Word for Wednesday
Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover? Matthew 20:28
The Seder meal that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday called Passover is traditionally a family event. Family members from three or more generations gather to eat this ceremonial meal that marks the anniversary of the meal that the Children of Israel ate on the eve of their deliverance from Egypt. Much preparation went into the meal, which had a lengthy list of requirements. Once assembled, the family members would move through an evening of carefully orchestrated steps, including the eating of various foods and the drinking of various cups at specific times. That the Lord Jesus was going to eat the Passover with His disciples was of deep significance, because it indicated a deep family-like bond among these men. Because the Lord Jesus had no earthly home in which to gather with His family, the disciples asked a very relevant question in our text today. We may well ask a similar question today regarding a difference feast, one that is relevant to us.
In the Old Testament, God made it clear to His people that they were not to make their sacrifices or perform the ordinances of their religion in every place. Explicit instructions were given as to the tabernacle, and later to the temple, which were the exclusive location for the sacrifices. Only when these locations were completed according to the pattern that God had given were the Israelites assured of the presence of God. There is a pattern today for the people of God, a pattern we must follow to be assured of the Lord’s presence when we eat the meal that He has given to us.
We can be assured of the presence of our Lord when we are a company of believers who have been gathered to His Name (Matthew 18:20). As the Assembly functions in accordance with the pattern unveiled to us in the Gospels and the book of Acts, we can appreciate the presence of the Lord Jesus in our meetings. One of these meetings is the Breaking of Bread, or the Lord’s Supper, often referred to as the Remembrance meeting. As we examine the New Testament saints in the Gospels and in the epistles, we find no reference of their ever carrying out this feast in a place and in a situation other than where the Assembly has been gathered. And the principles of the Old Testament hold: public acts of worship were to be in specific locations that God had ordained. Today, He has ordained His local Assembly, and the Lord Jesus desires that we gather as an Assembly to eat the feast of remembrance.
There is no provision for an ad-hoc gathering for the Lord’s Supper in our day. Only by obeying His Word can we enjoy the presence of the Lord Jesus when we eat this feast. -Jim MacIntosh