Jesus: The Ultimate Passover Lamb and Our Savior

 

Summary

Palm Sunday holds profound significance for Christians, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This event is not just a prelude to Easter but is deeply intertwined with the Jewish Passover, particularly the selection of the Passover lamb. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was fulfilling a prophetic role as the ultimate Passover lamb, a symbol of deliverance from sin and death. This day, known as Lamb Selection Day, was when the lambs for Passover were chosen, and Jesus, entering the city, was being presented as the spotless lamb, ready for sacrifice.

The crowd's cries of "Hosanna" were not merely celebratory but a plea for salvation, reflecting a misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. Many expected a political savior to liberate them from Roman oppression, but Jesus' kingdom was one of peace and humility, aimed at conquering the far greater oppressors of sin and death. His entry on a donkey symbolized this peaceful mission, contrasting with the expectations of a militant messiah.

The significance of the blood in this narrative cannot be overstated. Throughout the Old Testament, blood sacrifices were a means of atonement, pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. His blood, unlike that of bulls and goats, offers a once-and-for-all atonement, cleansing believers from sin and granting eternal life. This is the essence of the gospel message: Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world, offering salvation to all who believe.

As we reflect on Palm Sunday, we are reminded of the depth of God's love and the profound nature of Jesus' sacrifice. It is a call to recognize the true oppressors in our lives and to embrace the freedom offered through Christ. This day is a celebration of deliverance, not just from earthly powers but from the spiritual bondage of sin and death.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Prophetic Entry: Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was a fulfillment of prophecy, marking him as the ultimate Passover lamb. This event is deeply connected to the Jewish tradition of selecting a spotless lamb for sacrifice, symbolizing Jesus' role in conquering sin and death. [53:07]

2. Misunderstood Messiah: The cries of "Hosanna" from the crowd reflected a desire for political liberation, yet Jesus' mission was to establish a kingdom of peace and humility. His entry on a donkey symbolized this peaceful mission, contrasting with the expectations of a militant messiah. [01:00:20]

3. The Power of Blood: The significance of blood in the Old Testament as a means of atonement points to Jesus' ultimate sacrifice. His blood offers a once-and-for-all atonement, cleansing believers from sin and granting eternal life, fulfilling the typology of the Passover lamb. [01:06:49]

4. Conquering Sin and Death: Jesus' mission was not to overthrow earthly powers but to conquer the spiritual oppressors of sin and death. This victory offers believers freedom from spiritual bondage and the promise of eternal life. [01:12:29]

5. A Call to Salvation: Palm Sunday is a reminder of the depth of God's love and the profound nature of Jesus' sacrifice. It is a call to recognize the true oppressors in our lives and to embrace the freedom offered through Christ, celebrating deliverance from spiritual bondage. [01:16:43]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:01:00] - Opening Prayer
- [00:03:00] - Community Prayers and Announcements
- [00:06:00] - Personal Anecdote
- [00:10:00] - Introduction to Palm Sunday
- [00:15:00] - The Triumphal Entry
- [00:20:00] - Connection to Passover
- [00:25:00] - Significance of Palm Branches
- [00:30:00] - The Passover Lamb
- [00:35:00] - Jesus' Examination and Innocence
- [00:40:00] - Theological Significance
- [00:45:00] - The Power of Blood
- [00:50:00] - Call to Salvation
- [00:55:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation
- [01:00:00] - Benediction and Farewell

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Palm Sunday

Bible Reading:
1. John 12:1-15
2. Exodus 12:3-6
3. 1 Corinthians 5:7

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Observation Questions:

1. What is the significance of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, and how does this fulfill prophecy? [01:00:20]

2. How does the crowd's cry of "Hosanna" reflect their expectations of Jesus, and what does "Hosanna" mean in the Jewish context? [01:06:49]

3. What is the connection between Palm Sunday and the Jewish tradition of Passover, particularly regarding the selection of the Passover lamb? [01:12:29]

4. How does the sermon describe the role of blood in the Old Testament, and how does it relate to Jesus' sacrifice? [01:16:43]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does Jesus' entry into Jerusalem challenge the expectations of a political or militant messiah? How does this reflect the nature of His kingdom? [01:00:20]

2. How does the concept of Jesus as the ultimate Passover lamb deepen our understanding of His mission and sacrifice? [01:12:29]

3. What does the sermon suggest about the true oppressors in our lives, and how does Jesus' mission address these? [01:12:29]

4. How does the sermon explain the significance of Jesus' blood as a once-and-for-all atonement compared to Old Testament sacrifices? [01:16:43]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own expectations of Jesus. Are there ways in which you might be seeking a "political" or "militant" savior rather than embracing His kingdom of peace and humility? How can you align your expectations with His true mission? [01:00:20]

2. Consider the concept of Jesus as the ultimate Passover lamb. How does this understanding impact your view of Easter and the significance of Jesus' sacrifice in your life? [01:12:29]

