When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 (New Living Translation, NLT)

Jesus was crucified at Passover, when the Passover lamb was to be killed. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we no longer need to offer animal sacrifices for our sins- Jesus’s blood washed our sins away once and for all. Jesus Himself became our Passover Lamb.

The Passover lamb was to be without spot or blemish, and Jesus was without sin. The Passover lamb was to be killed outside the city and Jesus died outside of Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was to die at 3:00 p.m., and that is when Jesus died. The parallels are numerous and remarkable. It was no coincidence- it was God’s detailed planning, right down to the words spoken on the cross.

Jesus died at the same time that the high priest was offering up the Passover lamb. At the exact same time, Jesus had His arms spread wide, and said, “It is finished,” and He died. The high priest’s sacrifice had been made. Jesus was acting as our great High Priest, telling us all that the ultimate sacrifice had been made.

Today we mark the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the death to end all death. God Himself became a man, fulfilled every single prophecy about the Messiah, and then declared the work to be finished. What a good, good God He is. Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world!