Matthew 26:17-25 is about the Passover, and it can be divided into two groups as follows:
Matthew 26:17-19
26:17. Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"
26:18 And 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."'"
26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
Now the Passover is our deliverance from sins up to the peak, namely the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
The Passover will peak on the marriage supper of the Lamb, namely the deliverance of the Church of the Lord from all sins and the world to meet the Lord on glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time.
'A certain man' means everybody. Thus, everybody can be delivered from sin to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, the matter is whether we want or not. Not being willing to be delivered from sin nowadays, one will be left when Jesus comes a second time.
The preparation of the Passover relates to 'My time is at hand'.
'My time is at hand' in Matthew 26 indicates us that the time of the death of Jesus, Passover Lamb, is at hand. Jesus must die on the cross but He will rise and ascend to heaven, and He will come a second time.
In the last days, ''My time is at hand' relates to the time of Jesus' second coming which is drawing near.
Revelation 22:20
22:20. He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
'Surely I am coming quickly!' points to the readiness of Jesus to come a second time in glory as the King of kings and Heavenly Bridegroom.
'Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!' points to the readiness of the Church of God to welcome Jesus' second coming.
Revelation 22:21
22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christbe with you all. Amen."
The preparation of the Church to welcome Jesus' second coming is very short, namely LIVING IN THE GRACE OR MERCY OF GOD.
1 Peter 2:19-21,24
2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
Living in the grace or mercy of God means as follows:
- Verse 17-19 about the preparation.
- Verse 20-25 about eating the Passover.
Matthew 26:17-19
26:17. Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"
26:18 And 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."'"
26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
Now the Passover is our deliverance from sins up to the peak, namely the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
The Passover will peak on the marriage supper of the Lamb, namely the deliverance of the Church of the Lord from all sins and the world to meet the Lord on glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time.
'A certain man' means everybody. Thus, everybody can be delivered from sin to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, the matter is whether we want or not. Not being willing to be delivered from sin nowadays, one will be left when Jesus comes a second time.
The preparation of the Passover relates to 'My time is at hand'.
'My time is at hand' in Matthew 26 indicates us that the time of the death of Jesus, Passover Lamb, is at hand. Jesus must die on the cross but He will rise and ascend to heaven, and He will come a second time.
In the last days, ''My time is at hand' relates to the time of Jesus' second coming which is drawing near.
Revelation 22:20
22:20. He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
'Surely I am coming quickly!' points to the readiness of Jesus to come a second time in glory as the King of kings and Heavenly Bridegroom.
'Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!' points to the readiness of the Church of God to welcome Jesus' second coming.
Revelation 22:21
22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christbe with you all. Amen."
The preparation of the Church to welcome Jesus' second coming is very short, namely LIVING IN THE GRACE OR MERCY OF GOD.
1 Peter 2:19-21,24
2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
2:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
Living in the grace or mercy of God means as follows:
- Enduring grief, suffering wrongfully.
- Following Jesus' steps, namely the step of death and resurrection, the steps with blood sign.
- Water baptism (the Court).
Romans 6:2-4
6:2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Being baptized of water means following Jesus' steps, namely the step of death and resurrection.
The true water baptism is we who have died to sin are buried in water together with Jesus, so we rise in new life.
1 Peter 2:24
2:24who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
The new life is LIFE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESSor life in righteousness. All aspects of our life must be righteous.
1 Peter 2:22-23
2:22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
Living for righteousness means as follows:- Not sinning/not doing false things.
- Not slandering, not lying.
- Not repaying evil for evil but repaying good for evil.
Repaying evil for good equals to Satan, and one will never be righteous.
As a result, we have the power of Jesus' stripesto heal our physical and spiritual diseases.
The examples of spiritual disease are as follows:- Suffering because of sinning. The sin must be confessed soon, so the stripes of Jesus will heal.
- Being hurt in heart because of slander or scorn. Let us return to the truth and the stripes of Jesus will heal us.
- Not sinning/not doing false things.
- Being shepherded (the Holy Place).
1 Peter 2:21,25
2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Being shepherded equals to following the step of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Where must we be shepherded?
