Summary and Review of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre

Here are some of my key summary notes from Brant Pitre’s brilliant and accessible book on the Eucharist:

Pitre’s Goal: Seeing the Eucharist through 1st century Jewish eyes

The central aim of Pitre’s book is to explore the Eucharist through the lens of first-century Judaism. He sets out to answer a striking question: how could a faithful Jew—like Jesus, Paul, or the apostles—go from believing that drinking any blood (let alone human blood) was a grave abomination, to proclaiming that drinking the blood of Christ is essential for eternal life? As Jesus declares: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

To understand how such a radical shift in belief could occur, Pitre invites us to remove our modern assumptions and recover the worldview of ancient Jewish believers. By re-entering the world of first-century Jewish worship, expectation, and liturgy, he shows that the Eucharist is not a break from Judaism, but its astonishing fulfillment. The early Christians believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist precisely because of their deeply Jewish understanding of covenant, sacrifice, and divine worship.

A New Exodus: The Jewish hope at the time of Christ.

At the time of Jesus, many were not simply waiting for a generic Messiah—they were hoping for a New Exodus, a profound act of divine restoration that would renew Israel and, ultimately “make all things new” (Rev 21:5). Pitre outlines four key expectations that formed the heart of this hope:

A New Moses – The prophets foretold that God would send a new deliverer, a prophet like Moses, who would inaugurate a new act of salvation (Deut 18:15–18).
A New Covenant – “In the first exodus, God had made a covenant—a sacred family bond—between himself and the people of Israel. This covenant was sealed with the blood of sacrifice and concluded by a heavenly banquet. In the new exodus, so the Old Testament prophets foretold, God would make a new covenant with his people, one that would never be broken” (28).
A New Temple – Whereas the original exodus centered on worship in the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem, the prophets spoke of a more glorious, final Temple to come—one that would surpass all others (see Ezekiel 40–48, Haggai 2:9).
A New Promised Land – This final exodus would not merely bring the twelve tribes back to Canaan but would usher in a new, eternal land of peace, where Jews and Gentiles would dwell together forever (Isaiah 60:21).

3 Keys to Inaugurate a New Exodus & unlock the mystery of the Last Supper: (1) The Passover; (2) The Manna; (3) The Bread of the Presence.

1st: The New Passover

A new Exodus demands a new Passover. Why? Because in the first exodus, the twelve tribes of Israel didn’t simply walk out of Egypt by their own initiative—they were delivered by God. They didn’t just decide one day to shake off their chains; they were ransomed by the Lord. While Moses worked many signs and wonders in the lead-up to their deliverance, it was ultimately the Passover sacrifice that set the exodus in motion. On that sacred night, those who sacrificed the lamb and marked their homes with its blood were not only spared from death, but freed from slavery. That night became one of the most defining moments in Israel’s history. As the centuries passed, it was remembered and celebrated as the greatest of all Jewish feasts. Every year, millions—including Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and all his disciples—would travel to Jerusalem to commemorate the Passover and the exodus from Egypt (Luke 2:41) (Pitre, 49).

Original Passover liturgy consisted of 5 steps:

Choose an unblemished lamb
Sacrifice the lamb whole
Spread the blood on the wooden doorposts as a sign of the sacrifice
Eat the flesh of the lamb with unleavened bread
Celebrate it yearly on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Click here for more.

Passover liturgy at the time of Jesus had 4 major changes:

Location: From Homes to the Temple
Offeror: from fathers to priests
Looking Back: A Living Memorial of the Exodus
Looking Forward: A Night of Messianic Expectation. Click here for more.

The Passover Meal of Christ on Holy Thursday

Similarities:

Time: Jesus celebrated the Last Supper on Passover night, the very night the lambs were eaten by the Jewish people (Deut 16:6, Lk 22:14-15);
Place: Within city gates of Jerusalem, just as the Law required for Passover;
Wine: Jesus and His disciples drank wine at the Last Supper—required for the Passover liturgy and distinct from the water used in ordinary meals (see Mishnah, Pesahim 10:1).
Unleavened bread: Jesus broke and explained unleavened bread, one of the most essential elements of the Jewish Passover, unmistakably linking the meal to the Exodus tradition.
Hymns: The Gospels mention that they sang a hymn before leaving (Matthew 26:30), likely part of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113–118), traditionally sung to conclude the Passover.

