Bob Tamasy: Passover: An Event of Great Importance For Us All

You’re probably familiar with the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, “The Last Supper,” completed in 1498. The exquisite mural is displayed at a former monastery in Milan, Italy, with limited public viewing. However, many of us have seen reproductions in homes, churches, museums, and other public settings. I remember my mom having a framed, lighted copy that hung in our living room when I was a boy.

The da Vinci masterpiece depicts Jesus Christ and His 12 disciples just moments after He announced that one of them would be betraying Him. As familiar as that emotional scene has become in Western culture, many of us aren’t nearly as familiar with its context.

Jesus with His closest followers had gathered in a large upper room in Jerusalem to observe the traditional Passover Seder, the annual commemoration of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, ending four centuries of slavery. Wine, bitter herbs and unleavened bread all were – and still are – among elements used to symbolize that momentous event, with traditional prayers and blessings recited during the meal.

Besides Jesus’ announcement of His impending betrayal, probably the most notable part of that gathering was His striking departure from the standard Seder “script.” After taking the unleavened bread, giving thanks, and breaking it, Jesus stated, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). The disciples might have wondered, ‘What’s He saying?’

Then, after the supper was completed, He took the cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). Again, looks of bewilderment must have filled the disciples’ faces. ‘What?!’ In both statements, Jesus was declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. At the time the disciples might not have understood His meaning, but within days they would.

For instance, one prophecy the disciples would have recognized was Isaiah 53:5-7, “He was pierced through for our transgressions…. Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” We see this manifested during Jesus’ mock trial and His crucifixion. The Roman officials marveled that Jesus did not protest or offer a defense. And He was literally pierced on the cross – His hands, feet, and side.

The “new covenant” of which Jesus spoke referred to Jeremiah 31:31,33-34, “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…. I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people…. For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.” No longer would animal sacrifices be required for the sins of the people. Christ paid the price – for all, and for all time.

As the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:10-11, “The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” We owed a debt we could not pay – and Christ paid the debt He did not owe.

Having this perspective can bring new understanding and appreciation of the sacrament of communion regularly observed in Christian churches and denominations. We eat the morsel of unleavened bread which represents Christ’s body given for us, and we drink the fruit of the vine which represents Jesus’ blood shed to cleanse us from the impurities of sin. But rarely do we realize that this sacred practice was instituted during a Jewish feast, the Passover Seder.

We “Gentiles” might not observe Passover and may never have witnessed or participated in a Seder meal, but in many respects they’re as important for us as they are for faithful Jews who take part in them. The next time you gaze at a photo of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic “The Last Supper,” think about Jesus and His disciples engaging in their final Seder meal together.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t end at that table – or at the cross. It proceeds to the now-empty tomb, heralding Jesus’ resurrection from the dead which we observe every Easter. Because of this we can join with Paul in declaring, “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God. He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

As followers of Christ have declared through the centuries, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!”

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