This bowl contains both ripe and unripe olives. The green olives, pickled or salted, are an important part of the daily diet. The black ones may be salted or pickled for eating; or more likely, they may be crushed and pressed for oil.

Certainly not all people who lived in this fertile area were religious or even Jewish. But it is clear that most inhabitants of the sea's northwestern side were very religious;a fact supported by the many synagogues discovered there.

Jesus conducted his ministry here, and the Bible indicates that most of his miracles were performed in three towns of this area: Capernaum, Korazin, and Bethsaida. These three cities are sometimes called the "gospel (or orthodox) triangle" because they form a triangle, with the points about three miles apart.

Galilee was not a backwoods region; the international trade route, called the Via Maris or the Way of the Sea, ran through this area near Capernaum. Israel had always lived in the land that connected great empires. The whole world knew of them because the trade routes passed through their country. As the nations of the world passed by, Israel could obey God's command and be his witnesses (Isa. 43:10-12).

Jesus chose Capernaum as his home to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would live in Galilee by "the way to the sea" (Matt. 4:12-17). But he also chose this crossroads area for ministry so that his message could be heard by people from around the world.

The main towns in this area included:

Capernaum-Located on the shore of the sea, this major town was home to fishermen, farmers, a Roman garrison, and a customs house (where tax collectors worked). Capernaum had a large synagogue, the remains of which are beneath the ruins of a later synagogue. Many of the New Testament stories about Jesus took place here. Jesus' disciple Matthew, a tax collector, came from this town ( Matt. 8:5-17; 9:1-34; 17:24-27, 18; Mark 1:21-34; 2:1-12; Luke 7:1-10; John 6:16-71).

Korazin-Korazin was a village located three miles north of Capernaum. Although this was one of the towns where most of Jesus' miracles took place, the Bible records no specific visit of Jesus to this town. It was large and prosperous and had a synagogue. Its economic pursuits included the processing of olives.

Bethsaida-Peter, Andrew, and Philip were successful fishermen from Bethsaida (John 1:44; 12:21). This town was located on the northern end of the sea near the mouth of the Jordan River. Jesus fed the five thousand (Luke 9:10-17) and healed a blind man (Mark 8:22-26) here. The ruins of this village are being uncovered for the first time, revealing a prosperous town constructed of basalt, a black rock common to the area.

Ossuaries

Beginning shortly before Jesus' time, Jewish people began to practice reburials. After the flesh had decayed from the bones of a person who was buried, the bones were collected and placed in a small box, an ossuary, like the one shown here. Ossuaries were generally made of soft stone or limestone. Sometimes they were decorated with geometric designs. After they were filled, sometimes with bones of several individuals, they were stored in small chambers (called kokhim in Hebrew) within the tomb. Sometimes the name of the family or one of the individuals within was carved on the outside. Among the ossuaries archaeologists have found is that of Joseph Bar Caiapha (Caiaphas in Greek) possibly the high priest who plotted against Jesus, and that of James, brother of Jesus.

No one knows exactly why the practice of using ossuaries began. Some believe it was due to the Pharisees' teaching that "flesh" is the location of the sinful nature and that it must decay so the bones can be raised in the resurrection of the righteous.

Called to Pursue Our First Love

According to Matthew 22:37-38, believers in Jesus the Messiah are to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind (strength). Yet, according to Romans 13:8-10, 1 John 2:9-11, 3:10-11, and other biblical passages, love for other people is the preeminent sign that a person loves God. Thus, as believers, we are called to love other people. This is the first love that occurs when one is in relationship with God.

Love, in fact, distinguishes the community of God's people from people who do not love God. When Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers (probably around AD 54), he mentioned their love for one another (Eph. 1:15-16) and encouraged loving unity in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:15-16). Their love for one another is perhaps one reason the church in Ephesus had such an impact in such an evil place. But later, God warned the Ephesians that they had forsaken their 'love' (Rev. 2:1-7). This implies that they may have become divided over theological issues.

Unfortunately, many Christians today focus more on their disagreements than they do on simply loving one another. Could that be one reason why the church as a whole is so fractured today, why our witness for Jesus has been greatly weakened, and why the Christian community as a whole is not as effective today is it was in Ephesus?

