The Old Testament Passover was merely a faint picture of the glorious reality that Christ has shed His blood for us so that God would “pass over” us in judgment and bestow His sovereign mercy upon us!
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Christ – Our Passover
Exodus 12: 1-15
In our Christ In Exodus series we have seen Christ as Our Redeemer, and The Great I am. Well, this morning I want to show you Christ as Our Passover. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul writes, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” Paul refers to Jesus Christ as our Passover. Therefore, we have Biblical authority to see the Passover as a type of Jesus Christ.
However, before we look in detail at the Passover, we need to get a little bit of context. The children of Israel are now living in Egypt. They are multiplying at an alarming rate. And the Pharoah, who doesn’t know anything about Joseph, decides that he has to get these Israelites under control. So, he appoints taskmasters over them and reduces the sons of Israel to slaves doing slave labor. The Pharoah made their lives bitter and miserable, so that they groaned, and sighed, and cried out to the Lord. Well, the Lord heard their cry and remembered His covenant, and called Moses to be the one who would deliver them from Egypt. At first Moses, was reluctant, so God chose Aaron to work together with Moses. They went to the Pharoah and told him that he must let the sons of Israel go free that they might worship their God. Well, the Pharoah was not about to lose hundreds of thousands of slaves building his public monuments, so he refused. In order to persuade Pharoah, God began to bring about one plague after another upon the land of Egypt. There were 10 plagues in all:
- The water was turned into blood
- Frogs over the whole land of Egypt
- Gnats
- Flies
- Pestilence on Livestock
- Boils
- Hail, thunder, and fire
- Locusts
- Darkness for 3 Days
- Death of the firstborn
After each plague, Pharoah would relent a bit, but he would finally harden his heart and refuse to let the children of Israel go free. Finally, one night at midnight, God sent the final plague that would release His people. He went through the land of Egypt, and killed every first-born where the blood of a lamb was not smeared over the door. When the Lord saw a house where the blood was on the door, He “passed over” that home and did not bring destruction. Hence, the name Passover was born. Well, when the Lord smote all the first-born of the land of Egypt, a great cry erupted from Egypt. There wasn’t a single home where there was not someone dead. Pharoah called for Moses, and told him to rise up and get out of Egypt. The rest of the Egyptians were urging the sons of Israel to leave. They said, “if they don’t leave, we will all be dead!”
Now, this morning I would like to take the remainder of our time to focus on The Passover. This morning we are going to look at the Time of the Passover, the Lamb of the Passover, the Participants of the Passover, and the Purpose of the Passover.
1. The Time of the Passover
Exodus 12:1-2, “Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.”
The Lord told Moses that this month would be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Now, what was He saying? He was saying that from now on, your whole calendar is going to change. Prior to this, October was the first month of the year. But now, April would be the first month. You see, the Passover was the Birthday of the nation of Israel. The Passover was so vitally important, that the only way to communicate its importance was to change the calendar! Can you imagine God saying to us, “From now on, January is not the beginning of months; July will be the first month of the year!”
What does this show us? It shows us that life starts over when we are redeemed by the blood. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” Our salvation should be such an important date in our life that everything takes its reference from it. We look at entire life as Pre-salvation, or Post-salvation. Pre-Jesus or Post-Jesus. Our salvation should be that life-changing and that all-important that our whole life calendar is changed to line up with it!
2. The Lamb of the Passover
Exodus 12:3-5, “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, `On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. `Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. `Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
There are several things we should notice about the animal sacrificed on Passover.
1) It Was To Be Unblemished. Verse 5 says, “Your lamb shall be an unblemished male.” Now, what does the Lord mean by “unblemished”? We find the answer in Leviticus 22:20-22, “Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. `When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD.” The Passover sacrifice could not be diseased, blind, fractured, maimed, having running sores, eczema, or scabs. All of this points to the perfect purity and holiness that our Passover Sacrifice, the Lord Jesus had to possess. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Jesus was unblemished in every way. The Scriptures tell us that He knew no sin, that He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners. We read in the New Testament that He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth, and in Him there is no sin. Hebrews tells us that He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (2Cor.5:21; Heb.7:26; 1Pet.2:22; 1Jn.3:5; Heb.4:15). Jesus Christ is the true Passover Lamb!
Now, why is it important that Christ be absolutely spotless in His moral perfection? Why must He be without sin? The answer is that if Christ had sin of His own, He couldn’t become the sinner’s substitute. He could only pay the debt of His own sin, not ours. But, if He had no sin of His own, then He could voluntarily accept the debt of others. And, that’s exactly what He did when He went to the cross. He paid our debt!
2) It was to be a Male, One year Old. In other words, this lamb was to be an adult, able to reproduce. The lamb was to be a male, to typify that our Redeemer would be a man, not a woman. He was to be one year old to show that the Redeemer would be cut off in the prime of life, in the fullness of His strength. And that’s exactly what happened. Jesus Christ was cut off when He was 33 years old, in the very prime and strength of His life. These little details that God gave Moses are not insignificant. They were all given to show us something about the Savior who would come to deliver us.
