The Passover Of God’s Servant

"Picturing His Sacrifice"

Book of Mark Chapter 14:1-25

As Jesus approached the days of His "Passion", He explained to the soon to be Apostles, of the New Testament Church, to teach the Church to "watch" to see how His Word would be fulfilled.

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we are not to concern ourselves with the turmoils of this world but we are to be aware of their happening!

We are to concentrate ourselves with the work Jesus has given us to do, while still keeping a watchful eye on His coming to get His Bride!

The "death" of our Savior is only a few days away but Jesus would not be our Savior, if He had not risen from that grave.

Jesus Christ was born as a babe, to die for our sins, and to resurrect for our newness of life as babes in Christ!

Let’s continue:

*****Mar 14:1  After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
Mar 14:2  But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

The "Passover" was both memorial and symbolic!

It was a "memorial" to the memory of that first passover in Egypt.

It was "symbolic" because it’s ultimate fulfillment was at Calvary, on a hill called "Golgotha"!

The Bible teaches us with these words:

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ "our passover" is sacrificed for us:

On the 10th day of the month of the Passover, (Abib, now Nisan) each family was to select a perfect lamb and keep it under close observation, to make sure it was perfect, until the 14th day.

These same four days, we will observe as Jesus prepares for His last four days before He is crucified.

We have just witness as Jesus rode that foal of a donkey into Jerusalem on "Psalm Sunday" and the multitudes went before Him and behind Him crying Hosanna.

Jesus has already arrived in Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple.

Jesus has already cursed the fig tree, (representing Israel).

Jesus has already given what is called, the Olivet Discourse.(Last two weeks lessons)

So we will begin our lesson here:

Mat 26:1  And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Mat 26:2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Jesus gives us our time frame.

Two days before the observance of the Feast of the Passover, these things we read will take place.

We should also keep in mind that the day after the Passover Feast would begin the "Feast of the Unleavened Bread".

While also remembering that the Jewish day always begins in the evening (6 o’clock).

The beginning of Passover Feast was celebrated before 6 P.M. with the Feast of Unleavened Bread to begin at 6 P.M.

These two feast were observed in one meal!

It is the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" that symbolizes deliverance and freedom from sin, which was obtained by the offering of the "Passover Lamb"!

There could be no deliverance from sin, nor freedom from sin, until the Lamb was sacrificed and the blood applied!

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

These are a lot of things to consider while Jesus walks with joy to the Cross!

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

While these crafty enemies of Jesus were plotting His death, Jesus was with His friends.

*****Mar 14:3  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

We can be sure that this Simon was no longer a leper as he would be breaking the Jewish law. Lepers were not allowed to live among the people.

The Lord Jesus had healed many lepers which is a true miracle as leprosy still has no sure cure in our day.

Some believe, as I do, that this Simon was the relative of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

Joh 12:2  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Joh 12:3  Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

This home would have been just over a mile and a half from Jerusalem.

This was a happy home and a place full of love. They loved the Lord and He loved them. There was no better place for Jesus to spend some of his last moments before He was to die.

We should all strive to have a home where Jesus is welcomed to stop in at any time. This is part of the "watching" that we are supposed to be doing!

Alabaster is a carvable lime stone and at that time was mined at Alabastrom in Egypt from which it gets it’s name.

Later most every perfume holding vessel was called an alabaster box.

Spikenard was a very precious and very costly perfume of that day and is made from  "a plant" and the smell of it is said to be unequalled.

In fact this fragrance can be considered a type of Jesus Christ:

Eze 34:29  And I will raise up for them "a plant of renown", and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

But also it could be said that the smell of the spikenard is the "aroma" the Lord wants of His Bride:

Son 4:10  How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and "the smell of thine ointments" than all spices!

In either case Mary anointed the Lord Jesus Christ, but there are always those object to things done for the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Mar 14:4  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
Mar 14:5  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

We could have many discussions on why Mary did this thing but we must first make our own selves aware that there is nothing that we can do for the Lord that can equal to what He has done for us.

There is probably not anything Mary would not have done for the Lord.

Simon a relative, maybe even a father had been healed of leprosy.
Lazarus a dear brother had been raised from the dead.
She had felt and see the love that Jesus had for her family.
Why would she not do this thing?

