And when the hour came, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
Read Chapter 22
Athanasius the Apostolic
AD 373
Above all, however, I wish to remind you and myself along with you that the Lord does not want us to come irreverently or unprepared to the Easter feast. We must have our doctrine straight, follow the proper liturgy, and do all things properly. The historical record of Israel’s feast tells us, “No foreigner, no slave purchased with money, no uncircumcised man, may eat the Passover.” It is not supposed to be eaten in just any house. There is a proper place. He also commands it to be done in haste, because we were once groaning under the sorrow of our “bondage to Pharaoh” and the “commands of the taskmasters.” In the old days, the children of Israel were considered ready to receive the feast, which was the type, only if they had followed the instructions. That type was the forerunner of our feast, although the feast was not established because of the type.When the Word of God was ready to establish the feast, which is the fulfillment of all, he told his disciples, “I have longed very muc...
On its way to Jerusalem, Israel was purified in the wilderness and was trained to forget the customs of Egypt. Similarly the Word has graciously prescribed for us the holy fast of forty days of Lent. Let us make it a time of purification and purging, so that after the fast we will be prepared to go to the upper room and eat with him, to be partakers of the joys of heaven. There is no other way for us to be prepared to go up to Jerusalem and eat the Passover but to apply ourselves to the fortyday fast.
By the hour of eating the Passover, He signifies the fourteenth day of the first month, far gone towards evening, the fifteenth moon just appearing on the earth.
He first then desires to eat the typical Passover, and so to declare the mysteries of His Passion to the world.
Thus then was our Lord the approver of the legal Passover; and as He taught that it related to the figure of His own dispensation, He forbids it henceforth to be represented in the flesh. Therefore He adds, For I say to you, I will not any more eat thereof; until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. That is, I will no more celebrate the Mosaic Passover, until, being spiritually understood, it is fulfilled in the Church. For the Church is the kingdom of God; asin Luke, The kingdom of God is within you. Again, the ancient Passover, which He desired tobring to an end, is also alluded to in what follows; And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take you For this gave He thanks, that the old things were about to ...
He says this, because the covetous disciple was looking out for the time for betraying Him; but that he might not betray Him before the feast of the Passover, our Lord had not divulged either the house, or the man with whom He should keep the Passover. That this wasthe cause is very evident from these words.
From the moment when he broke his body for his disciples and gave it to his apostles, three days are numbered during which he was counted among the dead, like Adam. Although Adam lived for many years after having eaten of the fruit of the tree, he was still numbered among the dead for having broken the commandment. God spoke to him, “The day on which you eat of it you shall die.” Scripture also says, “Your descendants will dwell there for four hundred years,” and the years were numbered from the day on which this word was pronounced. The same way of counting applies likewise to our Lord. Alternatively, the sixth day must be counted as two and the sabbath as one. It was because he had given them his body to eat in view of the mystery of his death that he entered their bodies, as afterwards he entered the earth. Our Lord blessed and broke the bread, because Adam had not blessed the fruit at the time when, as a rebel, he gathered it. The bread entered them, making up for the greed by whic...
Hereby we may refute the folly of the Ebionitesconcerning the eating of flesh, seeing that our Lord eats the Passover of the Jews. Therefore He pointedly said, “This Passover” that no one might transfer it to mean another.
Or else; When our Lord was celebrating the new Passover, He fitly said, With desire have I desired this Passover, that is, the new mystery of the New Testament which He gave to His disciples, and which many prophets and righteous men desired before Him. He then also Himself thirsting for the common salvation, delivered this mystery, to suffice for the whole world. But the Passover was ordained by Moses to be celebrated in one place, that is, in Jerusalem. Therefore it was not adapted for the whole world, and so was not desired.
Or He says this, because after that Passover the Crosswas at hand. But we find Him frequently prophesying of His own Passion, and desiring it to take place.
Remember then when you sit down to meat that after the meal you must pray therefore satisfy your hunger, but with moderation, lest being overcharged you should not be able to bend your knees in supplication and prayer to God. Letus not then after our meals turn to sleep, but to prayer. For Christ plainly signifies this, that the partaking of food should not be followed by sleep or rest, but by prayer and reading the holy Scripture. It follows, For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God come.
But how is our Lord said to sit down, whereas the Jews eat the Passover standing? They say, that when they had eaten the legal Passover, they sat down according to the common custom, to eat their other food.
Or He says, With desire have I desired; as if to say, This is My last supper with you, therefore it is most precious and welcome to Me; just as those who are going away to a distance, utter the last words to their friends most affectionately.
The resurrection is called the kingdom of God, because it has destroyed death. Therefore David also says, The Lord reigns. He has put on beauty, that is, a beautiful robe, having put off the corruption of the flesh. But when the resurrection comes, He again drinks with His disciples; to prove that the resurrection was not a shadow only.
