Jesus knew that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was his appointed time, It was therefore necessary, if He was to meet the appointment, that He go up to the appointed place, Jerusalem is the City of God’s Temple. It is the place God chose to put His Name, Jerusalem is the appointed place.
Preparations for the appointed time of Passover and Unleavened Bead began well in advance of the actual festival. This was especially so in Jerusalem, The city needed to prepare for a massive influx of pilgrims. Six weeks prior to the festivals the roads were repaired, wells dug, ritual baths prepared, and graves whitewashed, and host of other details that needed to be attended to. Within the city itself, special ovens for roasting the thousands and thousands of Passover lambs had to be erected. Accommodations and lodging for the pilgrims needed to be made ready. The city was turned upside down.
As the pilgrims approached the city, their multitudes converged until their throngs filled the roads into Jerusalem, their voices rose together singing the psalms of assent as they went up to Jerusalem to keep the appointment at the appointed place.
It is within this context that we must see the Lord and His disciples approaching Jerusalem. They are one group within a multitude of many groups.
In First Century Judaism Messianic expectations were running at an all time high, the expectations only ran higher at Passover for they believed their Messiah would appear at Passover to deliver them from the oppression of the nations which ruled over them.
Word about Jesus had spread. The people were wondering and discussing whether or not this Jesus of Nazareth could possibly be the Messiah. Some said yes because of the miracles He performed others said no because He was from Nazareth and the Messiah was to be from Bethlehem. The Religious people were watching Him closely because of the effect He was having on the people and they were concerned about losing control of the people.
As this throng moved toward Jerusalem they realized that this man Jesus was in their midst and He was riding a colt, presenting Himself as a King of Peace, a conquering King who was coming to rule over them always rode in on a horse, a conquer coming in peace rode on a donkey. As they realized what was happening they began to throw down their cloaks and palm branches down before Him as he entered the city. In doing this they had made their choice. They had chosen Jesus as there King, The Passover lamb had been chosen.
One of the Passover regulations is that all leaven must be removed from the home of the Israelites. To this very day, the regulation is observed with rigor. Before the day of Passover, the observant family spends weeks cleaning house. Every trace of leaven is removed. Breadcrumbs under the refrigerator are sought out and eliminated. Coat pockets are emptied out. Couch cushions overturned and vacuumed. Cupboards are emptied and cleaned. Anything defined as leaven is removed from the house. This is where Spring Cleaning originated, are we thankful?
It is during these days of casting out the leaven that Jesus enters the Temple and casts out the moneychangers. In so doing the He kept the commandment to clean His Father’s house of the leaven.
In God’s timekeeping the day starts at sunset, Jesus and His disciples were settling into the upper room for the Last Seder as the Jerusalem sunset marked the beginning of the 14th day of the first month. In Exodus 12 the Israelites are commanded to kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month. That meant that the following day the Passover Lambs were being slain as Jesus was nailed to the cross. When the Israelites were eating their Passover the following eve Jesus would be in the tomb.
On that day the Temple was crowded with pilgrims bringing up their lambs for the Passover slaughter. All the priesthood of Israel was also at the temple for this festival. Because of the great number of lambs to be slaughtered.
The Israelite slaughtered his own Passover Lamb and the priest received the blood, hands it to his fellow and his fellow to his fellow each one receiving a full basin and handing back an empty one. The priest nearest the altar tossed the blood in a single act.
Jesus was crucified at the 9th hour at that very time at the Temple a long blast of the shofar signaled the Levites to begin their chanting of the Hallel (Ps 113-118). The gates to the inner court were opened, and the first crowd of Israelites with their lamb’s ready rushed in. within minutes the clean and spotless courtyard around the altar was stained with blood. Gutters flowed with blood. The base of the altar seemed to be bleeding, even gush forth as basin after basin of blood was splashed against it in quick succession.
The dead lambs were hung on hooks, forearms spread in a crucifixion pose as they were skinned and prepared for roasting. They were also inspected for any internal blemish if they were found perfect the priest would declare” I find no fault in him”.
The Levites continued to chant the Hallel. The sound of their voices, joined by the voices of the thousands of pilgrims who had gathered at the temple, filled the entire city of Jerusalem. Indeed, they were heard outside the walls, a short distance away, where Jesus was hanging on the cross for six hours. As they chanted “the cords of death entangle me...precious in the sight of the LORD is the death for His Righteous Ones... Open for me the Gates of Righteousness... The stone the builder’s rejected has become the capstone” Jesus died as the lambs were being slaughtered.
This is why the Creator of all that is came, to sacrifice Himself as a judgment for sin. No other sacrifice would do only the Creator could purchase His precious creation. The Passover Lamb has taken away the sins of the world.
