Christ Our Passover, Was Sacrificed for Us

In 1 Corinthians 5:7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
See All..., Paul wrote that "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." This statement holds profound meaning for Christians.

Christ is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Source: Photos.com

Jerusalem shone golden in the afternoon sun as 12 men and their Leader made their way from the Mount of Olives to a house in the city.

Earlier in the day, Jesus of Nazareth had instructed two of His disciples, Peter and John, to go into Jerusalem and prepare the Passover (Luke 22:7-13 [7] Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
[8] And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
[9] And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
[10] And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
[11] And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
[12] And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.
[13] And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

See All...). Jesus said they would encounter a man carrying water, who would show them his guest room where they could keep the Passover.

After finding the man, Peter and John prepared the food and drink for Jesus and the 12 to observe what would be the first new covenant Passover service.

Jesus probably said little as they entered the room and surveyed the preparations. To Peter and John, no doubt Jesus appeared introspective, but, beyond this, their Teacher seemed composed and calm. They all began to relax at the table and eat, following the lead of their Master.

It was then that Jesus began to speak to His disciples, explaining that He had waited for this special time so He could eat this Passover with them. "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God," He told them (Luke 22:15-16 [15] And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
[16] For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

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It was a shocking statement. Jesus spoke of suffering? The apostles found it difficult to believe that their Savior would have to suffer physical pain, let alone die this early in His life. After all, this was the same Man who had turned water into wine, fed 5,000 hungry people on five loaves and two fish and had food left over, and walked on the water of a tempestuous, stormy sea.

Symbols of sacrifice

At this point, the Savior began offering His disciples the new covenant symbols of unleavened bread and wine.

The bread He gave His closest followers represented His body. The apostle Peter later defined what this meant, writing that we, as Christians, should follow in the steps of their Savior, who "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes [we] were healed"

(1 Peter 2:24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
See All...).

Christ would pay the penalty for humanity's sins "by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
See All...). The wine, offered next, represented His shed blood, which would wash away the sins of mankind (Luke 22:17-20 [17] And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
[18] For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
[19] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[20] Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

See All...).

Earlier in the evening, the disciples had quietly watched as Jesus deliberately knelt and washed their feet. Jesus told them to follow His example, explaining that this simple ceremony was symbolic of the humble and unconditional attitude of service to humanity they must hold (John 13:1-17 [1] Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
[2] And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
[3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
[4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
[5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
[6] Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
[7] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
[8] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
[9] Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
[10] Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
[11] For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
[12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
[13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
[14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
[15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
[16] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
[17] If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

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Ceremonies involving bread and wine were not new to the religious Jews of that day, but the manner in which Jesus presented them, and their meaning, were. So the disciples listened attentively to Jesus' words and participated fully as He offered the symbols.

The food and drink Christ offered His disciples had deep meaning for them and us. During the evening, He explained that before long He would offer Himself for the sins of mankind (John 13:31-33 [31] Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
[32] If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
[33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

See All...). His followers would soon see the meaning of the Passover symbols dramatically demonstrated to them.

Jesus' sacrifice prophesied

Old Testament prophecies of a coming Savior's sacrifice abound. The earliest can be found in Genesis. Speaking to Satan, the serpent, God said: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
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This verse, referring to the serpent and the Seed, speaks symbolically of Satan and Jesus Christ. Satan would "bruise the heel" of Jesus by influencing His execution by crucifixion, with nails driven through His feet. But Christ, on His return to earth, will bruise Satan's head by imprisoning Satan for a millennium (Revelation 20:1-3 [1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

See All...). The prophecy in Genesis 3 is the earliest reference to Jesus' crucifixion and death.

The prophet Isaiah foretold Jesus' ultimate sacrifice: He was "wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
See All...).

The Eternal God, Isaiah foretold, "has laid on Him [the Son of God] the iniquity of us all" (verse 6). He was "oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter" (verse 7). "He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken" (verse 8).

