The Progression of the Passover Into The Lord’s Table
When we examine the Passover found in Exodus twelve, we see the blood on the doorposts, the lamb, the Israelites feasting on the lamb all night, and finally allowing the people to exit Egypt at the break of dawn. We see the death of the lamb in type, Jesus Christ, but nothing of a resurrection. The term resurrection doesn’t even come to mind.
This sequence of time is reckoned under the Old Covenant called the 1st covenant. We are told that the Old Covenant was at fault and not a perfect covenant.
Hebrews 8:7, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there should no place sought for a second.”
Hebrews 7:12, “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of law.”
The priesthood under Aaron was not a suitable priesthood. The priests eventually died and the priesthood was corrupt at times, 1st Samuel 2:34-35.
1st Samuel 2:35, “And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in Mine heart and in My mind: And I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before Mine anointed for ever.”
Eventually Jesus Christ became that faithful priest after the order of Melchisedec, Hebrews 7:21.
The law had become changed also. At first the law was written on tablets of stone which were outside of us, now, because of the power of the Holy Spirit through Christ, the law is brought within us, written in our hearts, Jeremiah 31:33 ; Hebrews 8:10.
As was stated earlier, there is no mention of a resurrection in the Old Testament, and all that the subject of resurrection means. Man has no part in resurrection, which is of God and the Holy Spirit.
Christ Brings In Resurrection of the Dead
There is an occasion in the Gospel of John the 11th chapter when Jesus raises a man named Lazarus from the dead, a brother whose sisters were named Martha and Mary. Questioned by Martha, Jesus replies:
John 11:25, Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
Resurrection can only be an act of God, Who is able to raise men or woman from a dead position to a position of life like Lazarus was raised.
We need to keep in mind that Jesus, Who was crucified, rose from the dead. He is called a first fruit, 1st Corinthians 15:20. Since He being called a first fruit would imply that there are other fruit, of the same stature as Jesus, who would follow.
Baptism
Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth. 19, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost, (spirit).”
Baptism in it self is likened from a submerged dead position to a raised living position.
Romans 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
All those who are believers in Christ have reckoned themselves dead as Christ was and are undergoing a resurrection as well. The only difference is that Jesus willingly shed His blood but we need to bring our heart to the Altar of God and allow Him to do a transforming work within us. This work will give us a fleshly heart as the book of Jeremiah, 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10 say.
The Passover Enters progressively Into the Lord’s Table And A New Covenant
Matthew 26:26, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave to the disciples, and said, “Take eat, this is My body. 27, 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.”
This is the new and better covenant spoken by the Apostle Paul, Hebrews 8:7.
The Book of Luke adds an important aspect to the Passover service:
Luke 22:19, And He took bread and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.”
1st Corinthians 10:17, “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of one bread.”
Where did this one bread come from? John 1:29 says that Jesus is the lamb of God. A lamb, once killed is dead and can’t produce more lambs in a natural way. To better understand this bread, we need to consider Jesus’s statement where He refers to himself as a grain of wheat, John 12:24. As long as we are of a good and fertile ground, as defined by the parable of the sower in the Book of Matthew 13, this seed of the wheat is planted into our hearts and we can’t help but bring forth good fruit, even a harvest.
A grain of wheat needs to be crushed and ground in order to be made into enough flour for a loaf of bread.
We who are followers of Jesus Christ, baptized into his death are raised the same way that Jesus was raised.
Matthew 26:19, And the disciples did as Jesus had apointed them; and they made ready the passover.
This was the Passover meal where Jesus discloses that Judas was to betray Him. Judas ate the passover but left as soon as Jesus exposed him and he didn’t partake in the continuing of the meal, only the 11 disciples did. Judas took no part of Jesus and the other apostles in the breaking of bread as a single loaf, picturing His body of believers.
The Apostle Paul explains the cup and the bread:
1st Corinthians, 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
The Lamb, who was in type Christ, is an individual. The wheat, also a type of Christ, is one bread, a collected many member grains of wheat ground into flour then baked into a loaf to build His body, His Church. This bread is a picture of oneness.
We, who are of the same baptism, same spirit, same lord, are raised symbolically as a loaf, one bread, harvested as Christ was harvested. The word bread in the Greek Dictionary is #740 and means, bread as raised. This is Christ as the reality of the heavenly manna described in John 6. This is our unleavened bread.
The Fulness of Christ Produces the Church
Ephesians 4:8, Wherefore He saith, “When He ascended up on high He lead captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.”
These gifts given unto men were for the edifying of the collective body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11, “And He gave some as apostles, and some profhets, and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers.12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.”
The Old Covenant spoke many things concerning Christ as the Seed, Genesis 3:15, He in type would be a lamb, but what do we read in Genesis 2:18?
Genesis 2:18, And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.”
The man, Adam, in Genesis needed a suitable companion. Then He created Eve out of the man. Today it is no different. Jesus Christ, the last Adam, would build His church, His many membered body, out of Himself, as a single grain of wheat which produced many grains to be built up into His Bride, His church. He is the head and we are the body, a complete new man, Ephesians 4:24.