Communion and the Passover

Communion and the Passover

The Passover feast became the communion table on the evening that Jesus Christ was betrayed, the evening of the last supper on which the Lord Jesus and His disciples celebrated Passover.

In God’s mind, the death of Jesus Christ was an accomplished fact long before it became a reality.

1 Pet. 1:18-20, “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from you vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

Therefore, the Father recognized that the symbolic offering of the paschal lamb, the lamb of sacrifice at the Passover, was sufficient throughout Old Testament times. The shed blood of the animal became an atonement, or covering, for the guilty sinner, God knowing that the time would come when the Lamb of God would take away the sins of the world. John 1:29

In Old Testament times, the people gave testimony to their faith by ceremony. The ceremonies gave testimony to the death of Christ and His work on the cross as a substitute sacrifice for mankind.

God Himself provided his own lamb: Acts 2:23; Rev. 13:8.

Jesus Christ gave Himself willingly to become the final Passover sacrifice: 1 Cor. 5:7.

Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross provided the means to reconcile the world to God so that, through His saving grace, eternal life might be given to all who believe: Eph. 2:8-9.

At the last Passover, Christ showed His disciples that there would be no more Passover feasts after this one meaning no more killing of lambs.

The Passover feast was just a shadow picture, an illustration of Christ himself who would bring a greater deliverance to people that the deliverance from Egypt, namely, salvation.

The shadow was soon to become the reality: Col. 2:16,17; Heb. 10:1-14.

The disciples would soon look back on the cross instead of looking forward to it.

The Passover became the communion table, for the purposes of:

Harmony: 1 Cor. 11:20-22.

Remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Cor. 11:23-26

Restoration to Fellowship: 1 Cor. 11:27-32

Fellowship: 1 Cor. 11:33,34