The new passover

 

Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist #4

Picking up again on the Jewish roots of the Christian Eucharist the author, Brant Pitre, draws together several themes that have echoed through the Easter Triduum:

• The once‑for‑all sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday – the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
• The meal of the Last Supper, where Jesus gives his Body and Blood “for you and for many.”
• The proclamation of a new covenant, sealed in Christ’s blood.
• The liberation of God’s people on the night of the Pasch or Passover.
• The real presence of God among His people, made sacramentally present in the Eucharist.

From these threads, three essential dimensions of the Eucharist emerge:

Communion – Sacrifice – Presence

They stand together like three sticks of wood leaning against each other: remove one, and the whole structure collapses.

In the first century, Jews understood the Temple as the dwelling place of God.

Pitre argues that Jesus presents his own body as the new Temple, and the Eucharist as the way believers enter into that divine presence. He writes:
In Christ, these are not abolished or replaced but brought to their fullness.
It is a story of continuity and fulfilment, not suppression.

“The earthly Tabernacle is a visible sign of the invisible heavenly place of God, and the earthly Bread of Presence is a visible sign of the invisible heavenly face of God.” (p. 122)

This is why we approach the Eucharistic Bread of Presence – whether received in Holy Communion or reserved in the Tabernacle –  with the greatest faith, love, and reverence.

Pitre shows that the Eucharist is the fulfilment of the entire Jewish story: Passover, manna, Temple, covenant and sacrifice.