3. The Participants in the Passover
1) They Had To Kill The Lamb.
Ex. 12:6, “You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.”
The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel had to kill these lambs. They all had to have a part in it. This pictures that great truth that all mankind is responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. It was not just the Roman soldiers, or the Jewish religious leaders, or Pilate or Herod. Jesus died because of my sin, and your sin. No one gets off the hook here. He was beaten, mocked, spat upon, scourged and crucified because of the sin of the world. I need to see that my sins were like the religious leaders who condemned Christ, like Judas that betrayed Christ, like Pilate that sentenced Christ, like the soldiers that scourged Christ, and like the nails that pierced Christ. We killed Jesus. We need to take that to heart!
2) They Had To Apply The Blood.
Exodus 12:7, “Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.”
The blood of the lamb must be applied if it is going to save anyone. They could kill the lamb, but if they were disobedient and didn’t smear it on the doorposts, their first-born would surely die. Yes, Jesus Christ was slain for sinners. But no sinner will be saved apart from applying Christ’s shed blood to their own soul by faith. It’s not enough that Christ died for sinners. You and I must appropriate His shed blood. That’s what that hyssop branch typified. Just as the hyssop branch applied the blood to the door, so faith applies Jesus’ blood to your soul. It’s not enough that Jesus died for the world. You must believe that He died for you. You must apply the blood by faith in Christ.
3) They Had To Place The Blood Where All Could See It.
The blood was conspicuous. Everyone could see it. The Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the Lord Himself could see it. God didn’t tell them to put the blood in a secret place, behind a painting, or under a couch. You see, they were not to be ashamed of the blood. Yes, blood all over their doors, looked very strange, maybe even foolish and fanatical. But, brothers and sisters, we must never be ashamed of Christ crucified. Others may think you are strange or foolish. Well, let them. Our confession must be “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.” Friends, do not keep your faith in Jesus a secret, because of the fear of man. Jesus said, “If you confess Me before men, I will confess you before My Father who is in heaven.”
4) They Had To Remain Under The Blood.
Exodus 12:22-23, “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite 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 come in to your houses to smite you.”
The only place of shelter was in the house marked with blood. If one of the Hebrews left the safety of their house, they could be destroyed. Once the blood was applied, they must stay inside the house until the Destroyer had passed by. Friends, we must not only begin the Christian life by trusting in Christ, we must continue the Christian life trusting solely in Christ. Trusting in the merits of Jesus is the only place of safety. If you or I ever begin trusting in our own good deeds, we put ourselves in the path of danger. Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith.” We walk in Jesus the same way we receive Jesus – by faith! Folks, forget about what you did in the past. What are you trusting right now, this morning? The hymn writer said it best:
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
5) They Had To Eat The Lamb.
Exodus 12:11, “Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste – it is the Lord’s Passover.”
The blood saved the people from judgment, but the flesh strengthened them for their journey. They had to eat the lamb, ready to go. They had to have their sandals on their feet, and their staff in their hand. Folks, we are pilgrims in a foreign land. We are just traveling through this world, on our way to heaven. We need spiritual strength for our journey, and the only place to get that strength is by feeding on Christ. Jesus said in John 6:54-55, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.” So, how do we eat Jesus’ flesh and drink His blood? I don’t believe Jesus was talking here about the Lord’s Supper. I believe He was talking about living by faith in the gospel every day of our lives. That’s how we eat His flesh and drink His blood. We remind ourselves of the truth of the gospel, and we trust in Jesus to meet every challenge in our lives. We meditate on Christ in His word. That same night, as soon as they were saved from judgment, they began to feed on Christ. My friends, the only strength for living the Christian life is Christ Himself. This is what Paul was declaring in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Are you feeding on Christ every day to gain strength for your heavenly journey?
Notice also that the whole lamb must be eaten. Exodus 12:9 says, “Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both is head and its legs along with its entrails.” You’re kidding right?! They had to eat the head and the entrails? Yep. And friends, we don’t get to pick and choose what parts of Jesus we will consume. We have to embrace the parts of Christ we like and the parts we don’t like. We have to embrace Hell as well as Heaven, repentance as well as forgiveness, self-denial as well as soul satisfaction. Jesus is not a buffet line where you pick what you want. Jesus is the kind of meal where your Mom and Dad said you will eat your peas and carrots, period!
6) They Had To Remove All Leaven From Their Homes.
