Sermon Tone Analysis

Exodus 12:1-14

INTRODUCTION

The Lord's Supper has ancient roots.

It is steeped in history and symbolism.

They grow deep in the fertile soil of the Old Testament and Judaism.

Indeed, we find the origin of the Lord’s Supper in the Jewish Passover.

The Lord’s Supper was initiated at the close of the Passover meal.

In fact, Christ in a break from Jewish tradition celebrates the last Passover not with His immediate family but with His disciples.

He does so to fulfill the prophecy of the Passover.

Luke records Jesus’ words concerning the significance of this Passover and the kingdom…

Luke 22:13-16 (NASB) 13And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

14When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

 

Understanding the Passover is important for us to understand and fully appreciate the Lord’s Supper.

The meal has deep theological and practical meaning for us today.

There are three key ingredients in the Passover meal, the lamb, the bread, and the cup.

We will examine each and see how they speak of our Lord and His sacrifice for us.

1A.

The Lamb Symbolizes the Person of Jesus Christ

1B.

The Lamb was to be a Personal Sacrifice  (12:3)

Each family was to take a lamb; this was not a corporate sacrifice.

This sacrifice was not a community sacrifice.

This was to be a personal sacrifice.

Each lamb literally died as a substitute for the first born male of each household.

If you were the eldest son in that home, it was personal.

In the same way, Christ did not die as a corporate sacrifice or as a community sacrifice but as a personal sacrifice for His people. 

1 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) 7…Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.

Ephesians 1:7 (NASB) 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

2B.

The Lamb was to be a Perfect Sacrifice (12:5)

This lamb was to be an “unblemished” male.

The Hebrew “tamim” means to be complete, to be sound, it is the idea of being without fault.

The sacrifice was not only the best they had but the best available.

1 Peter 1:19 (NASB) 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, /the blood/ of Christ.

3B.

The Lamb was to be a Prepared Sacrifice (12:6)

They were to keep the lamb separate from the others for four days.

This allowed time to assure the lamb was suitable and to prepare the lamb for sacrifice.

It is a picture of how Christ was prepared as our sacrifice.

The Fall of man did not take God by surprise.

Sin did not set God back.

Indeed, God prepared the sacrifice for your sins in eternity past.

John writes…

Revelation 13:8 (NKJV) 8…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

This speaks of the eternal, sovereign knowledge and choice of our God.

Paul writes in Ephesians…

Ephesians 1:3-8 (NASB) 3Blessed /be/ the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly /places/ in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us…

4B.

The Lamb was to be a Painful Sacrifice  (12:7-8)

The sacrifice cost the lamb everything.

Likely the throat of the lamb was slit and it was allowed to bleed to death.

The lamb was roasted to protect and maintain the integrity of the sacrifice; it took the whole lamb to provide redemption.

The bitter herbs were eaten to remind them of the bondage of Egypt.

This process speaks to the pain and suffering of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Luke writes…

Luke 22:44 (NASB) 44And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the suffering of Christ when he wrote…

Isaiah 53:5 (NASB) 5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being /fell/ upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

2A.

The Bread Symbolizes the Body of Jesus Christ

1B.

The Bread Speaks of the Spiritual Purity of Christ  (12:8)

The Jewish people were to rid their homes of leaven (yeast).

In the Scriptures leaven represents sin and corruption.

The symbolism here is that there was to be no sin, no corruption associated with this meal.

Luke makes clear that the unleavened bread speaks of the sinless body of our Lord.

Luke 22:19 (NASB) 19And when He had taken /some/ bread /and/ given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Hebrews 4:15 (NASB) 15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as /we are, yet/ without sin.

2B.

The Bread Speaks of the Physical Presence of Christ

Luke 22:19 (NASB) 19And when He had taken /some/ bread /and/ given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

The bread reminds us that Jesus was real physical being.

Nothing about His physical appearance would cause you to believe that He was anything more than a man.

Isaiah 53:2 (NASB) 2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no /stately/ form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

 

Further, the bread reminds us of the literal physical suffering of Christ.

He literally suffered and died.

He was beaten and abused, and disfigured for our sins.

Isaiah describes His sacrifice eloquently…

Isaiah 53:3-5, 7-10 (NASB) 3He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  4Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

8By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?  9His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

3B.

The Bread Speaks of the Substitutionary Death of Christ

Luke 22:19 (NASB) 19And when He had taken /some/ bread /and/ given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Romans 5:6 (NASB) 6For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:8 (NASB) 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) 3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) 18For Christ also died for sins once for all, /the/ just for /the/ unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

3A.

The Cup Symbolizes the Blood of Jesus Christ

At the Passover meal there would be five cups of wine.

Four of the cups were poured celebrating different aspects God’s redemption of His people.

The fifth cup was poured and set for Elijah, who would announce the coming of the Messiah.

On this faithful night it is believed that Christ took the fifth cup and used it to symbolize His blood for the new covenant, thus fulfilling the purpose of Passover.

Luke 22:20 (NASB) 20And in the same way /He took/ the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.