Missed the Point

In the first century, rebellion often rose around Passover. The Romans would bring in extra troops to keep everything under control.

Why Passover? It was when the messiah was to come, and the Jews were reminded that they should be free. Imagine the US being conquered by China or Russia or a country where we lost our freedom. Every 4th of July, we would remember that we were suppose to be free. That’s what Passover reminded the Jews.

Jesus comes into the Jerusalem on a donkey, as the messiah. The people are overjoyed! Finally freedom from the Romans! They start waving palm branches. The last time the Jews were free, palm branches were on their coins, so palm branches were a sign of freedom.

"Hosanna! Hosanna!” they shout, which means “Free us! Free us!”
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Then Jesus did something remarkable; he wept over the city. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

Jesus was broken hearted because the crowd missed the point. He wasn’t coming to save them from the Romans, but to save them from their sins and damnation.

But they missed the point. They missed the savior and the messiah.

From That the World May Know: Easter from Force on the Family

Lamb Selection Day

The Sunday before Passover was lamb selection day. Each family had to pick the lamb they would use. It had to be perfect: no spots or defects. After the lamb was picked, the family would bring that lamb into their home to live with them until Passover

On the lamb selection day, what we call Palm Sunday, Jesus came into Jerusalem. He stayed there, lived with the Jews, until Passover, when he was killed.

Jesus used the picture of Passover to show the Jews He was the Jesus used the picture of Passover to show the Jews He was the lamb of God.

The First Passover

The Passover is a national holiday of the Jews, both Jesus’ day and today. How did it start? Why is it so important?

Throughout the Old Testament, God has given many examples of what His one and perfect sacrifice would look like. One of these examples was Passover.

When the Jews were slaves in Egypt, God told Moose that He would send the angel of death to kill the first born of every house hold.

The family had to take a perfect lamb with no spots or defects and bring into their home to live with them for a week. Then, they had to kill the lamb and smear the blood on the door posts of their home. When the angel of death came, he would see the blood and pass over the house, spearing the first born.

By the blood of the lamb, death passed.

Jewish thinking vs. Greek thinking

When we read the Bible, we must understand that first century Jews didn’t think like we do today.

Today, in America, we think like the Greeks did. We love bullet lists. If someone were to ask a Greek to describe God, he would say, “He is powerful. He is all knowing,” etc.

The Jews, however, thought differently. They saw things in pictures and in illustrations. If someone were to ask a Jew to describe God, he would say, “He is my shepherd. He is a rock. He is living water,” etc.

We can’t understand what these pictures mean unless we understand the Jewish culture and customs. What does a shepherd do anyway?

By learning the Jewish culture, we are able to understand the pictures and illustrations used throughout the Bible.

"It Is Finished"

When sin entered the world, so did death. For every sin mankind committed, something had to die. The practice of sacrificing animals, especially lambs, began.

Whenever Man sinned, an innocent animal would have to be killed, and by its blood that sin was cleansed. A sacrifice had to be constantly given, for we are constantly sinning.

The Jewish people under Moses sacrificed twice a day; in the morning at 10am, and in the afternoon, at 3pm. At the time of sacrifice, a priest would blow the shofar, a Jewish horn. At that moment, the lamb’s throat was slit, and all the religious Jews would pause for a moment, begging God to remember the final and perfect sacrifice He’d promised to Abraham. This practice continued for years.

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus hung on a cross. At 3pm, the shofar sounded for the sacrifice, and Jesus said, ‘it is finished.’ Then He died.

The daily sacrifices weren’t needed anymore, for He was the last, perfect, and sinless sacrifice.