Motley Crew Bible Study

June 1, 2011

Where did May go?

Where has 2011 gone?

Where has 20 years of ministry gone?

Matthew 26:27-30

The Questions

Read Matthew 26:27-30

1. What does Jesus' Words say about the Jewish Passover?

2. Which cup of the Passover were they at in verse 27?

There is an obligation to drink four cups of wine during the Seder. The Mishnah says (Pes. 10:1) that even the poor are obliged to drink the four cups. Each cup is imbibed at a specific point in the Seder. The first is for Kiddush (קידוש), the second is for 'Maggid' (מגיד), the third is for Birkat Hamazon (ברכת המזון) and the fourth is for Hallel (הלל).

Passover Seder table
The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring out," "I will deliver," "I will redeem," and "I will take."

In this meal, the 3^rd cup comes after supper. We believe it was after supper that Jesus took the third cup – the Cup of Redemption and spoke the Words of Institution.

3. I wonder what kind of wine we will get in heaven?

4. Any connection to Jesus' first miracle and His Last Supper?

5. What kind of hymn did they sing?

Unless otherwise indicated, all citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, copyright 2011, used with permission.

Motley Crew Bible Study

June 1, 2011

Where did May go?

Where has 2011 gone?

Where has 20 years of ministry gone?

Matthew 26:27-30

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Read Matthew 26:27-30

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Parallel Verses

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

We don't know what blessings Jesus spoke over the bread and wine. The blessings spoken by contemporary Jews over the bread and wine are:

The Bread: "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth."

The Wine: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine." Note that Jesus will repeat the phrase “fruit of the vine” in verse 29.

Source: "List of Jewish prayers and blessings." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.

Dr. Lenski wrote at page 1024:

We shall not go astray when we say that these words referred to the bread (and then to the wine) that were in Jesus' hands and to the heavenly gift which the respective element was to convey. Thus this blessing enlightened the disciples and prepared them for the proper reception of the bread and of what it conveyed (and the wine likewise); for they were to receive both intelligently and were not to wonder what Jesus was trying to convey to them. All we can say about these words is that, after they were once spoken by Jesus, they remain efficacious for all time whenever the sacrament is really celebrated.

In the same way that Jesus took the bread and gave a blessing, so also do we give thanks and praise in our liturgy before the receipt of the Sacrament.

1. What does Jesus' Words say about the Jewish Passover?

The old Covenant is fulfilled and completed, and the Last Supper marks the beginning of a New Covenant between God and His people created by the crucifixion and resurrection by God of Jesus on the third day.

The phrase "new testament" should have been rendered "new covenant," referring to the "covenant or compact" that God was about to make with people through a Redeemer. The "old" covenant was that which was made with the Jews by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices. See Exodus 24:8; "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you," etc. In allusion to that, Jesus says, this cup is the new "covenant" in my blood; that is, which is "ratified, sealed, or sanctioned by my blood." Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Greek and the literal translation of the beginning of verse 28, “ This is my blood of the covenant,” is:

τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης

this for is the blood of-me of the covenant

In this sentence the Greek τοῦτο is placed at the beginning of the sentence to indicate its importance, and that there should be special emphasis.

We see this use of blood often in the Old Testament. For example, in Leviticus 14, we see the use of blood in Cleansing From Defiling Skin Diseases

If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean.

Pastor Eddie noted the “sprinkling” process in the cleansing, as opposed to immersion.

The cleansing process continues in verses 8-32, including the sacrifice of a sheep as a sin offering. In verse 12, one of the lambs is offered as a sin offering, and in verse 14:

The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.

In this we see the powerful cleansing action of the blood, a theme that is repeated frequently in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Later in this same chapter we see the use of blood in the process of cleansing and purifying the home:

49 To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. 50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. 51 Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.

Again we see the sprinkling of blood and fresh water as instrumental in the cleansing process. We also see the use of the blood in the New Testament.

Hebrews 9:11-12. The Blood of Christ

 11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining [b] eternal redemption.

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come

2. Hebrews 9:12 Or blood, having obtained

Note the mention of a tabernacle not made of human hands, which brings us back to the reading last weekend in Acts 17:16-31, where Paul preaches to the Greek philosophers that his God “does not live in temples built by human hands.”

Hebrews 10:10-14

10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

We noted the language of this sacrifice offered once for all.

When Jesus says the last words on the cross, “it is finished,” this completes the Old Covenant. His resurrection marks the beginning of the New Covenant. Only in Luke's Gospel do we see the language of the New Covenant, although the word “new” is inserted in the King James translation. However, newer scholarship – including the discovery of the two mid-fourth century codexes – makes it clear that the word “new” did not exist in the oldest copies of Matthew's Gospel.