3. Identify the "true oppressors" in your life, such as sin or fear. How can you embrace the freedom offered through Christ to overcome these spiritual bondages? [01:12:29]

4. The sermon highlights the power of Jesus' blood as a once-and-for-all atonement. How does this assurance of forgiveness and eternal life influence your daily walk with God? [01:16:43]

5. Reflect on the depth of God's love as demonstrated through Jesus' sacrifice. How can you respond to this love in your relationships and interactions with others this week? [01:16:43]

6. The sermon calls us to recognize the significance of Palm Sunday in perpetuity. How can you incorporate this understanding into your family's traditions and teachings? [01:32:57]

7. How can you actively participate in celebrating the deliverance from spiritual bondage that Palm Sunday represents, both personally and within your community? [01:32:57]

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus as the Ultimate Passover Lamb
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was a profound fulfillment of prophecy, marking Him as the ultimate Passover lamb. This event is deeply connected to the Jewish tradition of selecting a spotless lamb for sacrifice, symbolizing Jesus' role in conquering sin and death. As He entered the city, He was being presented as the spotless lamb, ready for sacrifice, aligning with the Jewish practice of Lamb Selection Day. This act was not just a historical event but a divine orchestration pointing to Jesus' sacrificial role in God's redemptive plan. [53:07]

Exodus 12:3-5 (ESV): "Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats."

Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus as the ultimate Passover lamb change your understanding of His sacrifice? What specific sins or burdens can you lay at His feet today, trusting in His atonement?


Day 2: The Misunderstood Messiah
The cries of "Hosanna" from the crowd during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem reflected a desire for political liberation, yet Jesus' mission was to establish a kingdom of peace and humility. His entry on a donkey symbolized this peaceful mission, contrasting with the expectations of a militant messiah. Many expected a political savior to liberate them from Roman oppression, but Jesus' kingdom was one of peace and humility, aimed at conquering the far greater oppressors of sin and death. [01:00:20]

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV): "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you expecting Jesus to act in a way that aligns with your desires rather than His mission of peace and humility? How can you align your expectations with His true purpose today?


Day 3: The Power of Jesus' Blood
The significance of blood in the Old Testament as a means of atonement points to Jesus' ultimate sacrifice. His blood offers a once-and-for-all atonement, cleansing believers from sin and granting eternal life, fulfilling the typology of the Passover lamb. Unlike the blood of bulls and goats, Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient to cleanse believers from sin and grant eternal life. This is the essence of the gospel message: Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world, offering salvation to all who believe. [01:06:49]

Hebrews 9:13-14 (ESV): "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Reflection: Reflect on the power of Jesus' blood in your life. What areas of guilt or shame do you need to bring to Him for cleansing and renewal today?


Day 4: Conquering Sin and Death
Jesus' mission was not to overthrow earthly powers but to conquer the spiritual oppressors of sin and death. This victory offers believers freedom from spiritual bondage and the promise of eternal life. His kingdom was not of this world, and His victory was not marked by political triumph but by the defeat of sin and death through His sacrifice. This understanding calls believers to recognize the true oppressors in their lives and to embrace the freedom offered through Christ. [01:12:29]

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (ESV): "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Reflection: What spiritual oppressors are you facing today? How can you embrace the freedom and victory that Jesus offers over sin and death in your daily life?


Day 5: A Call to Salvation
Palm Sunday is a reminder of the depth of God's love and the profound nature of Jesus' sacrifice. It is a call to recognize the true oppressors in our lives and to embrace the freedom offered through Christ, celebrating deliverance from spiritual bondage. This day is a celebration of deliverance, not just from earthly powers but from the spiritual bondage of sin and death. It invites believers to reflect on the depth of God's love and the profound nature of Jesus' sacrifice, calling them to embrace the salvation He offers. [01:16:43]

Titus 2:11-14 (ESV): "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Reflection: How can you actively respond to God's call to salvation today? What steps can you take to live a life that reflects the freedom and deliverance offered through Christ?

Quotes

"And a particular note will be what the text that speaks about Palm Sunday actually represents. How can we interpret what Palm Sunday is all about through our understanding of the Old Testament? What is the significance of Palm Sunday and what occurred on Palm Sunday for you and I? And how does it relate to this Easter season that we are in at the moment? Well, all we know about Palm Sunday is that it was the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, right? Many scriptures talk about this. It's recorded, the triumphal entry of Jesus, Jesus, as he went up to Jerusalem, is recorded in all four of the Gospels. Every single one of them record this story." [00:52:07] (58 seconds)


