CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE IN CHRIST MINISTRIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY ON YOUTUBE
Luke 2:41-42
The Feast of the Passover was introduced by God during the tenth plague on Egypt at the time of the Exodus (the “exit” of God’s chosen people Israel from the captivity and slavery of the Egyptians). These events are recorded in Exodus 11-13.
Exodus 12:1-3b, 5-8, 11-14 (NKJV) states, 1“Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: “On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, … 5‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it… 11‘And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.
‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now 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 the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.’”
This is the significance of the Feast of the Passover.
There are several connections of the Feast of the Passover to the crucifixion of Jesus.
- Each Israelite man was to take a lamb without blemish (Exodus 12:3, 5).
Jesus is referred to as the “Lamb of God” in John 1:29.
- They were to keep the lamb for 4 days; as to become familiar with it, to care for it, to get to know it as a part of their family (Exodus 12:3, 6).
Jesus was sent to the world for a short time; so that we could become familiar with Him, to show how God cares for us, so that we could become a part of His family, “to become children of God” (John 1:12b).
- “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it” (Exodus 12:6b-7).
John 19:13-16 states, “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’
But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him!”
Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’
The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’
Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.”
- Exodus 12:12-13 states, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
Leviticus 17:11 states, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” During the celebration of the Feast of the Passover in what we refer to as “The Last Supper,” Jesus stated in Matthew 26:27-28, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’”
- Exodus 12:7 states, “And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”
Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross. We know this from the words of Thomas in John 20:25b as he proclaims, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Diagram A. shows the blood on the doorpost and lintel of the houses of the Israelites as described in Exodus 12:7. Some of the blood would have also dripped down to the ground under the lintel. Diagram B. shows the blood on the cross where Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to it. Jesus also wore a crown of thorns (John 19:1, 5) which would have left a blood stain at the top of the cross. If the blood spots on the doorpost and lintel are connected from top to bottom, and then from the left to the right, a cross is formed.
- Exodus 12:14c states, “You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.”
In John 3:16 Jesus states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
In John 5:24 Jesus states, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
In John 6:27 Jesus states, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
In John 6:40 Jesus states, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believe s in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
In John 6:47 Jesus states, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
Dear Lord,
Your design of the plan for the salvation of man leaves us in awe of how much greater Your thoughts are than ours. Thank You for Your Word that we may study Your ways and learn of the relationship that You desire to have with each of us through salvation in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Please open our eyes, hearts, minds, and souls to receive the gift of everlasting life in and through Your Son Jesus, whom You sent to save the world from sin. In Jesus name I pray, amen.