Our Passover

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

Corinthians 5:7

For at least a week before the Passover ceremony, a Jewish mother diligently purges the house of “leaven.” Bread crackers and anything else that might contain yeast is tossed in the trash. The pantry is scrubbed with soap and water before storing the matzo meal used in many of the Passover dishes.

Finally, on the night of the ceremony, the father takes a few bread crumbs in full view of the others and drops them to the floor. He then sweeps them up as a symbol that the house is clean and ready for the Seder service to begin.

The Passover ceremony often lasts 3-4 hours and involves everyone seated at the table. Beginning with the lighting of candles, there is the washing of hands, the asking of questions, and the reading of the Old Testament story of the Passover. On the center of the table sits a bowl of salt water, a meatless lamb bone, cups of wine, roasted eggs, squares of matzo, and some horseradish. Each of these has its own special significance which is explained and considered during the course of the evening. To the Jewish people, the Passover is the festival meal that recalls Israel’s embittered bondage in Egypt and God’s wonderful deliverance.

For the Christian, our Passover is simply Christ. He is our sacrifice that delivers us from the bondage of sin and brings us into communion with God. We celebrate our Passover by remembering who our Savior is and what He has done for us. This is best done when the “old leaven” is first purged out, that is to say, laying "aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1) so that we can truly show Him our appreciation.

King of Kings

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 
Revelation 19:16*

The Bible is the full revelation of God to His people, so that all those who love the Lord also love His Word. I’m not surprised at the great and precious things that I find fresh and new every time I read the word, even though I’ve gone through the book many times before.

One thing that does surprise me is some of the stuff that has gotten in. God’s written down some things that don’t seem very important to me and I don’t know how to process it. Take Genesis 36, for example, where the genealogy of Esau is given. These men became chieftains and kings of Edom, dozens of them, all with names that are hard to pronounce. These kings lived and reigned long before Israel ever got to their promised land and since Edom was later cursed by God, no descendants of that nation exist today. I mean, really, who cares? Obviously God does, because He wrote it down in His book.

God keeps a lot of lists. Just read First Chronicles. There are lists of Levites, priests, singers, and doorkeepers. In heaven, there’s a list of every person’s sins and the Lamb’s Book of Life catalogs all those going to heaven. Somewhere in all that paperwork of heaven is a complete listing of all the kings that ever lived on earth. Since every king ultimately receives his power and authority from God, one day they’ll have to settle accounts with Him.

At the great white throne, will be kings of Edom, Rome, Greece, Persia, and Babylon. Every monarch that ever lived will be present and, when the signal is given, every one of them will bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. All the proud and mighty will humble themselves before the true King of Kings. 

* see also 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14.

LORD’s Passover

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.

Exodus 12:11

Many Christians understand the historical significance of the Old Testament observance of Passover and even know that the “Last Supper” was actually Christ celebrating the feast with His disciples. Modern calendars mark when the Jewish holiday occurs today, but few believers have ever seen this Feast of the LORD celebrated.

John 6:4 describes Passover as a “feast of the Jews”, but it is also deeply Christian. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” In order to better understand this expression of the Savior, believers must grasp that this is the LORD’s Passover and not just the holiday of another religion.

Everything about the Passover belongs to the Lord, its history, its symbolism, its message and even the dinner itself. The LORD himself told Moses exactly what to say and do. A perfect lamb was chosen and then lived with the family for four days before it was killed and the blood was smeared on the headboard and sides of the doorframe. Judgment was to fall on every household in Egypt, so the sacrifice of the lamb was to protect the children of Israel who believed God’s instructions. God declared: “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” (Exodus 12:13).

For over two millennia the Jewish people have celebrated the LORD’s Passover to remember what God did the night of the Exodus to deliver them from slavery. But the celebration is more than just historical; it was prophetic because it clearly illustrates the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God on the 14th of the month of Nisan, which was the very day the LORD’s Passover was to be sacrificed.

If you ever have had the chance to attend a Passover Seder service, go for it. It is well worth the price of admission (it usually includes a catered meal). The program is an object lesson of God’s faithfulness through the ages, Jewish culture and the telling of the Passover story. A traditional Jewish Seder service would be very edifying, but one with a messianic congregation would be even more enlightening. There, it would be even more evident that Jesus Christ is the LORD’s Passover. 

Peace Offering

'When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
Leviticus 3:1*

God enjoys celebrating with His people. He gave them feasts and festivals and even today the Jewish people are known for their food. He gave them a land of milk and honey, but it also produced great harvests of grains, fruit, and livestock.

Without refrigeration, meat was hard to keep, so it wasn't on the menu everyday; it was special. When an animal from the herd (beef) or flock (goat meat or mutton) was to be slaughtered, it was taken to the Tabernacle or Temple, because the blood and the fat belonged to the LORD. When the fat sizzled on the altar it gave off a “sweet aroma” to God (Leviticus 4:31). The right foreleg was a heave offering to God, but the officiating priest got to keep it as payment for his services. The rest of the meat was for the owner to enjoy as he wished.