Pagan Gods

Surrounded by pagan neighbors, God's people often encountered people who worshiped other gods. Baal, Asherah, and other fertility gods played a significant role during Old Testament times.

By Jesus' day, the baals were replaced by Greek and Roman gods. Hellenistic people engaged in immoral behaviors to honor their gods and to entice their return from the underworld.

The Passover

For the Jewish people, Passover was more than a religious observance. It was the time of year when they celebrated liberation from Egyptian bondage.

During Jesus' time, they also used this opportunity to express their longing for political freedom from Rome. Jews who claimed to be "messiahs" had so often caused riots during Passover that the Romans brought extra troops into Jerusalem during the Passover season. The Roman soldiers did not hesitate to shed blood to keep the peace.

Jesus on his way to Jerusalem
On the Sunday before Passover, Jesus came out of the wilderness on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives (just as the prophecy said the Messiah would come).

People spread cloaks and branches on the road before him. Then the disciples "began, joyfully, to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen" (Luke 19:37). The crowd began shouting, "Hosanna," a slogan of the ultra-nationalistic Zealots, which meant, "Please save us! Give us freedom! We're sick of these Romans!"

The Palm Branches
The people also waved palm branches, a symbol that had once been placed on Jewish coins when the Jewish nation was free. Thus the palm branches were not a symbol of peace and love, as Christians usually assume; they were a symbol of Jewish nationalism, an expression of the people's desire for political freedom.

Jesus as the Passover Lamb
Yet Jesus came to the people as the Lamb of God. Jesus, the sinless Messiah who would die on humankind's behalf, appeared on the very day that people chose their spotless Passover lambs!

It's almost as if God said to the world, "Here's my Lamb. Will you chose him?" But instead of turning to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the crowds misunderstood his proclamation that he was the Messiah. They wanted him to be their political-military deliverer.

Jesus Wept
In response, Jesus wept. The tears Jesus shed as the people cried out their political "Hosannas" were tears of grief for the hearts of his people.

Jesus foresaw the terrible devastation of Jerusalem that would result because the people did not recognize him as God's Messiah. The people were looking for a messiah who offered political deliverance and a political kingdom.

However they would have nothing to do with the Messiah who offered forgiveness and deliverance from sin. In his grief over their distorted beliefs, Jesus wept out loud.

At the beginning of his last week, Jesus was greeted in Jerusalem as a heroic savior, someone to free the Jews from Roman authority. By the end of the week, Jesus was no longer seen as a hero. He was publicly ridiculed and disgraced as he hung on a cross.

No one knows the thoughts of our Messiah as he faced those turbulent days. But the gospel writers provide a great deal of information about Jesus' actions during Passion Week. To his dying day, our rabbi spoke the truth and obeyed his Father's calling.

Scholars disagree over the specific days on which certain events took place, but a general outline can be developed based on these gospel accounts.

Palm Sunday

-Jesus enters Jerusalem.

-Crowds greet him with palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna," the battle cry of nationalistic Zealots.

-Jesus weeps for Jerusalem, knowing the Zealots' extremism will eventually lead to the destruction of the city and the temple.

Monday

-Jesus curses the fig tree.

-Jesus returns to the temple.

-Jesus clears the Gentile courts of moneychangers and vendors.

Tuesday

-Religious leaders question Jesus' authority, but Jesus evades their trick questions and speaks the truth.

-Jesus teaches in the temple, telling several parables and warning people against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

-Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple and tells his disciples about his future return.

Wednesday

-The gospel writers do not tell us what Jesus did on this day.

-Religious leaders probably continued plotting Jesus' death, and Judas agreed to betray him.

Thursday

-In the evening, Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciples.

-Jesus' institutes the Last Supper, giving the Passover meal new meaning.

-Late Thursday evening, Jesus prays at Gethsemane and is later arrested.

-Sometime later Thursday night or Friday morning, Peter denies Jesus three times and Jesus is questioned by Caiphas, the high priest.

Friday

-Just before dawn, Jesus has trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas.

-At 9 A.M., Jesus is nailed to the cross.

