When reading through Exodus 12, it's time to Pause Over the Passover (pesach). The Jews still celebrate this Holy Day because this is significant to their history and a testament to God's faithful protection. Christians should also rejoice in the symbolism of Passover as it points to the ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. May the first month and tenth day of every Hebrew calendar year be a day of remembering God's faithful protection and provision.
Loving The Lamb
The Lord instructs Israel to take a lamb without blemish for each household (12:5). The lamb stayed with the family for 4 days before it's sacrificed (12:6). Can you imagine the attachment the little sons and daughters would gain in bonding with a cute, little lamb? Maybe everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go! Then to have the lamb sacrificed would be deeply personal - a lamb they loved was sacrificed for their sin. The Christ we love and know personally had died for our sin. Remember that Communion was first given by Christ during Passover and Christ would be that lamb. At our next Communion, let's remember the Lamb we love and the price He paid for our sin.
Saved By The Lamb
As the blood was applied to the doorpost (12:7), the symbolism of the cross comes into view. The Lord would "passover" the homes where the house had the blood applied and spare the first born from God's judgment. A cry sounded over Egypt where no defiant household was spared (12:30) - the alternative to not accepting God's mercy is to receive His judgment.
Choose The Lamb Or Choose To Be Lame
Every person has a choice - choose to receive God's mercy through Christ or be ready to face God's judgment. God sent a Passover Lamb on our behalf. By coincidence, I'm writing this blog as my kids are watching "The Chronicles Of Narnia - Lion, Witch & Wardrobe" as Aslan the lion is being sacrificed for the rebellion of Edmund. Aslan is a picture of Christ who died on our behalf and was resurrected.
1 Corinthians 5:7 For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
For a neat presentation on "Christ In The Passover" (David Brickner, Jews for Jesus), check out the video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5272606142394767394# (40 minutes)
These articles from Israel My Glory are also wonderful:
http://foi.org/pesachpassoverandthefeastofunleavenedbread
http://foi.org/pesachpart2, http://foi.org/pesachpart3, http://foi.org/pesachpart4
this is really good :)
ReplyDeleteDo you understand the 4th Cup?
ReplyDeleteAfter the beginning of Jesus' Last Passover Supper (Seder) Judas Iscariot left to do what he had to do. The twelve left in the room were at the point where the second of four traditional cups was about to be drunk.
(The first is at the beginning of the Seder meal.) Jesus took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes."
More of the lamb meal was consumed. During that He took a loaf of unleavened bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying, "This IS my body given for you; do this to recall me." ("Recall" is a better translation of the Greek "anamnesis" than "remember".)
After the supper He took the third cup saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This IS my blood of the NEW and everlasting covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
A hymn was sung, which is a combination of several psalms called The Great Hillel, and they went out to the Mount of Olives.
What happened? The Passover ceremony and ritual was not complete. There was no fourth cup. There was no announcement that it was finished. Could it be that Jesus was so upset with what He knew was about to happen that He forgot? Doubtful!
Not only Jesus, but also the 11 others had participated in the Passover Seder every year of their lives. No, this was done on purpose. The last supper of Jesus was not over.
On the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done."
He prayed that three times. Then Jesus was arrested, illegally put on trial by the Sanhedrin, then by Pontius Pilate, sentenced and crucified.
While on the cross He wept. Jesus, who was in excruciating agony, was so merciful that He prayed for the forgiveness of His executioners. He was offered some wine with a pain killer, myrrh, in it. He refused it.
"Later, knowing that all was now complete, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled and the kingdom established, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" A man dipped a sponge into sour wine; he placed it on a hyssop branch and lifted it up to Jesus lips.
He drank. (We recall that it was the hyssop branch which was used to paint lambs blood around the Hebrew's door for the Passover of the angel of death.)
It was then that Jesus said, "It is finished." He then bowed His head and gave up the spirit to His Father.
The fourth cup now represented the lamb’s blood of the first Passover, a saving signal to the angel of death.
The Lamb of God was now sacrificed. The last Passover supper of Jesus Christ was now complete with the fourth cup. It was finished.
The tie in with the Passover is unmistakable.
The Lamb of God was sacrifice and death was about to be passed over come Easter day.
The promise of eternal life for many was about to be fulfilled.
Christ’s Passover was finished, but His mission was not until he rose from the dead.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete