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"Jesus the Passover Lamb" Part 1 of 3 from the Spring 2017 Vision Newsletter
Passover was first established right before the Israelites fled Egypt to escape slavery, as we can read in Exodus 12:11 where the Lord states the Passover meal should be eaten in haste and with all of their things ready so they could leave Egypt quickly. After this initial Passover Feast when the Israelites left Egypt, Passover was then celebrated every year as a remembrance of their freedom and is still celebrated by Jewish people today.
The first and last portions of Exodus 12 are God’s instructions to Moses and Aaron on how to celebrate the Passover meal. His specific directions are what reveal the connections to His Son, who would come to earth many years later to give His life for our sins.
In Exodus 12:3 and 4, the Lord instructs Moses and Aaron to tell the Israelites, “On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.” From these verses, we can see that the lamb is given great significance; it is to be shared as the main part of the Passover Feast among many people. We can draw a parallel between the Passover lamb and Jesus as the new Passover Lamb. Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God, as seen in John 1:29, and also as “our Passover” by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7. Why is the image of a lamb applied to Jesus? Not only does the animal represent the meekness and gentleness of Christ, but just as the Jewish people would bring a lamb to the priest as an atonement for their sin, Jesus was brought before God as a sacrifice on behalf of man’s sin. One difference between the two, however, is that the Jews’ sacrifice was repeated, but Jesus’ sacrifice was once and lasts for all time. We are reminded of this every Sunday when we hear the words during the consecration of Holy Communion, “the once brought, eternally valid sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
The Exodus verses also put a focus on the sharing of the lamb. The lamb is not meant for just a few people, it is meant to be divided by many, even sharing it with a neighbor’s family. This is true of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb. He did not die for the sins of one person, but for the sins of all people in all times. His love and sacrifice should not be hoarded by a small group, but should be shared with as many people as possible.
Isaiah also paints a strong picture of the Messiah’s sacrifice, further reinforcing the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God: “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent” (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus is the Lamb of God because He is both the sacrifice presented to God and the sacrifice provided by God, removing the world’s sin and taking it on Himself alone.