JESUS
CHRIST OUR PASSOVER
When the
apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians he rebuked them for ignoring
sexual immorality as a serious sin that would affect the whole
congregation. He urged them, “Therefore purge
out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our
Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7) What is the connection between the
Passover and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
The Passover was established by God on the evening of Israel’s exodus
from Egypt. Although God had given nine
plagues to the Egyptians yet Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. The tenth plague involved killing the
firstborn from every family. In order
to avert this death within the Israelite homes God commanded each family to
sacrifice an unblemished lamb. Here is
what they have to do.
1.
“On the 10th day of this month (Abib)
every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father,
a lamb for a household.” (Ex. 12:3-4) A lamb is either a young sheep or goat. (Ex. 12:5) From the earliest times lambs were used for
sacrifices. Abel and Abraham used lambs
for their offerings to God. (Gen. 4:4; 22:7)
The lamb is one of the most gentle animals. They are known for their obedience to the shepherds. This animal has the quality and character to
make the perfect sacrifice. John the
Baptist introduced the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel: “Behold!
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn. 1:29, 36) Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah: “He was oppressed
and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His
mouth.” (Isa. 53:7) In all its aspects the Passover lamb truly
symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice of God.
2.
“Your lamb shall be without blemish.” (Ex. 12:5) This
perfect quality of the sacrificial lamb is essential for acceptance by the holy
God. It represents the absolutely
perfect physical and spiritual purity of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Who committed no
sin, nor was guile found in His mouth.” (1 Pet. 2:22) The apostle Peter pointed out that we
have been redeemed, or bought back, by God – not with material wealth, “but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
(1 Pet. 1:19) Pontius Pilate who tried Jesus said: “I find no fault in
Him at all.” (Jn. 18:38) The criminal on the Cross declared: “this Man has done nothing wrong.” (Lk.
23:41)
3.
“A male of the first year.” (Ex. 12:5) The sacrifice must
be a male lamb of the first year. That
is the prime age of the lamb. Our Lord
Jesus Christ began His public ministry at the age of thirty, and He worked for
about 3½ years before offering Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Those were the best years of His earthly
life.
4.
“Now you shall keep it until the 14th
day of the same month.” (Ex. 12:6)
The Israelites were
to bring the lamb into their homes on the 10th day of Abib and kept
him until the 14th. There
are two reasons for keeping the lamb until the 4th day. First, it gave the Israelites time to
examine the lamb for defects. Second,
it projects the time frame of the Holy Week.
Daniel prophesied: “Messiah shall be cut off, . . . Then He shall confirm a
covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring
an end to sacrifice and offering.” (Dan. 9:26-27) When
Jesus died on the cross “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” This has brought an end to the sacrifices
of animals. (Mt. 27:51; Heb. 9:11-14)
Jesus was crucified in the middle of the week, that is a Wednesday, not
the traditional Friday. He was placed
in the tomb on Wednesday evening and resurrected after the Sabbath. That would fit our Lord’s own description of
the duration of His burial. “For as Jonah was 3
days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be 3
days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.” (Mt. 12:40)
5. “And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
door-posts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.” (Ex. 12:7) The important part of the
Passover is the application of the lamb’s blood on the entrance frame of each
Israelite home. “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the
houses where you are. And when I see
the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy
you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 12:13) Why is the blood of the lamb such an
essential part of the Passover? Here is
the answer. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood,
and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for
it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17:11) “According
to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without the shedding of
blood there is no remission.” (Heb.
9:22) The door frame consists 2
door posts and a lintel. Jesus
declared: “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God.” (Jn.
3:5) Our Lord explained “born of water and
the Spirit” means baptism of water and baptism of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 1:5) These are the two essential
conditions of entrance into the Kingdom of God. The lintel is the horizontal piece of wood above the two posts. It represents the horizontal piece of wood
that our Lord Jesus Christ carried all the way to Calvary. All three pieces of wood on the entrance
door must be applied with the Blood of the Lamb that redeems and wash away our
sins. The Lord Jesus Christ is truly “our Passover” who
was sacrificed for us. Glory and praise
to our heavenly Father. HalleluYah!
This Article is the response of Paul Wong
to a discussion in the ARK Forum on July 29, 2003
For comments please write first to: [email protected]
May God bless you.
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.
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