Matthew 26:17-30 contains the account of Jesus’ last Passover with his disciples. My Bible heads this passage with the term Last Supper. For many years, I considered this event as the last supper Jesus would eat on earth with his disciples. A few years ago it suddenly hit me that while this verse means this is the last Passover that Jesus would eat, could it also mean it is the last Passover that would need to be eaten because Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, would not just cover our sin but redeem us from our sin and all unrighteousness?
Shortly after the last Passover was eaten, Jesus went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sin. His last words were “It is finished.” Because Jesus’ work on the cross was finished, many things for the human race were also finished; they were done for the last time.
Because of Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection, we’ve carried our last load of shame. We’re dropping it at the foot of the cross. We’re done hauling around our last defeat. Jesus gets that too, He said he’d use all things for our good and His glory. Jesus gets our last guilt trip; we’re done traveling on that road. Our last not enough, our last not good enough, our last not smart enough, our last not strong enough. They are finished.
Better Than That
This does not mean that everything will go perfectly for us in this life – that’s not scriptural. But it’s better than that. It means that redemption is possible on this earth. It means that the “labels” the world has placed upon us or we have placed on ourselves can be overcome spiritually. We don’t have to wait until heaven.
It means that right now, when we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit unlocks a lot of “firsts” for us as we follow His plan and let Him equip us. It does not matter what our past track record looks like. We are “at last” good enough, wise enough, strong enough to do what God is giving us to do because when Jesus said “it is finished,” it was the last of living in our strength and the beginning of living in His strength, His plan, His calling on our lives.
This Easter, take some time to identify what your “last” is.
Because of Jesus, I have experienced my last ____________. You fill in the blank. Amen.
Happy Easter!
Excellent application of His powerful declaration. So wonderful that when something ends, He works to bring about something better in His plan of the ages and in our lives as well. What a wonderful Savior!
Yes, thank you, Donna. I love how Go’s plan of redemption works in all areas of our lives. 💜