Proof of the Sequence of Passover Services

SEQUENCE FOR PASSOVER OR THE LORD'S SUPPER

We say:

Foot washing

bread service

wine service

Some say:

bread service

wine service

foot washing

In the book, "The Harmony of the Gospels" by Frederick R. Coulter he states on page 196, item 318:

Jesus institutes the New Testament (Covenant) Passover 1) Foot washing 2) Eating Unleavened Bread and 3) Drinking

the wine.

This is followed by the verses covering each part.

First Part of the New Covenant Passover:  The Foot Washing

John 13:2-17

Item 319  Judas dips the sop and leaves to betray Jesus

Matt 26: 21-25

Mark 14:18-21

Luke 22:21-23

John 13:18-32

Item 320  Second Part: Eating the Unleavened Bread

Matt 26:26

Mark 14:22

Luke 22:19

1 Corinthians 11:23-24

Item 321 Third Part:  Drinking the wine

Matt 26:27-29

Mark 14:23-25

Luke 22:17-20

1 Corinthians 11:25-29

The foot washing service is only talked about in John 13  The bread and wine is spoken of in the other gospels.  No one

gospel shows the complete sequence but it seems clear that the foot washing was first.  Judas did the foot washing but

not the wine and bread as he had gone.  That should tell you something.

Notice Halley's Bible Handbook:

Matthew 26:17-29  The Last Supper

Told also in Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-38, John 13 and 14.  This was the night before his death.  There were two suppers:

Passover Supper and Lord's Supper.  Lord's Supper was instituted at close of Passover Supper.  Luke mentions two cups

(22:17-20).  Matthew, Mark and Luke mention both suppers.  John mentions only Passover.

For 14 centuries the Passover had been pointing forward to the coming of the Paschal Lamb.  Jesus ate the Passover,

substituted in its place His Own Supper, and then was himself slain as the Paschal Lamb.  Jesus expired on the cross

(stake) in the same day in which paschal lambs were being slain in the Temple.

The Passover had served its purpose, and had now given place to the New Memorial Supper which was to be kept in

loving rememberance of Jesus till He Comes again (1 Cor 11:26)

As the Passover pointed back to deliverance out of Egypt, and forward to His Coming; so the new Memorial points back

to his death, and forward to His Coming in Glory.

The order of incidents at the Supper is somewhat confusing.  Matthew and Mark seem to place the Lord's Supper after

Judas had gone out.  Luke seems to say that Judas was there.  John gives the contention first.  Luke gives it after the

supper.  The writers evidently were guided by other considerations than the order in which the incidents occurred.  Here

is the probable order:

1) Their contention.  Jesus washes their feet.

2) Jesus announces the betrayal, All answer, "Is it I?"

3) Sop given to Judas.  He says, "Is it I?" and goes out.

4) The Lord's Supper instituted (bread and wine)

5) The "new commandment," and tender words of John 14.

----------End of quote--------------

So see there was two suppers; the Passover supper and the Lord's supper.  This may have caused some of your

confusion.

The following is from Mr. Armstrong's book, "The Real Jesus"...

We know from later Jewish sources that the Paschal supper followed a rigorously exacting

schedule, including specified Psalms and prayers, four cups of red wine per person (which

would even require an individual who was too poor to afford it to sign notes for future labor),

plus the question and session between father and son concerning the significance of the Passover

in Egypt, and many other rites. Some sort of similar ceremony may have already been customary

even at this time.

But Jesus' supper was far different. After they had all taken their seats around the table, Jesus,

having led them in prayer and asking God's blessing on the food in a particularly moving

manner, told them, "I have had the deepest desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Because I'm telling you, this is the last time I will eat it on this earth until it is fulfilled in the

kingdom of God."

The disciples were no doubt puzzled. They knew they were sitting down to a lamb supper with

the bitter herbs, unleavened bread, the cups of wine; they knew that Jesus was particularly heavy

and seemingly serious and saddened; and they no doubt expected that Jesus would be eating the

regular Passover supper with them either here or in some other place the following evening.

Therefore, all the disciples were quite surprised when He told them this was the last time He

would eat of it until it was fulfilled in the kingdom of God!

