‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified’ (Matthew 26:2)
Passover was the feast celebrating Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. On the night of this liberation, the Israelites had to paint the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. This would ensure that the eldest sons of the Israelites would not die (see Exodus 12:1-14). Every year this was celebrated, and Israelites from all over the country came to Jerusalem for this feast. Lambs were slaughtered in the city as part of the celebrations. A few days later, Jesus, the only perfect Passover Lamb, would give His life so that everyone who believes in Him would be freed forever from the power of sin and death, and their relationship with God would be restored. But Jesus was the only One who knew that this would happen.
The religious leaders in Jerusalem saw Jesus as a troublemaker, someone who dared to call Himself the Son of God. They made plans to get rid of Him. They discussed what would be the best time to do so. But in the end, it was Jesus Himself who determined the moment of His suffering and death. He gave His life voluntarily, at His own time and in the manner chosen by God (John 10:17-18).Food for thought: ‘delivered up to be crucified’. Meditate on these words for a few minutes. In what way will you reflect on Jesus’ sufferings and death during the days of Lent ?