The Lord Jesus Christ has saved us from the pits of the "Burning Lake Of Fire", why should we not do everything in power to please Our Lord?

To the men in that room, pouring perfumed oil on the Lord Jesus just did not seem right.

Not many men want to smell like women, though we love for our women to smell real good!

It was just not a manly thing to do!

But there was one man in that room that had his own motive:

Joh 12:4  Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
Joh 12:5  Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

A pence was a days wages for the poor worker of that day. This bottle of perfume was nearly a years wages.

Count that by today’s standards and we can see that 300 pence was a lot of money in that day.

In fact the money spent on perfume throughout our world today could feed all the poor that are starving to death in our world today.

But Judas was thinking only of himself!
 
Joh 12:6  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

And Jesus said:

*****Mar 14:6  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

Mary realized that these men who traveled with Jesus objected to what she was doing and she became uneasy.

But Jesus said "Let her alone"!

Jesus had looked into Mary’s heart and He knew that it was only out of goodness that Mary had done this thing and she had had no other motive. It was just something that she could do and was capable of doing it!

This action of pouring this perfume on the Lord, was a sign of her "faith" in what Jesus had been saying.

Mary had clearly understood that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to die on that cross in her place.

No one else may have realized this but Mary did and Jesus said this would be a memorial to her!

*****Mar 14:7  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
Mar 14:8  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
Mar 14:9  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

There are many reasons that there will always be poor people living in this world.

The biggest reason is that the resources of our world are placed, by Satan, into the hands of men that maintain complete control of them.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We should also realize that if there were no poor then, there would be no place to show charity and kindness.

These are those that are poor of no fault of their own.

Deu 15:11  For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

And there will always some be poor because of their own sinful ways!

Luk 8:18  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

And there will always be those that are to lazy to help themselves!

2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

There will be the poor in human flesh on this Earth until the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem!

The Lord Jesus Christ, Emmanuel(God in human flesh), was only on this Earth for 33 and one half years and He would have been included with the poor under man’s standards!

The Lord never had a place to lay His head on this earth!

**********"She hath done what she could".

The Lord Jesus has only one expectation from any of us. He expects us all to do what we can!

Mary did all she could knowing that what Jesus had come to accomplish, was in the hands of God.

Mary greatly loved the Lord and through that love, she knew she wanted to do something for the Lord.

Not out of need. Not out of duty. Not out of request. But only out of "LOVE".

Sometimes we may only be able to pray, especially those that have reached an age when they physically are unable to do many things.

As long as we have a voice, we can all sing songs of praise, and share a kind word.

As long as we have eyes we can offer a kind look.

As long as we have feelings and compassion, we can share those with others.

There is no one is so humble or even so poor that they cannot do something for The Lord!

God has keen eyes and He looks more for the little things than for the greater things, but those that are more able are expected to do more things.

Mary chose to do something probably no man would have thought of doing and it is remembered forever in the Word of God.

But this was the straw that broke the camel’s back to one man in particular, Judas Iscariot.

*****Mar 14:10  And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
Mar 14:11  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Judas the traitor!

Judas finally realized that Jesus indeed was going to die and as he had been a disciple in His life, he wanted to make sure he was part of His death.

Judas had been rebuked by the Lord for his murmuring against what he said was a wasteful act.

This woman had been praised for what seemed like nothing to Judas.

If Jesus was the Messiah and was about to die, Judas could not see a fulfillment of the scriptures and he no longer believed the Word of God.

Mary had given her best in faith and love, Judas gave his worst in unbelief and hatred!

The Jewish leaders did not know how to arrest Jesus without causing a riot but that problem was now solved.

Judas would lead them to Jesus in a secret place, when He was alone with the other 11 disciples.

If we look back at what God said about Pharaoh, we can see that it would also apply to Judas Iscariot:

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

And we should also realize that both these men were offered many opportunities to repent and they both chose not to!

Judas sold his Master for the price of a slave:

Exo 21:32  If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

This also fulfilled prophecy:

Zec 11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zec 11:13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

A freeman could have been ransomed for 60 pieces of silver but these chief priests could only see the price of a slave!

Luke said Judas made this promise to the chief priests:

Luk 22:6  And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

It was now time:

Joh 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, "when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father", having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

*****Mar 14:12  And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

The Passover Lamb commemorated the deliverance from Egypt and was to slain and eaten with unleavened bread on the 14th day of the first month.