"Now, aside from breaking it down in terms of the spiritual, symbolic, biblical prophecy and timeline across the Jewish and Gregorian calendars, I want to attempt to address six things, if we can get through that very briefly today, that relate to Palm Sunday. Firstly, I'm going to read the scripture out of one of the gospels that it's recorded in. Secondly, I'm going to talk about the timeline. Thirdly, I want to just briefly mention palm branches, because guess what? You came in this morning and you saw the palm branches, right? Every Sunday here, we have every Palm Sunday, every year, we have palm branches that then we turn into crosses, right, that we keep in our cars or whatever the case is. And then I want to talk about the significance of the lamb. And then lastly, really about the significance of the blood. So can you hang in with me there? Try. Try and hang in with me, okay? All right. First of all, I'm going to read the scripture." [00:54:47] (63 seconds)


"Do not fear, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt. Now, the interesting thing is here is the fact that the Scripture calls him the king, which, of course, we know he was the king, but we're going to learn about what type of king he was. What many Christians don't know about Palm Sunday is that it marks the week of Passover. Now, you might rightly ask, what is the meaning of Passover? Now, you've heard Peter briefly talk about it last week when we did communion. I don't know if you remember that. He actually mentioned the Passover lamb and what it meant and about the blood on the doorposts and how God passed over those homes that had the blood on the doorposts, or I should say when the destroying angel came." [00:58:14] (57 seconds)


"Now, the important thing here is this, is that the Israelites, the significance of the timing we spoke about, the Israelites were told to celebrate the Passover on the first month, the month of Nisan, from the 10th day of Nisan to the 14th day of Nisan, when the Lamb was slain. Now, this corresponds with the Gregorian calendar, with the Christian calendar, in that it falls in the time frame of what we celebrate as our Easter season around March and April. And what a perfect time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, because it was crowded with Jewish people, and guess what? They had all come to Jerusalem to do what? To celebrate the Passover, as they did every single year. And so we see here in John, as we read it, Jesus is going up to Jerusalem, the crowds come out, and what do they do? They spread palm branches, and they shout, Hosanna. Hosanna. And when we see them shouting Hosanna, which is only in the book of, I mean, sorry, when we see them shouting Hosanna, which is recorded in all the gospel, it says, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, out of Psalms 118." [01:01:00] (82 seconds)


"Now, this act not only is symbolizing the recognition of Jesus as Messiah and king, but also his nature, the nature of this kingdom. And we'll read more about this now. For many, of course, who celebrated him coming into Jerusalem, they thought that Jesus was the one who they had hoped and assumed would kickstart a political or military movement against Rome. Jesus was going to save them from the tyranny of Rome in the same way that God had delivered them and saved them from the tyranny of Egypt." [01:03:41] (42 seconds)


"It was something far greater than Rome. And of course, the palm branches have their own significance, but I don't have to go into all of that symbolism today, except for the aspect of the events of that day, where the palm branches were used as a celebratory symbol that God, the victorious one, tabernacles with humanity. You see, what had happened is when they went up to Jerusalem for a different feast, which was the Feast of Tabernacles called Sukkot, is when they used the palm branches to build booths or tabernacles to represent Jesus coming to dwell with his people. Well, that was the prophetic emphasis, right, of the coming king. He was coming to dwell with his people, and we see that prophetically here in the scriptures, which is, it's awesome. I mean, for me, it's awesome as I went through this, and I know it's a bit confusing, and maybe I sound confusing, but you'll forgive me for that. I know because you love me, right?" [01:04:24] (68 seconds)


"Now, the significance of the Passover lamb. So we've talked about the significance of the timing, the significance of the palm branches, and now the significance of the Passover lamb. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 12, verses 3 to 6, where we see the Passover instructions. Let's review this. On the 10th day of Nisan, the Hebrew month, each household was to select a spotless lamb. Now, the lamb was to be kept until the 14th day of Nisan, and then sacrificed." [01:05:36] (40 seconds)


"Jesus and the Passover lamb. Jesus entered Jerusalem on what would have been the 10th day of Nisan, the beginning of Passover, when a lamb was selected. This is very, very significant. The 10th day of Nisan, when a lamb was selected. He was on display and examined by the people and the religious leaders for several days, just like the lamb was inspected. If you remember and you go back and you read Exodus chapter 12, you will see that on the 10th day of Nisan, the beginning of months, God said to them, select a blemishless lamb, a spotless lamb, and then keep that lamb for four days." [01:06:40] (47 seconds)


"Now I don't want to labor going into the different calendars but Nissan lines up with the Christian calendar and it falls within March and April which is now where we are celebrating the Easter season and of course today Palm Sunday. Now what is the theological significance of all of this? The day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem was what the Jewish people call Lamb Selection Day." [01:10:40] (31 seconds)


"Ending here, using sacrificial language similar to that of the Hebrews, the first epistle of Peter speaks of the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 19. And then the first epistle of John proclaims that Jesus' blood cleanses from all sin. 1 John 1 7." [01:21:53] (27 seconds)


"And then Revelations says the following. And they sang a new song saying, you are worthy to take the scroll to open the seals because you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and every nation." [01:23:59] (22 seconds)


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Transcript
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