In His dust,
Lois
Preparations for the appointed time of Passover and Unleavened Bead began well in advance of the actual festival. This was especially so in Jerusalem, The city needed to prepare for a massive influx of pilgrims. Six weeks prior to the festivals the roads were repaired, wells dug, ritual baths prepared, and graves whitewashed, and host of other details that needed to be attended to. Within the city itself, special ovens for roasting the thousands and thousands of Passover lambs had to be erected. Accommodations and lodging for the pilgrims needed to be made ready. The city was turned upside down.
As the pilgrims approached the city, their multitudes converged until their throngs filled the roads into Jerusalem, their voices rose together singing the psalms of assent as they went up to Jerusalem to keep the appointment at the appointed place.
It is within this context that we must see the Lord and His disciples approaching Jerusalem. They are one group within a multitude of many groups.
In First Century Judaism Messianic expectations were running at an all time high, the expectations only ran higher at Passover for they believed their Messiah would appear at Passover to deliver them from the oppression of the nations which ruled over them.
Word about Jesus had spread. The people were wondering and discussing whether or not this Jesus of Nazareth could possibly be the Messiah. Some said yes because of the miracles He performed others said no because He was from Nazareth and the Messiah was to be from Bethlehem. The Religious people were watching Him closely because of the effect He was having on the people and they were concerned about losing control of the people.
As this throng moved toward Jerusalem they realized that this man Jesus was in their midst and He was riding a colt, presenting Himself as a King of Peace, a conquering King who was coming to rule over them always rode in on a horse, a conquer coming in peace rode on a donkey. As they realized what was happening they began to throw down their cloaks and palm branches down before Him as he entered the city. In doing this they had made their choice. They had chosen Jesus as there King, The Passover lamb had been chosen.
One of the Passover regulations is that all leaven must be removed from the home of the Israelites. To this very day, the regulation is observed with rigor. Before the day of Passover, the observant family spends weeks cleaning house. Every trace of leaven is removed. Breadcrumbs under the refrigerator are sought out and eliminated. Coat pockets are emptied out. Couch cushions overturned and vacuumed. Cupboards are emptied and cleaned. Anything defined as leaven is removed from the house. This is where Spring Cleaning originated, are we thankful?
It is during these days of casting out the leaven that Jesus enters the Temple and casts out the moneychangers. In so doing the He kept the commandment to clean His Father’s house of the leaven.
In God’s timekeeping the day starts at sunset, Jesus and His disciples were settling into the upper room for the Last Seder as the Jerusalem sunset marked the beginning of the 14th day of the first month. In Exodus 12 the Israelites are commanded to kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month. That meant that the following day the Passover Lambs were being slain as Jesus was nailed to the cross. When the Israelites were eating their Passover the following eve Jesus would be in the tomb.
On that day the Temple was crowded with pilgrims bringing up their lambs for the Passover slaughter. All the priesthood of Israel was also at the temple for this festival. Because of the great number of lambs to be slaughtered.
The Israelite slaughtered his own Passover Lamb and the priest received the blood, hands it to his fellow and his fellow to his fellow each one receiving a full basin and handing back an empty one. The priest nearest the altar tossed the blood in a single act.
Jesus was crucified at the 9th hour at that very time at the Temple a long blast of the shofar signaled the Levites to begin their chanting of the Hallel (Ps 113-118). The gates to the inner court were opened, and the first crowd of Israelites with their lamb’s ready rushed in. within minutes the clean and spotless courtyard around the altar was stained with blood. Gutters flowed with blood. The base of the altar seemed to be bleeding, even gush forth as basin after basin of blood was splashed against it in quick succession.
The dead lambs were hung on hooks, forearms spread in a crucifixion pose as they were skinned and prepared for roasting. They were also inspected for any internal blemish if they were found perfect the priest would declare” I find no fault in him”.
The Levites continued to chant the Hallel. The sound of their voices, joined by the voices of the thousands of pilgrims who had gathered at the temple, filled the entire city of Jerusalem. Indeed, they were heard outside the walls, a short distance away, where Jesus was hanging on the cross for six hours. As they chanted “the cords of death entangle me...precious in the sight of the LORD is the death for His Righteous Ones... Open for me the Gates of Righteousness... The stone the builder’s rejected has become the capstone” Jesus died as the lambs were being slaughtered.
This is why the Creator of all that is came, to sacrifice Himself as a judgment for sin. No other sacrifice would do only the Creator could purchase His precious creation. The Passover Lamb has taken away the sins of the world.
In His dust,
Lois
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