Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it (Exodus 12:5–7).
And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover (Exodus 12:11).
For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 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 (Exodus 12:12–13).
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it (Luke 2:41-43).
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified” (Matthew 26:1).
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the key figure in all of the Word of God. He is, in fact, the WORD of GOD.
Passover is a huge topic in all of God’s Word. The powerful story of the Passover first unfolds in Exodus chapter 12. From there, God clearly commands His people to observe the Passover as a feast every year.
The Passover lamb is central to the celebration. And the Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. So the title and symbol of the lamb are one more picture to help us better understand who our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is. It also helps us better understand why He came and the tremendous sacrifice He made for us.
In Exodus 12 the lamb was killed and its blood was used to save the lives of the firstborn Hebrews. This happened in Egypt on the Passover. Similarly, the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself and He died on a cruel Roman cross to make a way for us to be saved. And it is His blood that washes away our sins and makes us new in Him. It’s by and through Christ that we are saved, transformed, and made brand new in Him.
The sacrificial Passover lamb’s blood was applied to the door of a household, and that act of faith and obedience caused the “destroyer” to pass over that household allowing the firstborn of that household to live.
There were many houses in the land of Egypt where there had been no blood applied. In those houses, the firstborn died.
Similarly, when a person receives Christ as Lord and Savior of his or her life, salvation comes to that person’s life. Christ’s applied blood washes away our sins, and God’s judgment passes over us.
The wonderful and powerful story of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, is found in all four gospels. Each account is profound, stirring, and edifying. We would be wise to take time individually and with our families to read all four accounts. Read and meditate on them. Take time to really think about the pain, torture, and cruel death the Lord endured so that you and I could be saved. Allow them to speak to your life and heart and bless you.
Finally, allow the story of Christ our Passover Lamb to stir you to be a passionate witness for Christ. Every day of our lives we should be about the work of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every day we should be involved in the work of making and encouraging disciples of Jesus Christ.
Christ, our Passover Lamb gave Himself fully and died for us. May we forever passionately live for Him.
If you desire to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior spending eternity in heaven with Him while avoiding hell, you can.
In order to make that step, we invite you to pray this or a similar prayer and invite Christ into your heart and commit your life to Him:
Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I recognize that I have sinned and done wrong. I repent of all my sins. Forgive me for all the wrong I have done. I do believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins and I believe that three days later you rose from the dead so that I could be saved. Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to die for me. Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Become my Lord and Savior. Make me the person you want me to be. You said in your Word, that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Right now, Lord, I‘m calling on your name. Lord Jesus, save me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for saving me, and I now confess I am a child of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
