By PAUL J. SCHARF, M.Div. Editor in Chief There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (Luke 23:32-33) The crowd that had gathered was growing larger and the scene was becoming more intense. The atmosphere was fueled by a mixture of curiosity, disgust, hatred and raucous jubilee. They [...]
(Read Part 1) Was the Lord's Supper instituted during a Passover meal? In Matthew 26:26, the text says that "Jesus took bread." The Greek word for bread here is ἄρτον. This is simply the common word for leavened bread. In fact, it always means leavened bread. There is another word for unleavened bread, and in fact many times in the gospels this word—ἄζυμος—is used to mean Passover (cf. Matt. 26:17). Beginning at Passover, observant Jews will not have any yeast or leaven in [...]
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. (1 Cor. 5:7) One of the things that I will tell you many times is that I want you to question the assumptions. You ought to do this when listening to a sermon—even my sermons—or when listening to the news or even hearing something from a friend. What are the assumptions that underlie the assertion that [...]
