Christian Review Magazine Issue 4 - April 2015 | Page 27

the Messiah. In the old testament Book of Isaiah the prophet predicted the Messiah would be the final paschal sacrifice. The lamb that is sacrificed at Passover for the atonement of sin. Isaiah 53:7 E.S.V - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. There were two streams of messianic expectation. One was that He would be suffering servant and the other the He would be a conquering King like David. At the time of Jesus His compatriots were looking for a conquering King to deliver them from the oppression of Roman Rule. John The Baptist recognised who Jesus was when he introduced Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. John 1:29 E.S.V - The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” MESSIANIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER At the time of Jesus, Passover had developed into a very large festival. The nation of Israel and Jews on pilgrimage from all over the known world would be in Jerusalem. The historian Joachim Jeremias estimated that there would have been about 150 thousand people in Jerusalem at Passover. Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem to take part in the Passover. When Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday), He was presenting himself as the Passover lamb. On that day a member of each household would choose a one year old unblemished male lamb for the Passover. It was known as the selection day. Later that week Jesus reclined at the table with his disciples for the Passover meal. Traditionally the order of the meal would have symbolically pointed back to the Israelites freedom from slavery in Egypt. That night, Jesus revealed the significance of the bread and wine. Matthew 26:26 E.S.V - Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body". By breaking the bread, Jesus was symbolically saying his body was a holy sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." - Matthew 26:27-28 E.S.V Jesus declared that this new covenant would be poured from the cup of salvation in His blood. Judgment and salvation, are brought together in the mystery of one cup. Jesus was not just speaking of the cup in a symbolic way, He was describing the events that were about to take place His crucifixion and resurrection. CHRISTIANREVIEW.COM > 27