The Hallel

Passover or The Lord’s Supper?

by Rev Jim Jester

April 6, 2025

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 26:30-32

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, ‘All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.’”

INTRODUCTION

I have subtitled this lesson “Passover or The Lord’s Supper,” because the Gospel accounts of these occasions report many things happening, so much so that sometimes we might wonder what exactly is going on. Which is most important: Passover or the Lord’s Supper? Let’s just say for now, that it’s not so much one event or the other, but that both of these events are a part of our history as Christian Israelites.

Our Scripture reading is the concluding words of Matthew after the last supper of our Lord. With a casual reading most Christians might feel like there is little, if anything, of significance in these words. But warning: Do not be too quick to brush aside passages like this when reading your Bible, you may miss something. Did you notice the words, “When they had sung anhymn…”? Did it ever cause you to wonder what that hymn was? A hymn is a song of praise to God. The Hebrew word for praise is “hallel” (hence our title). More about this later. But first, we must cover the background of the occasion. Previous to our opening text, Matthew was reporting on the last supper of our Lord during his earthly ministry.

BACKGROUND

Jesus and his disciples recognized that special time of the year when they honored their God for his great deliverance from Egypt, gave them the Law at Sinai, and thus married Israel with that great “I do” from the people (Ex. 24:7). So Jesus instructed the disciples to seek out a place to hold the Passover meal:

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain one, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover. 20 When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; 21 and as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Is it I, Master?” He said to him, “You have said so.” (Matt. 26:17-25, RSV)

We might ask: Is this the Passover or the Lord’s Supper? The context clearly shows it is “passover” for that word is used three times. This was a week-long celebration beginning with Passover (on the first day) and continued with the eating of unleavened bread each day, which reminded the Israelites of their march out of Egypt. This type of bread was necessary for the journey, as it would not spoil.

The vagueness in the gospel accounts may be intended to call attention to the fact that the Last Supper was not the “Jewish” Passover, but the Christian Passover — a forerunner of the cross Christ. We note that there is no mention of a lamb in this Passover celebration. Peter and John were not directed to provide one, nor are they said to have visited the temple; which on the 13th would have been useless, and yet to obtain the lamb in any other way would have been a breach of the Law. The Apostle Paul, in his account of the Lord’s Supper makes no mention of any Paschal ceremonies, but merely states that it was appointed on the night in which Jesus was betrayed. Only the twelve disciples were present, not even the master of the house was there.

So they got the room ready, provided unfermented bread, wine, herbs, sauce, and some dishes for the feast. They would not eat the Paschal lamb at the legal time tomorrow, so Jesus ordained a commemorative ceremony that should take the place of the original Passover. We learn from the other gospel writers that the householder was not satisfied with offering Christ and his friends the use of the common hall, which they likely would have had to share with other guests; but he assigned his best and most honorable place, “a large upper room,” already properly arranged for the feast. Tradition has maintained that this room was afterwards used by the apostles as a place of gathering, and where they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost.

The Paschal ceremony usually practiced was as follows:

The head of the family, sitting in the place of honor, took a cup of wine and water mixed (“the first cup”), pronounced a thanksgiving over it, and, having tasted it, passed it around to the guests; the master washed his hands, the others performing their washings at a later part of the service; the dishes were placed on the table; after a special benediction had been spoken over the bitter herbs, the master and the rest of the group took a bunch of these, dipped it in the appointed sauce, and ate it; an unleavened cake was broken and elevated with a prescribed formula; the second cup was filled, the history of the festival was proclaimed, Psalms 113-118 (The Egyptian Hallel), were recited, and the cup was drunk. Now began the proper Paschal meal with a general washing of hands; the lamb was cut into pieces, anda portion given to each, with a bit of the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, called by John (13:26) “the sop.” At the end of the meal, the third cup, named by Paul (I Cor. 10:16) “the cup of blessing,” was drunk, and the solemn prayer after the meal was uttered. (Pulpit Commentary)

The Passover which our Lord was to keep was not the usual Paschal meal, as the lamb could not be legally killed until the 14th; but it was to be a commemorative feast in which he himself was the “Lamb.” Of that Lamb the disciples ate when Christ gave them the bread and wine with the words, “This is my body …this is my blood.” This part of the supper seems traditionally to have become confounded with the usual Passover celebration of that day. So far in Matthew’s account, Jesus has not instituted the ceremony we call “The Lord’s Supper.” But history was about to be made by our Lord; it was time for a new Order of things.

A NEW INSTITUTION

Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper:

“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.’ 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. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.’” (Matt. 26:26-29)

As they were eating: Before the supper was ended, and before the third cup of wine (Matt. 26:21) was taken, “Jesus took bread:” The special unleavened cake prepared for the Passover meal. The four Gospel accounts agree in this detail, and seem to indicate a change, or a formal action. We see here the “High Priest after the order of Melchizedek” bringing forth bread and wine like His great prototype (Ps. 110:4), and by anticipation offering himself as the Victim.

