Following The MessiahSample

The Meaning of Passover:

We have lots of celebrations today. We celebrate birthdays and holidays all throughout the year. The Jews of the 1st century were no different. They celebrate religious holidays and remembered important milestones in their heritage. The Passover feast was one of the most important. It helped Jews remember their deliverance from the Egyptians through God. When Jesus sat down at the table with his disciples to remember that event, Jesus knew their view of the Passover was about to completely change.

Jesus took the unleavened bread, a big part of the meal, and broke it, passing it around the table to His disciples. This bread was to now represent Jesus’ body, broken and maimed on the cross. He told them they were to remember His death every time they partook of this bread. Jesus then took fruit of the vine and gave it to His disciples to drink. This represented the blood that was put over the doorposts in Egypt so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn son. Now Jesus is taking this cup and making it a symbol of the blood that He would shed on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven by God.

This communion still stands today. When we partake of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine on the first day of the week we have the same charge the disciples were given: to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for you and for me.

Watch episode 8 of Following the Messiah.