Connect Matthew 26:26 with Old Testament Passover; what parallels can you identify? Setting the Scene • Passover commemorates Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12). • Matthew 26 records Jesus celebrating that very feast the night before His crucifixion. Matthew 26:26—The Moment “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is My body.’” Looking Back to the First Passover • Exodus 12:3–11 – A spotless lamb is chosen, killed, and eaten with unleavened bread. • Exodus 12:14 – The day is to be “a memorial” for every generation. • Deuteronomy 16:3 – Unleavened bread is called “the bread of affliction,” eaten in haste the night God brought His people out. Key Parallels between Passover and the Lord’s Supper 1. Unleavened Bread • Passover required bread free of yeast (Exodus 12:15). • Jesus, taking that very bread, declares it His body—sinless, untainted, offered for us (Hebrews 4:15). 2. Broken Yet Whole • Israelites broke the bread at Passover; no bone of the lamb was to be broken (Exodus 12:46). • Jesus breaks the bread yet fulfills Psalm 34:20 and John 19:36—His bones remain unbroken, underscoring perfect fulfillment. 3. Representation and Remembrance • Passover bread reminded Israel of swift deliverance. • Jesus reorients the meal: the bread now centers on His sacrificial body, a greater deliverance from sin (1 Corinthians 11:24). 4. Atoning Substitute • Passover lamb’s blood shielded from judgment (Exodus 12:13). • Though Matthew 26:26 highlights bread, the meal includes the cup (vv. 27–28) pointing to blood that “is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 5. Continuity of Covenant • Passover sealed the old covenant (Exodus 24:8). • Jesus institutes the new covenant in the same setting (Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20). 6. Anticipation of Deliverance • Israel ate in expectation of immediate rescue (Exodus 12:11). • Believers partake “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26), anticipating final redemption. Why These Parallels Matter Today • They confirm the unity of Scripture: what began in Exodus finds completion in Christ (Luke 24:27). • They reveal Jesus as “our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), the ultimate means of escape from wrath. • They invite a response of faith and gratitude whenever the bread is shared—remembering, proclaiming, and living in the freedom He purchased. Closing Reflection Every broken piece of unleavened bread at the Lord’s Table whispers of that night in Egypt—and shouts of the Cross. The symbols God instituted millennia ago still lead us to worship the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). |
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