The unleavened bread was then to be eaten for 7 total days.

Jesus Christ is our passover and was sacrificed for us!

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

So, Jesus had already made these arrangements Himself, for it was furnished and prepared.

*****Mar 14:13  And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
Mar 14:14  And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
Mar 14:15  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.

While Jesus and eleven of the disciples were still in Bethany, He sent John and Peter to prepare the passover meal.

The Passover meal had to be eaten in Jerusalem because the Temple was in Jerusalem!

Luk 22:8  And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.

Judas was in the act of betrayal but would return later to travel with Jesus to this upper room.

According to the Laws of Moses, the lamb was to be slain and the meal prepared between the evening of the Passover the 14th and the beginning of the Feast of unleavened bread the 15th.

Before the 15th day ended Jesus would be dead and buried!

A man bearing a pitcher of water would have been very noticeable because this was a job normally done by women.

This guestchamber we know was in the house of Mark, who wrote the Book of Mark, and he was probably young about 12 years old at this time.

Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

This is the same Mary who was sister to Barnabas, who traveled with the apostle Paul.

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

To make ready, meant that a lamb had to be bought and carried to the Temple for slaughter, and the fat burnt on the altar.

It would then be brought to the home and roasted whole and served with bitter herbs.

And so Peter and John obeyed the Lord.

The Apostle John will write 9 chapters in the Book of John, describing the events that happened during and after this Passover meal.

*****Mar 14:16  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Mar 14:17  And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

Peter and John found that things were just as the Lord Jesus had described.

Jesus knew what was about to happen because this was His plan!

Joh 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

*****Mar 14:18  And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

Only Judas knew the truth of what the Lord was saying but Judas kept quiet!

The Lord Jesus already knew what was going to happen next, and He was offering Judas one more chance to repent.

This is something that is very important to us and that is why it was written for those that read the "Gospel".

Jesus Christ never missed an opportunity to teach, even at His last meal, know He was about to die!

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We need to see what happened just before Jesus said these words.

Joh 13:4  He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
Joh 13:5  After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Jesus Christ washed the feet of His 12 disciples, including the man who was fixing to betray Him.

Then Jesus said:

Joh 13:10  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, "but not all".

There was still one man, Judas, that needed more than just washing away the filth of this world.

Judas kept quiet.

It is then that Jesus had these words:

Joh 13:21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, "that one of you shall betray me".

Judas kept quiet.

And even after this Jesus still allowed this traitor another opportunity:

*****Mar 14:19  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
Mar 14:20  And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

And Judas kept quiet.

We know that John sat next to Jesus and Peter told John to ask who the traitor was.

Joh 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Joh 13:24  Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
Joh 13:25  He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

Jesus whispered back to John:

Joh 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Judas again kept quiet but the Lord Jesus, knowing that the Devil was in control Judas, told him to go and get it done!

But Luke describes to us an even greater thing for the New Testament Church, during this last meal:

Luk 22:15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Luk 22:17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

*****Mar 14:21  The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

The soul of man is immortal!

Humans can only be immortal because "immortality is a gift from God"!

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

But man in his human flesh will perish!

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Humans in their earthly life are mortal beings subject to death and their are no means to extend death to immortality by human methods!

Eternal life is the gift of God and because God is no respecter of persons, He has given this eternal life to every soul.

BUT, While we are yet living we must decide where our soul will spend eternity!

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Judas Iscariot passed up an opportunity to spend eternal life with the Lord in Heaven and by doing so, he insured he would spend eternity in damnation!

Jesus says, it would be better to have never lived than to spend eternity in everlasting punishment!

We have no control over whether we are born or not born but we do have some say in where we will spend eternity!

We can conclude that it is because of this life in the flesh, that we get this chance to spend eternity in a place we call Heaven, in eternal bliss, the highest degree of happiness.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

When we get a taste of Heaven while we are living, we will be glad we had this opportunity!

Thank You Jesus!

Next the Lord’s Supper

*****Mar 14:22  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

As these future apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ were eating the Passover meal, Jesus did something that was different from the normal passover ritual.

The "unleavened bread" eaten with the passover meal symbolized the deliverance and the freedom from sin to the Jew.