-Jesus dies at 3 P.M.

-To avoid breaking Sabbath law, Jesus was placed in the tomb before sundown.

Resurrection Sunday

-Jesus' tomb is found empty.

-Jesus appears to the women visiting the tomb.

-Jesus appears to the travelers on the road to Emmaus.

The Negev Wilderness of Israel and the eastern areas along the Rift Valley are terraced with a myriad of paths. Some of the paths on the hillsides have an occasional connecting diagonal track to other paths. These tracks were created by wild animals, like gazelles or ibex, or by shepherds and their grazing flocks.

For thousands of years, shepherds and sheep have traveled these same routes across the hillsides. The distance between one track and the next is exactly the distance that a sheep or a goat can reach while grazing without leaving the path. These paths give the grazing sheep and goats secure footholds. Nevertheless, they can be confusing or dangerous when they abruptly end at a cliff.

Often, intersecting paths lead to a cistern, nearby spring, or to the sheepfold. So many trails have been created over the years that a person might easily become confused and lost. Jeremiah reflected on paths like these when he described God's people as lost sheep led astray (Jer. 50: 6-7).

When sheep lost sight of the shepherd, the paths became confusing. But the psalmist, (probably David in this case) described paths where God leads his sheep as being "paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:3) or "straight paths" (Prov. 3:6).

Knowing the path one followed was not dangerous or a dead end was a great comfort to those familiar with these hillside trails. Jesus, who described himself as the "good shepherd" (John 10:11), was willing not only to lead his "sheep," but to lay down his life for his "flock."

There are many compelling similarities between the expressions of God's presence on Mount Sinai and his presence among the disciples during Pentecost.

- On Mount Sinai, God's presence was accompanied by fire, smoke, and the sound of thunder (Ex. 19:16-19). God's presence during Pentecost was accompanied by the sound of wind, tongues of fire, and the gift of different languages (Acts 2:1-3).
- When God gave the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai, the people were worshiping the golden calf. About 3,000 people died as punishment for their sins. When Jesus' Spirit was given during Pentecost, the people repented, and about 3,000 people believed and found spiritual life.
- God's presence was symbolized by a cloud and fire, which led the Israelites out of Egypt. Later, God moved his presence into the temple (2 Chron. 5:7-8, 13-14). During Pentecost, God's presence moved from the temple into a "new temple," the followers of Jesus (Rom. 8:9).
- Finally, The Torah provided God's teachings for the Old Testament community of people. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit became the Teacher of believers (John 14:26).

People Around the Sea Galilee was heavily populated in the first century, especially around the sea. The remains of the area indicate that several villages and towns had populations of more than 5,000 people. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Jesus chose this location for His ministry. Although the people living around the sea interacted to some degree, they tended to form groups. Each group had unique characteristics and lifestyles, which differed greatly from region to region. Jesus often tailored his teachings so that they would be meaningful to the people of the area he was in. At Jesus' time, the people around the sea were generally divided into four groups: - Religious Jews lived on the northwestern side of the sea, where the cities of Capernaum, Korazin, and Bethsaida were located. - Zealots lived primarily in the town of Gamla, on the northeastern corner of the sea. - Herodions lived on the western side of the sea, in the land of Tiberias. - Pagans lived on the eastern side, in the region known as the Decapolis.

Pergamum (now Bergama) is located in the northern part of the Roman province of Asia Minor, along the Caicus River about ten miles from the Aegean Sea. From the third century BC until well into the fourth century AD, its kings controlled a major trade route from the East (Persia) to the Mediterranean world.

Following the city's conquest by Alexander the Great in 334 BC, its strategic location was recognized by Lysimachos, who turned it into a military base. From that point on, it became an increasingly significant Hellenistic city, rich in culture, spectacular in architecture, and powerful in its worship of pagan gods.

Its last king, Attalos lll, willed the city to the Roman Empire so that its glory would not be spoiled by war. This proved to be a wise move because the Romans respected its cultural glory and religious character, making Pergamum the capital of the province of Asia Minor for a period of time. The Romans also left their mark on the city when it became the first city in which the cult of the "divine" Caesars was established.