The agony of the crucifixion

King David, writing some 1,000 years before Christ's death, also prophesied of this sobering occasion. God inspired him to describe the humiliation and unbearable pain Jesus Christ would suffer during His crucifixion. In Psalm 22, David wrote as if Christ were crying out in the first person: "I am [despised as] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me" (Psalm 22:6-7 [6] But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
[7] All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

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The prophecy continues in verses 14-17: "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me...You have brought Me to the dust of death...They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me."

The writers of the Bible recorded many prophecies about this most momentous and critical time, when our holy Savior would pour out His life for you, me and all of humanity. That time came as predicted, in accordance with God's design: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
See All...). Jesus Christ's sacrificial offering of Himself had long been planned (Revelation 13:8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
See All...).

The life and death of Jesus

To better grasp the significance of Christ's sacrifice, we should review some of the events of Jesus' physical life.

When Jesus was born, Satan set out to destroy the Son of God. In Matthew we read: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men" (Matthew 2:16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
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Later, immediately before the start of Jesus' ministry, God's Spirit led Him into the wilderness to fast for 40 days and nights. At this pivotal point, Satan came to Jesus. Matthew 4 describes the temptations the devil used to test Jesus.

First Satan attempted to goad Jesus into employing His divine power to turn stones into bread to satisfy his excruciating hunger (verse 3). Next he tried to appeal to the vanity and pride that he mistakenly assumed Jesus had (verses 5, 6).

Then Satan addressed the base human desires of greed and power by offering Jesus the kingdoms of the world (verses 8, 9). Jesus didn't dispute that the world truly is in the hands of Satan, for Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
See All..., King James Version).

In this crucial test, Jesus never for a moment entertained the thought of sin. Although physically starving, Jesus was at His peak of spiritual strength, having fasted and communed with His Father for 40 days and nights.

So it was throughout the rest of His life and ministry. Jesus never once sinned or allowed Himself to entertain thoughts of breaking God's law. He never broke the letter or spirit of the laws of God.

Jesus knew what it was like to endure and master the anxieties and passions common to all of mankind: "In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, [He] was heard because of His godly fear...He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:7-9 [7] Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
[8] Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
[9] And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

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Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. He "committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"

(1 Peter 2:22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
See All...). Had He broken God's law, He would have suffered the death penalty, like the rest of mankind, with no hope of a resurrection. But, since He remained sinless, and the very Son of God in the flesh, His death paid the penalty for our sins, making Him the Savior of mankind (Hebrews 10:12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
See All...; 1 John 4:14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
See All...).

Jesus Christ, our Passover

In 1 Corinthians 5:7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
See All..., Paul wrote that "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." This statement holds profound meaning for Christians.

Paul wrote these words to the Corinthian church, whose members were allowing one of their brethren to continue in a sexual sin. This was no ordinary sin, even for the profligate Corinthian society of the time. A man was involved in an immoral relationship with his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
See All...).

Paul reprimanded the whole congregation and charged the Corinthians to expel the offender, lest the sin spread and contaminate them just as yeast puffs up bread dough (1 Corinthians 5:2-6 [2] And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
[3] For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
[4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
[5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
[6] Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

See All...).

Paul, in supporting his reasons for removing the sinner used a phrase closely associated with the Passover: "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (verse 7).

What did Paul mean by that? He meant that Jesus' sacrifice was not made in vain. He meant that the Corinthians should not take lightly Christ's painful death.

Reflect Christ's sacrifice

Up to that point the Corinthians had not comprehended the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice. They didn't fully understand that once their sins were repented of and covered by Jesus' shed blood, their lives had to reflect a new commitment. They were no longer to give in to their former sinful habits.

Paul made this very clear to them: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
[10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
[11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

See All...).

