Freedom through the Lamb

Read Mark 14:12-25

The Last Supper is one of the most famous scenes in the Bible.  People take pilgrimages to the Upper Room to see where Jesus and his disciples may have eaten this meal.  Famous artists throughout the centuries have interpreted the story through paintings and sculptures.  As we ponder this story we may remember the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the dramatic announcement that one of the disciples will betray Jesus, the love Jesus shows as he prepares his disciples for the journey ahead.  Yet as we dig into the meaning of these important elements of the story, we may easily overlook the importance of the story’s setting.  The story begins: “On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed…”  The Last Supper is not just the last meal before Jesus’ death, it is (importantly) the Passover Meal.

            The Passover is a holy time in the Jewish Faith.  It remembers the miraculous deeds of God that freed the Hebrew people from Pharoah’s bondage in Egypt and led them through the parted sea into freedom.  The Passover Meal commemorates the night of the final plague against Egypt, when the first born of every house was killed – but the houses with doorposts covered in the blood of a sacrificed lamb were “passed over”, their first born children spared.  The very next morning after this plague Pharaoh freed God’s people.  So the Passover is a celebration of freedom, of new life.
            It is not a coincidence that Jesus’ death and resurrection happen during the Passover celebration.  Throughout the Christian tradition, we have identified Jesus as the Paschal Lamb - the one who was slain to take away the sins of the world.  Just as the Passover lamb’s blood saved the Hebrew people from death, we believe that Jesus’ blood saves us from death.  Just as the Passover paved the way for the Hebrew people’s freedom, we believe Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin.  Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has “passed over” our sinful ways and has given us the new covenant, a new way of living – abundant life that leads to eternal life.
            As we remember the Last Supper and the final hours of Jesus’ life, let us remember that we are often trapped in slavery like the Hebrew people were enslaved under Pharaoh.  We are trapped in slavery to sin and death, and only Jesus – our Paschal lamb – can free us from its clutches.  This Holy Week, may you realize your bondage to sin and may you find hope and healing as you follow the Paschal Lamb out of slavery into life abundant.


Blessings,


Laura Johnson