Luke 22:19 AMP
And when He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
The Lord Jesus had celebrated about three Passovers upon coming into public ministry. However, the last one was so special to Him, and for us—to whom He would lay down His life as the sacrificial Lamb (Exo 12:1-5). By the inspiration of the Spirit, the prophet Isaiah foresaw Christ’s suffering centuries before it occurred and said, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:3-5 ESV).
At the first Passover, the LORD instructed Israel to offer a lamb in sacrifice; but in the ultimate fulfillment of Passover, He provided the Lamb Himself. In so doing, God would not spare any good thing from us because His Best had been given for us, in the first place (Rom 8:32)! In Isaiah’s prophetic utterance, he saw the lifting of our griefs and sorrows, the forgiveness of our sins, peace with God and within ourselves, and the healing of our bodies as part of the redemption package by Christ Jesus. Notice, though Jesus’ crucifixion was yet to come, Isaiah described it as if it were already accomplished.
In the same way, in God’s mind, the blessings of redemption were also packaged for our benefit that far back. Child of God, it is already settled that in Christ Jesus we have been granted peace with God, healing, forgiveness of sins, and relief from grief. Beyond the uncertainties and the calamities that happen in this world, the finished work of Christ has provided a firm and reliable ground for our sure salvation and eternal life with Him. Oh, blessed be God, “…who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3 NKJV). Our “living hope” is solid, “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies NO more. Death NO longer has dominion over Him” (Rom 6:9 NKJV). Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel