God’s people were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. They’d been oppressed by a cruel tyrant who defied God and abused His people. God said, “Let my people go,” but Pharaoh cared nothing for God, so God came down in judgment and mercy.
God’s judgment broke the power of Pharaoh, while His mercy protected His people. The wages of sin is death, and death came to every home in Egypt that night. But God said to His own people, “Sacrifice a lamb, and paint the blood on the door frame of your house.” Then God said, “When I see the blood I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).
That’s where the “Passover” comes from. God saved His people from the fearsome wrath of His judgment and “passed over” them by the blood of a sacrifice. What would you have done if you’d been among God’s people and Moses told you to paint blood over your door? “Do we really need to do this?” Would you have taken God at His Word?
Celebrating the Passover with Moses
“For seven days, eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction… so that… you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.” Deuteronomy 16:3
Through a sacrifice, God’s people were saved from His judgment and brought into a covenant with Him, “You will be my people and I will be your God.” Now Moses says, “That’s worth celebrating!” Notice how they celebrated Passover...
Imagine you’re living north of Jerusalem, as our Lord did. You travel on foot for seven days to this festival, and when you arrive you get to eat... dry crackers? Centuries later, God’s people were to taste life as it would have been, if it had not been for the mercy of God. On the final day of the Passover, they were told to “sacrifice the Passover when the sun goes down... roast it and eat it” (Deuteronomy 16:6).
Celebrating the Passover with Jesus Christ
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer... He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Luke 22:15
Do you see what Jesus was saying? “The mighty intervention of God we’re celebrating tonight is only a shadow of what He’s about to do. The Passover points to this—my body will become the sacrifice by which you’re redeemed from divine wrath. My blood will set you free from sin’s power.”
When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we don’t roast a lamb—the sacrifice has already been made! We take the cup and remember the blood of Christ was shed. And when, by faith, His blood is applied to your life, you’re delivered from the wrath of God and brought out of the position you used to be in, which is a slave. You’re brought into the freedom of new life with God, in which He says to you, “You are mine and I am yours.”
This is not a process. It’s been accomplished. God gives you this feast so you won’t spend the rest of your life wondering if He loves you. You see that He loves you in the cross. God gives you this feast so that you won’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you’ll ever be forgiven. You see that you’re forgiven in the cross. Faith sees this.
God gives you this feast so that you will not spend the rest of your life living as if you were still a slave. Through the Passover, God’s people saw that God had put them in an entirely new position. You are no longer slaves! This is what God says to us in the cross, “You are not a slave! You are redeemed! You have been set free by the blood of Christ.” Sin will always be your enemy but it is no longer you master.
This Week's Scripture: Celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 16:1
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This LifeKey is based on the message “Celebrate All That is Yours in Christ,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith, delivered October 24, 2010, from the series “Take Two: The Power of a Fresh Start.” Colin currently serves as Senior Pastor of the The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is committed to preaching the Bible in a way that nourishes the soul by directing attention to Jesus Christ.