We talked about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the NIV and ESV translations. It was felt that the NIV is the better translation for those who do not have the depth of education of our Pastors, since the ESV, as a word-for-word translation, will sometimes give literal translations of language that cannot be understood without a strong background of Biblical scholarship. We see an example of this in Exodus 11, where the Lord says that he will make a distinction between the Egyptians and His people, the Israelites. About midnight the firstborn of the Egyptians will die. In verse 7 of the ESV, it is written:

“But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”

“Not a dog shall growl”? According to the Lutheran Study Bible, this is a proverbial expression, explaining that “As a severe storm approaches, animals hide and are silent; dogs would be inconspicuous, not uttering a sound. Not the slightest injury would come to the Israelites.” Note 11:7, p. 113. A literal translation without an explanation would be difficult to understand, whereas the NIV, which attempts to strike the balance between word-for-word and thought-for-thought, is often more understandable.

2. Which cup of the Passover were they at in verse 27?

There is an obligation to drink four cups of wine during the Seder. The Mishnah says (Pes. 10:1) that even the poor are obliged to drink the four cups. Each cup is imbibed at a specific point in the Seder. The first is for Kiddush (קידוש), the second is for 'Maggid' (מגיד), the third is for Birkat Hamazon (ברכת המזון) and the fourth is for Hallel (הלל).

Passover Seder table
The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6-7: "I will bring out," "I will deliver," "I will redeem," and "I will take."

The Sacrament of Holy Communion – often referred to as The Lord's Supper – is instituted in the Gospels. We see it beginning in Mark 14:22 and in Luke 22:14, as well as in Matthew 26:20. In this meal, the 3^rd cup comes after supper. Although the Bible does not specify which cup, we believe it was after supper that Jesus took the third cup – the Cup of Redemption – and spoke the Words of Institution. Because of how Matthew's Gospel gives this account – taking the cup, Words of Institution, sing the hymn, depart for the Garden – a few authorities feel that the Words of Institution were spoken after the 4^th cup. However, the greater number of authorities favor the 3^rd cup, Redemption, which is the blood of the New Covenant.

The Passover meal and Feast of Unleavened Bread were ordained by God in Exodus 12:1-28; in Lev. 23:4-8, the Passover as one of the Feasts of the Lord. And in Exodus 6:6-7, the Lord says that He will make them a dedicated people.

3. I wonder what kind of wine we will get in heaven?

One member suggested “heavenly” and another suggested Merlot, but the consensus was that it will be the “best” wine, recalling the miracle at Cana, which leads us to ...

4. Any connection to Jesus' first miracle in John's Gospel and His Last Supper?

“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” John 2:10

They start and end with the miracle of wine. Holy Communion is a miracle of His presence. And, Pastor Eddie added, this says that wine is okay. Dr. Lenski wrote:

When Matthew 26:29 writes, “of this fruit of the vine,” i.e., that which the Passover cup contained, he shuts out any and all other products of the vine save actual wine and thwarts all modern efforts that speak of unfermented grape juice, raisin tea, or diluted grape syrup. The expression “fruit of the vine” is derived from the Hebrew pheri hagiphen, a choice liturgical formula for wine. The matter is of utmost importance and lies beyond our powers to alter. Lenski, p. 1028.

At page 1032, he continued that “... in April such a thing as grape juice was an impossibility in the Holy Land of Christ's time. It could be on hand only when grapes were freshly pressed out, before the juice had started to ferment.” It was pointed out that grapes were not ripe in the spring of the year in the Holy Land. A couple of members mentioned that it would be impossible to keep grape juice in Israel at that time because there was no refrigeration. It could only be kept in the form of fermented wine.

One of the members mentioned that in a book that she was reading, it was written that wine was watered down especially when it was served to children. We were reminded of the use of wine and water in the Roman Catholic Sacrament of Holy Communion.

One member mentioned that because of some stomach problems that he was having, his doctor prescribed a glass of wine with the dinner meal. He said that his problems disappeared when he started to follow this prescription.

The Passover meal was very much a family event for the Jews, and included the children. Indeed, there is a specific role for the children in the ritual who are to ask why the Passover meal is being celebrated; in Exodus 12:24-27 we read:

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”

Pastor Eddie mentioned the mixing of wine and water in the context of the Sedar dinners that he has attended, where some wine is poured into a glass, and the rest of the glass filled with water. Doing so helps to ensure that there will be enough wine to finish the dinner, and also minimizes the influence of the alcohol on those who are unused to drinking wine.

It was also mentioned that in Europe, where wine drinking is more common, the wine is diluted with water when it is served to children. Beth mentioned that at a feast she attended in France, both bottles of wine and pitchers of water were placed on the tables. People mixed wine and water equally in their glasses, although the percentage of water was increased for children.

