In omitting vv 17-21 about Judas the betrayer, the liturgical reading clearly shows the connection between the passover and the eucharist. Originally the feast of unleavened bread (mazzoth) and the passover ritual slaughtering and eating of a yearling lamb were two distinct celebrations. They were combined later in Jewish history to commemorate the deliverance from Egypt and so recall the most significant of God’s saving deeds for his people. See Ex 12 for the Jewish Scriptures’ summary of the meaning of these rituals.

Unleavened bread symbolized both getting rid of the encumbrances of household living to prepare for a journey, and ritual purity as well —leavening being a rather foul ("sour-dough") substance that well signified corruption. The blood of the lamb symbolized the offering of life in exchange for life (the first-born) to assure continuity of the race, and eating its meat brought about a symbolic union with God, through sharing in the flesh of an animal that was God’s consecrated property.

In the eucharist, Jesus fulfilled and gave new meaning to this ritual. He is the passover lamb par excellence. He purifies us of the unnecessary things of life that stand in the way of union with God, and he is the effective sign which both expresses and brings about that union in its fullness (see Is 53:7; Jn 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19). Just as the occasion of the passover makes present the entirety of God’s saving acts of the past in the particular moment of celebration, so the future fulfillment of the kingdom is also contained in this ritual (v 25). Thus in the eucharist, the whole of salvation is focused in this moment of contact with Christ. The eucharist is not merely a passive reception of Christ, but an intensely active sharing in everything that he is.

Life’s blood is holy because it is the source of life, and reflects the life-giving power of God. The blood of young bulls — sacred animals because they symbolize strength and the male element of the transmission of life — in this ritual becomes the sign of contact with God. In the act of sprinkling the same blood on both God’s altar and his people, the covenant-union between God and the people is symbolically brought about.

God has shown his goodness to his people; their proper return is a sacrifice of the heart. Response: "I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord."

The Letter to the Hebrews is concerned with relating the Jewish religious spirit and practice with who Jesus Christ was and what he did, and exploring the implications of a life of faith in him. The revelation and ritual of Judaism before Christ is seen to be good but imperfect, incapable of fully accomplishing what it signified, and so pointed towards the fullness of Christ. Jesus Christ, however, is the perfect sign, accomplishing fully the union of God and humanity that his sacrifice symbolized.

1. Reflect upon your experience of blood — even though it maybe unpleasant. What about blood makes it an appropriate symbol of life?

2. How would you describe the meaning of the eucharist in your own life from a biblical point of view? In the life of the Church?