Commentaries:
Jesus told His disciples to partake of unleavened bread and wine during the New Testament Passover service. Through this command, He charged His followers to observe it as a memorial of His death for all time. Since Christ's death completely fulfilled the symbolism of killing a lamb, we no longer need to slaughter a lamb in keeping the Passover.
Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)
Holy Days: Passover
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Jesus did not abolish the Passover—He merely changed the symbols used. Instead of annually shedding the blood of a lamb and eating its roasted body, we are now to use unleavened bread and wine.
The New Testament Passover is to be kept as an annual memorial of Christ's death. It reaffirms year by year "till he come" (I Corinthians 11:26) the true Christian's faith in the blood of "Christ our Passover" (I Corinthians 5:7) for the remission of sins, as symbolized by the drinking of wine.
Eating the broken bread symbolizes our faith in the body of Christ, broken open for our healing. Jesus Christ allowed His body to be ripped open in dozens of places by scourging until He could not even be recognized! He suffered this torture so we, through faith in His broken body for us, may have the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our bodies when we are sick (Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24; Psalm 103:2-3; James 5:14-15). And so the broken unleavened bread is a reminder to us that it is by "His stripes we are healed."
As Christ Himself commanded, true Christians today observe the Passover on the eve of the day of His suffering and death—on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan or Abib) of God's calendar, in the evening, after the beginning of the day.
Why Christians Should Keep God's Holy Days
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Let's clear away the web of error that covers the truth about keeping the Passover, the memorial of Christ's death.
Let's examine the way Jesus observed this ordinance, because we can't be wrong if we follow His example. In Luke 22:14-20, we read:
And when the hour was come, he [Jesus] sat down. . . . And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Notice, it was "when the hour was come," that Jesus introduced the unleavened bread and the wine. There was a definite time—a definite hour—when He held this ordinance as an example for us.
Notice, too, He commanded them to observe it—"This do"! And why? "In remembrance of me," said Jesus. He instituted this New Testament way of keeping the Passover, on that tragic night, the very eve of His death.
In Matthew's account, the Bible shows that this ordinance was at the very time of the Passover, "as they were eating" (Matthew 26:2, 26). Jesus knew that His time had come. He was our Passover, sacrificed for us (I Corinthians 5:7).
The Passover had always been held on the eve of the 14th of God's first month, according to the Sacred or Jewish Calendar. It was the night of the final and last Passover supper that Jesus introduced these New Testament emblems—the unleavened bread and the wine—in place of the lamb that was always slain annually.
Remember Jesus commanded: "This do in remembrance of me." Why? Because the Passover was commanded "forever."
The Passover was to be observed annually, along with the Days of Unleavened Bread. "Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season year to year" (Exodus 13:10). Jesus set us an example (I Peter 2:21), observing this ordinance at the same time once a year (Luke 2:42). Suppose the Israelites in Egypt had observed this ordinance at some other time than that set by God? They would not have been saved when the death angel passed by that night! God does things on time. He has given us an exact time for this ordinance. Jesus instituted the New Testament symbols "when the hour was come."
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
The Plain Truth About Easter
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Luke 22:14-20
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