Passover – the Feast fulfilled
Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.
~ 1 Corinthians 5:7
Jesus Christ died at the Jewish feast of Passover. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus observed the Passover meal with His disciples before He was crucified. Jesus death was a fulfillment of the types and shadows in the Passover meal. God had been pointing to the sacrifice for sin that would be made by the Messiah. Jesus was that Messiah.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden they, and their descendants, became separated from God.
God’s plan of redemption came through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the children of Israel. The Bible tells how God rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Although they saw miracles they complained, and showed their unbelief, as they journeyed through the wilderness to the Promised Land. So God imposed the Law, through Moses. Israel accepted the new conditions of blessings for obedience and curses for failure.
God knew that Israel would not be able to keep the Law ...
The story is instructive because it shows that they, and all people, are unable to measure up in their own strength.
The Law, which was added [Galatians 3:19] to God’s unconditional promises because of their transgressions, and which was a curse on Israel [Galatians 3:10], included moral and ceremonial requirements.
Galatians 3:19
What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come ...
×Galatians 3:10
All who rely on observing the Law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law”.
×God knew that Israel would not be able to keep the Law. Nevertheless, He gave the Law for these reasons:
- To show His standard of righteousness
Psalms 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
× - To show that nobody measures up
He gave the Law to make sin obvious [Romans 3:20]
Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law; rather, through the Law we become conscious of sin.
× - To show that we are unable to achieve righteousness by our own efforts
We need a Saviour [Hebrews 8:7-8]
Hebrews 8:7-8
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”
× - To point to that Saviour
The Law pointed to Jesus, the Messiah [Romans 10:4]
Romans 10:4
Christ is the end of the Law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
×
The Bible says that the Law was ‘only a shadow of the good things that were to come’ (Hebrews 10:1). The Old Testament has many types and shadows that pointed to the Messiah. The Feast of Passover was one of the ceremonial requirements of the Law.
Passover events foreshadowing the Messiah and fulfilled in Christ
Israel had to take a lamb
“Tell the whole community of Israel that each man is to take a lamb ...”
[Exodus 12:3]
Jesus is the Lamb
John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
[John 1:29]
John 5:18
“When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.
I will be his father, and he will be My son. I will never take My love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.”
×The lamb must be without defect
“The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect.”
[Exodus 12:5]
Jesus was sinlessly perfect
He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth.
[1 Peter 2:22 and Isaiah 53:9]
Israel had to put blood on the doorframes
“They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.” [Exodus 12:7]
Jesus shed His blood to cover our sins
God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.
[Romans 3:25]
The Israelites would be spared from death while under the blood
“The blood will 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]
Jesus’ blood covers our sins so that we shall not be condemned
We have been justified by His blood. [Romans 5:9]
In Him we have redemption through His blood. [Ephesians 1:7]
The Israelites had to stay in the house until morning
“Not one of you shall go out of his house until morning.”
[Exodus 12:22]
Faith in Jesus must endure to the end
He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel ...
[Colossians 1:22-23]
Israel was delivered out of slavery in Egypt
On that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt. [Exodus 12:51]
Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. [Exodus 13:3]
Jesus gives spiritual deliverance from slavery to sin and the fear of death
... He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. [Hebrews 2:14-15]
We were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. [Galatians 4:3]
Passover was linked to the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Leaven is yeast. It causes bread to rise; to get puffed up. It is a picture of sin through pride and selfishness. Israel had to eat bread without yeast.
Christians are called to humility ...
We can also see pointers to Jesus, and the community of believers that He would birth, in the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The Bible says that believers are one with Jesus – one body [Colossians 1:18].
Passover has been fulfilled. Jesus has accomplished redemption for all who believe in Him.
To Jews each day starts at sunset. The Sabbath is the last day of the week – a Saturday. It starts on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening. Sunday follows the Sabbath. It is the first day of the week. It was the day that Jesus rose from the grave.
When Jesus rose from the dead, the church was born. The disciples became the firstfruits of the harvest – the first grain unto God. They saw the resurrected Lord on Sunday – the first day of the week by Jewish reckoning.
Israel had to bring a grain offering on the day after the Sabbath
Passover has been fulfilled. Jesus has accomplished redemption for all who believe in Him.
Continues with ...
