Preparing Our Hearts for Passover

By Redeemer Presbyterian Church

"Day 37: The Plot"

Even as life was slipping away from Jesus, He remained in control. He predicted His arrest and crucifixion before the religious leaders could gather to conspire against Him. He knew that Judas, one of His trusted apostles, was going to betray Him. How unsettling it must have been for Judas to know that Jesus could see right through his charade. Although humans have their plans and schemes, it is God's that always prevail. Nothing can interfere with what He has proposed to do. Nothing is more important to God's eternal plan than that Jesus, the Son of Man, be handed over to be crucified. His last meal, the Passover, carried symbolic significance and pointed to the purpose of Jesus' death. Passover was an annual celebration of Israel's exodus from slavery in Egypt. Jesus' death would be the new Passover. Those who trust in Him experience the ultimate exodus: liberation from the bondage of sin. As a result, they enjoy the privilege of living in the freedom of His love forever.

When life seems chaotic, when things seem incoherent, we find great comfort in remembering Jesus’ experience at the end of His life. Although humans plotted against Him and successfully carried out their plan, they could not thwart God’s plan. What a relief it is to know that nothing can interfere with the plan of the One who is in control! He works meticulously for His good purposes. By looking to Jesus, especially in His death for us, we discover the heart of God’s plan: through Jesus’ death, we find life; through His blood shed for us, we experience exodus from the bondage of sin and the freedom to live in His love.

Prayer

Gracious Father, thank You for being in control of destiny, especially when our lives feel desperately out of control. Center us on the One who is at the center of Your eternal plan. Holy Spirit, grant us the grace to trust in Christ so that we may experience true exodus, and having experienced the forgiveness of sins, may live in the freedom of Your love, with hearts full of devotion. In Christ's name, Amen.