Philistine Armor

Archaeologists discovered carvings of Philistine soldiers in the temple of Ramses III in Egypt. According to these carvings, the Philistines wore feathered helmets secured under their chins by leather straps. Headbands holding the feathers in place were probably made of metal. The Philistines wore breastplates and short skirts with wide hems and tassels. They were clean-shaven and quite tall. Sometimes, they carried small round shields and straight swords. In the Bible, Goliath wore brass greaves on his legs and a coat of mail (scales). Scale armor was important because it protected a soldier without restricting his movements. It was first used in the Aegean, where the Philistines originated.

God's covenant with Abraham demonstrated the promise of God. He declared his commitment to the Israelites by walking the bloodpath to make a covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

The table of the Ten Commandments sealed the relationship between the people and their God. And through the tabernacle, ark of the covenant, and temple, God's people also experienced the presence of God.

Although these commitments beautifully demonstrated God's love, the Israelites anticipated an even greater event: the birth of God's own Son. The person of Jesus would fulfill everything that had come before by making God's relationship and presence a concrete reality. In Jesus, God would rededicate himself to the covenant relationship he made with Abraham.

God fulfilled the promise he made with the Hebrews by giving his own life to seal the covenant he had made with them. For this reason, Jesus says, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them? (Matt. 5:17).

God's choice of the covenant to describe his relationship with his people highlights the degree of his love for us. Not only did the great Creator descend to be in relationship with sinful human beings, he offered his life to provide salvation for the very people who would violate his covenant!

The biblical reality that God hates sin and will eventually punish it is reinforced in the stories of the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the conquest of Canaan, and the exile of the Israelites.

Sabbath Law. God made the Sabbath principle central to his creation. As part of their recognition that God owned everything, the Israelites were to set apart the seventh day for the Lord. To violate the Sabbath day was a serious sin because it denied God's sovereignty.

Also, every seventh year the land was to lie fallow (Lev. 25:1-7). Yahweh promised to provide an abundant crop in the sixth year so no one would be hungry during the following year.

The Israelites' affair with pagan fertility gods started almost as soon as they arrived in the fertile land of Canaan. God condemned idolatry because it failed to recognize him as the one true God. Idol worshipers worked on the Sabbath day because they did not recognize that they belonged to God and that God alone owned the land.

So God told his people that if they continued to be disobedient he would take their land from them so it would "have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it" (Lev. 26:35).

God's Judgment. The Israelites continued disobedience finally caused God to bring judgment on them. (2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chron. 36:15-20). He ripped his stiff-necked people from their land, asserting his ownership over it and them (2 Chron. 36:21).

In 722 BC, the Assyrians destroyed the people of Israel (the northern ten tribes). In 586 BC, the people of Judah were exiles to Babylon for seventy years and the land rested for seventy years.

Hope Promised. Although God allowed Assyria to take the people of Judah into exile, he didn't forget his people or end his plan of salvation. Second Chronicles 36 ends with optimism because the Israelites are told they will return to their land and rebuild the temple.

As it turned out, God's people experienced tremendous spiritual growth during the Babylonian Captivity. Without their temple, the Israelites learned that obedience is better than sacrifice (Ps. 40:6, Isa. 1:10-20). They learned the importance of obeying all of God's commands.

Thus God's discipline ultimately strengthened his people. Instead of continuing down their path of moral and physical decay, the Israelites were able to renew their faith. They returned from Babylon with a renewed focus on being faithful to God (Ezra 9:10-15). Never again would baal worship and the shedding of innocent blood be the religion of Israel.

After the rainy season and floods have passed, pools of water remain in the wadis, providing life to wilderness inhabitants.

This pool in Wadi Zin in the Negev is a beautiful illustration of the still waters to which the shepherd guides his sheep. Sheep are undiscerning and will choose water that can be quite dangerous. That is why the shepherd must lead the sheep.

It is the same with God and us human sheep. We are thirsty for fulfillment in our lives, and only God can guide us safely to that which will satisfy us. As the psalmist said: "He leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalm 23:2).

Qumran served as a study site for the Essenes, a Jewish sect existing in Jesus' day. Located at the edge of the Judea Wilderness, Qumran was an isolated community. The Essenes could live out their beliefs in separation from other religious groups of their time.

