Jesus, the Passover Lamb
Luke 22:1-30;
Key Verse 19
"And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do you this in remembrance of me.'"
Lambs are so cute and adorable. Whenever we see them in the zoo, we want to take them home with us. In the movie “Lassie”, there’s a scene of a baby sheep who’s mother was killed by a wolf. It looks so tiny and very cute. Of course it was found by Lassie and was well taken care of by Lassie’s owners. However, Jesus, who is known as the lamb of God or the Passover Lamb, when found by the religious leaders was not well taken care of. Instead he was went through unbearable pain, suffering, and death. Chapters 22-24 are Luke’s final chapters of his Gospel. In them, we will learn why Jesus had to undergo much pain, suffering, and death as the Passover Lamb. We will also learn of his resurrection. Today we will see why Jesus is the Passover Lamb and the importance of knowing this.
First, the importance of knowing Jesus the Passover Lamb (1-6). Verses 1 and 2 say, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes were seeking how to put him [Jesus] to death, for they feared the people.” One of the greatest celebrated feasts of the Jews was about to begin, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread or the Passover, which will be explained later. The religious leaders should have been preparing for this feast. But instead, out of jealousy and hatred, they were seeking how they could put Jesus to death. But the problem was, they were afraid of the crowds. The crowds loved Jesus. They came to him by the thousands, seeking healing and forgiveness. If the religious leaders tried to arrest Jesus, the crowds would have turned against them and would have killed them instead. So, they waited.
Verse 3 says, “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.” As the religious leaders waited to kill Jesus, something horrible happened. Satan entered into one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot, and coerced him to betray Jesus to them. How could Satan have even entered into one of Jesus’ disciples? Judas ate with Jesus, slept next to Jesus. He heard the gospel, saw Jesus perform miracles, and saw Jesus’ love for all mankind. Yet, Satan was able to enter into him. How? He was able to because Judas didn’t know nor accept that Jesus was the Passover Lamb. In John 6:70, Jesus said to his disciples, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." Then verse 71 says, “He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.” From this part we learn a very important lesson, both from the religious leaders and from Judas. Those who don’t know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb, are in grave eternal spiritual danger. May God open your hearts and help you to know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb.
Second, Jesus the Passover Lamb prepares for the Passover (7-13). Verse 7 says, “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.” In Exodus 11 and 12, we learn what the Passover is and why it is commemorated. After being held as slaves for more than 400 years in Egypt, God sent 9 plagues against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, in order to get him to free the Israelites. But Pharaoh refused and hardened his heart each time. Finally, God sent one last plague against him, the plague on the first born. This plague was against the first born of all people and cattle who did not have the blood of a one year old defectless male lamb placed on the sides and tops of their doorframes. Those who didn’t, God would come and would strike down every firstborn child and animal in that house. But those who had the blood, God would pass over them, thus the “Passover”. After the plague came, screams and cries could be heard all over Egypt. Death had befallen on all the firstborn who did not have the blood of a lamb. Even Pharaoh lost his firstborn son and so, he finally let the Israelites go free. In Exodus 12:17, God said to Moses, “And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.” So this Passover was to be celebrated in remembrance to God who freed the Israelites from slavery.
Verse 8 says, “So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.’" Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal. The preparations would have included setting the table, buying and roasting the Passover lamb, and making the unleavened bread, sauces, and other ceremonial food and drink that were a traditional part of every Passover meal (LACNTC). It was a big task, like preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. And preparing it while the religious leaders were looking for Jesus would be dangerous. But Peter and John were willing to prepare the Passover meal for Jesus. Jesus also wants us all to prepare the Passover for him. In other words, he wants us to prepare our hearts to accept what he has done for us. Jesus’ disciples hadn’t yet accepted what was about to happen to him. So in order to accept, they first had to prepare their hearts. Preparing our hearts can involve many things, such as prayer, repentance, and asking Jesus for help. But doing so, won’t necessarily be easy. Friends and family may discourage or make fun of us. Satan may scare you into thinking that you’re life will be boring from now on. Or we may feel just too busy. But Jesus asks us to “Go and prepare the Passover so that we might eat it” with him. Let’s now prepare our hearts in order to accept what Jesus the Passover Lamb has done for us.
