马太福音26:17-19：“我的时候快到了”

17除酵节的第一天，门徒来问耶稣说：“你吃逾越节的筵席，要我们在哪里给你预备？”18耶稣说：“你们进城去，到某人那里，对他说，‘夫子说：我的时候快到了，我与门徒要在你家里守逾越节。’”19门徒遵着耶稣所吩咐的，就去预备了逾越节的筵席。

即使在耶稣受难的过程中，我们也不要忘记他是神的儿子，能掌控所有将他带往十字架的事件。大概有成千上万的访客到耶路撒冷来过逾越节。每个客店的房间都被预定一空，供来访者享受逾越节的宴席。但耶稣知道有一个房间是空着的，他差派他的门徒去为逾越节的筵席做准备。

“我的时候快到了”，他告诉门徒。这个时刻在创世之前就被预定了。当上帝向亚当和夏娃做出第一个关于救主的应许时，这个时刻就被预定了。人类历史的进程成就了这一事件的发生，被献祭的羔羊是神为了拯救他的子民脱离罪恶而准备的。即使你是一名信奉不可知论的历史学家，也能够看出这个事件比历史上所有其他事件都重要。

了解这个故事，学习这个故事，思索这个故事。这个故事关乎你我的救恩。世界上没有任何历史事件能与此相比。

祷告：主耶稣，让我带着信心的眼睛来观看你的苦难和死亡，我相信藉着神羔羊的血我已经被救赎，他已经除去了世人的罪。阿们！

Matthew 26:17-19: 17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

        There are always reminders in the midst of Jesus’ Passion that he is the Son of God, that he was in control of the events that would take him to the cross. There were thousands, and maybe even hundreds of thousands of visitors to Jerusalem for the Passover. Every room would have been booked for visitors to use to celebrate the Passover feast. But Jesus knows that there is a room open, and he sends his disciples to prepare the Passover meal for the disciples.

         “My appointed time is near,” he told them. That time was appointed before the world was created. That time as appointed from the time that God made the first promise of a Savior to Adam and Eve. History unfolded so that this one event could take place, the sacrifice of the Lamb that God prepared to save his people from their sins. Even if you were an agnostic historian, you should see that this event in history is more important than all others.

         Learn the story. Study the story. Meditate on the story. This is the story of your salvation and mine. Nothing at all begins to compare with this event in the history of the world.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, let me see the story of your suffering and death through the eyes of faith, with the heart of one who has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.   Amen.