Suddenly, wild hope leaped into their breasts. They, began to talk excitedly among themselves,

believing that true to the Romans' apprehensions, Christ was finally going to seize upon the

opportunity of the Passover on the following night to rally nearly one-and-a-half million people

around Him (probably by an awesome series of miracles), simply overwhelm the Romans by

force of numbers, and establish a new kingdom of Israel right then and there!

Peter probably hastily excused himself during part of the noisy discussion that followed Jesus'

sober words, and rushed downstairs to the foyer where they had left their outer cloaks, and

retrieved his cherished Roman shortsword he had bought in a bazaar during their visit to the

Syrophoenician coast.

While he was at it, he rummaged through the disciples' personal effects and found another sword

hanging on a peg beneath a cloak. Expectancy and determination boiling up within him, he

climbed back up the stairs and slid the swords under the mat on which he was sitting and

rejoined the conversation.

The talk had turned to the deeds that had been done.

Peter could see Judas was getting in his licks down the table, and it seemed that Bartholomew,

James, Alphaeus' son Thaddeus ,and even Simon the Canaanite were nodding agreement.

Peter had been disgusted several times in the past over James' and John's constant discussions

about who would "be the greatest" in the kingdom, and especially resented some of the

interference of parents of some of the men, notably Zebedee's wife who had lobbied so heavily

that "when Jesus came with His kingdom her boys ought to have the two top seats."

The talk swirled back and forth along the table, concentrating on certain qualities of character:

who had been stronger in this or that confrontation, who had been used to cast out demons, who

had attracted the largest crowds which had listened in this or that town during their earlier

evangelistic campaign trips when Jesus had sent them out two by two. Finally, faces began to

redden, voices raised a little, and a full-fledged argument seemed to be developing.

Jesus rapped for attention and said, "Now wait just a minute! You all know that the kings of

Gentile nations exercise lordship over their subjects, and they that have authority over the

people are usually called 'benefactors.'" (He said this somewhat sarcastically, for the record of

bestial brutalities by Gentile kings, even including the oft-told tale of Herod's assassination of

the children at Jesus own birth, was well known.)

"But with you it will not be that way! He that is the greatest among you, let him become as if he

were the youngest. And he that is the chief, as if he were a servant. For which is the greatest, he

that sits at the table, partaking of the meat, or he that is doing the serving? Is it not he that is

obviously sitting at his own table, partaking of his own meat? But I am in the midst of you as he

that serves! But you right here are those special few that have continued with me in all of my

temptations and trials; and I am appointing unto you a kingdom, just as my Father has appointed

that kingdom unto me; that you will finally eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will

all sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel!"

They didn't understand this statement though we in retrospect can easily understand it today.

Jesus was showing the futility of reasoning carnally, bickering over special favors, and striving

to use political methods and influence to gain prominence.

Rather, He reminded them how, just prior to the meal, He Himself had helped set it out, had

arranged this or that place setting, had gone willingly to the kitchen to carry some of the food to

the upstairs room, as He had always done; pitching in with His own hands to do task work.

Jesus never followed the examples of the aloof Pharisees and Sadducees who loved to posture

and flaunt their importance while they allowed others to wait on them hand and foot.

Judas, in lively discussion with several of the disciples whom he had greatly influenced, was

seated close enough to Jesus that he could hear snatches of conversation between Jesus, John,

James and Peter from time to time.

His mind was tormenting him. Was this the time? How could he slip out? Was there any way he

could bribe a servant? He knew Peter had secretly stashed away a couple of swords, but he

didn't feel this would be enough to resist an armed guard, arriving quickly and without

announcement. Judas thought he had better bide his time perhaps wait until the supper was over

and maybe everyone would be asleep from the effects of the delicious meal and the few cups of

wine.

But Judas used every opportunity during the lively discussion concerning rulership to get in

telling blows about how he had saved them a great deal of money by his skillful financial

transactions, and how much more popular he would prove to be with his deferential ways and

especially his programs for the poor.

Judas seized what seemed to have been his best opportunity, with Jesus particularly

preoccupied during the Passover to launch into one of his longest and most emotionally intense

accusations of Jesus.

Jesus had gotten up several times, but this time He returned to the table carrying some brazen

pots and pans. When He had accumulated enough of them, Jesus stood up from the table, and

began to take off His inner layer of garments until He was stripped to the waist, wearing only

His loincloth. He then took a large towel and wrapped it around Himself, poured water into a

large brass basin, and, beginning with one of the men at the end of the table, laid heavy emphasis

on His words of a few moments before, "I am in the midst of you as one that serves," literally

acting out His part of a "servant" by, of all things, beginning to wash the disciples' feet!

