Because of all the many sacrifices the Israelites offered, one in particular stood out as the most important sacrifice on the calendar: the Passover, which celebrated Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt (see Exodus 12).
Central to the celebration of the Passover was the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb, and the eating of its roasted flesh.
As we will see in this lesson, in calling Jesus the Lamb, the New Testament wants to call to mind this Old Testament sacrifice.
The image of Jesus as the Lamb expresses the Christian belief that in His death on the cross, Jesus was offered in sacrifice - as the lamb was sacrificed by the Israelite families before the Exodus.
In professing that Jesus is the lamb of God in our celebration of the Eucharist, we are recalling His sacrificial death on the cross. But more than that, we are, as we will see, "re-presenting" that sacrifice.
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