“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

A few months ago, while preparing to take communion as a family, I asked the kids what special meal Jesus and His friends were celebrating on the night of the Lord’s Supper. After several seconds of silence, my middle daughter’s eyes lit up as she shouted, “Pass Around!”  

The gospel accounts of the Lord’s Supper do tell us Jesus and His disciples were observing Passover when Jesus first instituted communion. Since learning a bit more about Passover, including its correct name, my daughters have eagerly taken turns telling the story of the first Passover each time we gather for communion.  

The basics are this: When God brought the tenth and final plague upon Egypt before the exodus, He provided a way for the Israelites to be spared from the devastating consequences of His judgment. When death visited each home in the land, killing each firstborn male, God passed over the homes whose doorposts were covered in the blood of sacrificial lambs.  

My kids, young as they are, are captivated by the parallel imagery of the lambs’ blood around the doors of the Israelite homes and Jesus’ blood that He said would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins. As we sit with our grape drinks in front of us each week and hear about the Lord passing over the homes covered in lambs’ blood and then hear the words, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant,” the connection between the two events, the two sacrifices, and the two salvations is immensely impactful.  

That the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s crucifixion took place around Passover wasn’t a coincidence. The Lamb of God proclaimed by John the Baptist in John 1:29 was the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover lamb. Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, atoned for the sins of the world, once for all time, through His all-sufficient sacrifice.

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines atonement as “the process by which people remove obstacles to their reconciliation with God.” But in Christianity, the opposite is actually true. It’s not us who remove obstacles in order to achieve reconciliation with God. Rather, God Himself came to us and offered His very body to reconcile us to Himself.  

Atonement is more than just a “get out of Hell free” card. The term atonement is of English origin and comes from a combination of the words “at onement.” It literally means “to set at one.” Through Christ’s atoning for our sins as the sacrificial lamb, we can be at one with God. You see, He didn’t just save us from death; He saved us for life. Jesus calls us to new and abundant life that can only be found in Him, through being at one with Him.  

Next week’s devotionals will take a further look at the concept of regeneration, the new life we experience in Christ. But, before we get there, it is important to understand the necessary role Christ’s atonement played in paving the way for this new life. The Israelites weren’t spared from God’s judgment because of their own merit, but because of God’s mercy. God Himself provided a way for their homes to be passed over. Like the Israelites, we aren’t spared from the consequences of our sin because of our own merit. Instead, our sins are atoned for because God Himself provided a way by offering up His very body and blood.  

As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection this Easter week, let’s pray for eyes to see and ears to hear. Let it be the earnest desire of our hearts to behold the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world–to perceive His presence, to be awed by His mercy, and to be filled with His life.  

Jesus, I worship your holy name. You left the splendor of Heaven to humble yourself and give yourself for me–to pay the penalty for my sins. Help me to fix my eyes upon you who endured the cross and are now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Help me to behold you, the Lamb of God, my Savior and King. Thank you for your atoning sacrifice and for the new life I have in you. In your name, Jesus, I pray, amen.