Today marks the beginning of Holy Week, where Christians recall the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, beginning with His entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and His crucifixion on Good Friday. The setting for the first Lord’s Supper was the Jewish Passover meal. For our Scripture today let’s look into the Old Testament book of Exodus, where we have the background and meaning of the Passover celebration, and see what God teaches us about what the Passover really means.
As our Scripture opens, God was preparing to liberate the people of Israel from years of slavery in Egypt. He had just passed judgment on Egypt with nine plagues for their oppression of the Hebrews and as judgment on their idolatry and pagan gods. There was one more plague to come, that of the slaying of the firstborn. God gave some instructions to follow in order to escape from being victim of the tenth plague. The members of each family were to kill a lamb for the Passover meal, and take the blood of that lamb and place it upon the doorposts and lintel of their house (vs. 7). When the Death Angel passed through the land, when he saw the blood upon the doorposts and lintel, he would pass over that house (vs. 13).
This whole memorial celebration ritual of the Passover clearly pictures and symbolizes the Messiah Jesus and His sacrificial death for us. The lamb that was taken and killed for each family was a sacrifice, a substitute for the person who would have died in the plague when the Death Angel passed through the land (vs. 3). It was clearly understood that for them to be spared from death, an innocent life had to be sacrificed in their place.
Why a lamb? The lamb represented innocence and gentleness. The prophets often spoke of the tender compassion of God for His people under the figure of a Shepherd and the Lamb, such as in Isaiah 40:11. God always used the lamb as an important symbol. When John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jewish people, he called Him the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36). He recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Passover lamb. It was a worthy symbol of the Savior, who in innocence endured suffering as our substitute (I Peter 1:19). The Jewish historian Josephus (37-100 AD) said that it was customary in his day to kill the Passover lamb at 3 pm, shortly before sunset (vs. 6). That was the time of day that Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb, was killed.
On the night of that first Passover, the family had to be sure that they took some of the blood and applied it to the doorposts and lintel in order to be spared from death coming to the family. The firstborn son of every family who did not have blood on their doorposts was killed. That blood symbolized the Blood that Jesus, the Lamb of God, would shed upon the cross at His crucifixion. His life was sacrificed, His Blood poured out, for our sins. Whoever accepts the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior, which in a real sense is applying His Blood to their hearts, will not suffer eternal death and damnation for eternity.
The lamb had to be partaken by every member of the household (vs. 4,8). The same is in regards to salvation. Just because one member of a family is saved, even if it is the head of the house, doesn’t mean everyone is. Each must come to Jesus for themselves.
The lamb had to be killed in order to get the blood that would protect them. This foreshadowed the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who gave His Blood for the sins of all people (I Corinthians 5:7). The blood that was applied to the doorposts and lintel was a real symbol of substitution of one life given for another (Leviticus 17:11). A ram caught in a thicket was substituted for Isaac (Genesis 22:13-14). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22; I John 1:7).
On the night of the first Passover, as the Death Angel went through the land of Egypt, he passed over all houses that had the blood applied. That was all one had to do in order to survive. The angel didn’t look inside the house to see if they had done good deeds or were worthy. He just checked for the blood on the doorposts. The same is true today to see if one will spend eternity in heaven with God. God checks for the Blood of His Son Jesus, and whether it has been applied to our hearts. None of us are worthy. Only the Blood of Jesus can cover us. Have you applied the Blood of Jesus to your soul? If not, do not hesitate to call upon the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior today, for tomorrow may be too late.
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