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Fact About Christ from page 10: Christ is the Passover lamb
Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed
– 1 Corinthians 5:7b
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29b)! This declaration by John the Baptist as he saw Jesus approaching him might be the most recognizable description of Jesus, among Christians and non-Christians alike. This is a rich picture steeped in the history of the Jewish people, a reference to one of their most defining moments, the Passover. Today, we will focus on details up to the slaying of the lamb and the blood of the lamb and revisit other aspects of the Passover feast at a later time.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on 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 are. 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.
– Exodus 12:1-13
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
– Exodus 12:29-30
The Passover is to be the beginning of months for the Israelites. It marks the beginning of their year, to remind them yearly of the beginning of their new life, out of Egypt and unto the Lord. In it, each household is to take a lamb. This is not an individual experience, households are even instructed to join with their neighbors if they do not have enough people to eat an entire lamb. The lamb, unblemished, male, and a year old, is taken from the flocks on the tenth day of the month and kept until the fourteenth day. This is a testing period, where the lamb is examined for blemishes. During this time, the lamb is a part of the household. It might not be too much to say that in that time, some families would eat with them, sleep with them, even name them.
Yet, on the fourteenth day of the month, all the lambs would be killed at twilight. This is not something that happened at the tabernacle or the temple, but they slay the lamb in their households. (Later, Deut 16:5-6 will move the sacrifice to the tabernacle). The whole lamb is roasted and eaten. Nothing is to be left until the morning—everything left is to be burned. The blood of the lamb is taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the house in which the families eat. This blood makes a distinction between God’s people and the Egyptians. When the Lord passes through the land of Egypt and strikes all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the blood is a sign. A sign that causes the Lord to pass over them, sparing them from this final plague on the land of Egypt.
What is this night like, especially for the Israelites? The Lord strikes down all the first born from the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon. It doesn’t matter if one is rich or poor, has high or low status, is talented or common. No house is exempt from the judgment of the Lord. Only the blood on the doorposts and the lintels separates the Israelites from judgment. Imagine each family in their house, feasting on the lamb they slew, dressed ready for travel. What do they hear? Perhaps the night is punctuated by cries and wails from the neighboring houses as Egyptians discover the death of their firstborn. Perhaps the Israelites look at each other and worry. Is the blood on their door enough? From the inside, they could not see it. Some might have had to suppress the urge to go out and make sure the blood is still there. Some might have found peace in God’s word: When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Regardless, the effectiveness of the blood has nothing to do with the confidence, the feelings, the thoughts, or the experiences of the men and women inside. It rests only on the blood of the Lamb and the promise of God.
So what does this picture say about Christ?
Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed
– 1 Corinthians 5:7b
Jesus is the Passover lamb for all the household of God, of which every believer is a member. His sacrifice was the beginning of days for that household, beginning a new era, the age of grace. He was unblemished. Perfect. Proved through examination by so many before His death. Whether it was questioning by the priests, scribes, lawyers, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Pontius Pilate, or others, from the day Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on the tenth to his death on the cross on the fourteenth, Jesus proved Himself worthy to be the Passover lamb. Lastly, his blood on the cross stands as a sign toward God. When God sees the blood, it is enough. This is the promise of God.
What does this mean for me as a Christian?
The blood is enough! It doesn’t matter what kind of confidence, feelings, thoughts, or experiences you may have. Because of the promise of God, we can have peace that the blood of Christ is sufficient for Him and thus should be sufficient for us. There is nothing more that needs to be done to be right with God―we are freed to know Him, enjoy Him, and even feast upon Him as the lamb provided for us in the household of God.
And when it comes to feasting upon this particular lamb, we quickly realize that this lamb is too big! Remember the story: if your household is too small, then you need to invite your neighbor! Christ is so big, so rich, so full. All of mankind can eat of Him and be satisfied. To fulfill this picture to its fullest, can you bring another under the blood of Christ and into the household of God?
Have any inspirations or questions about the content of the article? Or do you just want to say hello and introduce yourself? We’d love to hear from all our readers! Leave a comment or send an email to editors@asweetsavor.org with the title of this post in the subject line. If you are burning to engage with us, but don’t know what to say, here are some questions that could be a help:
- Salvation through the blood of Christ is one of the greatest promises of God. What can you do in your daily life to build your trust in the promise of God and in the blood of Christ more than your own confidence, feelings, thoughts, or experiences?
- Consider the testing that Jesus had to go through in the days before His death. How did He respond? How do we respond when we are tested and tried by men? How can we learn from Him?
- Is there a “neighbor” you are thinking of inviting into the household of God? How can we pray for you and for them?