what good is it to me?

late last week, my husband + I sat down and watched some of the live feed from Passion 2013. one of our dearest friends was in the georgia dome with 60,000 other people, and we wanted to see what he saw, even though it's never quite the same when you're watching from the comfort of your living room couch.

one of the main sessions was led by Beth Moore. I don't tend to listen to or read much of her material, but our friend had told us how great her sermon had been, so we went back and gave it a go.

we both listened politely for a few minutes, and when she asked for bibles to be opened to Matthew 26, we obliged and turned the pages of our own bibles. I started taking notes, and before I knew it, the wide margins of my journalling bible were overflowing.

on friday night, we sat once more in our living room, this time joined by twenty others. we had just come from the worship service on campus and were hanging out, as is the friday night norm. there were a few pockets of people having conversations in the room, and at one point the passion conference was mentioned, one woman asking whether anyone else had watched any of it, in particular Beth Moore's session. when Joey and I responded emphatically that we had, eager to start some kind of discussion about what we had learned, she and her husband were both shocked that we had enjoyed the session.

"it was just an hour's worth of information about Passover! 

what good is that to us?"

the husband dismissed the whole thing just because it appeared to be centered around a tradition in which we as Christians don't typically engage. {+ don't even get me started on what he spoke about women teaching in the church ...}

I wasn't sure what to say, and simply showed them my bible, filled with notes, telling them how much I had learned + encouraging the wife to give it another try. the husband wasn't even paying attention to our conversation anymore.

the thing about passover, and specifically the last supper [the meal Beth Moore spoke of, out of Matthew 26], is that it's rich in Jewish tradition. the meal seems to go by really quickly according to that passage, mostly because it focuses on the bread + the wine -- the body + blood of Christ in today's communion.

now you'll have to just go + listen to Beth Moore give it, because I'm really not going to do it justice. but the short version of the story is that each step of the way through the passover meal, Jesus was intentional:

• He washed the disciples' feet at the point when there is normally a hand-washing ritual -- obviously this night is different from the passovers of days gone by!
• instead of taking all four "I will" cups throughout the meal, Jesus only took the first three cups:
• the cup of sanctification [I will bring you out]
• the cup of deliverance [I will deliver you from slavery]
• the cup of redemption [I will redeem you with an outstretched arm]
• the fourth cup [of restoration -- I will take you to be my people] Jesus said He would not partake of until the day when He would drink with us in God's kingdom.

the first two promises -- the first two "I will's" -- were fulfilled in the old testament, and the third would be fulfilled by Jesus' sacrifice. the fourth promise will be fulfilled on the glorious day when Jesus returns to bring His kingdom here on earth.

not only did he not partake of the fourth cup during the meal, but as He was praying in Gethsemane, Jesus asked that, if it was God's will, the cup might be passed from Him. Jesus is referring to the third cup, the cup of redemption -- the one Jesus gave to the disciples as His blood during the last supper. the cup we drink today as part of communion.



for you.
for me.

Jesus lived a perfect life, without any sin at all. He was hated in life + died a brutal deaht so I wouldn't have to. so you wouldn't have to.

Beth Moore's session wasn't just an hour's worth of information about the rituals of the passover seder. it was an hour's worth of back-story into the symbolism of the last supper. the reason why we drink the cup of redemption even today.

that's the good in her teaching.
He's the good in it.