Bemused, Judas watched Jesus wash the feet of Thaddeus and Simon the Canaanite. When Jesus

came to Judas, he probably rolled his eyes, winked significantly at a couple of people nearby,

grimacing in hopelessness, as Jesus, with His head and shoulders bowed, washed Judas's feet.

Finally, it was Peter's turn. And Peter blustered.

He said, "Lord, what in the world do you think you're doing-are you going to try to wash my

feet?"

Jesus looked at him and said, "What I am doing now, you don't understand, Peter, but you will

understand afterward."

Peter couldn't stand all of this "serving" any further and so he said, "You're never going to wash

my feet!"

Jesus smiled and said, "Peter, if I don't wash your feet, you won't have anything to do with me

whatever."

Peter said, "Lord, you go right ahead-and don't wash just my feet, but wash my hands and my

head as well!" Jesus had to smile more broadly at this. "He that has had a bath does not need to

wash anything but his feet, but is clean every bit. . ." And, looking at all of them, while still

noticing the glittering eyes of Judas, Jesus turned his statement into a direct and pointed lesson

by saying, "And you are clean"-then with a glance in Judas's direction- "but not all of you."

"Because," John added, "He knew who should betray him, therefore he said, "You are not all

clean."

Finally, He finished washing the feet of all twelve of them, replaced the basins, removed the

water jars, swabbed up the remaining droplets of water with a towel, and, picking up His

garments, got dressed.

He sat down again, then with voice rising above the hushed conversations he went on and said,

"Do you know what I have done to you? You all refer to me as Master [teacher] and Lord and

you say well, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and your Master, have washed your feet, you also

ought to wash one another's feet. Because I have given you an example, that you also should do

as I have done unto you! In plain point of fact, I am telling you, that a servant is not greater than

his lord; neither one who is commissioned or sent greater than the one who commissions or

sends him.

"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them! And I'm not talking of every one of

you; I know each of you that I have chosen, and that the scriptures must be fulfilled that say, "He

that eats his bread with me lifted up his heel against me.' [Compare with Psalm 41:9] It is

absolutely true that he who receives whomever I send is doing the same thing as receiving me;

and he who receives me will receive Him who sent me!"

Only moments later, Jesus said loudly enough for several of the disciples to hear, "I am telling

you the truth that one of you right here at this table is going to betray me! His hand is partaking of

the food right here at the table, and that hand is going to betray me! But I'll tell you this, Woe be

unto that man through whom I am betrayed!"

A deadly hush fell over the crowd.

Judas's face was sober. With widened eyes, he looked, with a combined pretense of shock and

curiosity from one to another near him as if wondering which one of those other disciples could

dare do such a thing.

A few tears sprang into a few eyes, and several of them were sorrowful.

Perhaps some few who had been influenced a great deal by Judas and had allowed themselves

to criticize Jesus from time to time were suddenly conscience-stricken. Several of them had to

take the opportunity to say, "Surely you don't think I would ever do a thing like that, do you,

Jesus?" Jesus reaffirmed again, "It is one of you who is eating with me right out of this common

bowl, who dips his bread in the dish and who will betray me. The Son of man will go through

with all that is required and written of Him, so it is all predetermined; but woe unto that man

through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had simply never

been born!" John had had a moment to express himself to Jesus, and in a particularly moving

moment leaned over and placed his head on Jesus' chest.

Peter thought John was whispering to Jesus, not recognizing that John was overcome with

sympathy and compassion, or the emotion that he felt.

Peter crooked a finger at John and whispered in his ear, "Tell us, who is this he is speaking

about?"

John leaned back a little further, and lifting his lips to Jesus' ear, said, "Lord, who is it?"

Jesus said quietly, but with a searching look at His three closest disciples near Him, John, Peter

and James, "It's the one to whom I'm going to give this sop."

Picking up a piece of the bread, Jesus dipped it in the common vessel, picking up slivers of

roast lamb with its juice, and purposefully leaned far over and gave it to Judas Iscariot.

Judas noticed that John's face whitened with shock, and suddenly Judas felt his body convulse

with both rage and guilt.