Differences:

A New Family: Ordinary Passovers were celebrated in the context of the natural family, with the father presiding. But at the Last Supper, Jesus gathered His spiritual family, the Twelve apostles, and took the role of father and host, symbolizing the formation of a new covenant family.
A New Covenant: Instead of reflecting solely on the covenant with Abraham or the exodus from Egypt, Jesus spoke of a “new covenant” (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)—a reference to the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31–33, when God would write His law on the hearts of His people and restore them in a new and everlasting bond.
A New Lamb: At a typical Passover, everything centered on the slaughtered lamb: its blood poured out by the priests, its body eaten at the meal, and its meaning explained by the father. But at the Last Supper, no lamb is mentioned. Instead, Jesus shifts the focus to Himself: “This is my body… this is my blood.” In doing so, He identifies Himself as the true Lamb of the New Exodus. He is saying, in effect, “I am the new Passover sacrifice.”As Justin Martyr would later observe, even the way lambs were roasted—with one spit through the body and one across the shoulders—formed a shape of a cross (Dialogue with Trypho 40). Jesus fulfills the sign, offering not the blood of animals, but His own.
A New 4th Cup: In a traditional Passover, four cups of wine are consumed. At the Last Supper, Jesus intentionally stops short, promising not to drink again until the Kingdom of God is fulfilled (Luke 22:18). It is only on the Cross, after receiving sour wine, that He declares: “It is finished” (John 19:30). What was finished? The Passover. The fourth cup had been consumed. The new Lamb had been slain. The new Passover was complete. As Pitre explains, “The Eucharist therefore not only makes present the actions of Jesus in the Upper Room; it also makes present the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary” (170).
A New Priesthood: Jesus’ command, “Do this in remembrance of me,” is more than a memorial—it’s a commission. In giving the apostles authority to offer the Eucharist, He was restoring the original priesthood of Israel. In the time of the Exodus, the firstborn of every tribe could offer sacrifice, but after the Golden Calf, this was restricted to the Levites. Now, Jesus entrusts His Twelve with the priestly task of pouring out His blood sacramentally (Matthew 26:27–28), a role that continues in the ordained priesthood of the Church today (cf. Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).

2nd: The New Manna

If Jesus saw himself as inaugurating the new exodus, then what food did he think would be given for the journey? Remember that in the Old Testament, the people of Israel did not go straight from Egypt to the promised land. Their journey took years of wandering in the desert—forty years, to be exact (Numbers 32:13). Known by ancient Jews as the “wilderness wandering,” this journey was a time of great trial and tribulation. During those years, Israel’s fidelity to their God was tested over and over again. And during that time in the desert, God sustained them on a daily basis by giving them a special food: the manna from heaven. 77

4 qualities of manna:

Miraculous bread from heaven: Given directly by God for them to eat. Always measured out the exact amount for them – and for 40 years. “What is it? ” (Man hu). “The bread of angels” (Ps 78) A fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground.
Temporary miracle: As soon as the Israelites reached the promised land & were able to keep the Passover, the manna would cease. “Once the exodus was complete, the manna was no longer necessary. Now that the Israelites were dwelling in the promised land, they no longer needed a pledge of God’s faithfulness to bring them there. Now that the people had tasted the fruit of the land, they no longer needed the foretaste” (85).
Flesh from heaven too: Quail.
Placed in the Tabernacle. The manna is HOLY – reserve it in the holy of holies – so that they may look upon it.
Distinctive flavor – tasted like honey – a foretaste of the promised land – the land flowing with milk & honey (Ex 3:8).

3 beliefs about the manna @ the time of Jesus:

Pre-existent: The manna given to the Israelites was not only miraculous but it was also “preexistent.” It had actually existed before the Fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Protological – existent from dawn of creation – untouched by the sin of humanity’s 1st parents. Eating manna was thus a return to Eden.
Eternal bread in the heavenly Temple: The manna was a supernatural reality, kept on high in the heavenly Temple for the feeding of God’s people. From a Jewish perspective, “the earthly Temple in Jerusalem was a kind of visible, material sign (as Catholics might say, a “sacrament”) of the invisible, immaterial dwelling of God, the heavenly Temple.” This heavenly manna was kept in the heavenly Temple, where Michael the archangel himself served as chief celebrant at the altar of worship. 89
The Manna of the Messiah: When the Messiah finally came, he would bring back the miracle of the manna. The miracle of the manna belongs to the period between the coming of the Messiah (at the consummation of time) and the final resurrection of the dead and the restoration of creation. Just as the Israelites ate the manna after they left Egypt but before they got to the promised land, so, too, would the righteous eat the manna after the coming of the Messiah but before the final judgment at the end of human history. 91