Third, Jesus the Passover Lamb will suffer for the sins of the world (14-18). Verses 14-23 may be familiar with many of you. Today, churches celebrate the Last Supper or Communion by eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of what Jesus has done for us. Now we’re going to look at how all this began and why Jesus wants us to celebrate it. Verses 14-15 say, “And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’” The time to eat the Passover meal had begun. This was the last meal Jesus would eat with his disciples. After this meal, he would be betrayed into the hands of men and would undergo much suffering. So Jesus earnestly desired to eat this meal with them. He desired to eat it, not only because it was his last meal, but mainly because through it, he could help his disciples to understand why he had to suffer for the sins of the world.
Look again at verse 15. Jesus said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” When lambs are about to be slaughtered, they don’t suffer. They’re not beaten, spat upon, or even ridiculed. They are simply brought to the slaughter house and then they die. But before Jesus was slaughtered as the Passover Lamb, he first had to undergo much suffering. Why? First, Jesus had to suffer in order to absorb the wrath of God. Genesis 2 tells us that the punishment for mankind’s sins is death. Letting our sins go unpunished would be the same letting a serial killer, like Ted Bundy who murdered over 30 women, to keep on murdering. By placing death upon us for our sins, God is telling us that sin is very serious. God is a just and righteous God. He is Holy, blameless, without sin or fault. Sinful man cannot be with a Holy God. God cannot just sweep our sins under his bed or just snap his fingers and pronounce as not guilty. Our sins deserve death. But God is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore, God sent his Son Jesus to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who believe in him. Galatians 3:13 say, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, by John Piper). Jesus the Passover Lamb became our subsititor. He removed God’s wrath by absorbing it all upon himself so that we could be saved from our sins.
Second, Jesus had to suffer in order to free us from the condemnation of sin. Jesus was born without sin. He is fully God and fully man. So, in order to die for our sins, he had to have all sins – past, present, and future placed upon him. Sin causes us to suffer. It causes us to suffer in guilt, fear, depression, loneliness, anger, sorrow, and sometimes the worse, suicide. Our sufferings due to sin is like the side effects of drugs. For example, when I take Claritin D, my stomach hurts for a week. But Jesus Christ came to suffer in our place. He came to feel the full measurement and effect of our sins. He came and took all the side effects of sin, including death, and placed them all upon himself. He did so, so that we would have to no longer live in condemnation. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ suffered in order to free us from all our sins.
In verses 16 and 18, we see that Jesus’ suffering and death is not the end. In both of these verses, Jesus alludes to his resurrection, to his 2nd Coming, to when the Kingdom of God would be restored. Jesus said that he won’t eat The Passover again until the kingdom of God comes. In the kingdom of God, those who accepted Jesus as the Passover Lamb will be eating the Passover meal with him. This meal will be far greater than any Passover meal or Communion ever celebrated. It will be the day when all sin and death have been completely destroyed. It will be the day when God wipes away every tear from our eyes (Rev 21:3,4). It will be the day when we sit down next to Jesus, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all those who went to heaven before us. It’s a day that is so greatly anticipated and waited for that even St. John concludes in his book of Revelation saying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20). Like John, let’s pray the kingdom of God to come.
Fourth, Jesus the Passover Lamb breaks his body and pours out his blood (19-20). In verses 19-20 Jesus uses the Last Supper to illustrate how he would suffer and die for the sins of the world. Verse 19 says, “And he took bread, and when he had 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.’” Jesus used bread to symbolize his body. After taking it, he broke it and handed it out to his disciples. The breaking of bread symbolizes Jesus’ broken body for our sins. In order to die for our sins, Jesus’ body would literally have to be broken for us. Jesus would soon be handed over to the religious leaders. After being handed over, he would be flogged, struck in the face, have a crown of thorns placed and smacked on his head, would be forced to carry a heavy cross to the place of his execution, would be nailed to a cross, spat upon, crucified, and finally stabbed in the side. Jesus said, “This is my body which is given for you.” Jesus gave his body, his life, for you. He did so, so that you wouldn’t have to suffer for your sins. He did so, so that you wouldn’t have to punished for your sins. He did so in order to save you from our sins. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, broke his body for you.