That freedom from sin could only occur by the offering of the passover lamb!

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and [without shedding of blood is no remission].

Deliverance and freedom was not obtained until the Lamb was offered and the "blood applied"!

But this day Jesus said we are going to do something new.

This unleavened bread then signifies our need of the spiritual food of Jesus Christ!

Jesus had already taught this:

Joh 6:48  "I am" that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

We are not only physical beings but more important "we are spiritual beings" because God has already decided our spiritual being will live forever.

Our spiritual being must have nourishment just as does our physical side!

To the disciples, that bread signified their need of the spiritual food from Christ Jesus.

A soul that is starving from this nourishment, that only the Lord Jesus can provide, "is lost"!

Jesus blessed this bread and this signified that God the Father was also recognized as having a part in the work of His Son!

Jesus broke that bread to remind us of how He had to suffer in payment for our sin debt. Christ Jesus had no sin of His own!

It is important for us to notice that Jesus broke this bread Himself and not some other person:

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Man is incapable of taking the life of Jehovah God!

Jesus then gave a portion of this bread to each disciple which signifies our complete dependence on Him!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And the Lord continued.

*****Mar 14:23  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

The two necessities of physical life are food and drink!

The use of the "cup" shows "the completeness" that comes from Our Lord. This is then the cup of salvation!

Psa 116:13  I will take the "cup of salvation", and call upon the name of the LORD.

This cup is then symbolic of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

The blood of Jesus Christ is then "the blood of eternal life".

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: "for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul".

But not the blood of some animal:

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

It is the blood of Jesus alone that can cleanse us of all sin!

What is the New Testament?

A testament, is the last act and will of a person to assign the things he owns before he dies.

The Bible says:

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself

We must remember, to be saved is to have a home in Heaven:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This where we belong, this is our real home:

Psa 115:16  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

This Heaven is where the Lord lives:

Psa 102:19  For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

We have a place in Heaven and there is nothing on Earth we have to compare to our home in Heaven!

*****Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

That cup that symbolizes so many things to the believer also speaks of the joy that we will behold at the time of the Lord’s return to take us home.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And we soon will be back home:

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Passover Of God’s Servant

"Picturing His Sacrifice"

Book of Mark Chapter 14:1-25

As Jesus approached the days of His "Passion", He explained to the soon to be Apostles, of the New Testament Church, to teach the Church to "watch" to see how His Word would be fulfilled.

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we are not to concern ourselves with the turmoils of this world but we are to be aware of their happening!

We are to concentrate ourselves with the work Jesus has given us to do, while still keeping a watchful eye on His coming to get His Bride!

The "death" of our Savior is only a few days away but Jesus would not be our Savior, if He had not risen from that grave.

Jesus Christ was born as a babe, to die for our sins, and to resurrect for our newness of life as babes in Christ!

Let’s continue:

*****Mar 14:1  After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
Mar 14:2  But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.

The "Passover" was both memorial and symbolic!

It was a "memorial" to the memory of that first passover in Egypt.

It was "symbolic" because it’s ultimate fulfillment was at Calvary, on a hill called "Golgotha"!

The Bible teaches us with these words:

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ "our passover" is sacrificed for us:

On the 10th day of the month of the Passover, (Abib, now Nisan) each family was to select a perfect lamb and keep it under close observation, to make sure it was perfect, until the 14th day.

These same four days, we will observe as Jesus prepares for His last four days before He is crucified.

We have just witness as Jesus rode that foal of a donkey into Jerusalem on "Psalm Sunday" and the multitudes went before Him and behind Him crying Hosanna.

Jesus has already arrived in Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple.

Jesus has already cursed the fig tree, (representing Israel).

Jesus has already given what is called, the Olivet Discourse.(Last two weeks lessons)

So we will begin our lesson here:

Mat 26:1  And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Mat 26:2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Jesus gives us our time frame.

Two days before the observance of the Feast of the Passover, these things we read will take place.

We should also keep in mind that the day after the Passover Feast would begin the "Feast of the Unleavened Bread".

While also remembering that the Jewish day always begins in the evening (6 o’clock).

The beginning of Passover Feast was celebrated before 6 P.M. with the Feast of Unleavened Bread to begin at 6 P.M.

These two feast were observed in one meal!

