Scripture to Read: Luke 22:1–2
Walking through the Book of Luke has shown us Jesus’ life. We only have chapters 22, 23, and 24 before us. God had Luke record this in Luke 22:1–2, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.” God had given the nation of Israel a command about the Passover Lamb and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12:1–27, when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt. God told them that it was to be a memorial to them, and they were to celebrate it as a feast to the Lord throughout every generation as a reminder of God delivering them from bondage. But the chief priests and scribes were not planning a celebration, but an execution. They knew they had to wait until the celebration was completed or the people might riot against them. In all these passages (Matthew 26:4, Mark 14:1, John 7:30, John 7:44, John 8:59, John 10:31, John 10:39, John 11:53), we see how the chief priests and scribes tried to find a way to kill Jesus at other times, but it wasn’t Jesus’s appointed time. Jesus knew He came to lay down His life for all mankind, but it would only happen according to the Father’s perfect will. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, and He became our offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2) so that we could be reconciled to God through Him.
Challenge & Application
Why were the Passover Lamb and the Feast of Unleavened Bread so important to observe?
How did Jesus become our offering and sacrifice to God so we could be reconciled to God through Him?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!