Sometime during, or soon after this dinner, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (Jn. 13:1-11). It appears that Judas may have already left after the announcement of the betrayal recorded in Matthew (Matt. 26:25; Jn. 13:30). Then Jesus gave the extended discourse with His disciples and prayer to the Father described in John 13:31 to 17:26 (almost 5 chapters).

Was Judas present for the Lord’s Supper? The question centers on the Gospel of John. Some textual traditions say, “And supper being ended,” which would imply that Jesus washed their feet and that Judas left after the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Other translations read, “And during supper” at John 13:2. This would indicate that Jesus washed feet and Judas left sometime during the meal, and therefore may have left before the institution was given.

John did not describe the Lord’s Supper in his account, but says of Judas; “He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night” (Jn. 13:30). Most scholars confidently believe that Judas was notpresentat this part of the fellowship. This would make sense because Judas was not of the holy seed, but Idumean, and would not qualify to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Also regarding this verse, “…it was night,” I believe we can say that it was “night” (darkness), not just celestially, but in a spiritual sense within the heart of Judas. Paul also spoke of this darkness as, “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it: When the bread was lifted up at Passover, the head of the meal said: “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let everyone who hungers come and eat; let everyone who is needy come and eat the Passover meal.” Everything eaten at Passover had symbolic meaning: The bitter herbs recalled the bitterness of slavery; the salt water was the tears shed under Egypt’s oppression. However, the main course of the meal — a lamb sacrificed for that particular household — did not symbolize anythingof Egypt. It was the sin-bearing sacrifice that allowed the judgment of God to pass over the household that believed. The usual blessing over the unleavened cake is said to have been, “Blessed be he who giveth the bread of earth.” The bread was such an important part of the institution, that it gave its name, the “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42, 46,I Cor. 10:16, etc.).

Take, eat; this is My body: Jesus didn’t give the normal explanation of the meaning of each of the foods. He reinterpreted them in Himself, and the focus was no longer on the suffering of Israel in Egypt, but on the sin-bearing suffering of Jesus forIsrael. The words “this is my body” had no place in the Passover ritual. These words must have had a stunning effect that would grow after the resurrection of our Lord.

This is how we remember what Jesus did for us. He gave to each of them a portion of bread in their hand. “Take” (ye), “eat” (ye). The two words are given only in our Gospel (here in Matthew); Mark has “take ye” (an interpolation). Luke and Paul omit them altogether. We should infer that Christ did not himself partake of the bread or wine, which would have confused the meaning of the ordinance, but gave it to his disciples so they might be identified with the sacrifice represented by the broken bread. This actiontransformed the Levitical rite of Passover into a new sacrament, the Lord’s Supper, which not only commemorated his death, but conveyed its spiritual benefits. It was an outward sign of an inward reality. The grace of our Lord Jesus working in us will always remain an unfathomable mystery.

“This is my body” was a startling statement to those who first heard it, but it came not as a complete surprise. For in His great discourse on the Bread of life, after the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus said of himself, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven” (Jn. 6:32). Then He made the amazing assertion, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (Jn. 6:53). The meaning of this mysterious warning was not further explained. He said He was the “Food of his people” (Jn. 6:55) and that they would “live forever.”

This reminds me of a similar situation regarding spiritual sustenance: The woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus was tired from his journey back to Galilee, so as he passes through Samaria, he stops and rests at Jacob’s well where he meets a woman coming to draw water. Jesus strikes up a conversation by asking her to serve him a drink. She is a bit taken back in surprise and says that the Judeans have no dealings with Samaritans. From John chapter four we continue the narrative at verse 10:

Jesus answered and said unto her, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” 11 The woman saith unto him, “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman saith unto him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.” (Jn. 4:10-15)

It is obvious here that there is something going on that is far more significant than just water to quench the thirst. Jesus is referring to our very existence in eternity. While the physical life has a means of sustenance, so the spiritual life must also have a means of sustenance: “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk. 8:36) Later, Jesus tells his disciples, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (Jn. 4:34). Did Jesus point the woman in the right direction? Jesus gave her “water” that was not in the well. What was it? Was it spiritual food? She went away singing, she came back bringing, others to the water that was not in the well.

He took the cup and gave thanks: In the ancient Greek language, “thanks” is the word eucharist. This is why the commemoration of the Lord’s Supper is sometimes called the Eucharist. This tells us something of our own gratefulness in receiving the Lord’s Supper: What do we mean when we lift the cup to our lips? Are we not saying by that act, remember thy covenant, O Lord? Are we not also pledging ourselves to Him as his own?

This is My blood of the new covenant: Remarkably, Jesus announced the institution of a “new covenant.” No mere man could ever institute a new covenant between God and his people, but Jesus could, being the God-man. He alone has the authority to establish a new covenant, sealed with blood, even as the old covenant was sealed with blood (Ex. 24:8).

