“(Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, about noon.) Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, ‘Look, here is your king!’ Then they shouted out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked, ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ The high priests replied, ‘We have no king except Caesar!’ Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus.” —John 19:14–16
All Jewish feasts have their preparation days in order for people to be ready mentally, spiritually, and physically. On these days, no regular work is done in order to focus totally on preparation. Jesus’ death occurred prior to the special Sabbath known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The children of Israel were to abstain from all leavened bread for seven days. To prevent any accidental consumption, they were to empty their homes of any leaven or leaven products. The Old Testament includes strict instructions:
“These are the LORD’s appointed times, the holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed times: In the first month, on the fourteen day of the month, at twilight, is a Passover offering to the LORD. Then on the fifteenth day of that same month the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; and you must do no regular work.” —Leviticus 23:4–7
“For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses. For whoever eats what is made with yeast that person will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a resident foreigner or one born in the land. You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all places where you live, you must eat bread made without yeast.” —Exodus 12:19–20
Yeast in the Bible is symbolic of sin. The absence of yeast represents the picture that those who are under the safety of the shed blood of the Passover lamb are free from the corruption of sin before a holy God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“Clean out old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough—you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. So then, let us celebrate the festival not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” —1 Corinthians 5:7–8
It is important to note that Jesus died on the day the Israelites were to rid their lives of leaven (sin). This was the day they were to leave their wanderings behind them. The great God in heaven allowed the perfect Lamb of God to take upon Him all the sin of the world so that those who would believe on Him would be safe under His shed blood:
“God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” —2 Corinthians 5:21
Sadly, many of the Jews did not want Jesus to be their King. In our verses for today, we find them raising their fierce, relentless, stubborn cry in a demand for the death of Jesus. They shout to Pilate: “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” They want no part of Him. Only His blood will satisfy them and only His blood will fully satisfy God’s righteous requirement for the payment of their sin.
Had not our Lord been rejected, we would have been forever rejected by God. As Christ was made sin for us and crucified, in like manner, we are to crucify the sin in our lives. Christ was put to death for our offenses—the Righteous One for the unrighteous. He is our substitution. Our punishment was laid upon Him and by His wounds, we are healed. He has set us free! Paul tells us:
“He was given over to death for our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.” —Romans 4:25
This was a part of God’s plan! Isaiah clearly foretold of God’s amazing plan to redeem us to himself:
“Though the LORD desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the LORD’s purpose will be accomplished through him.” —Isaiah 53:10
Become More
You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver and gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ.” —1 Peter 1:18–19
Further Reflection
“See what sort of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called God’s children—and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it is did not know him.” —1 John 3:1