Jesus & the new Manna:

Give us this day our supernatural bread: Why emphasize the daily nature of supernatural bread? Epiousios bread – Not sure what the original Hebrew or Aramaic expression is. It’s a neologism (a “new word”). Pitre argues that if we break up the word into its two main parts and just translate it literally, this is what we find: (1) epi means “on, upon, or above,” and (2) ousia means “being, substance, or nature.” St. Jerome said – “Give us this day our supersubstantial bread” (Mt 6:11). Jerome said that the bread of the Lord’s Prayer is supersubstantial because “it is above all substances and surpasses all creatures.” In other words, it is supernatural. St. Cyril said – “Common bread is not supersubstantial, but this Holy Bread is supersubstantial.” If Jesus is asking us to pray for daily supernatural bread – it can only mean 1 thing – the new manna from heaven! Praying in the context of the coming Kingdom enforces this idea too. Everything on the Lord’s prayer is heaven focused too. The new Manna of the new Exodus. The food of the inaugurated escathology – we are not yet living in the promised land.
Bread of Life Sermon: “The whole context of Jesus’ bread of life discourse is centered on the Jewish hopes for the coming of a new Moses and the return of the manna from heaven” (98). After Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000 people in the desert (6:1-15) – in fulfillment of Moses’ feeding the Israelites miraculously with manna, the crowds recognize Jesus as a new Moses – as “the prophet who is to come into the world!” (6:14). That’s why they demanded manna another sign and then Jesus spoke of the manna in the desert. That’s why they test Jesus to see if He is the one – the want permanent manna (“Give us this bread always!” (6:34)). “The bread which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (6:51) = “This is my body which is for you” (1 Cor 11:24). When Jesus gave his most explicit teaching on his real presence in the Eucharist, he directly identified it with the new manna from heaven – then it can’t be just a symbol – it has to be miraculous bread from heaven. The old manna cannot be greater than the new! This never happens with OT types. The types are always less than the fulfillments. Jesus’ disciples took Him literally. They were offended by His words. And Jesus let them go. The only time in all 4 Gospels because Jesus taught. it’s the only time in all four Gospels that Jesus was ever abandoned by his own followers because of something he taught. And why did they leave? Because they took his Eucharistic teaching literally. But did he back down? No. In fact, not only did Jesus let his disbelieving disciples go, but he turned to Peter and the Twelve and invited them to leave, too: “Will you also go away?” (John 6:67). The point is clear: Jesus would brook no compromise on the mystery of his body and blood. It was a litmus test of discipleship. 107. Jesus gave His disciples 2 clues to help them grasp the meaning of his difficult words: (1) the mystery of his divine identity – “the Son of Man ascending to where he was before” (v.62) – the only way He, as Son of Man, can give His body & blood is b/c He is the Lord; (2) the mystery of his bodily resurrection & ascension – Jesus was speaking of His living flesh that gives life – full of the Spirit of life (v. 63). The very reason God forbids drinking blood in the Old Covenant is the same reason Jesus commands his disciples to drink his blood: “For the life [Hebrew nephesh] of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus would have known the Law of Moses, and he would have known that the power of his own resurrected “life”—indeed, his “soul”—was in his blood. Therefore, if the disciples wished to share in the “life” of Jesus’ bodily resurrection, then they had to partake of both his body and his blood. 115.

