King, Priest, and Sacrifice.

In the Old Testament, the people were ruled by a King, and in order for the people to have atonement for their sin, they needed an animal sacrifice and a priest. At the cross, Jesus is revealed as all 3 of these things, king, priest and the sacrificial lamb.

Pilate made a sign and posted it at the cross, it said "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews". It was intended to mock Jesus but ironically, God used it to proclaim the truth that Jesus IS the King. And not only of the Jews, but of all who enter His kingdom by faith.

The soldiers divided up His clothing but had to cast lots for the undergarment which was one piece - a seamless garment. This not only fulfilled prophecy, but indicated that Jesus is our High Priest. When the High Priest in the Old Testament made atonement for sin, he had to wear an ephod without a seam so it would not tear.

Just before Jesus died, He said “I am thirsty”. A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus lips.

The hyssop plant is just one of the indicators that point to Jesus being the Passover Lamb. The Jews used hyssop to sprinkle blood on their doorposts and lintels at Passover - when the angel of death came, he passed over those houses and they were saved. The Passover lamb was a shadow of Christ. Jesus is the true Passover lamb. It is only when we are covered by Jesus blood that God's rightful wrath for sin passes over us and we live.

So we see that at the cross Jesus is revealed as King, High Priest AND the Passover Lamb – the sacrifice offered for our sins. He is everything we need.  Jesus we praise you as our King and High Priest and Passover Lamb and thank you for this indescribable gift of salvation.

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