, including the Passover. Though we will never be able to keep the law perfectly, we try our best, and think its good enough. But Jesus did keep the law perfectly, and by doing so, he fulfilled the law so that he might give that righteousness to us. This gives us the opportunity to want to obey God’s commands out of love and thanks to him for the forgiveness that he has given us. While we may not always measure up, we strive to obey God’s law. And when we fail, we know that our passover lamb has already been sacrificed, once for the forgiveness of all sins, for every time that we fail to keep God’s law. That is why Jesus kept the Passover, even though he had more pressing issues on that Thursday night. Amen.
The song for today is “The Lamb” By Concordia Publishing House