Esotropiart

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people."

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

Matthew 14:1,2,12 ESV

It has occurred to me before that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Those with a decent understanding of the Old Testament are probably immune to the significance of such a symbol after much "Sunday Schoolesque" repetition. But hey! Wow! Jesus is the fulfillment, the completion of the Passover... He IS the Passover Lamb!

I find it a fresh thought to consider the history of the Passover. Jesus wasn't kidding at all when He said Moses spoke of Him. Indeed the entire Old Testament points to Jesus. It is tragic to miss this point. I am amazed that something instituted hundreds of years before Jesus' advent so powerfully mirrors the work He accomplished. I suppose that serves as a lesson to us. Don't get wrapped up so much in a tradition that you forget the reason for it. The Jews missed the arrival of their true sacrificial Lamb. Such is an eternal tragedy, rendering the faithful practice of tradition over the years pointless.

In the same way that a lamb's blood painted over the doorways of the Israelites saved those inside from the firstborn killing death angel, so Jesus' blood saves us from the wrath of God. We all deserve death, every last one of us. We have each sinned our share, and even the smallest sin separates us from the holy God and Creator of all.

If you have declared the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life and believe in His death and resurrection, you have a sealing mark on you. The blood of Christ separates the fierce anger of a righteous God from destroying you. You have not earned this safety by your works. It is a free gift.

God Himself has patiently stored up His great wrath through all time, waiting for His elect to be revealed to the full number. His fury will be poured out in bowls in the final days. These bowls (read Revelation for details) will be a fearsome display to say the least. God's wrath can be avoided by each person who paints the Lamb's blood or who hangs a piece of red thread on their doorpost (Joshua 2:4-21 ESV). Jesus Christ is both the Lamb and the Thread. He stands at the door and knocks. Will you let the Thread in, will you let Him paint the blood? He was already lifted up on a tree like the snake in the desert (Numbers 21:5-9 ESV John 3:14 ESV).

The work is done. God wants you to be saved, so that you don't fall under His terrible wrath. God wants to pass over you, but you need to DO something to escape. Are you so lazy and "partying" inside that you aren't willing to do the simple act required of you, an act of faith? Or are you simply asleep inside, snoring away?

During the Last Supper Jesus alluded to His death on the cross - the ultimate Passover act. It is no mistake in timing that Jesus was crucified on the eve of a Passover. The blood was ready to redeem even on the darkest night in human history. It's also not coincidence that the angel of death in the Exodus account killed the firstborn of each household not covered by blood. Jesus is God's only begotten Son, and is the firstborn from the dead, having defeated death by His resurrection. As all the firstborn died in Egypt, Jesus the firstborn died in our place. His blood is our covering.

The celebration of the Passover is no longer necessary because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices. It would be interesting to see a "modified" celebration that recognizes Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb. I suppose Communion replaces the Passover for Christians in this respect.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV