The Lord’s supper was instituted by Jesus as He ate the Passover feast with His apostles…. all of His apostles. Even Judas remained present until the supper was over (Luke 22:14-21).

They ate the Passover on the evening of the first day of unleavened bread, the same time that Passover lambs would have been being slaughtered throughout Jerusalem by the thousands (Exodus 12:6, & 17-18, Matthew 26:17-20, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7). In every home, faithful fathers of Israel were shedding the blood of perfect, innocent lambs while their heavenly Father was providing for the same.

Each Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8). Unleavened bread is also called ‘the bread of affliction’ (Deuteronomy 16:3), so called because it must be made quickly as in a time of distress.

Knowing the elements prescribed for the supper, this bread of affliction with a ‘sop’ of bitter herbs would seem likely to have been the morsel of food Jesus gave to Judas to indicate him as the betrayer (John 13:21-26). If this is so, what could have been more appropriate?

At the first Passover, the blood of the lamb marked the doorways of Israel saving them from death (Exodus 12:12-13). Following this ‘last’ Passover, the blood of the True Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36) was soon to be shed in order to ratify a new covenant between God and man to effect the remission of sin and therefore, provide for sinful people to receive eternal life through faith in Christ (Matthew 26:28).


The death of the firstborn of Egypt preceded the release of Israel from the physical bondage of slavery (Exodus 12:29-32). The death of God’s ‘Firstborn’ (Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15) preceded the release of humanity from the spiritual bondage of and slavery to sin.

With all of this spiritual imagery, who would ever need a picture or a sculpture or any physical artifact to help them focus on the significance of our Lord’s crucifixion?

There are more intricate details than could be painted. Too many insights and subtleties to be sculpted. The deeper and farther we go, the more we understand what we never knew.

It is as the prophet Isaiah said:

Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.
Isaiah 52:15
Marty Kessler