Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Signs Pointing to Jesus

Exodus 12 records God’s plans for the first Passover: 

It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. (Ex. 12:11–13) 

God was in the process of delivering his people from slavery in Egypt. He was unleashing his almighty power to redeem his people from the trauma they had suffered over four hundred years. His final act of deliverance would be to strike dead the firstborn of every house in Egypt—except those of Israelites who painted blood on the doorposts. In a sign of redeeming grace, God would pass over those houses, and the children of Israel would live and be delivered out of slavery. 

When the disciples gather with Jesus to observe the Passover, they have no expectation that anything will be different from how the Jewish people have celebrated the feast for generations.

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