To truly grasp the meaning of Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper, we must view them through the lens of ancient Jewish worship—especially the Passover. While the feast is referenced throughout the Bible, its most detailed and foundational description appears in Exodus 12, which recounts not only the dramatic events of the first Passover night but also the precise instructions God gave the Israelites for how the feast was to be celebrated in perpetuity. From that moment on, the Passover was to be kept each spring as a “day of remembrance”, a liturgical ordinance to be observed “forever” (Exodus 12:14). Thus, Exodus provides not just a historical account, but the shape of a sacred liturgy—a sacrificial pattern that would form the heart of Jewish worship from the time of Moses until the time of Christ.
Here are the four basic steps of the ancient Passover, as instituted in Scripture and preserved into the time of Jesus:
1. Choose an Unblemished Male Lamb
Each household was to select a perfect male lamb in its prime—free of defect and set apart for sacrifice (Exodus 12:1–6). This lamb symbolized innocence, purity, and substitution, offered in place of the family as a representative sacrifice.
2. Sacrifice the Lamb Whole
At twilight, the lamb was to be sacrificed with not a single bone broken (Exodus 12:6). In the original Passover, the father acted as the priest, but following the sin of the Golden Calf, this role was later restricted to the tribe of Levi. The lamb was to be offered whole, preserving its perfection even in death.
3. Spread the Blood on the Home as a Sign
The lamb’s blood was poured into a basin and applied with a branch of hyssop to the wooden doorposts and lintel of the home (Exodus 12:7, 21–23). This outward sign marked the house for divine protection. The blood of the lamb was not a mere symbol—it was the very means by which God delivered His people from death.
4. Eat the Flesh of the Lamb with Unleavened Bread
The Passover sacrifice was not completed by the lamb’s death alone; it had to be eaten. As Pitre emphasizes, “Five times the Bible states that they must eat the lamb” (56). The meal included unleavened bread—a sign of Israel’s haste—and bitter herbs to recall their suffering. The lamb was roasted whole, often spitted on wooden rods, and consumed entirely that same night. The Passover was a thank offering (todah) for salvation from death. It was a sacred covenant meal, open only to members of Israel. Any Gentile who wished to partake had to be circumcised and enter the covenant community (Exodus 12:43–49). This was no ordinary meal—it was a familial act of worship within God’s covenant.
A Perpetual Memorial of Deliverance
With these four steps, the people of Israel were commanded to keep the Passover each year as a memorial of God’s saving work. On the 14th day of the month of Nisan, they were to renew the sacrifice and celebrate the feast in remembrance of their deliverance (Exodus 12:14; 13:1–10; Deuteronomy 16:1). This liturgical command was not temporary—it was to be passed on through every generation as a yearly encounter with the God who saves.
When we look at the Last Supper through this lens, everything changes. Jesus was not discarding the old covenant rites—He was fulfilling them. In instituting the Eucharist, He brought to completion the ancient Passover by offering Himself as the true Lamb, whose flesh must be eaten and whose blood marks us for eternal life. The new and eternal Passover had begun—the true exodus—through the gift of the Eucharist.
Prodigal Catholic 