Behold! The Lamb of God

Our heritage as Christians is a rich one, rooted and steeped in Judaism. As we approach the vents of Easter Week and in particular, the Passover, let us examine the context in which our Lord observed His last meal with His disciples. If we are to derive the full benefit and comprehension of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ accomplished for us by dying in our stead on the cross at Golgotha, we must not neglect the prophetic messages and foreshadowing of His sacrifice in the Old Testament, which speaks to us as His followers, as it does to our dear Hebrew brothers and sisters.
Let us briefly examine the Passover and its significance to Jesus and His disciples in that Upper room two thousand years ago. What is Passover? And why is this event so important to us as Christians? In Exodus we read the dramatic events leading up to the meal eaten hastily by the Hebrew nation. We learn how they demonstrated their faith in God by sprinkling the blood of a lamb on the door posts of each household, and how God, seeing the blood, "passed over" and spared the firstborn in those houses who obeyed Him in this observance. Ultimately even the Pharaoh was convinced by the frightening events that took place throughout Egypt that night to let the Hebrew slaves go.
So we must ask ourselves, What went on in the mind of Jesus when He ate the Passover meal, broke unleavened bread, and drank of the cup with His disciples that night so long ago?
The service which follows has been written to lead the average Christian congregation or family to the foot of the Cross and to worship with a new appreciation the great King of the Universe, who spared not His own Son but made Him our glorious Paschal Lamb, sacrificed once for all humankind. Hallelujah!