3rd: The Bread of the Presence

If Jesus intended to inaugurate the new exodus through his death and resurrection, then how did he think God would be worshiped once the new exodus had begun? In particular, how would God be present to his people, as he had been in the past, in the Tabernacle of Moses? Would there be a new Tabernacle, as in the 1st exodus? If so, what kind of sacrifice would be offered in it? (116)

The Bread of the Face of God

The Bread of the Presence first appears in the Old Testament during the exodus from Egypt. As soon as God is finished giving the Ten Commandments to Israel and sealing the covenant with them with a heavenly banquet (Exodus 20–24), he immediately begins to give them instructions for how they are to worship him. All these instructions revolve around the central place of worship, “the tent of meeting,” also known as the Tabernacle (Exodus 26). The first thing we need to remember about the Tabernacle is that God commanded Moses to make three sacred objects to be kept inside of it:

The Ark of the Covenant: Golden box in which the Israelites would later place the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the manna, and Aaron’s staff (Exodus 25:10–22). On top of the Ark was the “mercy seat,” a large golden cover where two “cherubim of gold”—that is, statues of angels—were to be placed. 119
The golden Lampstand, known as the Menorah: (Exodus 25:31–40). This candelabra had seven branches and was decorated like a tree or bush covered with flowers. The priests were to keep it burning continually, since it was the only source of light inside the Holy Place. 119
The golden table of the Bread of the Presence: “And you shall make a table of acacia wood … You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour libations; of pure gold you shall make them. And you shall set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me always” (Ex 25:23-24, 29-30). Some notes: (1) flagons & bowls for pouring “libations” – that is, sacrificial drink offerings (cf. Num 15:5-7) were beside the bread. So its really the “bread and wine of the Presence.” “Intriguingly, as the Jewish scholar Menahem Haran argues, this wine was different from all other wine offerings, since it was not poured out by the priests. Instead, this wine seems to have been drunk in a sacred meal of bread and wine” (120). (2) The actual Hebrew expression is lehem ha panim, or “Bread of the Presence.” Also, panim literally means “face” – so the most literal translation of the Hebrew is the Bread of the Face. That is, the Bread of the Face of God. Somehow, the bread itself is a visible sign of the Face of God. In support of this “Face” interpretation, God commanded Moses to build the table for the Bread of the Presence (in Ex 25) immediately after the heavenly banquet in which the elders saw God during a sacred meal (Ex 24:9-11). “In a word, when we put the giving of the Bread of the Presence in its biblical context, it seems that the earthly “Bread of the Face” was meant to be a kind of memorial of the heavenly banquet in which Moses and the elders “saw” the God of Israel while they “ate and drank.” That is also why God commands Moses to construct the table for the Bread of the Presence (along with the Ark and the Menorah) according to the heavenly “pattern” that he was shown “on the mountain” (Exodus 25:9, 40). The earthly Tabernacle is a visible sign of the invisible heavenly place of God, and the earthly Bread of the Presence is a visible sign of the invisible heavenly face of God. 121 (the literal Hebrew reads, “Three times a year shall all your males see the face of the Lord, the LORD God of Israel” (Exodus 34:23; 23:17). In this line, the Hebrew word for the “face” of God is panim, the same word used for the “Bread of the Presence” or “Bread of the Face” (Exodus 25:30). (132). In other words, by showing the pilgrims the Bread of the panim, the priests in the Temple were fulfilling the Law that commanded that they “see the Face” of the Lord (132).

Miraculous Bread

Melchizedek: He offered bread & wine sacrifice to God (Gen 14). 1st man called priest in the Bible. In ancient Jewish tradition, it is Shem – the righteous firstborn son of Noah. Melchizedek (“king of righteousness”) was his royal title. And the city of “Salem” over which Melchizedek was king was Jeru-salem – which later became the city of David & the place of the Temple (Ps 76:1-3). In ancient Jewish tradition, Melchizedek’s bread refers to Bread of the Presence.
A golden table: Moreover, we learn that certain rabbis believed that something special happened to the Bread of the Presence when it was offered by the priests as a sacrifice to God. Before the bread was brought into the Holy Place to be offered in sacrifice, it could be laid on a marble table. But after the bread had been consecrated to God by the priests, it had to be laid on a golden table (128). For the ancient Jewish rabbis, the Bread of the Presence was extremely sacred (holy – qadosh – set apart) —but only after it had been offered as a sacrifice to God in the Holy Place. 129
Miraculous: According to the Jewish Talmud, during the reign of one particularly holy High Priest, even a small piece of the Bread of the Presence could provide miraculous sustenance (129).

The Bread of the “Everlasting Covenant”

In Leviticus, the bread and wine were not just signs of God’s presence, but of the covenant, that is, representing the sacred bond between God & the twelve tribes of Israel (Lev 24:5-7).

