“The Lamb of God”

Because I am familiar with the Biblical account of the first Passover, and also familiar with the stories of various Jewish kings who celebrated certain subsequent Passovers, I assumed for many years that the Jews in Israel today still celebrate Passover in a similar way.  Although I knew that during troubled times in their history, the Jews did not always celebrate Passover as they would prefer to, I assumed that they would still often observe a seder if possible, which according to the Bible is a supper of lamb, served with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.  It is this supper, which is called the “Last Supper,” that Jesus and His disciples were eating the night before He was crucified.  In the Bible there is no direct mention of Jesus and His disciples eating lamb, but the reference to Passover is there.  I have long understood that Jesus, when He broke bread and offered it to His disciples, with a cup of wine and the words, “Do this in remembrance of me,” was showing them that the Passover supper was representative of the future sacrifice of His body and blood, for the sins of the whole world.

This year, wanting to prepare lamb for my Easter dinner and curious about how the Jews traditionally prepare it, I was startled to read online that the Jewish people have not consistently prepared roasted lamb as a part of their seder since the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70!  I should have realized this.  Deuteronomy 16:5-6 says that Jews should not sacrifice the Passover in any other place except the place God has chosen to put His name (which would be the Temple Mount in Jerusalem).  The Muslims who are in control of the Temple Mount in modern times do not allow sacrifices on the Temple Mount.  The Jews have no place now where they are politically allowed to sacrifice, and haven’t had such a place for hundreds of years!  Different sects of Jews disagree on whether or not they should sacrifice the Passover lamb anyway.  Some Jewish and Samaritan people still sacrifice secretly, but not as part of a public holiday.  

According to the Bible, the Passover lamb is supposed to be sacrificed in the Jerusalem temple, and roasted whole, with no bones broken.  Christians understand that this sacrifice represents Christ, who was crucified as prophesied, outside the city of Jerusalem, without any of his bones broken, and who took our fiery punishment for sin.  I learned that Jewish rabbis recommend pomegranate wood for roasting since it is very dry and burns without releasing moisture.  The Bible prohibits cooking the Passover lamb with water, and some Jews fear that even steam released from a wood fire is forbidden by God.  However, in contrast, some Jews braise and eat lamb for Passover, intentionally cooking it with water so that they are still eating lamb as is traditional, but without roasting it so that they cannot be said to be sacrificing in any place other than the traditional site of Jerusalem.  

I am struck by the Jews’ confusion, their reverence, and their fear.  The fact that they lost their temple and an integral part of their holiday, shortly after failing to recognize their Messiah, is sad.  But the fact that they no longer eat roasted lamb is symbolic at the same time.  Their Lamb has already paid the price for their sin!  Their sins can be “passed over,” if they would only recognize that He has come in the flesh!  They no longer need a blood sacrifice to redeem their lives, because He has shed His blood in their place.  Yet they worry about their dilemma and stress and argue about how to cook the lamb for their holiday, fearing they will do it wrong and totally missing the fact that the Passover lamb is only a symbol of Jesus, the real Passover Lamb.

This Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, I will enjoy a lamb dinner, realizing that I am celebrating being able to partake of the salvation which Christ, the Lamb of God, offers.  No longer is any ritual necessary, but I celebrate in remembrance of Him.  Jesus took my fiery punishment for my sin when He sacrificed Himself on Calvary’s hill outside Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago.