Saturday, April 8, 2023

Message: The Passover Lamb

All scriptures taken from Bible Gateway and are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise indicated.

Today we will explore the connection between the Passover Lamb in the book of Exodus and Jesus Christ. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years, but God promised to set them free. He gave them very specific instructions to prepare for His rescue. 

God told them to choose a spotless one year old male goat or sheep. At the same moment, together, everyone in the community was to slaughter their goat or sheep. They were to immediately paint a strip of blood from the animal’s body over the doorposts of their homes. And then they were to roast the animal and share the meal with their families in their own homes. When they were finished, they were instructed to burn everything that was remaining. No leftovers were allowed. Once God gave the instructions, Moses ordered the men to do this. He said everyone must stay inside their homes until morning while God strikes down the Egyptians who were enslaving them. Remember the wickedness that Pharaoh was doing to the Israelites. When Moses was a baby, Pharaoh ordered all the males to be murdered at birth – but God rescued Moses. Moses was saved for a purpose, and this was his first task: to lead them out of Egypt after the first Passover.

Exodus 12:23: “For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.”

The angel of the Lord caused the firstborn sons of Egypt to die–in every household who did not have the blood of the lamb painted over their door frames. But every family who obeyed God’s instructions for this feast and covered their door frames with the blood of a spotless lamb or goat, was safe from death. 

Because of this, Pharaoh’s own son died, and he finally told the Israelites to go. After 400 years of slavery, they were free. It took a miracle of God and faithfulness to God for this rescue mission to succeed. 

In Hebrews 10:1, a book that was written after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven, it says this: “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. / The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.”

Colossians 2:17 echoes this: “For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.”

There were many sacrifices in the Old Testament, many steps that the Israelites had to take in order to worship God. However, the New Testament tells us that these things were shadows or previews of the real thing.

When you stand in a partially sunny space, your shadow can be seen on the ground. Is that shadow real? Yes. Is it you?  No. You are flesh and bone, not a shadow.

The sacrifices in the Old Testament were shadows of the true sacrifice that was going to come. They were symbols.

What (or who) was the symbolism of the passover lamb and its blood on the doorposts? 

Jesus.

The prophecies of the Old Testament told of a coming Messiah, one who would be King of Israel and rescue her people. One who would make a way for ALL people on earth to come to God. Jesus is that coming King. Yet, as prophesied, he would have to suffer and die as part of His rescue mission. Isaiah 53 speaks in detail of this. Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (NIV)”

Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, he did not open his mouth. (NIV)”

In John 1:29, John calls Jesus “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus is the real sacrifice. He lived a perfect spotless life, like the spotless lamb.

Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. His blood was shed, and those who come to God through Jesus are saved from eternal destruction–just like the lamb’s blood that was put over the doorposts of the Israelites. When the angel of death went through the city, those covered by the lamb’s blood were saved. 

The Word of God is rich and filled with treasures available for all who sincerely seek to know the truth. (Hebrews 11:6, John 8:31-32, Matthew 7:8)

In John 10:9, Jesus says, “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Jesus is the gate to God. And accepting His sacrifice is the way through the gate. Just like the sacrifice of the lamb and the blood on the doorway was the only way to be saved from the angel of death.

On the night before Jesus was arrested to be sacrificed on the cross, He celebrated Passover with his disciples. This is where the symbolism of the first Passover becomes very clear to us.

Matthew 26:26 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Note the rich connection between the first Passover and what we now call, communion, the moment we come together corporately to remember what Jesus has done for us.

Soon after, Jesus was arrested, tortured, nailed to a cross, died, and was placed in a tomb. 

I believe that every rescue mission in the Bible points directly to Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Him (John 14:6). 

This is Easter weekend. This is a time when Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is also Passover week. This is a time when Jews and some Christians celebrate the rescue of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. For it was after the first passover that Pharaoh sent the Egyptians away, where God parted the seas to lead them out of slavery.

But we must remember the most important part of all of this: we worship a LIVING GOD. We do not worship a dead God! (Matthew 16:16, Jeremiah 10:10) 

Three days after Jesus’ death and burial, in Matthew 28 it says: “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

Jesus was raised from the dead. Because He is God, He could not be imprisoned by death and is worthy of our worship just like the women worshiped him after his resurrection. It is because of His resurrection that we can know that He is the one true and living God. 

Today, we celebrate that Jesus is the true Passover lamb, and we can all be passed over from eternal death if we put our faith in Him–and He has proven that He is worthy of our trust. 

He lived a perfect, spotless life. He is the lamb.

He died a sacrificial death to save us. He is the lamb.

And He rose again. He is greater than a lamb. It was a shadow.

Those of us who put our trust in Him, will rise again as well on the last day when He comes to take us home (John 6:40).

I pray that you will meditate on the richness of Jesus’s identity today, his identity as the lamb, and that His love will dwell in your hearts and enable you to love others deeply.

If you haven’t called upon the name of Jesus as your Savior. Let it be today.

Amen.