Verse 20 continues, “And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” The cup Jesus used symbolized his blood. He says that he pours it out for us. These were not just symbolic words. But Jesus literally shed his blood and poured all of it out for us upon the cross. John 19:34 says, “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” Why did Jesus have to pour out his blood for us on the cross as well? It’s because his blood cleanses us from all our dirty and wretched sins. Like the Passover lamb’s blood used during the 10th plague upon Pharaoh, those who accept and have Jesus’ blood on the door posts and frames of their hearts, the angel of death will pass over them on the day of Judgment and will receive us into his kingdom.
Look again at verse 20. Jesus said that the new covenant is in his blood. To understand the new covenant, we must first understand the old covenant. Before Jesus’ death, the way for people’s sins to be forgiven was by sacrificing a year old defectless male lamb. But the problem was, each time they sinned, another innocent lamb had to be sacrificed. But Jesus is saying that the new covenant is in his blood. He’s saying that he’s the final Passover Lamb. After Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection, no other lamb had to be scarified. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ once and for all!
Look at the last part of verse 19. It says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus wants us all to take part in the Lord’s Supper. He wants us to accept and remember what he has done for us. What Jesus has done for us is the good news. This is the gospel! Jesus’ body and blood were given for you at a very costly and high price. But through his body and blood, he offers new life to anyone who accepts and believes in him. Before meeting Jesus, I was messed up. My sins were too numerous to count and too horrific to retell. My life was headed down the wrong path. I was miserable, depressed, and even suicidal. But one day, Jesus Christ came into my life and saved me from all sins. Through eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood, Jesus gave me new life. Jesus Christ also wants you to be saved from your sins. He suffered for you. His body was broken for you. He shed his blood for you. Finally, he died for you. Will you also accept him as the Passover Lamb so that you may have new life in him?
Fifth, Those who will eat and drink with Jesus the Passover Lamb (21-30). Verses 21-22 alludes to Judas’s tragic betrayal against Jesus. Jesus was lovingly dissuading Judas from betraying him, for God has already determined that Jesus would be handed over to the religious leaders. In essence, Jesus was trying to help Judas to repent and to come to him for healing. It’s amazing. Even though Jesus knew what Judas would do, he still loved him and helped him to the end. Jesus loves Judas and all people no matter what they’re done.
Upon hearing this, the disciples questioned who would be the one to betray Jesus. Seconds later, their questioning turned into a dispute. They began fighting as to which of them would be regarded as the greatest. The greatest event in human history was about to begin. Jesus was about to suffer and die for the sins of the world. But the disciples were more concerned about who would be the greatest. Jesus’ answer to them was totally unexpected. Peter was hoping Jesus would say, “Peter it is you, you will be the greatest.” But Jesus said the greatest should become the youngest and the leader should become a servant. In verse 27, Jesus said, “For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” Being a servant does not mean occupying a servile position. Rather, it means to have an attitude of life that freely attends to others’ needs without expecting or demanding anything in return, as Jesus exemplified throughout his life. An attitude of service brings true greatness in God’s Kingdom (LACNTC).
Verses 28-30 say “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus concludes this part by saying anyone who is faithful to him, even in times of most difficult trials, will be assigned a place in his kingdom. What Jesus is saying is, those who accept him as the Passover Lamb, those who will eat his body and drink his blood, are those who will eat and drink with him at the Great Feast in the kingdom of God when he returns.
Our sins cause endless death, pain, sorrow, unhappiness and sufferings in our lives. No one wants to live like this. And in actuality, God did not intend for mankind to live like this. So God has offered us a way out through Jesus the Passover Lamb. Jesus broke his body and poured out his blood for you. Will you accept Jesus’ body and blood into your hearts today? As Jesus concludes, those who accept him as the Passover Lamb will someday celebrate this great feast with him in the kingdom of God.