We must be shepherded to the True Vine, namely the true teaching Word.
The requirements of being shepherded are as follows:- Being in sheepfold or persevering in doing three main services to the Lord.
John 10:1-2
10:1. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
10:2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
First, a pastor must be shepherded. A pastor who is outside the sheepfold is a thief or a robber.
The shepherding is as a narrow gate or suffering in the flesh, but it equals to following the step of Jesus' death and resurrection. Therefore, we have to fight for it! Maybe human cannot see but the Lord sees.
Only people who get the grace and mercy of God are willing to pass through the narrow gate. Being outside the shepherding means not being in the God' grace and mercy yet. - Hearing and obeying the shepherding Word.
To be obedient is also a tearing of flesh.
Being obedient in doing something which seems to be impossible, we will get the result which seems to be impossible too.
Exodus 9:24,26
9:24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
Judgment will come upon the whole world, one of which is the hail.
But in Goshen (shepherding) we will get God's protection.
Revelation 16:21
16:21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
The world will get the seven judgments three times as follows:- 7 judgments of seal,
- 7 judgments o trumpet,
- 7 judgments of bowl.
The hailstone about the weight of 50 kilograms will come upon human. It is a prophecy which will happen in the last days.
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The hail refers to the crisis of love, namely disobedience to the voice of shepherd or God's Word because of hearing strange voice as follows:- The voice of the flesh or its lust which drags and deceives.
- Other teachings which are contrary to what we have received.
- Gossips none can be responsible of.
The consequence of hearing strange voice is as follows:- Going astray and losing the direction to New Jerusalem.
- Being rebellious as Korah, insisting flesh things and murmuring.
- Being unfaithful even leaving the service and ministry.
Hebrews 10:25-27
10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 10:27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
The crisis of love happens also in marriage, so there is rebellion in it in the forms of hatred, strife, sexual affairs, even divorce and getting married after being divorced.
Matthew 10:21
10:21 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
We will have the rain of God's mercy in the true shepherding, and we can be obedient whatever risk we have to face.
It means we lift up our hand to God and He will stretch His hand to us, we are living in the hand of Chief Shepherd. As a result, our body, soul, and spirit are preserved by Him until we are perfect, just as King David has said "I shall not want."
The shepherding is the most complete place for preserving our lives. - Being in sheepfold or persevering in doing three main services to the Lord.
- The sprinkling of blood (the Most Holy Place).
1 Peter 4:12-14
4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
4:14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
The sprinkling of blood means suffering without any sin.
Suffering without any sin, we are receiving the spirit of glory.
The function of the spirit of glory is as follows:- To give us extra strength, so we are not hopeless and disappointed in suffering without any sin, but we can rejoice.
- To help us in worshipping God with groanings which cannot be uttered, to encourage us to fall down at His feet.
Romans 8:26
8:26. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
John 11:5-6,31-32
11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
11:6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
11:31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."
11:32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
There will be no glory without the test.
Finding a mistake while we are suffering, let us confess it. If there is no mistake, just wait for the spirit of glory.
Mary was allowed to suffer in order to be able to fall down at Jesus' feet.
Be alert, there were two possibilities in facing the test as follows:- Being without the spirit of glory, one weeps, murmurs, and blames God. Consequently, there will be forever perdition.
- Falling down at Jesus' feet, we confess that we are unworthy (it is good if we do not get the help because we are unworthy), and powerless, and we confess that we are worthy of being trampled.
It is the time to drag the hand of God's mercy to perform miracles.
John 11:39-40
11:39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
Martha needed to be renewed because she often used her own logic and thought. The flesh thought and feelings must be renewed to become the thought and feelings of Jesus.
Falling down means believing and entrusting ourselves fully to God.
If the spiritual miracle, namely life renewal, happens, the physical one will happen for sure.
In suffering, God is waiting for our falling down at His feetto confess that we are only clay, and to believe and entrust our life to Him.
- Being without the spirit of glory, one weeps, murmurs, and blames God. Consequently, there will be forever perdition.
- To give us extra strength, so we are not hopeless and disappointed in suffering without any sin, but we can rejoice.