Judas was thunderstruck. He sneered, "I suppose you think it is I, don't you Rabbi?" Jesus said,

"Well, you said it."

This final, public break was more than Judas' tormented emotion could stand! His bitterness had

grown in the recent days and weeks during the tortuous confrontations with the leadership in

Jerusalem. And now, inside himself, his mind snapped and he lost all mental control.

While he probably couldn't really realize the enormity of the evil that was engulfing him, his

hatred for Jesus became so fierce, so intense, that his normal reserves were destroyed.

Judas had become fair game for Satan the Devil!

Satan was always hovering near Judas in a constant attempt to get him to whisper in this or that

ear, to influence this or that mind-all in order to bring about Jesus' degradation and death by

any means possible. Judas' mental collapse was Satan's golden opportunity. He immediately

took complete possession of Judas' mind, brain and body, entering directly into him so that he

completely controlled his every act, word and thought.

Jesus was still looking at Judas, and recognizing with His powerful perception of the spirit

world that the glint in Judas's, eye had suddenly taken on a wild demonic glaze, He spoke even

more to Satan than He did to Judas: "Get on with it; whatever you intend doing, you'd better do

it quickly!"

The other disciples all heard Jesus words, to Judas-yet none understood. They probably

supposed Jesus was giving Judas a special commission to go out and strike some special deal

for a specific purpose. Perhaps Jesus had asked Judas to buy some extra provisions for the

Passover. Judas, after all, was still the treasurer of the group; and Jesus had often told Judas to

go buy things that they needed or had urged him to give an offering to some poor person.

Therefore, there was no special uproar at the table when Judas hurriedly gathered his garments,

got to his feet, and went clattering down the stairs.

And so, while Jesus was still talking in calm tones to His disciples, Judas was cursing, flinging

stones, and kicking at things in his path as he determined to seek out the officials and bring them

back to Jesus to have Him arrested!

Instantly, after Judas had departed, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is

glorified in him; and God will glorify him in himself." Jesus explained to them it was all going

to come to a rapid head now, and began to urgently teach the disciples in a kindly but firm

manner, words which seemed to recall for them the most striking example of Jesus' teachings

they had ever heard, that time when they had slogged, lungs gasping for breath and foot-weary

up to the heights of that mountain near Capernaum so long ago when Jesus had told them,

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Jesus now said, "Little children, I'm only going to be with you for a short while longer and then

you're going to seek me, and as I have told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come, so now

I am telling you, A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another even as I have

loved you, that you love, one another in exactly that same way!

"So long as you do this, all men will know that you are my disciples. Your primary

characteristic must be the love you show for one another!"

Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Simon, I'm telling you something; Satan the Devil has tried to get

a hold of you, time and again, so he can sift you just like wheat; but I have been praying

especially for you, that your faith will not fail! Even though I know all of you are going to be

offended against me, because I remember what Zechariah wrote, 'I will smite the shepherd and

the sheep will be scattered abroad.' But, nevertheless, after I am resurrected, I am going to

precede you into Galilee."

Peter having already asked Jesus, "Lord, where are you going to go?" said, "Lord, even though

everybody else at this table would leave you, I never would! I am ready to go to Jail with you,

or to be killed!" Jesus said, "Really Peter? Are you really ready to lay down your life for me?

I'm telling you the truth, that this very same night, before the cock crows two times, you are

going to deny me three times!"

Peter raised his voice vehemently! Tears sprang into his eyes. mortified, furious, indignant, and

at the same time filled with an urgency to convince Jesus of his sincerity, Peter wondered why

in the world Jesus would be talking this way when Peter himself was ready for the breathtaking

announcement that the time had come to go out into the streets of Jerusalem and begin

proclaiming the news that the Messiah was taking over and setting up His government.

Peter felt his whole life's calling disintegrating around his ankles. Searching wildly for what

could possibly be behind Christ's words, he said again at the top of his lungs with tears filling

his eyes. "Lord, even if I've got to stand there and die beside you, I will never deny you!" His

speech was so moving that all of the other disciples were nodding their heads, with tears in their

own eyes, and were saying the same thing!

"You bet!" "Yes!" "That's right" "Me, too!" all of them said.

