Passover Lamb
Posted by Karah
PAUSE
Take a moment to thank Jesus for dying on the cross to offer you forgiveness for your sins.
Our world is full of symbols. Road signs use symbols to warn us of potential danger. We use emojis to communicate to our friends. We identify things through symbols and understand their intended meaning. In today’s passage, Jesus changed the disciples’ understanding of the Passover when He used the elements of the meal to symbolize His death on the cross. From that point on, every element of the Passover meal would remind those who participated about Jesus’ sacrifice and atonement for sins.
Read Matthew 26:26-29 in your Bible.
“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take and eat it; this is My body.’” —Matthew 26:26
Answer these questions:
• In the Old Testament, the bread represented God’s provision for His people in the desert. In using the bread (v. 26) and cup as symbols (v. 27), how did Jesus reinterpret their message?
• Why was it necessary for Jesus to become the sacrifice for sin? Explain.
• Read Jeremiah 31:31-34. In verse 33, underline the phrase “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts.” Then, look closely at the end of verse 34. In your own words, explain the difference between the old and new covenants.
RESPOND
• Meditate on Jesus as the Passover Lamb—what that means for you, those you love, and those you don’t know.
• Journal a prayer of thanks to God for sacrificing His only Son to pay for your sins.
• List four ways you can show your thankfulness for Christ’s sacrifice.
• For further study about the Passover, read Exodus 12:1-28.
BEHIND THE STORY
The Passover was the Israelites’ celebration of God’s deliverance from Egypt. Before Pharaoh released God’s people from Egypt, God instructed them to sacrifice a perfect lamb and spread the blood on the doorposts. The blood on the doorposts identified those who feared the Lord—His people. That evening when God passed through the city, He passed over their houses; however, in the houses with no blood on the doors, God killed the firstborn. These circumstances led to Israel’s freedom and became known as the Passover. God instructed His people to celebrate the Passover as a memorial.
THE POINT
Jesus was the ultimate and final fulfillment of the Passover. His death established a new covenant between God and His people.
Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Reprinted from EC magazine. @ 2016 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Weekly Devotions