The picture below is the only photo of Jesus Christ the world has. Please read the text before scrolling down to the picture. It will help you understand why I call this a picture of Jesus.

Jesus came to earth to be a sacrificial death for the sins of humanity. It is sin that separates humans from God. In the Old Testament God required the Jews to sacrifice an animal to cover their sins. Why would God require this shedding of blood? He states in Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the [Temple] altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for your souls."

Ultimately it was God's plan to not only cover humankind's sins but to remove them completely. This plan required that He send His only Son to be the sacrificial offering to permanently remove our sins and restore fellowship between humans and God. This plan was accomplished when Jesus Christ was flogged and crucified two-thousand years ago.

The night before Jesus was crucified He shared what Jews call the Passover Feast with His followers. During this feast Jesus took some unleavened bread and gave it to His disciples saying: "Take eat; this is my body." Then Jesus took a cup of wine and gave it to His disciples and said: "Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28).

After the feast Jesus was arrested and taken before the authorities. They flogged Him mercilessly leaving thirty-nine stripes across His back. Then they took Him to a hill where they nailed Him to a wooden cross by hammering metal spikes through His hands and feet. He died and was buried that same day. Two days later He rose from the dead having accomplished the mission of salvation for humankind that God had sent Him on.

So now comes the explanation of how the photo below is a picture of Jesus Christ. As I mentioned above Jesus said that the unleavened bread or matzo bread, as the Jews call it, was His body. The interesting thing about matzo bread is that it has holes through it and has stripes on it from the cooking process just as Jesus' body had stripes on it and had holes pierced in it by the flogging and the crucifixion. The red wine symbolizes His blood by which the shedding of was necessary for humankind's salvation. So therefore whenever you take communion or participate in a Passover Feast, I hope you will take the time to realize that you are communing with the Savior Jesus Christ and are accepting His sacrifice for the remission of your sins.