given. remembrance. covenant.
This Passover was different. The first Passover used the blood of an innocent lamb, but this one would have the blood of the innocent Lamb. When Jesus ate with his disciples, it was in preparation for the sacrifice that would far outlive all others. Because this sacrifice would be God himself.
Given. The first Passover was to escape death thanks to the gift of an innocent lamb. This ultimate Passover was also to escape death for eternity thanks to the gift of an innocent Christ. When Jesus broke the bread as we still do, and as he said, “This is my body,” he knew that his body would be broken (Matthew 27:26). He said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” And yet, this Passover Lamb didn’t put up a fight. Even when he asked if there was another way (Luke 22:42), he was still willing. He willingly gave himself as our sacrifice. And by doing that, he brought us eternal redemption, and became the last Passover lamb needed (Hebrews 9:12). He came once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26).
Remembrance. The first Passover came with instructions to keep what happened that day a memorial day (Exodus 12:14). This ultimate Passover also came with instructions to remember: “Remember me.” There was also much fear that night, and the pain that Jesus endured was one of the worst forms of torture. But the pain was not just physical. This Passover lamb was bearing the weight of each one of our sins-- those who would come to him and those who wouldn’t. Everything was being forgiven in him. Jesus still wanted us to remember that this grace was not a free coupon-- it came at a huge cost. Forgetting it would be the worst thing we could do. Instead, we remember - yes, once a week in taking the Lord’s supper, but so much more often than that. Because this sacrifice affects our entire lives. He himself bore the burden of our sins in his body as he suffered hanging there, so that we could die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5).
Covenant. The first Passover kept with the promise of the covenant God had made with his people (Exodus 6:4-6). This ultimate Passover made sure God’s promise and covenant would last forever and for all people. Jesus called it “the new covenant in my blood.” His precious and perfect blood was the key! Amazingly, the first time this new covenant was talked about was in the Old Testament: God tells us: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33). And Jesus came to fulfill that promise and even give us even better promises (Hebrews 8:6). The covenant God gives is able to be written on our minds and our hearts. It changes who we are! It is daily proof that we are God’s people.
This Passover was different. It didn’t save us for an evening of God’s wrath; it saved us from an eternity of it. It was the epic fulfillment of the promise God made from the beginning. Though our sins were like scarlet, they would be white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Because Christ, the Passover Lamb, had been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).