Exodus 12:15, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”
The Passover actually began another feast – the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the New Testament, leaven is often symbolic of sin. In 1 Cor. 5:7-8, Paul writes, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
The the blood made everything right outside the house, everything was not right within the house. The work was finished in saving, but it was just beginning in sanctifying. There is a great difference between the outward standing, and the inward state. Jesus’ blood gives us a perfect standing with God, but inwardly there is still much sin to put away. The blood speaks of justification, removing the leaven speaks of our sanctification. The blood makes us holy outwardly; while removing the leaven makes us holy inwardly.
Notice that the leaven was removed the very same day that the lamb was slain. Friends, the moment we are justified, we begin the process of sanctification. You aren’t justified when you are 10 years old, and then finally get around to being sanctified when you are 25!
Also, notice that eating the unleavened bread was an ongoing activity. The blood was applied only once, but the unleavened bread was eaten for seven straight days. In the Bible, the number seven stands for completeness. Folks, though you were saved instantly the moment you truly trusted in Christ’s blood, you will be going through a process of sanctification for the rest of your life.
Notice also that the application of the blood must be followed by the removing of the leaven. An Israelite couldn’t just apply the blood without removing leaven from his house. If he tried to do that, he would be cut off. Justification and sanctification are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other. If a man is justified, he will be sanctified. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
4. The Purpose of the Passover
There were two primary purposes of the Passover.
1) To Save God’s People.
Exodus 12:12-13, “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments — I am the LORD. `The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
God had already decided that every first-born son of every family would die, unless the blood of an innocent substitutionary lamb covered the door. The Jews deserved death as well as the Egyptians. No one was without sin. Yet, God gave them a merciful provision. If they would present the blood of an innocent substitute, God would accept it in place of the guilty. Why did God pass over the Hebrews’ homes? Because death had already occurred there. The innocent had already died in the place of the wicked. The first-born had already been judged and punished in the person of the Substitute.
Notice that only the shed blood saved. The Hebrews couldn’t hang up gold or costly jewels over their doors and expect God not to destroy them. They couldn’t tie a live lamb to the door and think that God would pass over them. God didn’t say, “When I see your good deeds, your good intentions, your prayers and alms-giving, then I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:23 says, “The Lord will pass through to smite 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 come in to your houses to smite you.” It was only when the Lord saw the blood on their doors! My friends, God is not going to spare you from eternal judgment because of your church attendance, your baptism, your Bible reading, your prayers, or your financial gifts. It is only the blood of Christ that can save your soul!
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O! Precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
2) To Satisfy God’s Justice
Exodus 12:13, “when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
God did not say “when you see the blood I will pass over you.” He said, “When I see the blood.” You see, the blood is not just for us. It is primarily for God. The blood was put on the doorposts, whereas the lamb was eaten inside of the house. The blood wasn’t sprinkled for man to see, but for God. God is absolutely just and righteous. Thus, He demands that all sin be punished. He can’t pass over and spare the guilty, unless somehow that sin is punished and His justice is satisfied. That’s the reason for the Passover Lamb! This is God’s merciful provision to the Israelites. Since sin was punished in the death of an innocent lamb, God was free to bestow mercy on the guilty. I say this reverently, “God needed the blood of the Passover Lamb.” God couldn’t just decide to pass over the guilty without it, and remain true to His essential character. Romans 3:26 says that God set forth Jesus on the cross as propitiation for our sins, so that God would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. The great problem has always been, how can God justly forgive sinners. The only way for God to justly forgive is for a Substitute to bear the penalty the guilty deserved. Then, God’s justice is satisfied, and He can bestow mercy on the guilty.
Conclusion
Folks, in a very real sense, that first Passover is a picture of our church meetings. God did not permit the Israelites to observe Passover alone. They had to observe it according to households. It was a communal event. They killed the lamb together. They roasted the lamb together. They sprinkled the blood together. They went inside and ate the lamb together. The whole household gathered around the lamb that they feasted upon. The lamb was the center of the meeting. It was the center of attraction. All those Israelites had one thing in common. They were trusting in the blood of the lamb! And the same is true of us when we gather. Jesus Christ is the center of everything we do when we meet, whether it is singing, praying, preaching or fellowshipping. We all have one thing in common. We are all trusting in the merits of Jesus. There is only one church in the world, and it is made up of all those who are trusting solely in the merits of Jesus.
Let me just close with some thought questions which arise from our meditation on the Passover.
- Do you really see that it was your sins that put Christ on that cross? Do you understand that He died to satisfy God’s justice, and save God’s people? Have you applied His blood to your soul by faith? Is He your Substitute?
- Has your conversion made all the difference in the world to you? Has it truly been a new beginning for you? Have old things passed away and all things become newe?
- Are you boldly confessing Christ before others or are you ashamed of Him?
- Are you continuing every day of life to trust only in Christ’s death for safety?
- Are you feeding on Christ to give you the strength to walk the pilgrim journey to heaven?
- Are you removing the leaven of sin from your life? Are you dealing with lust, immorality, evil speaking, lazyness, or greed?
Oh, let us glory in our glorious Passover Lamb!
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