The Passover and The Lord’s Supper

Amidst the nineteen kings of Judah mentioned in Chronicles, God affirms Hezekiah and Josiah for keeping the Passover and for making the Passover celebration glorious. [1]

The Passover Feast celebrates God’s miraculous rescue of the people Israel from slavery in Egypt. It celebrates the angel of death passing over the homes of the people who placed lamb’s blood on their external door posts. Those who recognized their need for a blood sacrifice due to the sin that they had committed against God were spared from the loss of their firstborn son as the angel of death passed over Egypt. [2]

Jesus Messiah introduced a new covenant just before He died on the cross for our sins. The new covenant involved a new meal.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” [3]

Luke’s Gospel also records Jesus as saying, “Do this in remembrance of Me,’ and, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” [4]

Disciples of Jesus Messiah have a new and better meal to remember and celebrate God’s great love and deliverance for us, than did the Israelites. The Israelites celebrated a deliverance event that had relevance for them in this temporary life, namely freedom from subjugation by a foreign nation on earth. We, as believers and professors of Christ, celebrate deliverance from an eternal subjugation to hell with the devil and his demons. Christ, by His sinless blood sacrifice for us on the cross, delivered us from the power of sin, death, and the devil.

“You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” [5]

Satan has no more claims against the person whose sin has been washed away by the blood of Christ. Jesus our wonderful Redeemer has redeemed us. Our Savior has saved us. God does not condemn us. He saves us! Praise the Lord!

Thus, we should regularly and happily remember and observe the Lord’s Supper.

[1] 2 Chronicles 29-30 – Hezekiah’s Passover observance; 2 Chronicles 35 – Josiah’s Passover observance
[2] Exodus 12
[3] Matthew 26:26-28
[4] Luke 22:19-20
[5] Colossians 2:13-15