Understanding The Passover

Starting yesterday and continuing through today, the Jewish community is observing the holiday of Passover, also known as Pesach. This significant festival commemorates the miraculous liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Passover is marked by various traditions, including the Seder meal, which features symbolic foods that represent different aspects of the Exodus story. During this time, families gather to retell the story of their ancestors' escape from bondage, reflect on themes of freedom, and celebrate their enduring cultural and religious heritage.

The origins of this special remembrance are found in the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Exodus, Chapters 12 and 13. In these passages, God's judgment "passed over" the houses of those who had placed the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. Exodus 12:13 specifically says, "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

The blood acted as a public sign of obedience and faith, differentiating Israelite homes from Egyptian homes to protect them from the "judgment." Furthermore, the blood of the lamb represented the Biblical teaching of substitutionary atonement, where in this context the innocent life of the lamb protected the firstborn of Israel.

Most importantly, the Passover in the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus' death on the cross because He is our "Passover Lamb.” In First Corinthians 5:7, Paul declares, "…For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Earlier in John’s Gospel, the great John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. John 1:29-30 says, "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ "

For believers, we give thanks for God’s incredible deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. However, that Passover is now defined by Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. The institution of the "Last Supper," which replaced the Passover (Matthew 26:17–30, Mark 14:12–26, Luke 22:7–23), is a reminder that Jesus is our Passover Lamb.