Passover

 

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. (Exodus 12:21-24 ESV).

 

The backdrop for the devotionals the past few days have been what we commonly call “the Last Supper.” It actually takes place on the evening of the Jewish Passover, which is celebrated today by Jews all over the world. It occurs to me that some of our readers may not be as familiar with this Holy Day as others are. Long before Jesus' day this Jewish festival enjoyed a rich, long history, dating back to the time of the Exodus when God delivered His people Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Passover was the tenth and final plague God brought upon Egypt. Since Egypt's leader, Pharaoh, had stubbornly refused to obey His command to free the Israelites, at midnight God would send a destroying angel to pass throughout the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn children, including Pharaoh's own heir.

But in love, God provided a way to escape this devastating plague. A lamb could be slain in place of the firstborn and its blood spread over the door frame of the house. When the angel of death reached a blood-marked house, God would command it to pass over and leave the firstborn unharmed.

Now we join Jesus as He prepares to celebrate His last Passover festival. While reminding His followers of that first great deliverance, He prepares to accomplish an even greater deliverance by sacrificing Himself and shedding His own blood on the cross of Calvary. All who believe on Him are marked by His blood. Forever, this mark exempts every believer of the judgment of sin. That which we have earned from our sin is death (cf. Romans 6:23); however, by the blood of Jesus the judgment has been passed over us, leaving all of us safe and secure in His work of redemption. While Christmas enjoys more attention from the world at large, it is Easter that carries the greater significance for every believer. Here we truly celebrate life!