"Preparations" 3-17-25
Overview
Preparations
When Jesus sent His disciples to prepare the Passover, they discovered every detail already arranged—down to the furnishings of the upper room. That single moment opens a window onto something far larger: a plan stretching across the centuries, woven thread by thread through Scripture and history, leading to the cross. What looks like coincidence is in fact the careful work of God, whose love is the fabric beneath it all.
Consider the threads. The chief priests plotted Jesus' death out of envy and fear, fulfilling the very words of Psalm 2:1-2 as the rulers conspired against the Lord's Anointed Luke 22:2. Judas, the bosom friend of Psalm 41:9, betrayed his Master with a kiss for silver Luke 22:3-6. Satan, the crafty serpent of Genesis 3:1, who departed from Jesus in the wilderness "until an opportune time" Luke 4:13, returned to enter Judas. The disciples, though warned three times by Jesus that the Son of Man must suffer, be killed, and rise on the third day (Luke 9:22; Luke 9:44; Luke 18:31-33), remained blind to the truth even as their Lord washed and fed them.
The deepest thread is God Himself. From the first Passover in Exodus 12, the spotless lamb pointed forward to the spotless Lamb. Isaiah 53 foretold the Servant who would be oppressed, afflicted, silent, and crushed for the transgression of His people—the just suffering for the unjust. The writer of Hebrews makes the meaning plain: the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, but Christ came saying, "a body you have prepared for me… I have come to do your will, O God" Hebrews 10:5-10. By a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified Hebrews 10:14, and God remembers our sins no more Hebrews 10:17.
Beloved, this is the comfort: nothing about your salvation is improvised. Through plotting priests, betraying friends, tempting enemies, and even the failures of disciples, God's good purpose held firm. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are washed. You are loved. The feast has been made ready, and your place is set and secured.
Transcript
In our gospel text this evening, we see as Jesus tells His disciples to go and prepare 2s
the Passover feast and it's incredible that everything he said they would find it had 11s
been exactly as he said and everything had been prepared according to what he said would 18s
be prepared. 26s
In fact, even the furnishings in the room where they would celebrate the Passover feast, 27s
that was already prepared. 34s
All the work had been done, but that was one moment in time, that was one instance. 37s
And when we draw back from this instance, we see that many more preparations had been 45s
in the works for much longer than that one moment in time when they would celebrate the 52s
Passover together. 60s
Long before the night in which Christ instituted Holy Communion, the night in which He commanded 62s
His disciples to love one another, preparations had already been made, preparations. 69s
A plan set in motion unfolded through the history of time leading to the endless, people 78s
and places woven like a tapestry, the hidden revealed as perposed by God. 87s
Tonight we will turn over that tapestry and follow the woven threads which reveal the fabric 95s
of God's love. 104s
Thread one, the chief priests. 106s
In Psalm 2, it was prophesied, why do the nations conspire in the people plot in vain? 111s
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the 118s
Lord and His anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds as thunder and cast their cords 124s
from us. 131s
In Luke 22, we hear the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus 133s
to death for they were afraid of the people. 141s
Preparations, a plan set in motion plotting and conspiring to destroy, envy and hatred 145s
driving their quest unwilling to see their part as foretold. 154s
Thread two, Judas. 161s
Psalm 41, we hear even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted 165s
the heel against me. 175s
Luke 22, chapter, says then Satan entered into Judas called a scariot, who was one of 178s
He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about 188s
how he might betray him to them. 193s
They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money, so he consented and began to look 196s
for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. 201s
Preparations, a plan set in motion. 208s
The son of perdition betrays with a kiss, deception the scheme, silver the price, death, 212s
the cost. 224s
Thread three, Satan. 227s
In Genesis, we read, now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the 231s
God had made. 239s
He said to the woman, did God say, you shall not eat from any tree in the garden, the first 241s
temptation. 250s
In the gospel of Luke, in his time, in the wilderness, the devil had come to tempt our 253s
Lord Jesus Christ. 261s
When the devil had finished every test he departed from Jesus until an opportune time. 263s
Luke, the 22nd chapter, then Satan entered into Judas called a scariot. 272s
Preparations, a plan set in motion, the enemy tempting, falling for his lies, sin enters 282s
