Local Congregation Edmonton, Alberta

Weekly Pastor's Message - Passover in an Unworthy Manner
By: Michael Erickson (published March 30, 2023)

The Passover, we will very shortly be observing, commemorates Jesus' death and our deliverance from sin. It is the most solemn and sacred occasion of the year and yet at the same time should bring internal joy. Let’s consider the example and command Jesus gave us: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins'" (Matthew 26:26-28).

We know that Jesus gave His life that we might be forgiven of sin. He took a terrible beating that we might be healed (Isaiah 53:4-5) and subsequently purchase the church of God with His blood (Acts 20:28). So as instructed, we will be following Christ’s example and participating in taking the bread and the wine in remembrance of Him (1 Corinthians 11:24-26).

But then Paul adds a warning in 1 Corinthians 11:27-31: “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.”

There is a lot imbedded in this section of scripture, including that we are to give proper reverence to Jesus for the sacrifice of His body and that Jesus' body also represents the Church (Colossians 1:24; Romans 12:5). Those are critical items to discern, however for the purpose of this pastor’s message I want to expand upon one aspect of Paul’s warning by considering: What is a worthy manner? And I want to develop this in a very specific way.

Before I dive into this in more detail, in summary; this scripture is not speaking about the Church member being worthy or unworthy to take it. It is speaking of the manner in which we do it. Satan will try to deceive us by sending us a message that we are unworthy to observe the Passover. Do not be deceived! None of us of ourselves can ever be worthy of God's grace and love. Christ willingly sacrificed His life that we may be considered worthy. If you are baptized and have God's Holy Spirit, you are worthy and commanded to keep it.

With that summary in mind, let’s explore more deeply what is a worthy manner. Is it in any way about our works? We know faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26, see also Ephesians 2:10), so clearly works are important. That being said, we must understand our works fall short of what God is looking for at this time: "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'" (Luke 17:10).

Let’s expand this by considering two examples in Scripture where one (or a group) looked to their works, and each proved to be unworthy. The first example is found in Luke 18:11-14 where the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

The one found worthy was not the one who compared himself and his works to others around him but the one who compared himself to God and realized how completely unworthy he really was.

The other example is that of the Laodiceans found in Revelation 3:17-18: Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Like the Pharisee in Luke 18, the Laodiceans as a group are blinded to the true state of their spiritual lives because they are making false comparisons and looking to their works. Thus, Christ judges both as unworthy.

Here is the paradox we must fully understand: as we increasingly realize our unworthiness, we move closer to developing a worthy manner.<.li>

We must give great attention to 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 where the apostle Paul provides the essential first steps to avoid appearing at Passover in an unworthy manner: "let a man examine himself" and "if we would judge ourselves." From the two examples illustrated we know, the tax collector examined himself and judged that he was sinful. However, both the Pharisee and the Laodiceans failed by not comparing themselves to God—in fact, from the context its clear they see themselves as not bad at all!

Now let’s consider Romans 5:20 as this will help us make the correct comparison and bring about the humble and worthy manner of the tax collector: "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." This section of scripture is inspired to highlight the power of God’s law. When God’s law enters our lives through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it manifests our sins and shortcomings by bringing to our attention how far off the mark we truly are.

As we more deeply understand the law and the spirit of the law, where once we may have been unaware of our failures, we now see them everywhere in our lives. It seems our sins and shortcomings are growing exponentially—abounding as this verse indicates. Why? Because, with the law increasingly illuminating our once blind or darkened minds, we now see how grave our sin is; we more clearly recognize “oh wretched man that I am! Who shall save me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24-25).

• God’s law as expanded throughout His Word does not create sin; however, that law reveals sin with startling clarity as one grows in understanding, Godly humility and the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

No matter how great our sin, as the last half of Romans 5:20 clearly demonstrates, more than enough grace is available to cover and forgive those sins—"grace abounds much more”.

And what makes that abundance of forgiveness and grace possible? The sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It was more than just a man who suffered and died for our sins; it was indeed God… manifest in the flesh as we know from 1 Timothy 3:16! That is the price that was paid to cover and forgive—the torture and death of our Creator. Thus, a worthy manner begins with realizing the true depth of our sin and the incredible payment for our sins, which was no less than our sinless Creator sacrificing His life for His very unworthy bride.

As we enter the last few days before Passover, God wants His Son's sacrifice and its significance to be top of our minds. He does not want us to become sullen or stuck in self pity over it, but to remember that it represents the very measure of His love and our worth to Him. Meditating on this sacrifice, remembering the price our guiltless Savior paid, should greatly reinforce the depth of our obligation to Him. Our recognition of this heavy debt to Him is not meant to become a burden, but its purpose is to fill us with wonder, awe, carefulness, and reverence that He would pay so much for ones so utterly defiled.

Without that sacrifice, we would have no hope. Our focus at Passover, then, should not be on ourselves and our sins but on the payment for our sins—the sacrifice that God’s justice required for them.

• The focus of Passover is not on us but on Christ!
• It is not on our sins but the sacrifice for them.

What did we do to deserve this? Nothing! That is the point. We did nothing to deserve it. Only because of God's love and Jesus' sacrifice, rather than the death we earned (Romans 6:23), we instead have been given the opportunity to join the God Family for eternity as the Bride of Christ!

Let’s keep in remembrance the value that He has placed on each one of us through His redemption and the obligation we have to value all the members of His body. I may pick up on this theme in a future pastor’s message as it is a critical aspect of discerning the Lord’s body—something that must be done throughout the year. I pray all have a meaningful Passover and spring Holy Day season.