The Passover Feast became the Communion Table on the evening that
Jesus Christ was betrayed, the evening of the "Last Supper"
on which the Lord Jesus and His disciples celebrated Passover.
In God's mind, the death of Jesus Christ was an accomplished fact
long before it became a reality.
1 Pet. 1:18-20, "Forasmuch as you know that you were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from you
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."
Therefore, the Father recognized that the symbolic offering of
the paschal lamb, the lamb of sacrifice at the Passover, was sufficient
throughout Old Testament times. The shed blood of the animal became
an atonement, or covering, for the guilty sinner, God knowing
that the time would come when the Lamb of God would take away
the sins of the world. (John 1:29)
In Old Testament times, the people gave testimony to their faith
by ceremony. The ceremonies gave testimony to the death of Christ
and His work on the Cross as a substitute sacrifice for mankind.
God Himself provided his own lamb: Acts 2:23; Rev. 13:8.
Jesus Christ gave Himself willingly to become the final Passover
sacrifice: John 10:18; 1 Cor. 5:7.
Christ's substitutionary death on the cross provided the means
to reconcile the world to God so that, through His saving grace,
eternal life might be given to all who believe: Eph. 2:8,9.
At the last Passover, Christ showed His disciples that there would
be no more Passover feasts after this one - no more killing of
lambs.
The Passover Feast was just a shadow picture, an illustration
of Christ Himself who would bring a greater deliverance to people
that the deliverance from Egypt, namely, salvation.
The shadow was soon to become the reality: Col. 2:16,17; Heb.
10:1-12.
The disciples would soon look back on the cross instead of looking
forward to it.
The Passover became the Communion Table, for the purposes of:
Harmony: 1 Cor. 11:20-22.
Remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Cor. 11:23-26