Jesus is our Passover Lamb

Explanation: And when the hour came… In this manner, Jesus confirms that the time for His death was finally at hand. He had full understanding that His hour was upon Him and He used those last hours with the disciples to prepare them for His impending death. His manner of preparation was a clear indication that He was aware of what was coming and yet did nothing to evade or escape it. On at least three occasions (; ; ). Jesus gave direct teaching about His coming death in Jerusalem. Jesus was the only person who ever lived who had the full knowledge of His mission to embrace death for the glory of the Father and for the salvation of His people.

The death of Jesus has been discussed and analyzed for 2,000 years. There have been countless discussions of who killed Him, why He was killed, and even if He was actually killed. Those who do not accept the supernatural (and therefore dismiss the Resurrection out of hand) generally hold to the discredited ‘swoon’ theory or the lost twin idea. The reality is that Jesus did in fact die, and that He died on His own terms and in a particular way. His death was not simply the result of His growing popularity and the unrest of the religious and civil leaders.

The reality is that Jesus did die a horrible and brutal death

Illustrate: A charismatic speaker with a message that many find offensive. A crowd gathers, verbal exchanges are made, and the crowd turns into a mob. In the ensuing violence, the speaker is accidentally killed.

Argument: There was nothing accidental about the death of Jesus. During his public ministry several attempts were made on His life (; ; ; ). None of the attempts were successful because it was not yet His hour. All of the passion narratives reveal the same truth: This was the appointed time () and the Son of Man was delivered up according to the plan of God ()

Application: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus is serious business. One doesn’t need to pay attention to random stuff, but these events have the Divine Stamp of God upon them and we should accept their importance. Easter is not about spring fashion and baskets full of goodies; the events of Easter are the cornerstone of Redemption History

The Crucifixion was divinely ordained to coincide with Passover ()

Explanation: Another question to be answered is why was Jesus killed during the time of Passover? If the hour was not random, and it wasn’t, why this time instead of some other time? Jesus declared, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Jesus’ understanding of His death during Passover is also clearly seen in , when He told the disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” There is a theological connection between the Feast of Passover and the death of the Son of God.

Excursus on Passover () Passover was the most well known and well attended feast of the Jews. According to the historian Josephus, there were over 100,000 people in Jerusalem to observe the Passover Feast.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible OT Festivals

The Passover was of supreme theological significance for the Israelites, since it marked one of the most momentous acts of divine intervention in their history, the beginning of their deliverance from bondage in Egypt when, in the final plague, God destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians but spared those Israelites whose homes had blood smeared on the doorposts (Ex 12:11–30).

Argument: Just as the Passover Lambs were killed in Egypt so that their shed blood would provide deliverance for God’s people, so Jesus died as our Passover lamb and His blood provided deliverance for His people. When John the Baptist saw Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry John declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” ()

The Passover lambs were physically brought inside the house for 4 days, from the 10th of Nisan to the 14th. During that time the lambs were to be thoroughly inspected and examined to ensure they were spotless and without blemish. Jesus was brought into Jerusalem and examined, interrogated, and inspected by the Jews during His passion week. After the Jews were through, Jesus was arrested and questioned by the Roman authorities. As a summary statement, Pilate declared to the Jewish people, “I find no fault in this man.” () [material taken and adapted from Messiah and the Feasts of Israel, by Sam Nadler, pp. 54-55]

Application: The paschal lambs were killed and their blood was shed, but the blood had to be applied to the doorposts before the blood became efficacious (,). Jesus was crucified as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This does not mean, however, that the whole entire human race will be saved. Only those who have the blood applied through faith in the finished work of Jesus will receive the gift of eternal life.

Jesus knew He would Rise from the dead ()

Explanation: In the Upper Room Jesus transformed the Passover Meal into what Christians now observe as the Lord’s Supper. Jesus infused the Supper with new meaning and new imagery to symbolize His securing eternal salvation vs. temporal deliverance. The Passover celebrated a deliverance from physical bondage and the hope of the Promised Land to enter into. The Lord’s Supper celebrates our deliverance from the bondage of sin and the promise of Eternity with the Master. The Promise is seen with Jesus’ use of until. He did not say He would never eat or drink the celebratory feast again; He said He would not until He did it with His followers in the Kingdom.

Argument: The penal substitutionary view of the Atonement is the view that best fits the biblical data. Humans are born into sin and we are rebels against a holy God. Jesus, the God-Man, paid our sin debt and satisfied the wrath of God when He died in our place.

The Resurrection is equally important in Redemption history. Jesus rose from the dead to validate His reality as the Divine Son of God. No other figure, no other human has ever died and come back to life to live forever.

Application: A person who predicts His own death and the manner of it ahead of time deserves to be heeded. The person who does that and then promises to come back to life, and then does it deserves to be worshipped.

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus have purpose for lost humanity ()

Explanation: In instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus gave new meaning to how His death would impact those who would become His followers. His death was for a purpose! He told them His body was “given for you” and He declared that His shed blood was “poured out for you.” Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father and He came to do the Father’s will. He carried it out perfectly and brought glory to the Father, and He secured eternal redemption for His people. While the provision is sufficient (cf ), not all will benefit

Illustrate: Discussion with man at McD’s on Friday morning. What the world needs is everyone to be equal (i am a brick, you are a brick). I told him what the world needs is Jesus. He told me that Jesus had already had his chance and that he just messed things up and made them worse!

Argument: Jesus made a New Covenant through His sacrificial death on the Cross ( and 10). This is the New Covenant which God had promised His people through the prophet Jeremiah () and His disciples would have been familiar with the terminology. Jesus became that once for all sacrifice that would forever redeem those who trust in His saving act and repent of their sins and acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord.

Application: Has the blood been applied to your life? Has the death and Resurrection of Jesus made a difference. Many Jews still observe Passover as a yearly occurrence. Sadly, the majority of those Jews end the Feast with the phrase, “until next year in Jerusalem,” which is shorthand for the Messiah still hasn’t come so we have to wait some more. A lot of people observe Easter by attending church on Easter Sunday and then going on with their regular lives

Related Media

Related Sermons