in. 291s
We sit in darkness, lost in the unholy, there is no hope. 293s
Thread four, the disciples. 302s
Jesus had prepared them. 308s
He told them what was to come. 311s
In Luke the ninth chapter, he said, the son of man must undergo great suffering and be 314s
acted by the elders, chief priests and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 319s
A second time, in Luke the ninth chapter, Jesus said, let these words sink into your ears. 327s
The son of man is going to be betrayed into human hands. 335s
A third time Jesus tells. 342s
Tells of his death. 346s
He took the 12th side and said to them, see we are going up to Jerusalem and everything 349s
that is written about the son of man by the prophets will be accomplished. 356s
For he will be handed over to the Gentiles and he will be mocked and insulted and spat 361s
upon. 368s
After they have flogged him, they will kill him. 369s
And on the third day, he will rise again. 372s
Preparations, a plan set in motion, washed and fed, served by their Lord, they knew what 378s
would happen, yet blinded to the truth. 387s
Thread five, God. 393s
From the outset, God had a plan. 396s
A plan for his people, a plan for his creation. 404s
In scripture, throughout scripture, we see the plan laid out in foreshadowed. 410s
In Exodus, the 12th chapter God instituted the first Passover to be observed by his 418s
people, a celebration which Christ observed with his friends over 2,000 years ago. 425s
In the Passover, the Hebrews were called to sacrifice a spotless lamb. 433s
The lamb's sacrifice in scripture foretell the sacrifice of the spotless lamb. 442s
Preparations, a plan set in motion, traditions and rights, rituals and law, pointing to the 452s
one who was to come. 461s
Isaiah, the 53rd chapter, he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. 467s
Like a lamb that has led to the slaughter and like a sheep that is before its shears is silent. 479s
So he did not open his mouth. 486s
By a perversion of justice he was taken away. 490s
Who could have imagined his future? 493s
For he was cut off from the land of the living. 496s
Strykin, for the transgression of my people, they made his grave with the wicked and his 500s
tomb with the rich. 508s
Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth. 510s
Yet, it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. 517s
When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong 523s
his days through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 528s
Out of his anguish he shall see light, he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. 534s
The righteous one, my servant shall make many righteous and he shall bear their equities. 540s
Therefore I will lot him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the 549s
strong because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors. 556s
Yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. 564s
Preparations, a plan set in motion, justice for the unjust, he takes it all. 572s
This is the plan. 584s
How can that be? 587s
The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us. 594s
Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, 600s
it can never by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year make perfect those who approach. 607s
Otherwise would they not have ceased being offered since the worshipers cleansed once for all, 617s
would no longer have any consciousness of sin? 624s
But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin year after year for it is impossible. 628s
For the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, consequently when Christ came into the world, 634s
he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. 642s
In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 650s
Then I said, see God, I have come to do your will, oh God, in the scroll of the book, 656s
it is written of me. 663s
When he said above you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings, 666s
these are offered according to the law, then he added, see, I have come to do your will. 676s
He abolishes the first in order to establish the second, 685s
and it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 691s
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 702s
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the father. 713s
And since then he has been waiting until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet. 726s
For by a single offering he has perfected for all for all time those who are sanctified. 734s
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us. 742s
For after saying this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days says the Lord, 746s
I will put my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds. 754s
He also adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds, no more. 759s
Separations, a plan set in motion unfolded through the history of time. 771s
Beloved, you are forgiven. 782s
You are redeemed. 789s
You are washed. 793s
You are loved. 795s
The feast has been made ready. 799s
And your place is set and secured. 805s