The peace offering was the most common and least restrictive of all the sacrifices. It could be any clean animal without defect (male or female didn't matter), whatever someone had a taste for. Different kinds of breads were also a part of this fellowship dinner. Since everything had to be eaten in two days (it wouldn't be safe to eat it much more after that), the peace offering was a good excuse for a party. Neighbors and friends would be invited and people looked for excuses to celebrate. If I invited friends to help me eat 500 pounds of beef in two days, they would probably do the same for me when they had a peace offering, That principal naturally nurtured hospitality, generosity, and fellowship.

The Prince of Peace became our peace offering to enjoy with the family of God. He is our Lamb of God, our Bread of Life, and our Companion and friend “...therefore let us keep the feast...” (1 Corinthians 5:8). 

Full of Grace

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

          Jesus Christ is extreme grace. He is Full of Grace; He is grace on steroids. That having been said, most people don’t understand simple grace much less grasp its full concentration. To explain it, I'll use an illustration that comes from the jungles of Ecuador.

          Dangerous animals live in the rainforest. Anacondas, jaguars, and scorpions come to mind, but few have heard of the most dangerous of them all – stinging caterpillars.

          They’re everywhere! Once I was walking on a jungle trail when I brushed against some low hanging branches. A “chinicuru,” as the Indians call it, fell down my T-shirt and it rolled down my back leaving a raised, painful burn that lasted for hours. I really don’t like these things!

          On another occasion, I went to visit a Quichua family. When I got to their thatched hut, the parents had already gone to work in the garden leaving the twelve year old in charge of her five younger siblings. I came unexpectedly, so I caught them in the process of torturing a chinicuru. They had formed a circle with the coals from the kitchen cooking fire and they put the caterpillar in the middle. Whatever direction it turned, it would burn off the venomous bristles that covered its body.

          As the only adult present, not to mention a missionary and ambassador of Christ’s love, I felt that I should say something, but I didn’t. I wanted to see the awful beast burn. Did I mention that I hate those things?

          Now, if I wanted to save that ugly worm, I could have reached my hand down and let it crawl up my finger to escape the danger. However, if I did that I would have gotten burned, twice! Once by the fire and once from that stinging caterpillar.

          But I would never do that. I’ve been stung too many times. Who would ever do that? The only one who could possibly do something like that would be the critter’s Creator. Saving it, He would allow it to transform into the beautiful moth that it was designed to be. But if the creator did that, He would have a love for the unlovely that would be so intense, you’d need a new word to describe it – let’s call it Grace.

          The human race has rebelled against God and is much more dangerous than stinging caterpillars, yet Christ died on the cross so that we could live. Jesus is Full of Grace.

Merciful and Faithful High Priest

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 2:17

In order to have propitiation (i.e. in order for a sacrifice to do what it was intended to do) all the pieces had to be in place. There needed to be an acceptable altar, a qualified priest, and an animal specifically created for sacrifice. But it was more than that! The legal precedent had to be established whereby there was a process for atoning for sin.

Therefore, the Aaronic priesthood and system for sacrifices was not just cute symbolism or literary foreshadowing of Christ on the cross, they were God's way of showing how complicated it is to actually remove sin from a sinner.

The office of the High Priest was essential, both for atonement of sins and for intercession for the sinner. Unfortunately some high priests weren't worthy of the job. Annas and Caiaphas were evil men that not only failed to recognize the promised Messiah, they conspired to have him crucified. It is hard to imagine that their offering for the people on the Day of Atonement would be accepted, because they were so far out of God's will.

The Lord Jesus on the other hand, is the Merciful and Faithful High Priest. He is highly qualified for the job and was able to do what all His predecessors were unable to do: atone for sin once and for all. He showed mercy by freeing His people from the bondage of sin and now faithfully intercedes on behalf of the blood bought people He redeemed. The altar was the cross; the propitiation was the blood of Christ and the Minister of the Sanctuary was our Merciful and Faithful High Priest.

Him who is from the Beginning

I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

1 John 2:13

One of the few perks about being old is the right to say “been there, done that.” I went to school in the 1950's before ballpoint pens were invented and we still used fountain pens. I ate at McDonald's restaurants before they served 50 million and I remember the introduction of the Ford Mustang back in 1964. When young people today think these things have been around forever, I feel like him who is around from the beginning.

The Apostle John addressed the church fathers as the oldest and wisest men in the assembly. They had been around for a long time and could certainly teach the young people a thing or two. But John needed to remind them of their true sense of maturity; they knew Him who is from the Beginning.

The Lord Jesus was around before the wheel and the campfire was invented. He existed before the earth was formed and before the very first star got fired up. Before time began, there were no reference points to the universe, but things still happened back there. The angels, principalities, and powers were created and God sat on His throne. Christ was around back then too, but it is just called “Eternity past.”

When God finally got around to making matter and energy, time was invented simultaneously. The moment that happened is called “the Beginning.” Christ got the clock ticking. He was Him who is from the Beginning.

*see also 1 John 2:14; 1:1