Christ’s life would be given as the “ransom,” the price to bring people back to God. Just before He was arrested, Jesus ate the “Passover” with His apostles. This was the special meal Jews ate once a year. They ate it to remember how God used lamb’s blood to save them from death and slavery in Egypt.
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).
The Old Covenant had begun with blood from animal sacrifices. The New Covenant between God and all who would come to Him would begin with the far better blood of God’s Son (Hebrews 9). As the prophet Jeremiah had said, this would be the better covenant in which all would know God. They could know Him because He would “…be merciful toward their iniquities [evil acts], and I will remember their sins no more ” (Hebrews 8:12). That forgiveness was possible because Jesus took the full punishment that we should have suffered.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6) … He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).
ERV for Isaiah 53:5-6,12: But He was given pain to suffer for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for our guilt. A debt we owed – our punishment – was given to Him. We were healed because of His pain. But all of us wandered away like sheep. Each of us went our own way. The LORD put all our guilt on Him. … because He gave His life for the people, and He died. People said He was a criminal. But He carried away the sins of many, many people. And now He speaks for people that have sinned.
He himself bore [carried] our sins in his body on the tree [cross], that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus knew how much He would suffer in His death for men’s sins. After the meal, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane. In great sadness He prayed,
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” … And being in an agony [great pain] he prayed more earnestly [deeply]; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:42,44).