A sign of the everlasting covenant: The Bread of the Presence is explicitly identified as the sign of the “everlasting covenant” between God and Israel. As we saw above, this covenant relationship had been established through the events that took place on Mount Sinai, when Moses and the elders of Israel offered sacrifice at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:8–11). It seems that the Bread of the Presence—which, again, was patterned on the heavenly vision “shown” to Moses on top of Sinai (Exodus 25:9)—was meant to be a memorial and sign of the same “covenant” that had been sealed with Israel at Sinai. That’s why there are twelve cakes of unleavened bread—one for each of the twelve tribes. (123)
A perpetual offering: The Bread of the Presence was a “perpetual” offering, to be continually present before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It was to be a perpetual sign of the fact that although the Israelites were no longer at Mount Sinai, God was still with them… And the flames of the Menorah were to be kept burning “continually” alongside it (Lev 24:1-4) and whenever “the golden table was taken out of the Tabernacle, the Levitical priests were to cover it with a veil (Numbers 4:1–5)” (123-4).
A sacrifice: Third – not just a symbol but also a sacrifice. 2 kinds of sacrifice in OT – bloody & unbloody. A minhah sacrifice (Lev 2). Meal + sacrifice. It was both a gift from God to his priests (in the form of a meal) and an offering of the priests to their God (in the form of a sacrifice).
Offered up every Sabbath day: Fourth – a “most holy” sacrifice to be offered up every Sabbath day by the high priest. So the Sabbath day is more a day of sacrifice than a day of rest. They would offer an unbloody sacrifice in the Temple of bread & wine.

“Behold, God’s Love for You”

According to both the Jerusalem Talmud and Babylonian Talmud, at each of these feasts, the priests in the Temple would do something remarkable. They would remove the Golden Table of the Bread of the Presence from within the Holy Place so that the Jewish pilgrims could see it. When they removed the holy bread, the priests would elevate it and say the following words: They [the priests] used to lift it [the Golden Table] up and exhibit the Bread of the Presence on it to those who came up for the festivals, saying to them, “Behold, God’s love for you!” (Babylonian Talmud, Menahoth 29A) (130).
If this tradition weren’t so well documented, it would be almost unbelievable. For one thing, it seems to be an unheard-of breach of Temple etiquette. Aside from the priests, no one was allowed to enter the sanctuary and look upon the sacred objects contained inside the Holy Place. But during the pilgrim feasts, the Jewish people were allowed to see one of the sacred objects hidden behind the outer veil: the Bread of the Presence. Even more stunning is the declaration of the priests while elevating this holy bread. How could the Bread of the Presence be so closely tied to the “love” of God? From an ancient Jewish perspective, what could these words mean? 131
Although we can only speculate, it seems safe to suggest that the Bread of the Presence was a sign of God’s love because it was a sign of the covenant. In the Old Testament, the covenant between God and Israel is frequently described in terms of a “marriage” bond, a covenant of love between the divine Bridegroom (God) and his earthly Bride (Israel) (see Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 54; Hosea 1–2). 131
As we saw earlier, the Torah explicitly states that the Bread of the Presence was not just the “most holy” sacrifice of the Sabbath; it was also the sign of the “everlasting covenant” (Leviticus 24:7). As the visible sign of this everlasting covenant, the Bread of the Presence was also the visible sign of the divine Bridegroom’s love for his Bride. Perhaps that is why the priests could say to the people when they held up the bread, “Behold, God’s love for you!” 132

“[T]o a first-century Jew like Jesus, who certainly kept the feasts in Jerusalem and probably witnessed the elevation of the golden table, the Bread of the Presence was no ordinary bread! It was not just some ancient relic of bygone days, sealed forever in the inner sanctuary. Instead, according to ancient Jewish tradition, this holy bread was the primordial sacrifice of Melchizedek, the miraculous food of the Holy Place, the Bread of the Face of Almighty God. Last but not least, this holy bread was a living, visible sign of God’s love for his people, the way his earthly people could catch a fleeting glimpse of the ultimate desire of their hearts: to see the face of God and live, and to know that he loved them” (133).

Jesus and the New Bread of the Presence

On at least one occasion during his public ministry, Jesus did indeed refer to the Bread of the Presence (Mt 12:1-6).

