Jesus’ New Exodus at Passover

Key takeaways

The podcast emphasizes the ongoing theme of the Exodus in the Bible, illustrating how it culminates in the story of Jesus.
Jesus is seen as the new deliverer who confronts death, paralleling his journey to Moses while redefining the narrative of liberation.
The timing of Jesus’ ministry, especially during Passover, is shown to be intentional, linking the exodus motif to his sacrificial role.
Jesus reinterprets the Passover meal, turning traditional symbols of bread and wine into profound representations of his body and blood.
The narrative suggests that Jesus’ death is part of a cosmic Exodus that provides a pathway to new creation, changing the understanding of death for humanity.

Summary

Introduction to the Exodus Theme

The podcast introduces listeners to the ongoing theme of the Exodus in the Bible, specifically focusing on its significance in relation to the story of Jesus. Host Lindsay announces a call for questions for an upcoming episode as they explore the Exodus Way, showcasing how this theme represents the journey from slavery to freedom and how it culminates in Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus as the New Deliverer

Tim and Jon discuss how Jesus is portrayed as the new deliverer, drawing parallels to Moses. They highlight his confrontation with death, likening his journey to an Exodus - a new, cosmic Exodus that challenges the cultural and spiritual shackles of the time. This connection emphasizes that Jesus’ path leads to a necessary sacrificial death, which he fully understands and accepts as his mission.

The Divine Timing of Jesus’ Death

Listeners are led through the importance of the timing of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem during Passover. Jon and Tim discuss how this timing is not coincidental, but rather a deliberate act by Jesus, intertwining with the significant spiritual and cultural practices that mark the narrative of redemption.

The Passover Meal Reimagined

The Passover meal is explored in depth, focusing on how Jesus takes this pivotal moment to reinterpret the symbols of bread and wine. These elements are transformed to signify his broken body and shed blood, connecting them profoundly to themes of sacrifice and covenant renewal. This transforms the traditional understanding of Passover into a foreshadowing of his imminent death.

The Cosmic Exodus Narrative

In the latter part of the discussion, the hosts explore the broader implications of Jesus' death through the Exodus narrative. They discuss how Jesus’ death serves as a bridge to new creation, offering individuals and communities a way through death, contrasting the typical notion of death with a new understanding rooted in resurrection and life.

Show notes

The Exodus Way E9 — All four gospel accounts build anticipation for Jesus to accomplish a new kind of exodus when he arrives in Jerusalem. But later in the gospel narratives, Jesus begins telling his disciples that he will be arrested and killed in Jerusalem before rising on the third day. So Jesus journeys to Jerusalem and confronts the religious establishment—notably only days before Passover! And before his arrest, he shares a Passover meal with his disciples and shockingly reinterprets the bread and wine to be about his coming death. What is Jesus doing, and how is his death related to the climactic Exodus event of Passover? In this episode, Jon and Tim trace the Holy Week story leading up to Passover and explore how Jesus’ death fulfills the cosmic Exodus story of the Bible.

CHAPTERS

Recap and Jesus’ Prediction of His Death in Jerusalem (2:13-15:18)
Jesus Compares His Death to Noah’s Flood (15:18-23:17)
Jesus Enters Jerusalem, Stirs Up Trouble, and Hosts a Passover Meal (23:17-49:38)
The Cosmic Exodus (49:38-56:52)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Last Supper and Lord's Supper by I. Howard Marshall
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig L. Blomberg
The Mishnah
You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

“Chiaroscuro” by Toonorth
“New Light” by Toonorth
“Wistful” by Toonorth
BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Frank Garza and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode. Aaron Olsen and Tyler Bailey provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.