Passover

Setting and Overview
When Matthew gave his account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, he was writing to a Jewish audience that would have been intimately familiar with both the scriptural background to the Passover (Exodus 12:1-28) and also the Jewish traditions of the time. Modern readers may be relatively uninterested in that context, seeing it as unnecessary to understand the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, but missing that context not only makes it harder to appreciate the depth of the account in Matthew 26, but also to partake in Communion with enough understanding to truly appreciate the richness of the symbols involved.

Exposition
Between the accounts of the anointing and the Passover, Matthew recounts Judas going to the chief priests with an offer to betray Jesus. Although he asks for money, the focus seems to be on money being more of an afterthought than the primary motivation (Mark 14:10-11), and the amount given is miniscule compared the importance to the authorities (Exodus 21:32.) This makes Judas’ motivation something of a mystery, which is surely Matthew’s intent, and will set the stage for his actions in the next chapter. Regardless of his motivations, however, the account makes clear that the events are in motion and the nearness of the betrayal hangs over the Passover account that follows.
Verse 17 begins earlier in the day on which Passover will begin in the evening. Matthew’s account is shortened compared to Luke 22 and Mark 14, but what Matthew does preserve makes clear Jesus is intentional about celebrating the Passover with the disciples that evening. Once evening arrives, they take their seat at the table. Sometime during the opening part of the meal, we know that the disciples get into an argument over who is the greatest (Luke 22:24-27) and Jesus washes their feet (John 13:1-17.) In addition, as all of the Gospels recount, Jesus predicts that Judas will betray him, although the other disciples only pick up from his words that it will be someone close to him, not that it would specifically be Judas (John 13:27-30, Luke 22:21-23.)
As they moved on to the main course, Jesus provides the instructions for what becomes the Lord’s Supper. Although he is the Passover lamb (I Corinthians 5:7) it is the bread that he identifies with his body (John 6:51) which must have been stunning for the disciples to hear. Later, during what is probably the third cup of wine during the evening and thus associated with the third promise of Exodus 6:6-7, that God would redeem, he interprets the cup as being the covenant in his blood, referring to the practice of a covenant being ratified with blood (Exodus 24:6-8.) Unlike the previous covenant, this one will actually provide for the true forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31:34.) After a promise that they will drink the cup together in the kingdom (Exodus 6:7), they close with a hymn, likely from Psalm 115-118.

Examination and Application
The celebration of Passover was a powerful reminder to the people of how they had been redeemed from slavery, freed from Egypt, and that God has passed over them in executing His judgment on Egypt. At the first Passover, they placed the blood of the lamb over their doors to identify their faith that God would do what He had promised and demonstrate their commitment to Him. The preparation of the meal emphasized urgency, there was no room to look back to Egypt. All of those aspects are powerfully fulfilled in the Lord’s Supper, as is the communal element. Passover was the time that the Jewish people came most powerfully together, recognizing and celebrating their shared identity. So too, is the Lord’s Supper commanded to be that for us. Although it is intensely personal, it is also something that we do together (I Corinthians 10:16-17) and it is a powerful symbol that can serve to bring us together in fulfillment of Jesus’ words to the Father (John 17:21-23) in a way that no manmade practice could.