Biblical Passages Pointing to Jesus as the Sacrificial Lamb

Today, our fearless leader continued his discussion of the "Easter Week" and detailed some interesting facts from biblical history that pointed to Christ's Crucifixion.  It clarified some interests I had and thought I'd pull together what we were discussing.

The Passover Lamb in Exodus

The foundation for understanding Jesus as the sacrificial lamb begins with the original Passover account in Exodus. In Exodus 12, God instructed the Israelites to take an unblemished, year-old male lamb on the tenth day of the first month, keep it until the fourteenth day, and then slaughter it at twilight. The blood of this lamb was to be applied to the doorposts and lintel of their homes as a sign, so that when God passed through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, He would "pass over" the homes marked with blood. The Israelites were commanded to eat the lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

This original Passover established several important elements that would later be fulfilled in Christ:

  • Selection of an unblemished lamb
  • The timing (14th day of first month)
  • Blood that provided protection from death
  • A sacrificial meal

Prophetic Foreshadowing in Isaiah

Isaiah 53 contains one of the most profound prophetic descriptions of the coming Messiah as a sacrificial lamb. Isaiah 53:7 states, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." This prophetic passage clearly portrays the Messiah as one who would be sacrificed like a lamb.

Isaiah 53 further describes this sacrificial figure as one who "was pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities." The text explains that "the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." This sacrificial imagery establishes that the Messiah would bear the sins of many and make intercession for transgressors.

John the Baptist's Declaration

When Jesus began his public ministry, John the Baptist immediately identified him in sacrificial terms, proclaiming, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). This declaration explicitly connected Jesus to the sacrificial system and identified his mission as removing sin through sacrifice. John repeated this identification the next day (John 1:36), emphasizing this crucial aspect of Jesus' identity.

Jesus and the Timing of Passover

The Gospels provide significant details about the timing of Jesus' crucifixion that align with Passover symbolism:

According to John's Gospel, Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation for the Passover (John 19:14). This means Jesus died at the same time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the temple for the Passover meal that would be eaten that evening.

John's Gospel also notes that none of Jesus' bones were broken (John 19:36), which the author explicitly connects to the Passover requirement that no bones of the lamb should be broken (Exodus 12:46).

The Last Supper and Passover Symbolism

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present the Last Supper as a Passover meal. During this meal, Jesus took bread and wine and gave them new meaning, saying "This is my body" and "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28).

This reinterpretation of the Passover elements established Jesus himself as the sacrificial lamb whose body would be broken and blood shed for salvation—transforming the ancient ritual into a new covenant.

Paul's Explicit Connection

The Apostle Paul makes the connection between Jesus and the Passover lamb explicit in 1 Corinthians 5:7, where he writes, "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." This direct statement confirms the early church's understanding of Jesus' death as the fulfillment of Passover symbolism.

Peter's Understanding

The Apostle Peter similarly emphasizes the lamb imagery, writing that believers were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:19). Peter notes that Christ was "chosen before the creation of the world" for this sacrificial role.

The Book of Revelation

In Revelation, Jesus is repeatedly depicted as "the Lamb who was slain." John's apocalyptic vision describes the Lamb (Greek: arnion) as standing "as if slain" at the center of God's throne (Revelation 5:6). Throughout Revelation, Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb" nearly 30 times, emphasizing the centrality of his sacrificial death to his eternal identity and role.

Parallels Between Passover Requirements and Jesus' Crucifixion

Several specific requirements for the Passover lamb find fulfillment in Jesus:

  1. Unblemished lamb (Exodus 12:5) → Jesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)

  2. The lamb was selected on the 10th day of Nisan and inspected until the 14th day → Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday and was questioned by religious authorities for several days before his crucifixion

  3. The lamb was slaughtered "between the evenings" (Exodus 12:6) → Jesus died in the afternoon, before evening fell

  4. No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken (Exodus 12:46) → Jesus' legs were not broken on the cross, unlike the other crucified men (John 19:33-36)

  5. The blood of the lamb provided protection from death → Jesus' blood establishes the new covenant that delivers from spiritual death

The Theological Significance

The identification of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb culminates the entire biblical sacrificial system. While animal sacrifices could only temporarily cover sin, Jesus' sacrifice as the perfect Lamb of God permanently removes sin. The Book of Hebrews elaborates on this theme, explaining that Christ entered the Most Holy Place "once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).

The writer of Hebrews emphasizes that "the blood of bulls and goats" could never take away sins, but Christ's offering of himself as a sacrifice has "made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:1-14).

This transformation of the Passover from an annual animal sacrifice to the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ represents the fulfillment of the entire sacrificial system and the establishment of a new covenant between God and humanity.

Would you like me to expand on any particular aspect of this connection between Jesus and the Passover lamb?

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