5. What kind of hymn did they sing?

A song from the Psalms, specifically, the second part of the Hallel, Psalms 115-118. The first part of the Hallel, Psalms 113-114, was sung earlier in the dinner.

The Hallel (the “Full Hallel” or the “Egyptian Hallel”), is a Jewish prayer of praise and thanksgiving, and consists of Psalms 113-118. It is recited during the Passover (a.k.a., Pesach) and some other major Jewish festivals and feasts. It is also called "The Egyptian Hallel," because it was chanted in the temple while the Passover lambs were being slain (at twilight on the 14^th of Nisan, according to Exodus 12:6).

According to Jewish practice, Psalms 113 and 114 (“praise”) were recited before the Passover meal or before the second glass of wine. Psalms 115-118 (“thanksgiving”) were recited at the end of the Passover meal, or after the fourth and last cup of wine (called the Hallel Cup). Some scholars have written that the hymn which was sung by Jesus and His disciples during the Last Supper was the Hallel. As such, it would have been the last group hymn and prayer by Jesus and his disciples before His arrest and crucifixion.

Because of the nature of the Passover festival, the Full Hallel is recited only on the first day (or first two days) of the Passover. For more information, see The Hallel.

One member asked about the singing of the Psalms. Pastor Eddie said that it was more of a chanting than a singing, and that the Psalms in Lutheran Worship had been pointed for chanting, and included the music (pp. 313 ff). The Te Deum laudamus (“We Praise You, O God”) is also given in a chanting format on pp.8-9 of the “Canticles and Chants” section of Lutheran Worship (begins at p. 369). This practice was continued in the 2005 Lutheran Service Book.

What did it sound like? Think of Gregorian chant. Professor William Mart, a Professor of Music at Stanford University was quoted as saying that the Psalm tones have their roots in ancient Jewish hymnody and psalmody. And that if you sing the Psalms at Mass with the Gregorian tones, you are as close as you can get to praying with Jesus and Mary. They sang the Psalms in tones that have come down to us today in Gregorian Chant. (“Jewish Psalms and Gregorian Chant,” Fr. Joseph Fessio)

Elsewhere I read:

The first Christians maintained many of the liturgical customs they had inherited from their own Jewish origins, including that of chanting. Indeed, some chants still in use in the Christian Church are remarkably similar to Jewish chants, most notably the tone used for the chanting of Psalm 113, known in Gregorian Chant as the "Tonus Peregrinus". Source: “The Use of Music in Ancient Liturgy,” Christ in the Desert Benedictine Monastery. There are several other pages dedicated to monastic chant at this web site.

Because we had some extra time, we looked at verses 31-35:

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[c]

32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Zechariah 13:7. The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!”
declares the LORD Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Pastor Eddie asked how we would feel if we heard that “This very night you will all fall away...” The consensus was that we would respond as did the Disciples: denial! While we might find it amazing that they would all be so shocked, we can't relive those moments as they were actually experienced by the Disciples that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, complete with “a crowd armed with swords and clubs.” (Mark 14:43)

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:52-53

The language of fall away from me, in the Greek, is σκανδαλισθήσεσθε . It has been variously translated. In the King James Version, the word is translated as “offended” – most of us didn't understand that. Among the translations are:

• will fall away

• will be offended

• will be turned away

• shall be scandalized

• will run away

• will all stumble

• will desert me

The root word is σκανδαλ (skandal; literally scandal), and Strong's defines the word as “occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumblingblock.” We saw this word earlier when Jesus was talking about those who would cause young children to sin. In Matthew 18:5-6, we read:

5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Emphasis added)

The accuracy of the Biblical account continues to be verified by archeological and literary discoveries. Dr. Lenski observed that

The effort to discredit the reliability of the evangelists by stating that in a city such as Jerusalem no chickens were kept, and that thus no cocks crowed within range of Peter's ears, has been met by ample evidence to the contrary. Lenski, p. 1036.

We were reminded of Chapter 9, “Evidence That God's Word Is Reliable,” in The Unshakable Truth that discusses the reliability of the Bible, including the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, as well as many other discoveries that were discussed by the McDowells. The reliability of the Bible is also reinforced by two mid-fourth century copies, the Codex Vaticanus (since the 15^th century) and the Codex Sinaiticus (discovered in 1844). A PDF facsimile of Vaticanus of the former is available, while the latter can be seen in its entirety at the Codex Sinaiticus Project. The fifth century Codex Bezae is another important resource; it is not known when it was discovered but the manuscript is believed to have been repaired at Lyon in the ninth century. The fifth century Codex Alexandrinus has also provided excellent information. For more information about this area of study generally, see The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

We closed with prayer.

For Additional Study

The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.