Why is this time so special? (Part 2)

2. The Lamb had to be examined for four days. The Torah instructed the lamb to be carefully examined for blemishes; and only a perfect lamb would suffice. After arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple and was interrogated by the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and teachers of the law, who tried to find imperfections and faults in His teachings, but they failed. Pilate, after examining Jesus, announced he could find no fault in Him and then washed his own hands. In Jewish homes, when the father declared the lamb to be perfect after inspection, he washed his hands and gave the lamb over to be slaughtered. What is so interesting is that Pilate, not a Jew, would not have known this custom, but he followed it. Can you see how intentional and impeccable God is concerning what He requires?

3. The leaven (impurity) must be cast out. The Torah instructed that before the Passover, all leaven, which represented impurities and

was a symbol of sin, must be removed from every Israelite home. Each mother took a candle and cleaned all the dirt from the house. After Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He entered the Temple and chased out the merchants and moneychangers from His Father’s house.

4. The Lamb was taken to the altar for public display. On the morning of the 14th day of the first month, the lamb was led to the altar. At 9am that morning, the lamb was bound to the altar and put on public display for all to see. On that same morning, at that same time, Jesus was led to Calvary. Just as the lamb was being bound to the altar, Jesus was nailed to the cross and put on public display.

5. The Lamb was slain at a specific time. At exactly 3pm, the high priest ascended the altar, and as another priest blew a shofar on the temple wall, the high priest cut the throat of the sacrificial lamb and declared, “It is finished!” The sound of the shofar was thought to be the voice of God. At 3pm Jesus, at the moment the Passover lamb was killed, cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” and died. In Greek, “It is finished” means, “The debt has been paid in full!” Matthew 27:51 says the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. When the firstborn son of a Jewish father died, the father would tear his garment from the top to the bottom.

6. It was required that no bone be broken on the lamb. The soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs on the cross for when they came to Him, He had already died.

7. The lamb was roasted (representing God’s fiery judgment). “Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour” (Luke 23:44-45). Darkness symbolized judgment. It was in the last three hours of Jesus hanging on the cross that God judged the sins of humankind.

As followers of the Messiah, we don’t only celebrate the Lord’s Passover once a year, but every time we partake of communion. Jesus began His ministry at the Passover and ended His ministry as the Lamb of God at the Passover. When we observe communion, we are remembering our sin and its bitterness. We are also remembering the sinless Lamb, who was punished in our place. Jesus’ blood, symbolized in the wine, applied to our lives, causes death to pass over us. The bread represents Christ’s body as the Lamb of God. During communion, we are to search ourselves and get rid of leaven or sin in our hearts. It is a time when we allow the Lamb of God as our Passover Lamb to take away our sin. 

Jews at Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread use matzah bread. This bread was made by the Jews centuries ago and is still used by them today. What was so intriguing was the way it was made. First of all, the bread was to be unleavened or without yeast, because yeast represented sin. Then, the bread was to be baked in such a way it had burn marks on it. Also, it had to have stripes on it and was to be pierced with small holes. The rabbis stipulated it must be bruised, striped and pierced, having no idea it would be their Messiah, who, much later, would be bruised, striped and pierced for their sin. He, indeed, is our Bread of Life. Jesus, at the Last Supper, with the disciples took the matzah bread, blessed and broke it. He then gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body” and with the cup, He gave thanks, and said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). This treasure should be more significant to us, as followers of Jesus, who remember He is the why this time is so special.

(Taken from “The Treasure Within” book written by Kathy Gooch)