It is the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" that symbolizes deliverance and freedom from sin, which was obtained by the offering of the "Passover Lamb"!

There could be no deliverance from sin, nor freedom from sin, until the Lamb was sacrificed and the blood applied!

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

These are a lot of things to consider while Jesus walks with joy to the Cross!

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

While these crafty enemies of Jesus were plotting His death, Jesus was with His friends.

*****Mar 14:3  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

We can be sure that this Simon was no longer a leper as he would be breaking the Jewish law. Lepers were not allowed to live among the people.

The Lord Jesus had healed many lepers which is a true miracle as leprosy still has no sure cure in our day.

Some believe, as I do, that this Simon was the relative of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

Joh 12:2  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Joh 12:3  Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

This home would have been just over a mile and a half from Jerusalem.

This was a happy home and a place full of love. They loved the Lord and He loved them. There was no better place for Jesus to spend some of his last moments before He was to die.

We should all strive to have a home where Jesus is welcomed to stop in at any time. This is part of the "watching" that we are supposed to be doing!

Alabaster is a carvable lime stone and at that time was mined at Alabastrom in Egypt from which it gets it’s name.

Later most every perfume holding vessel was called an alabaster box.

Spikenard was a very precious and very costly perfume of that day and is made from  "a plant" and the smell of it is said to be unequalled.

In fact this fragrance can be considered a type of Jesus Christ:

Eze 34:29  And I will raise up for them "a plant of renown", and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

But also it could be said that the smell of the spikenard is the "aroma" the Lord wants of His Bride:

Son 4:10  How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and "the smell of thine ointments" than all spices!

In either case Mary anointed the Lord Jesus Christ, but there are always those object to things done for the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Mar 14:4  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
Mar 14:5  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

We could have many discussions on why Mary did this thing but we must first make our own selves aware that there is nothing that we can do for the Lord that can equal to what He has done for us.

There is probably not anything Mary would not have done for the Lord.

Simon a relative, maybe even a father had been healed of leprosy.
Lazarus a dear brother had been raised from the dead.
She had felt and see the love that Jesus had for her family.
Why would she not do this thing?

The Lord Jesus Christ has saved us from the pits of the "Burning Lake Of Fire", why should we not do everything in power to please Our Lord?

To the men in that room, pouring perfumed oil on the Lord Jesus just did not seem right.

Not many men want to smell like women, though we love for our women to smell real good!

It was just not a manly thing to do!

But there was one man in that room that had his own motive:

Joh 12:4  Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
Joh 12:5  Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

A pence was a days wages for the poor worker of that day. This bottle of perfume was nearly a years wages.

Count that by today’s standards and we can see that 300 pence was a lot of money in that day.

In fact the money spent on perfume throughout our world today could feed all the poor that are starving to death in our world today.

But Judas was thinking only of himself!
 
Joh 12:6  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

And Jesus said:

*****Mar 14:6  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

Mary realized that these men who traveled with Jesus objected to what she was doing and she became uneasy.

But Jesus said "Let her alone"!

Jesus had looked into Mary’s heart and He knew that it was only out of goodness that Mary had done this thing and she had had no other motive. It was just something that she could do and was capable of doing it!

This action of pouring this perfume on the Lord, was a sign of her "faith" in what Jesus had been saying.

Mary had clearly understood that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to die on that cross in her place.

No one else may have realized this but Mary did and Jesus said this would be a memorial to her!

*****Mar 14:7  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
Mar 14:8  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
Mar 14:9  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

There are many reasons that there will always be poor people living in this world.

The biggest reason is that the resources of our world are placed, by Satan, into the hands of men that maintain complete control of them.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We should also realize that if there were no poor then, there would be no place to show charity and kindness.

These are those that are poor of no fault of their own.

Deu 15:11  For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

And there will always some be poor because of their own sinful ways!

Luk 8:18  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

And there will always be those that are to lazy to help themselves!

2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

There will be the poor in human flesh on this Earth until the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem!

The Lord Jesus Christ, Emmanuel(God in human flesh), was only on this Earth for 33 and one half years and He would have been included with the poor under man’s standards!

The Lord never had a place to lay His head on this earth!

**********"She hath done what she could".

The Lord Jesus has only one expectation from any of us. He expects us all to do what we can!