First, Jesus defended his disciples by appealing to a story of how King David and his followers once ate the Bread of the Presence in the Tabernacle of Moses, even though they were not Levitical priests. David was a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:1-4) and they had been in the required state of priestly purity. In Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ criticism of his disciples, he is saying in effect, “I am like King David, and my disciples are like his followers, and we can act like priests, because David was a priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.” And remember, what was it that Melchizedek offered to God? Bread and wine. Again, Jesus justified his disciples’ actions by identifying himself with the Temple: “Something greater than the Temple is here” (Mt 12:8). If, to an ancient Jew, the Temple was the dwelling place of God on earth, then what on earth—who on earth—could possibly be greater than it? Although we can try to avoid the obvious, the only adequate answer is God himself, present in person, “tabernacling” in the flesh. 140

Second, “the notion that bread and wine could be signs of the divine presence was something that would have been driven home at least three times a year, at the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles” (142). Last Supper – also the new bread & wine of the presence.

“[I]t seems to me, by means of his words and actions, Jesus was indicating that the Last Supper was not merely the institution of a new Passover. Nor was it only the giving of the new manna of the Messiah. It was also the institution of the new Bread and wine of the Presence, the bread of Jesus’ own presence. Like the priests in the Temple before him, by means of the Last Supper, Jesus was saying to the disciples: “Behold, God’s love for you.” (143)

The Real Presence

If Jesus and the early Jewish Christians saw the Last Supper as the institution of the new Bread of the Presence, then it follows that they did not see it as ordinary bread and wine. It was, rather, the sign and instrument of Jesus’ real presence. Just as God had been really and truly present to his people in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon, so now Jesus would be really and truly present to his disciples through the Eucharist. And just as the old Bread of the Presence had been the sign of God’s “everlasting covenant,” so now the Eucharist would become the perpetual sign of the new covenant, sealed in his blood. And just as the old Bread of the Presence was also the Bread of the Face of God, so now the Eucharist would be the Bread of the Face of Christ. Truly, in the Eucharist, the early Christians could say with Jesus, “Something greater than the Temple is here.” (144).

Perhaps that is why Saint Cyril of Jerusalem—himself a native of the Holy Land and bishop of the church in Jerusalem in the fourth century A.D.—makes exactly this point. In one of the most ancient Christian writings that we have on the Eucharist, Cyril uses the ancient Bread of the Presence to explain the mystery of Jesus’ real presence: “In the Old Testament also there was the Bread of the Presence; but this, as it belonged to the Old Testament, has come to an end; but in the New Testament there is bread of heaven, and a cup of salvation, sanctifying soul and body.… Consider therefore the bread and the wine not as bare elements, for they are, according to the Lord’s declaration, the body and blood of Christ; for even though sense suggests this to you, yet let faith establish you. Judge not the matter from the taste, but from faith be fully assured without misgiving, that body and blood of Christ have been vouchsafed to you.” (Mystagogical Catechesis, 4:5–6)

Conclusion: The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith

As I have argued throughout this book, Jesus saw the Last Supper as a new Passover. From his perspective, therefore, it was no ordinary meal. It wasn’t even an ordinary Passover meal. Jesus knew, like other ancient Jews, that the Scriptures foretold that God would one day save his people again in a new exodus. And he probably knew the rabbinic tradition that the Messiah would come on Passover night. He almost certainly believed that in order for there to be a new exodus, there needed to be a new Passover. And that’s exactly what he set out to accomplish at the last Supper. Therefore, Jesus not only celebrated the Jewish Passover that night in the Upper Room. As the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the suffering servant who would give his life for “many” (Isaiah 53:10–12), Jesus also reconfigured the Passover around his own passion. By refusing to drink the fourth cup until his death on the Cross, he united the Last Supper to his own sacrificial death. And by commanding his disciples to repeat what he had done in the Upper Room, he deliberately perpetuated this new Passover—both sacrifice and meal—down through the ages. By means of these actions, he set the new exodus in motion. What mattered now was not the flesh of the Passover lamb that had been slain in Egypt, but his own flesh and blood that would be sacrificed on the cross. Jesus acted as the host of the messianic Passover, because he saw himself as the Messiah. He offered himself as a sacrifice, because he saw himself as the Passover lamb. (172)