In order to a better understanding of all that the Gospels tell us of
the Last Supper, it will be well to see how the Jews at that time kept
the Passover.
In the first place, on the day when the Paschal Lamb was to be killed
and eaten, the Jews were to put away out of their houses all leaven or
yeast, and live for a whole week on cakes made of unleavened dough:
hence the Feast of the Passover was also called the "Feast of
unleavened bread."
1. When the guests were assembled in the evening to eat the Passover,
the ceremonies began, by the master of the house giving to each one a
cup of wine mixed with water, saying at the same time, "Blessed be He
that created the fruit of the vine": then they all gave thanks and
drank the wine.
2. All the guests after drinking the wine, washed their hands; and
then the three things ordered by the Law of Moses, were placed on
the table before the master of the house. These three things were,
the Paschal Lamb roasted whole; two cakes of unleavened bread; and
a dish of bitter herbs. To these were added the remains of the
peace-offerings offered the day before, and some other meats; also a
thick sour sauce, intended to remind the Jews of the bricks made by
their forefathers in Egypt.
The master of the house, or whoever took the direction of the feast,
then ate, and gave to each of the guests a small piece of lettuce; at
the same time blessing God for the fruits of the earth; afterwards
each person present, ate a bit of the unleavened bread dipped in the
bitter herbs.
3. In the third place, all the dishes were taken off the table, and
the children, who were not of age to keep the feast, were called in:
the meaning of the Feast was then explained to them, in obedience to
the commandment of the Lord, spoken by Moses, saying, "And it shall
come to pass when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you,
and your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, Who
passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He
smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses."
4. After the young people had been duly taught, the supper was, in the
fourth place, again set upon the table. Each person then, in turn,
lifted up the bitter herbs and the unleavened cakes, and afterwards
joined in declaring, that they ate them in remembrance of the bondage
in Egypt, and the deliverance from it: then they praised God, by
singing the 113th and 114th Psalms; and having blessed the Lord, a
second cup of wine was drunk.
5. In the fifth place, the guests again washed their hands; and then
the master of the family took the two unleavened cakes, broke one of
them into pieces, and placed the broken pieces on the top of the whole
cake: after this, he blessed it; and each person taking one of the
broken pieces with some of the bitter herbs, dipped them into the sour
sauce, and ate them; they then blessed God again. Thanks were now
given over the remains of the yesterday's peace-offering, and some of
that eaten. The next step was to give thanks over the Paschal Lamb, of
which all partook. The Passover Feast was now, in fact, finished; but
the Jews made the supper last longer, by eating any other food they
liked; always taking care to _finish_ by swallowing a little morsel of
lamb, as after partaking of that, they were not supposed to eat
anything more that night.
6. In the sixth place, the hands were washed for the third time; and
the master of the house said a blessing over a third cup of wine,
which was then drunk by each guest. This third cup of wine was
commonly called the "Cup of Blessing." A fourth cup of wine was then
mixed with water; and over this, certain Psalms, from the 115th to
118th inclusive, were sung; and then a prayer concluded the whole
ceremony.
This was the manner in which the Jews kept the Passover Feast, when
Jesus ate it with His disciples. When Jerusalem was destroyed, the
Jews who were forced to go and live in other lands, could not
sacrifice the lambs in a proper manner; and therefore they used to put
a bit of unleavened bread under a napkin, and keep it for a last
mouthful, instead of the morsel of lamb.
In the impossibility of continuing to carry out the ordinances of the
Ceremonial Law, after the death of Jesus, we see the Hand of God,
fulfilling His Word.
The Passover was a type of Christ--signifying the deliverance of His
people from bondage to the Devil. When Christ had come, and once for
all made atonement as the Lamb of God, a ceremony to _prefigure_ His
sacrifice was out of place. Another rite was instituted, "in thankful
remembrance of His death." But the Jews, who would not believe that
Christ was the true Passover, endeavoured, and still do endeavour, to
observe that Law which He has done away with.
"And in the evening Jesus cometh with the twelve, and when the hour
was come, he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him." Then He told
them plainly that this was the last Passover He should eat on earth;
saying, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer; for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then when Jesus, as
Master of the family, had given the first cup to the disciples, "He
gave thanks and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I
say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the
kingdom of God shall come." Jesus being the true Lamb of God, now
about to be sacrificed for the deliverance of His people, would not
Himself partake of things, only appointed as _signs_ or _types_ of
what He was to accomplish by the sacrifice of Himself. When the
supper, or some part of it, was ended, there arose some strife or
dispute amongst the disciples, as to "which of them should be
accounted the greatest."
For this Jesus gently rebuked them; and then, wishing to set them an
example of humbleness and kindness, "He riseth from supper, and laid
aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself:" that is, He
took off His robe or upper garment, and then bound His other garments
round him with a towel, as was usually done by those who served, or
waited upon others. "After that he poureth water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel
wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter;" but he,
believing that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, could not bear the idea
of His acting a servant's part, and objected, saying "Lord, dost thou
wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." These words should have
overcome all doubts and scruples; but in his anxiety and zeal for what
he considered to be the glory of the Lord, Peter quite lost sight of
his own duty, which was to be obedient in all things, and hastily
exclaimed, "Thou shalt never wash my feet."
Peter was quickly recalled to a sense of his fault, for "Jesus
answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Such a
declaration might well alarm Peter, who really loved his Lord, and
wished to serve Him; and in his zeal he rushed into the opposite
extreme, and cried out, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and
my head." But true and perfect obedience is _doing exactly_, as _we
are told_, neither more nor less; and of this Peter was reminded by
Jesus, who "saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash
his feet, but is clean every whit."
But these words of our Lord had a further meaning. By washing their
feet, Jesus meant to teach His disciples, that as washing with water
was necessary to cleanse the body, so holiness and purity were
necessary to cleanse the soul: and that as through Him alone they
could receive the latter, He now used that "outward and visible sign"
as a type, or proof, of "the inward and spiritual grace" He would give
to them. By washing the feet _only_, Jesus signified, that those who
through faith and repentance were by His mercy cleansed from their
sins, and redeemed from the curse by His sacrifice, would only in
future need to be cleansed from such sins, as the weakness and frailty
of man cause him daily to fall into: just as a guest, who after making
himself clean to come to a feast, would only need, on his arrival, to
wash off the dust which must settle on his bare feet during his walk.
To the words thus spoken to Peter, Jesus added, "And ye are clean, but
not all": for knowing the hearts of all, He thus showed that the sin
of Judas was not hid from Him: the disciples naturally would not
understand these words, except Judas, whose conscience ought to have
reproached him. "After Jesus had washed their feet, and had taken his
garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I
have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so
I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also
ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent
greater than he that sent him."
These words are too plain to require much comment. Washing the feet,
was looked upon as the business of the lowest servant; and by taking
such an office upon Himself, the Lord and Master of all, Jesus taught
the disciples and all of us, that it can never be beneath us to do any
kind office in our power, to help our fellow creatures. Let us ever
remember, that Jesus Christ came upon earth not only to be a
"sacrifice for our sins," but also "an ensample (or example) of godly
life"; and that it is our duty as well as our happiness, to try in
everything to follow His example where He has set us one; and in other
matters, to think _how_, under the circumstances, _He would have been
likely_ to act, that we may do the same. This is, indeed, to follow
Christ; and so following we shall enter into His kingdom in Heaven.