Mary did all she could knowing that what Jesus had come to accomplish, was in the hands of God.

Mary greatly loved the Lord and through that love, she knew she wanted to do something for the Lord.

Not out of need. Not out of duty. Not out of request. But only out of "LOVE".

Sometimes we may only be able to pray, especially those that have reached an age when they physically are unable to do many things.

As long as we have a voice, we can all sing songs of praise, and share a kind word.

As long as we have eyes we can offer a kind look.

As long as we have feelings and compassion, we can share those with others.

There is no one is so humble or even so poor that they cannot do something for The Lord!

God has keen eyes and He looks more for the little things than for the greater things, but those that are more able are expected to do more things.

Mary chose to do something probably no man would have thought of doing and it is remembered forever in the Word of God.

But this was the straw that broke the camel’s back to one man in particular, Judas Iscariot.

*****Mar 14:10  And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
Mar 14:11  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.

Judas the traitor!

Judas finally realized that Jesus indeed was going to die and as he had been a disciple in His life, he wanted to make sure he was part of His death.

Judas had been rebuked by the Lord for his murmuring against what he said was a wasteful act.

This woman had been praised for what seemed like nothing to Judas.

If Jesus was the Messiah and was about to die, Judas could not see a fulfillment of the scriptures and he no longer believed the Word of God.

Mary had given her best in faith and love, Judas gave his worst in unbelief and hatred!

The Jewish leaders did not know how to arrest Jesus without causing a riot but that problem was now solved.

Judas would lead them to Jesus in a secret place, when He was alone with the other 11 disciples.

If we look back at what God said about Pharaoh, we can see that it would also apply to Judas Iscariot:

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

And we should also realize that both these men were offered many opportunities to repent and they both chose not to!

Judas sold his Master for the price of a slave:

Exo 21:32  If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

This also fulfilled prophecy:

Zec 11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zec 11:13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

A freeman could have been ransomed for 60 pieces of silver but these chief priests could only see the price of a slave!

Luke said Judas made this promise to the chief priests:

Luk 22:6  And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

It was now time:

Joh 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, "when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father", having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

*****Mar 14:12  And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

The Passover Lamb commemorated the deliverance from Egypt and was to slain and eaten with unleavened bread on the 14th day of the first month.

The unleavened bread was then to be eaten for 7 total days.

Jesus Christ is our passover and was sacrificed for us!

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

So, Jesus had already made these arrangements Himself, for it was furnished and prepared.

*****Mar 14:13  And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
Mar 14:14  And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
Mar 14:15  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.

While Jesus and eleven of the disciples were still in Bethany, He sent John and Peter to prepare the passover meal.

The Passover meal had to be eaten in Jerusalem because the Temple was in Jerusalem!

Luk 22:8  And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.

Judas was in the act of betrayal but would return later to travel with Jesus to this upper room.

According to the Laws of Moses, the lamb was to be slain and the meal prepared between the evening of the Passover the 14th and the beginning of the Feast of unleavened bread the 15th.

Before the 15th day ended Jesus would be dead and buried!

A man bearing a pitcher of water would have been very noticeable because this was a job normally done by women.

This guestchamber we know was in the house of Mark, who wrote the Book of Mark, and he was probably young about 12 years old at this time.

Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

This is the same Mary who was sister to Barnabas, who traveled with the apostle Paul.

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

To make ready, meant that a lamb had to be bought and carried to the Temple for slaughter, and the fat burnt on the altar.

It would then be brought to the home and roasted whole and served with bitter herbs.

And so Peter and John obeyed the Lord.

The Apostle John will write 9 chapters in the Book of John, describing the events that happened during and after this Passover meal.

*****Mar 14:16  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Mar 14:17  And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

Peter and John found that things were just as the Lord Jesus had described.

Jesus knew what was about to happen because this was His plan!

Joh 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

*****Mar 14:18  And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

Only Judas knew the truth of what the Lord was saying but Judas kept quiet!

The Lord Jesus already knew what was going to happen next, and He was offering Judas one more chance to repent.

This is something that is very important to us and that is why it was written for those that read the "Gospel".

Jesus Christ never missed an opportunity to teach, even at His last meal, know He was about to die!

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We need to see what happened just before Jesus said these words.

