SIGNIFICANT ITEMS OF HOLY WEEK: LOYALTY AND A BETRAYAL

14 April

  Luke 22:7-13; “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.”

Today we’re finishing up our look at the significant items used during Holy Week on Maundy Thursday by examining the meaning of Communion and the price of Judas’ betrayal.

First and foremost, we pray Mormons will come to know the significance and meaning of Maundy Thursday in its fullest sense.

Maundy is the Latin word for command. Jesus’ simple command was for His disciples to love and serve one another. We see His example of this in the washing of the disciples’ feet, and His sweet love for mankind by giving His life.

If  you’re LDS, we want  you to know…Jesus died for you wholly, and without exception. There’s nothing you’ve done that would prevent Him from providing a total and complete salvation. Likewise, there’s nothing you could do to pay the price for salvation. The price needed for a full salvation is out of your league. Only Jesus can afford that price!

For more info on the details of Jesus’ activities for this, and other days in Holy Week see Easter and Holy Week.

COMMUNION

The ceremony of a Christian Communion service is unlike anything else in this world, and unique for a few reasons.

1.The service was instituted by God Himself 2,000 years ago, and still performed today.

2.The service includes a simple promise participants vow to keep for life.

3.Elements of the service remain unchanged since the time of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:23-29 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Jesus gave the church two ordinances to obey. No more, no less. They’re baptism, and communion.

After assembling in the upper room for the Passover meal, Jesus sat down to eat, and gave instructions to the disciples that all Christians still take part in today. It was the day of the Last Supper. Being that it was Passover, the bread and wine were consecrated by the Lord.

For a moment today, stop to think about the elements we take at Communion; the bread and wine.

The bread Jesus blessed at the dinner was a type of flat bread known as ‘maṣṣâ’, or unleavened bread. It’s prepared without yeast, just like the bread at the original Passover. Deuteronomy 16:3

At Communion, all Christians take upon themselves the name of Christ Jesus, and Him crucified when they participate in the service. They’re not renewing any baseless baptismal vows, nor are they repeating rote prayers dictated by man. Rather, Christians stop to thank God for the gift of His Son, and for the actions of Jesus. They’re taking His name upon themselves.

This isn’t about man, or the actions of what we’ve done. It’s about Jesus, and His selfless gift to us.

Matthew 26:26 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.”

Jesus was without sin, just as the unleavened bread was without yeast. When they finished with the bread, Jesus led them in prayer with the wine.

Matthew 26:27-28 “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Jesus knew they’d soon witness His spilt blood, and how He’d give His life on the cross at Golgotha. Surely, scripture would be played out before their very eyes.

Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

May you know the peace of Him who died for you my friends, and may you have a saving knowledge of the One all Christians call God.

THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

Zechariah 11:12 “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.”

Basic Facts on Thirty Pieces of Silver

Without belaboring the following facts, we’ve compiled a few bits of info you might find interesting! If you’re LDS, we pray you’ll stop to consider the historical value to how God set things in motion thousands of years ago.

It wasn’t just happenstance all these things happened the way they did. No! God, in His sovereignty, allowed circumstances to play out so He could show mankind how everything He’s done points to one conclusion.

Jesus came to earth to die for your sins and mine!

1.From the days of Abraham, the shekel (piece of silver) was the standard unit price for the purchase of land/property. Genesis 23:16 written c. BC 1677

2.From the days of Moses, 300 shekels was the standard price for the purchase of a slave. Exodus 21:32 written c. BC 1445.

3.In NT times, the shekel was valued at four drachmas, or four danari, the equivalent of roughly $400-$500.

4.Today, thirty pieces of silver is equivalent to $12,000 – $15,000.

5.Zechariah prophesied of Judas’ betrayal, and sharing bread c. BC 520.

Non-monetary prophecies of Judas’ betrayal –

6.King David prophesied of the Judas’ betrayal of the Lord c. BC 1000. Psalm 41:9. Also in Psalm 55:14.

7.King Solomon prophesied of Jesus’ anointing c. BC 965. Song of Solomon 1:12

Song of Solomon 1:12 “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.”

References:

Coinquest.com

GotQuestions.org

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