THE COMING OF JESUS' HOUR (The Fourth Cup & Lamb of God)
Now, Jesus explains the coming of the His hour, which is His death and glorification. And when He’s talking to His disciples and explaining this, if you read the book of John, you will remember hearing, He repeatedly says, ”My hour has not yet come.” During the feast at Cana, He tells Mary His mother, “How does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." (John 2:4) Many times you can read, “My hour has not yet come.” However, at this time, “Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:23-24) Now let’s listen to this a little more carefully. What if Jesus were to say unless an apple falls to the ground and dies, it remains just an apple? But if it falls to the ground and dies, it produces more fruit. What is the fruit from an apple? Well, more apples. An apple tree makes more apples. Or Jesus could have said unless an apricot falls to the ground and dies, it remains just an apricot. But if it dies, it produces much fruit, which would be more apricots. But instead He chooses His words wisely and says, “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” What is the fruit from wheat? It’s bread. The fruit from wheat is bread!
Jesus and His disciples were all Jewish, so they celebrated the feast of the Passover every year. There were special meal preparations for this feast. They would go to Jerusalem at this time of year and celebrate the feast. Luke records, “When the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread arrived, the day for sacrificing the Passover lamb, he sent out Peter and John, instructing them, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." They asked him, "Where do you want us to make the preparations?" And he answered them, "When you go into the city, a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters and say to the master of the house, 'The teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' He will show you a large upper room that is furnished. Make the preparations there." Then they went off and found everything exactly as he had told them, and there they prepared the Passover.” (Luke 22:7-13)
“A man will meet you carrying a jar of water.” What’s interesting to note is that this was a woman’s job. At this time, typically women gathered water, but the disciples were to go into Jerusalem and meet a man carrying water. They saw him, and they followed him, and they found everything as Jesus had said. There they prepared the Passover meal. Meaning they prepared the Pascal lamb, the bitter herbs, the green herbs, the matzah, the haroseth, and more, the four cups of wine.
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