The “new covenant” concerns an inner transformation that cleanses us from all sin: “…and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”(I Jn. 1:7).It also puts God’s Word and will in us: “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). It also is about a new and closer relationship with God: “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer. 31:33).Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have a “new covenant” of marriage with our God.

Guzik supplies us with this history concerning the Lord’s Supper:

“This is My body… this is My blood: The precise understanding of these words from Jesus have been the source of great theological controversy among Christians.

The Roman Catholic Church holds the idea of transubstantiation, which teaches that the bread and the wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.

Martin Luther held the idea of consubstantiation, which teaches the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine, but by faith they are the same as Jesus’ actual body. Luther did not believe in the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, but he did not go far from it.

John Calvin taught that Jesus’ presence in the bread and wine is real, but only spiritual, not physical. Zwingli taught that the bread and wine are significant symbols that represent the body and blood of Jesus. When the Swiss Reformers debated the issue with Martin Luther at Marburg, there was a huge contention. Luther insisted on some kind of physical presence because Jesus said, ‘this is My body.’ He insisted over and over again, writing it on the velvet of the table, Hoc est corpus meum – ‘this is My body’ in Latin. Zwingli replied, ‘Jesus also said I am the vine,’ and ‘I am the door,’ but we understand what He was saying. Luther replied, ‘I don’t know, but if Christ told me to eat dung I would do it knowing that it was good for me.’ Luther was so strong on this because he saw it as an issue of believing Christ’s words; and because he thought Zwingli was compromising, he said he was of another spirit (andere geist). Ironically, Luther later read Calvin’s writings on the Lord’s Supper (which were essentially the same as Zwingli’s) and seemed to agree with, or at least accept Calvin’s views.”

Scripturally, we can understand that the bread and the cup are not mere symbols, but they are powerful pictures (or figures) as we view the Lord’s Supper. Poole comments:

“Let the papists and Lutherans say what they can, here must be two figures acknowledged in these words. The cup here is put for the wine in the cup; and the meaning of these words, ‘this is my blood of the new testament,’ must be this wine is the sign of the new covenant. Why they should not as readily acknowledge a figure in these words, ‘This is my body,’ I cannot understand.”

So, what is done for one figure, is likewise done with the other. The blood represents the New Covenant, and the body represents spiritual sustenance.

Which is shed for many: Christ’s blood was not shed for the handful of disciples alone. The Savior does not say, “This is my blood which is shed for you (the favored eleven),” but “shed for many.” The many includes the other tribes of Israel and their kindred.

Until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom: Jesus looked forward to a future celebration of the Passover, one that He has not yet celebrated. He is waiting for all His people to be gathered to Him, and then there will be a great supper, “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9). This is the fulfillment Jesus longed for.

THE HYMN

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” (Matt. 26:30)

When they had sung a hymn: It is remarkable that Jesus and his disciples could sing on this night before His crucifixion. Could we sing in such circumstances? Spurgeon once asked, “If, beloved, you knew that at — say, ten o’clock tonight, you would be led away to be mocked, and despised, and scourged, and that tomorrow’s sun would see you falsely accused, hanging, a convicted criminal, to die upon a cross, do you think that you could sing tonight, after your last meal?”

So what did they sing? It is logical to conclude that they sang from the Book of Psalms. A Passover meal always ended with singing three psalms known as the Hallel (the Praise), psalms 116-118. The Egyptian Hallel, a longer version, began with Psalm 113. Think of how the words of these psalms would have ministered to Jesus on the night before His crucifixion:

• The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!” (Ps. 116:3-4)

• For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (Ps. 116:8-9)

• I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (Ps. 116:13-15)

• You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. (Ps. 118:13-14)

• I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. (Ps. 118:17-19)

• The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. (Ps. 118:22-23)

• God is the LORD, and He has given us light; bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. (Ps. 118:27-28)

When Jesus arose to go to Gethsemane, Psalm 118 was upon his lips. The hymns comforted and encouraged the Christ through his distress and suffering to ultimate glory.

They went out: If they had been keeping the usual legal passover, they could not go out:

“And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”(Ex. 12:22)

Christ would have strictly observed the Law. But, as noted previously, this was a new occasion: They were celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the New Covenant in Christ’s blood.

CONCLUSION

Points to be remembered about the the Lord’s Supper:

1. He who institutes the ordinance is God made man, who is able to set aside one observance and substitute another in its place.
2. The new ordinance had an analogy — the Christ/the lamb — with the older ordinance (Passover) which it superseded.
3. The Lord’s Supper was intended asa means of grace for all Christians.
4. The New Covenant in His blood is a greater deliverance than Passover —the redemption for all Israelites throughout history.
5. The interpretation is to be connected with the discourse of Jesus in the sixth chapter of John, where he speaks of himself as the Bread of life that came down from heaven, and his flesh and blood as the spiritual nourishment for his people.

May the meditation of the Scriptures, particularly the psalms of the Hallel, encourage your heart, and may the Bread of life nourish your soul. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Cor. 15:22).

Praise be to Jesus for his incomparably great sacrifice. Amen.