On this day almost 2000 years ago the Jewish families, those who have not traveled with theirs, will begin to look though their flocks or go to the temple in order to purchase the paschal (Passover) lamb. According to the Exodus account it must be a 1 year old male sheep or goat with no blemish. These are not little newborn lambs. They are not fully grown either. These would be on the cusp of sexual maturity and that means breeding ability as well as wool production. See pic above. The family would have to feed it and care for it for a number of days before marching it to the temple for sacrifice. It would take from them their energy and I bet at times the family would become connected in some way or another with the lamb. So to sacrifice this ram was the definition of giving until it hurt. But this was not meant to be a pet, or a mascot, or a means of investing for a future in shepherding. Clearly these families would have to be with the lamb, and then give it away to die in their place. Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of Jesus from his birth to his death. And it makes a clear, distinct connection between the Old Testament Passover Lamb and Jesus as the ultimate Paschal Lamb of the New Testament. You see, Jesus was with the public for almost 3 years, and with his disciples 24/7. They would have come to love him, know him and to feel a deep rooted connection with him. But Jesus did not come to just be a friend, a teacher or a prophet. He came to be the ultimate Paschal Lamb, being both fully God and fully man, he would die a physical death and then resurrect in triumph. As Jesus enters into Jerusalem, he continues to perform signs and miracles and to teach but he also weeps over the pending doom Jerusalem will suffer in the not too distant future. They return to Bethany for the night.

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