Psalm 118 is sometimes mentioned as the last Passover hymn sung by our Lord before his betrayal. This is generally made as a passing comment that remains unexplained and undeveloped.
Why was it sung every Passover? Why was it the last hymn sung by our Lord? Did Psalm 118 have any special significance to Jesus on this night? Should it have any special significance to us, his followers, as we look back at the Passion, crucifixion, and resurrection?
This is the hymn Jesus sang as he went out to fulfill the old covenant by giving his life. This is the hymn Jesus sang after giving his disciples the new covenant based on his broken body and spilled blood. The Jewish day actually begins at sundown, so this is the hymn Jesus sang on the day he was crucified.
Imagine Jesus singing these words as he was about to go to his death. When this perspective is used as the lens through which we read and interpret Psalm 118 there is a richness to the psalm otherwise lost.