LORD'S ST7PPER
LOKD'S SUPPER
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His Kingdom in concrete symbolism, is evident from their misinterpretation of their Lord's pro- mise as to the future of His Kingdom on earth and His own return ; but we are led to expect onh' such words and symbolic action as would illuminate the spiritual idea of the Ivingdom ; not precepts and ritual ordinance for its external organization.
3. Passover Eve. — Jesus came into Jerusalem on the morning of the first day of the week, and for several days escaped the plots of His enemies. But Judas entered into a conspiracy with the chief priests apparently two days before 'the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread' (Mk 141- 1"- u) . Ignorant of this accomplished treachen,-, the other disciples, observing that Jesus has as j'et made no arrangement for the celebration of the feast, say unto Him 'on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that thou mayest eat the Passover?' (14^'^). Now we are embarked upon a sea of difficulties. The Gospels separate very distinctly — the Synoptics on the one side, the Fourth on the other. Did Jesus eat the regular Passover with His disciples, or did He not? At first sight the Synoptic Gospels seem to say that He did. But, according to John, Jesus died on the afternoon when the Passover lamb was slain (Jn
131.29 1828).
(a) The Synoptic Gospels. — (a) Evidence that the last meal was eaten at the conclusion of the regular Passover meal is offered by Mk \^^ ", Mt 2(3i'-i9, Lk 22'-8 1I-1J16, the last verses laying especial stress upon the desire of JesiLS to eat this Passover with His disciples. Many features of the meal also suggest the Passover, — the family group with Jesus presiding, the prayers of thanksgiving, the caps (Lk 221"- 20), the breaking of the bread, the solemn demeanour, the exposition, the conclusion with a hymn.
(/3) But the Synoptics contain hints that the Supper was not a regular Passover meal. It is stated in Mk 14^ "■', that two days before the feast the priests resolved to capture Jesus, and to execute Him before any sympathizers among the populace could interfere ; and, since nothing is said to the contiary. it is reasonable to conclude that the pur- pose was carried out. It would appear that, accord- ing to contemporary Jewish practice. Passover, the 14th Nisan, was spoken of as the beginning of the feast Mazzoth, though originally Unleavened Bread began on loth Nisan (Wellhausen. Etangelium Marci, 115 ; Schiirer, ThLZ, 1st April 1893, col. 182 ; as against Chwolson in Das letzte Passamahl). But only work necessary for preparing food was permitted from sunset on the 14th to sunset on the 21st, and it would have been illegal or contrary to custom to arrest Jesus that night with swords and staves, to hold a meeting of the Sanhedrin, to release a prisoner, to purchase grave-clothes, and to take the dead body down from the cross, if He ate the regular Passover meal on Thursday evening Nisan 14. Further, there is no mention in the Synoptic narrative of their eating the lamb {Jexcish Encyr. x. art. ' Passover "). Jesus died on a Fridav. so that we mav probablv assume from Mk 141 2 that Passover (Nisan 14) feU on the Sabbath, which began on Friday at sunset. Nevertheless the preponderating impression of the Synoptic Gospels is certainly in favour of this meal having been related in some way to the Passover feast. It is distinctly so stated, and it is difficult to suppose that there were not good grounds in the primary sources for such united testimony.
{b) The Fourth Gospel. — From Jn 18^ we mtist infer that Jesus died on the afternoon before Pass- over— 'between the two evenings' (Dt 16«). This inference is so strongly reinforced by Jn lo^- ^, that VOL. II. — :;
Dr. Hort. with wh(^m Dr. Sanday and 3Ir. C. H. Turner agree, believes that the Fourth Evangelist is silently correcting a false impression left by the Synoptists {Expos, iv. v. [18t>2] p. 182 ; Hastings" DB i. 411*. On the other side see Edersheim. Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Bk. v. ch. x. ). St. John neither here nor elsewhere refers directly to the institution of the Supper, but in 6^*^*^ his conception of the truth that underlies the Sacra- ment is set forth in the conversation of Jesus. He states that the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 took place at Passover time (6*. so true reading), probably seeing in it a figure of the Christian Passover. Notwithstanding, therefore, his fixing of the day of our Lord's death before the regular Passover, there is good ground for holding that he implicitly relates the Last Supper to the Passover (Westcott, iS'^ John. pp. 96. 11.3; Holtzmann. XT Tlieol. ii. 503 ; Wendt. St. John's Gospel. 137- 139). See. further, artt. DATE?, vol. i. p. 413 ff., Last Supper, Passovep. (II.).
(c) The Apostle Paul. — Though 1 Co 5'- * is often interpreted so as to make St. Paul agree with the Fotirth Evangelist, that Jesus died when the lambs for the feast were slain, it is very doubtful whether this idea was in his mind. He is comparing the Christian life with the old Passover upon which the Feast of Unleavened Bread followed (Ex 12*9 13"). So now, since the Christian Passover has begun throtigh the sacrifice of Christ, all impurity must be removed from their lives. Perhaps 1 Co IQi 2. 6. 15. 16 have the imagery of the Passover ; ' the cup of blessing' (v i^) was one of the most sacred elements of the Paschal meal (Edersheim. op. cit. ii. 510 f. ; but for opposite view, see Holtzmann, op. cit. ii. 184 f.).