Jesus, Our Passover Lamb

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of the father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. ---Exodus 12:3,4

As we approach Passover Sunday, let us explore the spiritual side – the reason we celebrate this season.

Exodus 12 gives us one of God’s portraits of redemption, a picture of what Jesus did for us in His death, burial and resurrection. At this time, the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt. In the Old Testament, Egypt is a type of sin, bondage or Satan’s kingdom—the kingdom we lived in before we were born again. As the ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh is a type of Satan.

Israel, on the other hand, is a type of the Church. Moses, God’s man, is a picture of Jesus Christ coming on the scene with signs, wonders and miracles to deliver God’s people. Israel’s deliverance out of Egyptian bondage into freedom is a type of the new birth. Just as the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt, so is a new believer translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

Finally, the miracle that produced Israel’s freedom centered around a lamb—what the Bible called a Passover lamb. As this story was unfolding for the Israelites, they had no idea or concept that this would be used in the future as a picture of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, but it did protect them as they went through the deliverance from bondage to freedom. What the Passover lamb in the Old Testament accomplished for the children of Israel through its death is a clear picture of what Jesus accomplished for us through His death, burial and resurrection.

That’s why John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. (John 1:29) And in Revelation 13:8, Jesus was called the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus is our Passover Lamb, whose death provided a way for those who believe in Him to be saved, delivered, healed and made whole.

Confession: The Old Testament Passover lamb opened the way for the Israelites to be delivered from Egypt’s bondage. Jesus is my Passover Lamb. His blood opened the way for me to come into the family of God and enjoy my inheritance!