How does Luke 22:15 demonstrate Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy? Setting the Scene Luke 22:15: “And He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering.’” The Passover Framework • Passover commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12). • A spotless lamb was slain, its blood sparing God’s people from judgment. • Jesus chooses this precise festival to announce His impending suffering—signaling that the Exodus pattern pointed ahead to Him. Connecting Jesus to the Passover Lamb • Exodus 12:5 – “A lamb…without blemish.” → 1 Peter 1:19 calls Jesus “a lamb without blemish or spot.” • Exodus 12:46 – “Do not break any of its bones.” → John 19:36 affirms none of Jesus’ bones were broken. • Isaiah 53:7 – “Like a lamb led to the slaughter.” → Luke 22:15 places Jesus willingly at the table, ready for that role. • By voicing His desire for this Passover, Jesus identifies Himself as the true Lamb whose sacrifice the earlier lambs foreshadowed. Prophetic Echoes from Isaiah and Psalms • Isaiah 53:10 – “It pleased the LORD to crush Him.” Jesus knows His suffering is divinely appointed. • Psalm 22:14-18 foretells piercing and mockery; the Passover setting in Luke 22:15 launches the very night those details begin to unfold. Establishing the New Covenant Foretold by Jeremiah • Jeremiah 31:31-34 speaks of a new covenant written on hearts. • Immediately after Luke 22:15, Jesus declares, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (22:20). • His eagerness shows He is ready to inaugurate that covenant through His sacrificial death—fulfilling Jeremiah’s promise. Summary of Fulfillment • Jesus’ longing to share the Passover (Luke 22:15) ties His mission to every prophetic thread of redemption: the Exodus lamb, Isaiah’s suffering Servant, Psalm 22’s righteous sufferer, and Jeremiah’s new covenant. • By situating His atoning death within the Passover meal, He demonstrates that the Old Testament’s deliverance, suffering, and covenant prophecies converge and find literal completion in Him. |
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