Jesus interrupted, "When I sent you out without a bag or a wallet, or without even extra sandals

for your trip, did you lack anything?" They answered, "No, nothing." "Well, I'm telling you now,

if you have a valise, you'd better take it, and likewise a wallet. And whoever has none, had

better sell his cloak and buy a sword. Because I'm telling you that this which is written must be

fulfilled in me [compare Isa. 53:12-And he was reckoned among the transgressors"] so that

everything which has been written of me will be completely fulfilled!"

That was more like it!

Now Jesus was making more sense, Peter thought. With alacrity, he reached under the mat, and

pulled out the two swords. Several of the others had seen him bring them and, nodding their

heads, backed up Peter when he said, "Lord, look! We've already got two swords!" Jesus said,

"That is quite enough!"

Peter had carried the sword in its sheath around his belt as a utilitarian utensil for a long time.

With it he had done everything from severing fruits and vegetables, trimming and cleaning them,

butchering and skinning animals, or wiping or scraping the mud off his shoes. He had kept the

sword exceedingly sharp, for its manifold uses kept the edge somewhat dulled if he didn't see to

it constantly.

Then, a new phase of the supper seemed to develop.

They had all commenced to eat again, when Jesus took a loaf of the flat bread, began to break it,

and again fulfilling His servant's task work, "blessed" (asked God's blessing on it in a brief

prayer), broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take and eat of this, because this is my body which

is given for you."

Jesus may have winced a little while completing the act of breaking the bread, for He knew that

in only a few hours, His very flesh would be broken open in great wounds-that He would be

fulfilling His role in this human life as a great sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for those

down through the ages who would believe in the symbol of "His body," broken through a

vicious scourging and terrible wounds, as offered in sacrifice to fulfill the scripture, "by whose

stripes are you healed" (I Pet. 2:24).

Later, He took the larger vessel of wine and poured it into individual cups, and after asking

God's blessing, said, "Drink, all of you, because this cup is the New Covenant represented by

my blood which is to be shed for many and which is poured out for you, for the remission of

sins. Because I'm telling you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the day

that I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Whenever you drink this cup, I want you to

do it in remembrance of me, because whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you will be

proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes again."

Paul would later be inspired to write, "Whenever you eat this [broken] bread, and drink this

cup, you are portraying the Lord's death until the time He returns.

"Whoever eats this [broken] bread, and drinks of this cup of the Lord without really discerning

the deep meaning of it, thus taking of the symbols unworthily, will be guilty of the body and the

blood of the Lord.

"But let a person examine himself, and then let him eat of that [broken] bread, and drink of the

cup.

"Because he that eats or drinks unworthily is condemning himself by eating and drinking these

symbols; not clearly seeing the Lord's body! It is for this precise reason many are weak and

sickly among you, and that many have died!" (cf. I Cor. 11: 26-30).

Jesus knew His body was being offered in summation of all sacrifice; that every bullock, lamb,

turtle dove or any other sacrifice was only a "schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:24) looking toward this one

great sacrifice; the very body, in perfect physical condition, unblemished by any sin either in

spiritual intent or through physical accident, and the blood of the Son of God!

By this institution of these New Testament symbols, Jesus was changing the character and the

time of observance of the "Passover" for all Christians to observe hereafter. He was partaking

of His own "supper" about 20 or so hours before the time of the Old Testament Passover, when

the tens of thousands of families would be sitting down to their sacrificial roast lamb; and

establishing new symbols which would look back to the reality of Christ's sacrifice of His

broken body and shed blood, rather than forward (through the slaughter of animals) to the need

for such sacrifice for sins!

-------------end of quote from book----------

Note:  Here again, the sequence is:

1. Foot washing

2. Bread

3. Wine

Do you have any commentaries that show it differently?  Do you have one of the gospels that show all three events? 

Your friend, Larry stated that Paul changed the sequence.  What proof does he have of that?  According to my

discussion here, there was nothing for him to change.  You said that you read in John 13:2 that the footwashing came

'after supper was ended'.  I do not see that.  I see the Passover supper being ended, not the Lord Supper being instituted.

John simply does not include the bread and wine which came after the Passover supper and foot washing service.  In

fact, look at what the JFB Commentary says about the word "ended":

2. supper being ended--rather, "being prepared," "being served," or, "going on"; for that it was not "ended" is plain from

John 13:26. (JFB)

John 13:26-27

26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave

it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

(KJV)