force the ultimate confrontation that will lead to his victory over the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman overlords.3 But Jesus means that the time is at hand for him to be sacrificed as God’s Passover lamb in order to atone for the sins of the entire world. According to Old Testament regulations (Deut. 16:5–6), the Passover must be eaten within the city of Jerusalem. Because of Jesus’s celebrity status and the plot against him, his preparations for the Passover are conducted with a degree of
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