Often people who read parts of the Old Testament stumble over all the bloody sacrifices. Millions of animals were killed. I am sure if this were taking place today, there would be animal rights protests until it was stopped. For the Passover alone, there would have been a lamb killed for every family. That’s a lot of lambs and a lot of blood. PETA would be up in arms to stop the eating of all that delicious lamb. And it had to be eaten that day. No leftovers.
Jesus chooses a meal right before the Passover lamb is killed to institute a memorial act. He sets the stage for this act by inviting all His disciples. He eats the meal. He has predicted His betrayal. And then He begins. There were many occasions when Jesus could have given His disciples this lesson. But He chose this moment instead.
What I find interesting is that Jesus didn’t use the lamb instead of the bread. I think that is because this is not the Passover meal, but a preparation meal. The Passover lamb would be killed the next day, the same day Jesus is crucified. I know we often think of the Passover meal as being the Passover meal, but I don’t. And using bread is one of the reasons.
If Jesus had used lamb, the picture would have been so easy to see. This Passover lamb is my body. This piece of bread is my body. Which makes a greater connection for you to the Old Testament deliverance?
Anyway, Jesus takes the most basic element of food, bread and wine, and tells them to remember. Mark’s version of this event is very condensed. As usual, he just gives the barebones of even the words Jesus spoke. Bread and wine become a connection to His death in our place. Just as the Passover lamb took the place of the firstborn of Israel, so Jesus’ died in our place. Our sin should have put us on the cross. He died instead of us.
Jesus body was broken and His blood spilled for us, just as the Passover lamb’s death meant life for the Israelite firstborn children. If the lamb wasn’t sacrificed and the blood spread on the doorframe, the firstborn children died. I think I would have put a double coat of blood on the door! I wouldn’t want my firstborn dying.
The next day Jesus was hanging on the cross for us. His death means our life. He died, we live. The words Jesus spoke had to be symbolic. He had spoken of being the light of the world and the gate for the sheep, both of which are symbolic. And besides, eating blood was prohibited for Jews. There is no way Jesus would be telling His disciples that the wine they were drinking was His actual physical blood.
And this prohibition against eating blood was extended into the early church in the book of Acts. There were only a few stipulations that passed across the Testament divide, and eating blood was one of them. See Acts fifteen for more details.
This giving of thanks and breaking of bread reminds me of the feeding of the 5000.
We must remember that Jesus’ death is the fulfillment of Scripture. The whole of the Old Testament sacrificial system points to Jesus death, once for all. And His resurrection proves that His payment was accepted. His credit is good. His card cleared the bank.
The Arnold Journey 