That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs Understanding Holy Week Through Its Original Historical and Cultural Context with Rabbi Jason Sobel- Episode 1042
Mar 26, 2026
Rabbi Jason Sobel, a Jewish believer in Jesus and spiritual advisor for The Chosen, offers scholarly links between the Old and New Testaments. He explores symbolism in Jesus’ triumphal entry, the Passover Seder and Last Supper parallels, donkey and palm imagery, the timing of death and resurrection, and themes of new creation and bodily resurrection.
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Palms Signaled Victory Not Peace
- Palm branches in first-century Jewish culture symbolized military victory and national sovereignty, not peaceful greeting.
- Rabbi Jason explains palms recalled Hanukkah-era coins and the people's hope for a conquering Messiah, reframing Palm Sunday expectations.
Two Donkeys Represent Old And New
- The two donkeys (mother and colt) Jesus uses symbolize the old and the new covenants uniting in him.
- Rabbi Jason interprets the paired animals as heaven and earth, and the totality of God's promise fulfilled in Jesus.
Communion Is The Passover Cup Of Redemption
- Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper during the third Passover cup, the cup of redemption, directly linking his death to Passover sacrifice.
- The third cup recalls the three sprinklings of blood in Egypt, making Jesus the greater Passover lamb who redeems humanity.
