Thoughts on the Last Week of the Savior's life

With this week being the last week of the Savior's life on this earth I've decided to share some thoughts and insights on the matter.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in a Passover Super. It was a wonderful service to learn about the symbolism about Christ. Here are a few of my notes on the on the meal itself:

·        In exodus the meal was eaten standing up, so that they could be ready to go and flee Egypt.

·        During the Roman era, meals were eaten lying down on the left side. Then with John being on the right of Christ it was natural and simple to lean back upon the bosom of Christ and be able to ask who it was that should betray Christ.

·        To give sop to another was the mark of intimate friendship.

·        The entire story of the exodus from Egypt is retold as part of the Passover  which in starting at sunset can last all the way until midnight. Many prayers and praises are said as part of the service. 

·        At the beginning of the meal a portion of the Matza (unleavened bread, much like a giant saltine cracker) is hidden away in a napkin and not brought forth until the end of the meal. This Afikomen (hidden matza) is then broken into olive-size pieces and this blessing pronounced: "In remembrance of the Sacrificed Lamb of Passover!" The 3rd cup of wine is then poured and drunk of after another prayer. 

·        Hymns of praise are then sung. Which consist of selected Psalms such as Psalm 118 and Psalm 136. 

The difference between the last supper and previous Passover meals was that Christ, upon breaking the Afikomen of matza, offers these words instead: "Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you." Then taking the 3rd cup of wine he offered a prayer over it and said: "Drink ye all of it; For this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for a s many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins."  (JST Matt 26: 22-24). After which he gave His disciples the charge to do the things that they had seen him do. This aspect of the Passover meal was the only thing that stayed in the new Christian church, and continues with us today. 

…

Christ's trial and sufferings were for you and me. He was charged guilty because of what both you and I have done and not what he did.

…

Anciently in the Old Testament a High Priest would once a year take the blood from the sacrificed lamb, go into the Holy Place, then pass through the veil and enter into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the four corners of the Ark of the Covenant for the sins of the people. 

Christ as the great High Priest has performed this same deed. Paul recounts this and explains the symbolism in his book written to the Hebrews:

"But Christ being come an high priest of good thing to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

...

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

"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.

"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:

"Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth in to the holy place every year with blood of others;

"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the meridian of time hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation unto them that look for him."

 ~Hebrews 9:11-28

If you didn't capture the symbolism here it is again: After entering into the Holy Place Christ passed into the Holy of Holies (Heaven) by his sacrifice. The veil of the temple is symbolic of Christ's sacrifice: His body and blood. The veil of the temple was rent during the Atonement process. Christ entered into Heaven and made it available for all men (the four corners of the earth) to become "at one with God" and enter into heaven by accepting Christ as the payment into heaven. Christ preformed this act once for all, just as we will die once and come into the judgment seat.