“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…” – Exodus 12:13
“And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.” – Matthew 26:19
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ A He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” – Matthew 26:26-28
The story of the exodus is quite a dramatic one. God commissions Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the people of Israel. Through a series of plaques and proofs Pharaoh concedes. Israel gets out of town but comes up against the Red Sea. Enter God, who makes a highway through the high seas! In this Book of the Bible God is revealed as a “deliverer” and a “provider”. This message is made evident through many miracles as God provides water for their thirst (out of a rock), food for their stomachs (manna from heaven each morning) and guidance for their way of life (The Ten commandments).
Our God saves! He is our Savior, our Deliverer and our Provider. The events of the exodus from Passover to the Promised Land are a full color picture of God’s plan from the beginning…to set us free from the slavery of sin and to give us eternal life abundantly! The deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery lets us see that the God of all creation is more than just a God who hears us. He is more than a God who pursues us. He is a God who is willing and able to rescue us! God shows up and sets His people free. He provides the way out…He provides the way through…He provides a place to go to, and He provides the guidance on how to get there. Does this sound familiar?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
The Passover story is the story of Jesus! It is no accident that the Last Supper with the disciples was the Passover meal. It is not just a convenient illustration of what Jesus was about to do for us. He was the ultimate revelation and fulfillment of what God had been showing them throughout the whole Bible. This meal that had been symbolically practiced for thousands of years was not only a remembrance of what God had done in the past for Israel, but a living hope that the God who saved His people then would come to save them again.
The Passover story had been told over and over again, year after year. The story of the Messiah who would come to set His people free. This is the story that we celebrate during the Lenten season. This is the story of Jesus. That night Jesus was pulling back the curtain and revealing the meaning of the whole observance. “This meal, this celebration, is about me! I am the Passover Lamb! The blood that covers you…Mine! You thought you were just remembering something in the past but it has been pointing you to this moment. You are mine and I am here to deliver you!”
God has always loved us and has always had a plan to save us. That has never changed. It was revealed it to us from the beginning. Jesus simply brought the familiar story to life.