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The sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross for sinners, is the most climactic moment in human history. At the very moment when man was committing his most heinous crime – murdering the very Son of God – God was providing in that Son the means whereby humankind’s most heinous sins could be forgiven. It truly staggers the mind.

I’ve little doubt it will take all eternity for us to search out all the depths and implications of the Cross. But one aspect stands out especially in our reading today in Luke 22:14-30. It is significant that Jesus died on the Passover.

More on that as we consider our Luke passage as well as Jeremiah 2-5:13 and James 5:13-1 Peter 1:2. I’m Reid Ferguson, and this is Through the Word in 2020.

It is a curious thing to me that Jesus died at the Passover, rather than on the Day of Atonement. Some day, I hope to be able to unpack the reasons behind that more fully. To me, the Day of Atonement makes more sense. But to the all-wise God, Passover was more fitting. And in considering that fact, at least one glorious aspect of Jesus’ death gets spotlighted in a profound way. It’s wrapped up in the idea that The Lord’s Supper is typified in and built around the theme of – deliverance.

The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross not only addressed the matter of our guilt before God. Though that too is of supreme importance. But it also signaled the nature of the Believer’s deliverance. Even as the first Passover was all about deliverance.

In fact, the types and shadows go back even further. In Genesis 14 when Melchizedek met Abraham after his victory over the kings who had raided Sodom, they share a meal foreshadowing the Passover of Exodus 11. Why? Because there had been a great deliverance wrought – freeing Lot and his fellow citizens from capture.

Then we come to the 1st. Passover in Exodus 11. And there, the spotlight is on Israel’s deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.

It is on the anniversary of that deliverance that Jesus institutes The Lord’s Supper. Which calls us then to pick up on that deliverance theme in considering His dying as our Passover Lamb. As the One whose blood protected all who Believe even as the wrath of God was being poured out once again. On Christ.

And what is the nature of the Believer’s deliverance? At least 4 come immediately to mind.

1. Rom. 7:21-8:1 / Believers in Christ Jesus are delivered from the law of sin and death. We have been delivered from the dynamic of “sin and you will die” to “Believe and you will live.” And hence there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ by faith.

2. Col. 1:11-13 says that Jesus has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

3. 1 Thess. 1:9-10 tells us that when we turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead – this Jesus is the One who delivers us from the wrath to come. From God’s own final judgment on all sin.

4. Lastly, Heb. 2:14-15 reports that all those in Christ are delivered from the fear of death. Death cannot hurt us any more. It can only be the means to bring us to our full reward in Christ.

Ponder those today Believer. Delivered from the law of sin and death.

Delivered from the domain of darkness.

Delivered from the Wrath of God to come.

And delivered from the fear of death.

The glory of Christ our Passover Lamb.

God willing, we’ll be back tomorrow.