August 12, 2026 · Mark Bishop
Prep the Kitchen
“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”
Luke 22:7-13 →
## The Ingredients
For some reason, I became a huge fan of competitive cooking shows. You would see passion and creativity mixed with that competitive edge. While I read this passage, my mind went to the thoughts about preparing a meal. Everyone has different taste buds, like opinions, so impressing a group of people can be difficult. Throw in culture and the different types of food each were raised eating, and it becomes even more difficult to please a person judging your ability. There are so many flavors, cooking styles, spices, etc. It almost seems like the possibilities are endless when you work on combinations of all that. If you go sit down at a nice restaurant where the meal is cooked fresh for you, you can tell a difference of flavor versus if you were to go through a drive-thru or buy something to warm up in the microwave. When it comes to a fresh meal, the chef's job is to make the food not only good but consistent in flavor. The time and preparation for making a fresh meal often pays off with great flavor. I remember waiting 30 minutes on a meal, only to take one bite and say, "The wait was worth it."
## Start the Timer
God has been preparing the world for His Son's first coming. He sent prophets to tell what they saw or heard from the Lord. He gave parables and illustrations throughout that those who would just seek, would find. He sent appetizers and showed us a preview of the meal, and whenever that meal would arrive, we would say "the wait was worth it." Jesus gave orders in preparation for the final Passover earthly lamb before they would experience the Heavenly Lamb. They did as He commanded and got everything ready for the meal. They were preparing the Earthly Passover while Christ was preparing the Heavenly Passover.
## Self-Check
When you look back through the lens of Christ on the Old Testament, you see the prep work that was laid out by God. The people waited and longed to see the Messiah. We wait today and long to see His triumphant return. God has laid the prep work out now for the Second Coming much like the first. When the time comes and the dinner bell has rung, we will all say, "The wait was worth it."
## Servant’s Supper