Joh 13:4  He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
Joh 13:5  After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Jesus Christ washed the feet of His 12 disciples, including the man who was fixing to betray Him.

Then Jesus said:

Joh 13:10  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, "but not all".

There was still one man, Judas, that needed more than just washing away the filth of this world.

Judas kept quiet.

It is then that Jesus had these words:

Joh 13:21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, "that one of you shall betray me".

Judas kept quiet.

And even after this Jesus still allowed this traitor another opportunity:

*****Mar 14:19  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
Mar 14:20  And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

And Judas kept quiet.

We know that John sat next to Jesus and Peter told John to ask who the traitor was.

Joh 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Joh 13:24  Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
Joh 13:25  He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

Jesus whispered back to John:

Joh 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Judas again kept quiet but the Lord Jesus, knowing that the Devil was in control Judas, told him to go and get it done!

But Luke describes to us an even greater thing for the New Testament Church, during this last meal:

Luk 22:15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Luk 22:16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Luk 22:17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

*****Mar 14:21  The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

The soul of man is immortal!

Humans can only be immortal because "immortality is a gift from God"!

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

But man in his human flesh will perish!

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Humans in their earthly life are mortal beings subject to death and their are no means to extend death to immortality by human methods!

Eternal life is the gift of God and because God is no respecter of persons, He has given this eternal life to every soul.

BUT, While we are yet living we must decide where our soul will spend eternity!

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Judas Iscariot passed up an opportunity to spend eternal life with the Lord in Heaven and by doing so, he insured he would spend eternity in damnation!

Jesus says, it would be better to have never lived than to spend eternity in everlasting punishment!

We have no control over whether we are born or not born but we do have some say in where we will spend eternity!

We can conclude that it is because of this life in the flesh, that we get this chance to spend eternity in a place we call Heaven, in eternal bliss, the highest degree of happiness.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

When we get a taste of Heaven while we are living, we will be glad we had this opportunity!

Thank You Jesus!

Next the Lord’s Supper

*****Mar 14:22  And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

As these future apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ were eating the Passover meal, Jesus did something that was different from the normal passover ritual.

The "unleavened bread" eaten with the passover meal symbolized the deliverance and the freedom from sin to the Jew.

That freedom from sin could only occur by the offering of the passover lamb!

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and [without shedding of blood is no remission].

Deliverance and freedom was not obtained until the Lamb was offered and the "blood applied"!

But this day Jesus said we are going to do something new.

This unleavened bread then signifies our need of the spiritual food of Jesus Christ!

Jesus had already taught this:

Joh 6:48  "I am" that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

We are not only physical beings but more important "we are spiritual beings" because God has already decided our spiritual being will live forever.

Our spiritual being must have nourishment just as does our physical side!

To the disciples, that bread signified their need of the spiritual food from Christ Jesus.

A soul that is starving from this nourishment, that only the Lord Jesus can provide, "is lost"!

Jesus blessed this bread and this signified that God the Father was also recognized as having a part in the work of His Son!

Jesus broke that bread to remind us of how He had to suffer in payment for our sin debt. Christ Jesus had no sin of His own!

It is important for us to notice that Jesus broke this bread Himself and not some other person:

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Man is incapable of taking the life of Jehovah God!

Jesus then gave a portion of this bread to each disciple which signifies our complete dependence on Him!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

And the Lord continued.

*****Mar 14:23  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

The two necessities of physical life are food and drink!

The use of the "cup" shows "the completeness" that comes from Our Lord. This is then the cup of salvation!

Psa 116:13  I will take the "cup of salvation", and call upon the name of the LORD.

This cup is then symbolic of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

The blood of Jesus Christ is then "the blood of eternal life".

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: "for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul".

But not the blood of some animal:

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

It is the blood of Jesus alone that can cleanse us of all sin!

What is the New Testament?

A testament, is the last act and will of a person to assign the things he owns before he dies.

The Bible says:

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself

We must remember, to be saved is to have a home in Heaven:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This where we belong, this is our real home:

Psa 115:16  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

This Heaven is where the Lord lives:

Psa 102:19  For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

We have a place in Heaven and there is nothing on Earth we have to compare to our home in Heaven!

*****Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

That cup that symbolizes so many things to the believer also speaks of the joy that we will behold at the time of the Lord’s return to take us home.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And we soon will be back home:

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!