Writing to the Romans on the same subject, Paul asked: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1-4 [1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
[2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

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Not to be taken lightly

Paul made it plain to the Corinthians that they must not take Christ's sacrifice lightly. Accepting that sacrifice must result in a changed life, with a new outlook and approach that will not tolerate sin. "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner...Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person'" (1 Corinthians 5:11-13 [11] But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
[12] For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
[13] But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

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Since the Corinthian members apparently didn't fully understand the implications of Jesus Christ's sacrifice and the enormous pain and suffering He endured, is it possible that we could make the same error? Do we fully grasp what He went through to become a sacrifice for us?

None of us were there to witness the Roman soldiers brutally whip, beat and ridicule Jesus Christ. But we do have the written Word of God that tells us that it happened. The prophet Isaiah, King David in the Psalms and the Gospel writers all bear witness to the cruel punishment inflicted on Jesus Christ. From these biblical accounts, plus contemporary descriptions of such punishments, we can understand, as much as humans can understand, the extent of the suffering our Savior endured for us.

When the authorities led Jesus before the high priest, Caiaphas, and in front of the scribes and elders, He was falsely declared guilty of blasphemy. The religious authorities spat in His face, slapping and pounding Him with their fists while they ridiculed Him (Matthew 26:67-68 [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
[68] Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

See All...). When they turned Jesus over to the Romans for scourging (Matthew 27:26Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
See All...), He was understandably disoriented, His face cut, bruised and battered.

The halfway death

The scourging by the Romans of our Savior was barbaric. They called this type of punishment "the halfway death" because it stopped just short of killing its victim. A trained man, called a lictor, used a wooden grip to which several strips of leather had been attached. At the end of each strip, fragments of bone or iron had been sewn in. This was called a flagellum. There was no specific number of stripes to be administered, and the lictor could whip the prisoner on any part of his body.

Typically, guards tied a condemned criminal to a stone or wooden pillar, facing the pillar with one arm on each side. To further humiliate the prisoner, he was stripped of all clothing, affording him no protection from the cruel instrument.

Then the brutal procedure began. The prisoner suffered blow after blow, leaving his flesh lacerated and his bloody skin hanging like thin strips of cloth. An officer supervised the operation to see that the captive wasn't inadvertently beaten to death; the Romans knew from experience that a fragile man so beaten could die quickly.

When the scourging was over, the guards untied the prisoner, who would slump to the floor in shock. They would pour cold water on him to clean off some of the blood, torn flesh and filth. The rough scrubbing of the victim's battered body would often shock him back to gasping consciousness.

In Jesus' case, some of the soldiers gathered thorns and plaited them into a ring, which they jammed onto His head. They wrapped a robe around Him, placed a reed scepter in His hand and mockingly paid homage to Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
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"Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified" (verses 30, 31).

What His sacrifice means for us

This is only a cursory portrayal of the agony our Savior had to suffer in our stead so the penalty of death could be removed from you and me. Without Jesus' sacrifice, we would automatically be consigned to everlasting death. The only life we could live would be the physical existence we are struggling through now.

We would have no hope of reconciliation to God our Father. We would have no prospects of His accepting our lives through the life of Jesus Christ, now at the right hand of God. We could have no reason to hope to receive the Holy Spirit, understand the truth of God, and serve Christ as His followers on earth.

We would not understand the mystery of the ages, the plan of God for mankind to become the sons of God. And we would not enjoy the privilege of fellowshipping with others of like mind, sharing the joy God blesses us with in His Church.

No wonder Paul used the words he did to bring the Corinthians back to spiritual reality. Either they did not hold to an understanding of the profundity of Jesus' sacrifice, or they once comprehended it but had grown careless of it. Whatever the situation, they needed to be reminded of the pain and agony their Savior went through for them. They needed to repent of their short-sightedness and acknowledge the great extent of that remarkable sacrifice.

Here is a question we might ask ourselves in this Passover season: Do we truly appreciate Christ's ultimate sacrifice?

Let's hope that we do.

The Passover season is upon us. We should feel the conviction of our brother, the apostle Paul, whom God inspired to remind us: "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." That sacrifice was real, and it should affect our lives every day.