Torah portion Ki Tisa

Messiah Yeshua and the brass laver

This week’s Torah portion includes the instructions for the brass laver for the priests to wash in prior to serving in the tent of meeting, or offering sacrifices. It is instructive where this is placed in the list of instructions as well as when and what the priests were to wash.

“And Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ‘And you shall make a bronze laver for washing, and its base bronze. And you shall put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar; and you shall put water there. And Aaron and his sons (the kohanim) shall wash from it, their hands and their feet; as they go into the tabernacle of the congregation they shall wash with water, and shall not die; or as they draw near to the altar to minister, to burn a fire offering to Yehovah. And they shall wash their hands and their feet, and shall not die. And it shall be a never ending statute to them, to him and to his seed for their generations.’” (Exo 30:17-21)

When Yeshua’s final hours approached, he sat with the disciples at the Passover. Notice that it says “Before the feast of the Passover.” If they are eating the Passover, why does it say “before”?

Feast of Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread

In Yeshua’s day, as it continues even today, the terms Feast of Unleavened Bread and Feast of Passover are at times used interchangeably. It is likely the writer is actually recording that this meal, the Passover is before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which begins the next day, the 15^th of Aviv. That aside, look what happens.

“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Yeshua knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end… He rose from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter: and Peter said unto him, ‘Lord, do you wash my feet?’ Yeshua answered and said, ‘What I do you know not now; but you shall know hereafter.’ Peter said to him, ‘You shalt never wash my feet.’ Yeshua answered him, If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.’ Yeshua said to him, ‘He that is washed only needs to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and you are clean, but not all.’… So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’” (Joh 13:1-17)

He that is washed

Note that Yeshua says, “He that is washed…” The disciples would have washed their hands in preparation for the meal as required by both sanitation and tradition. Now Yeshua washes their feet. Both washings are required of the priests before a sacrifice or entering the Tabernacle.

Yeshua has named them a kingdom of priests. He is about to go to His own sacrifice, and the curtain of the temple will be rent showing that the way is open into the Holy Place for all  priests, not just the descendants of Aharon.

They didn’t understand yet, but we do

That is why Yeshua said to them, “What I do you know not now; but you shall know hereafter.” They didn’t yet understand that through His death, Yeshua would open the way into the Holy Place for all who covenant with Father so they may “Come boldly before the throne of grace.”

We are blessed to live in a time that we do understand. May we often take the opportunity to come before our Father, and never take the privilege for granted.