Archbishop: Christ was not a victim of Roman violence but a sacrifice of love

Dr. Mouneer Hanna, Archbishop of the province of Alexandria, confirmed to the Episcopal/Anglican Church that John devoted 5 chapters from his gospel to describe what happened on Maundy Thursday, that is, more than a quarter of the Bible, which indicates the importance of the events of this day.

During the Maundy Thursday service, the bishop explained: If what happened on Thursday was just a farewell dinner for the disciples, the crucifixion on Friday would have been just a Roman execution for an outlaw affirming, but what happened on Thursday cannot be separated from what happened the next day.

And the bishop continued: On that day hundreds of thousands of Jews gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and thousands of sheep were slaughtered in the temple, the blood of these sheep was sprinkled on everything in the temple, all the families gathered together to eat the Passover and remember

And the bishop cited the verse: He said to them: “I lusted for me to eat this Passover with you before I suffered, 16 because I say: I say to you: I do not suffer. 17 Then he took a cup and gave thanks and said: “Take this and share it among you, 18 because I say to you: I do not drink from you.”

Hanna continued: Jesus here turns the symbolic Passover of the Old Testament into the true Passover of the New Testament, adding: From a lamb slaughtered and grilled over the fire and eaten in memory of what happened at the time of the Exodus, to the Lamb of God who offers himself a live sacrifice, from a high priest offering an animal sacrifice, to a high priest. He offers himself a living sacrifice.

Hanna considered that his death on the cross was not because he was a victim of violence and injustice by the Romans, but rather a victim of the love and mercy of God for us. He offered himself a sacrifice in order to nullify all animal sacrifices that are not suitable to erase the sins of humanity.