What connections exist between Deuteronomy 16:2 and New Testament teachings on sacrifice? The original call in Deuteronomy 16:2 “You are to offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God from the flock or herd, in the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name.” • A specific sacrifice: the Passover animal • A specific purpose: remembrance of deliverance through shed blood (Exodus 12) • A specific place: the future temple site God would choose Christ, our Passover Lamb • 1 Corinthians 5:7 – “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • John 1:29 – “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” • Connection: The Passover lamb’s death spared Israel’s firstborn; Christ’s death spares believers from God’s judgment. • Fulfillment: What was annual and symbolic becomes once-for-all and saving in the cross. A chosen place fulfilled in a chosen Person • Deuteronomy points to “the place the LORD will choose.” • John 2:19 – Jesus calls His body the true temple. • John 4:21-24 – Worship is no longer tied to a mountain or city but to Spirit and truth. • Hebrews 9:24 – Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary “to appear in God’s presence for us.” • Application: God’s dwelling is now found in Christ and, through Him, in His Spirit-indwelt people (1 Corinthians 3:16). From the flock or herd: the blameless offering • Exodus 12:5 required a lamb “without blemish.” • 1 Peter 1:18-19 – We are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” • Significance: Moral perfection of Jesus matches the physical perfection demanded of the Passover animal. • Substitution: As the lamb died instead of Israel’s firstborn, Jesus dies instead of sinners. From annual feast to once-for-all sacrifice • Hebrews 10:10 – “We have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” • Hebrews 9:12 – He secured “eternal redemption.” • Contrast: Repeated sacrifices under the Law (Hebrews 10:1-4) vs. the single, sufficient offering of Christ. • Outcome: Believers rest in a finished work rather than in recurring rituals. Continuing participation: the Lord’s Table • Luke 22:15 – Jesus eagerly shared the Passover before His suffering. • Luke 22:19-20 – He reinterprets bread and cup: “This is My body…This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” • The meal keeps the memory of the Passover—and its fulfillment—alive in the church (1 Corinthians 11:26). • Just as Israel ate the lamb in faith, believers partake of communion to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Living sacrifices today • Romans 12:1 – “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” • Ephesians 5:2 – Christ “gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.” • Response: Because the perfect Passover Lamb was offered, Christians gratefully offer themselves—obedient lives, praise, good works (Hebrews 13:15-16)—not to earn redemption but to express it. Key takeaways • Deuteronomy 16:2 foreshadows Christ in its sacrifice, its location, and its purpose. • The New Testament declares the Passover pattern complete in Jesus’ once-for-all, sin-removing death. • Believers remember that finished work at the Lord’s Table and reflect it by living sacrificially for the One whose blood has forever secured deliverance. |
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