History;
As is true with many ancient settlements, Qumran was destroyed and rebuilt various times. The earliest settlement uncovered at the site dates to the Israelite period shortly before the Babylonian Captivity (600 BC), when it was probably destroyed.

Around 140 BC, Qumran was resettled during the region of the Hasmonean King Hycanus, but the settlement was abandoned after a damaging earthquake (31 BC).

Resettled about the time that Jesus was born, Qumran became an active community until the Roman army destroyed it in approximately AD 68. Hundreds of years later, a Bedouin shepherd stumbled upon an amazing discovery at Qumran. In the nearby caves, he found what would become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of writings from the Essene community.

Major Structures

The major structures in Qumran provide significant evidence of the lifestyle and beliefs of the community:

Aqueduct and Reservoir System
Water played an important role in the Essene's theology. They believed that water as a symbol of purification must be "living" or moving, not drawn by the hand. So they developed a system in which rainwater ran on its own into a ritual bath.

New members were cleansed with water in a type of baptism that apparently symbolized the spiritual cleansing that resulted from repentance and forgiveness after breaking God's laws.

Defense Tower
Scholars debate the importance of the large tower that once stood in Qumran because it was essentially a religious community of separatists who lived in a peaceful, almost monastic existence.

The Essenes did, however, believe in the Messiah's imminent arrival and that a great battle would ensue between the sons of light (themselves) and the sons of darkness (followers of evil). The tower most likely provided protection against bandits or other less "military" threats.

Main Assembly Hall and Refectory
In this room, archeologists believe the Essenes practiced a ceremonial communal meal in anticipation of the great Messianic age. Scholars have discovered many similarities between the Essene's ceremonial meal and the Last Supper recorded in the Gospels (Matt. 26:26-29).

Potter's Workshop
Here, archeologists have found a basin for preparing clay, a base for a potter's wheel, and two kilns. The clay jars, which helped preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls for nearly two thousand years, were probably made here.

The great teachers (rabbis) during Jesus' day used a technique that was later called remez. In their teaching, they would use part of a Scripture passage in a discussion, assuming that their audience's knowledge of the Bible would allow them to deduce for themselves the fuller meaning of the teaching. Apparently, Jesus, who possessed a brilliant understanding of Scripture and strong teaching skills, used this method often.

For example, when the children shouted "Hosanna" to him in the temple and the chief priests and teachers of the law became indignant (Matt. 21:15), Jesus responded by quoting Psalm 8:2: "From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise." The religious leaders' anger at Jesus can be better understood when we realize that the next phrase in the Psalm reveals why children and infants offer praise, because the enemies of God would be silenced. The religious leaders realized that Jesus was implying that they were God's enemies.

Jesus used this teaching method again when speaking to Zacchaeus. "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost," Jesus said (Luke 19:10). The background to this statement is probably Ezekiel 34. God, angry with Israel's leaders for scattering and harming his flock, stated that he would become the shepherd and would seek the lost ones and save them. Based on this, the people of Jesus' day understood that the Messiah to come would "seek and save" the lost. By using this phrase, knowing that his listeners knew the Scripture, Jesus communicated several things. To the people, he communicated, "I am the Messiah and also God." To the religious leaders, whose influence kept Zacchaeus out of the crowd, he said, "You have scattered and harmed God's flock." To Zacchaeus, he said, "You are one of God's lost sheep and he still loves you."

Jesus best fit the type of rabbi believed to have s'mikhah, the authority to make new interpretations of the Torah. Whereas most teachers of the law could only teach accepted interpretations, teachers with authority could make new interpretations and pass legal judgments. Crowds were amazed because Jesus taught with authority (Matt. 7:28-29), and some people questioned his authority (Matt. 21:23-27).

Flower blossoms develop in the springtime, and olives appear during the summer and ripen in the fall. Olive farmers harvest both green (unripe) olives, for pickling and for eating, and black (ripe) olives, for eating and for oil. A good tree may produce 50 pounds of olives a year and four to six pounds of oil. The olives of Israel were (and are) known for their high oil content.

The beginning of this arch, named after the British explorer who discovered it, still stands on the stones of Herod's retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Herod's distinctive style is demonstrated by the massive stones of the courses below the arch. The arch originally extended more than 45 feet from the wall and rested on a large foundation pier that has been discovered. The arch supported a massive staircase that passed over the arch, turned 90 degrees, and descended toward the viewer into the Tyropean Valley below. Above the arch was a high tower on which a priest would blow the trumpet to announce the beginning and end of the Sabbath day. The Roman soldiers dismantled the structures, including the tower, in AD 70, and threw the debris into the street below, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy (Matt. 24:1-2).

The enormity of Herod's project is illustrated by one of the larger stones. It is more than 22 feet long, 40 inches high, and nearly six feet thick. It is dressed (cut) with the distinctive border (margin) and the protruding corner (boss) that Herod used. Stones this size were cut so precisely that they were fit together without mortar. The lower courses, though covered with debris from Roman times, still look nearly new. The channels (cut later) were clay pipes carrying water to the platform above.

Huge marble columns lie where they fell when an earthquake devastated Beth Shean in AD 749. Note the depth of soil that has covered the remains of the last major settlement on this site.

The second commandment forbade making images. Hellenistic culture glorified the human form. These two world views clashed in the days of Herod as he tried (and largely succeeded) to mold his kingdom into a Hellenistic one. He imported great numbers of marble statues like this one to grace his palaces and fortresses. The religious Jews resisted this deliberate attempt to introduce what they viewed as paganism into their world.

This aerial view shows the remains of Capernaum, a small village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee ("Capernaum" comes from the Hebrew Kfar Nahum, which means "Nahum's Village"). Jesus chose this place as the hub of his ministry, being on the main international road, sometimes called the Way of the Sea (Via Maris). Roman milestones still mark the road. Jesus called Capernaum his hometown. Several of his disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were called to ministry here. To the side of the synagogue, there was a small Roman garrison (see Luke 7:1-10), probably the home of the centurion whose faith Jesus commended. Capernaum was a small village (some estimate 1,200 people) of fisherman, farmers, and merchants all religious and devoted to serving God.

The villager's devotion to God is evidenced by the ruins of the synagogue of Capernaum, which date from three to four centuries after Jesus; but archaeologists believe the one from Jesus' time is beneath these ruins.

The large hall on the right side is the main hall. It is approximately 60 by 50 feet and faces Jerusalem. Benches have been reconstructed as they would have appeared in Galilean synagogues. Ordinary people sat on the stone floor.

The large hall to the left side may be a community center and probably contained the school. The size of this room helps us appreciate the importance the Capernaum citizens placed on their devotion to God and the study of the Torah. It seems only fitting that Jesus came here to proclaim his message of the fulfillment of the Torah.

Although there is no definite evidence as to which house was his, we know that Simon Peter did live in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-34; Luke 4:38-41), and it is clear that the early Christian community attached special significance to this location. The modern building is a church built over the traditional site.

It was this town that first heard Jesus' message. The central location of the synagogue gives evidence to the deep religious convictions of the people to whom he ministered; many became followers.

Temple Sacrifices

The people of ancient Israel made sacrifices to God in the temple. These sacrifices, which involved the shedding of blood (the pouring out of the animal's life), symbolized the atonement made for the people's sins.

According to God's command, the Israelites were to make sacrifices daily. A one-year-old, perfect lamb was to be sacrificed in the morning, and another one in the evening. A grain and drink offering were to be offered at the same times.

God gave specific guidelines for the temple altar, which was to stand in the outer worship court. A stone altar was to be built without steps, using stones on which no tools had been used. A wooden altar was to be built of acacia wood and was to be three cubits (about 4.5 feet) high, five cubits (about 7.5 feet) long, and five cubits wide.

Jesus' Sacrifice
Hundreds of years before Jesus, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that Jesus would be pierced for our sins, would carry our sorrows, and by his wounds we would be healed. God would place all our sins upon Jesus, who would pour out his life to make intercession for all sinners.

Jesus is referred to as the "Lamb of God;" and he is called our Passover lamb, who was sacrificed to atone for our sins.