Exodus 12:29-32
Even after nine previous plagues, Pharaoh does not agree to let Israel go, so God sends the tenth plague – The death of the firstborn. Pharaoh has had enough and summons Moses and Aaron and tells them to go away with their flocks and herds. He also asks for a blessing. The Egyptians are eager to have Israel gone from their land and when asked, give them jewelry of silver and gold as well as clothing.
The LORD instructed the people through Moses and Aaron how to survive the death of their firstborn. They are to sacrifice a lamb for each family. They are to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house. They are to roast the lamb and eat it that night. No bones are to be broken. The LORD will pass through the land killing every firstborn human and animal, but when He sees the blood, He will pass over that house. This is the implementation of Passover.
People obey the Lord’s instructions, and their firstborn are kept alive, while the firstborn of the Egyptians perish in the night.
The month of the Passover is now to be considered the first month of the year, and the Passover tradition is to be observed every year and passed down through the generations, so that they too can be reminded of the great things the LORD did for Israel.
Celebration of Passover has been kept alive by tradition and ritual, following the command of the LORD regarding avoidance of leaven found in Exodus 12:14-19. During the festival of Passover Jewish households not only do not eat leavened bread but remove any leavened products throughout the house.
The Seder meal is at the center of the celebration. Families gather around the table and follow the ritual that includes reading the story of Exodus, drinking four cups of wine and eating symbolic foods – Matzah (unleavened bread to represent hurried departure that did not allow for dough to rise), bitter herbs (symbolizes the bitterness of slavery), a roasted shank bone (representing the Passover lamb) and others.
The telling of the story is meant to keep the knowledge alive of what the LORD did for them. The youngest person present traditionally asks the Four Questions:
- Why is this night different from all other nights?
- Why do we eat unleavened bread tonight?
- Why do we eat bitter herbs?
- Why do we dip our food twice tonight?
The food is dipped first in bitter herbs (representing the bitterness of slavery), and then in charoset (mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine and spices), representing hope and resilience even in difficult times).
Each of the four cups of wine represents a different aspect of Passover. The first cup marks the beginning of the Passover meal. The second cup is consumed after reading the Haggadah, or the Passover story. The third cup is drunk after the meal, signifying redemption from Egypt and expresses gratitude for freedom. The fourth cup is the Cup of Elijah and is left untouched – It symbolizes hope for the future redemption and the arrival of the Messiah – It is called that because of the belief that Elijah the prophet will announce the Messiah’s coming.
Passover was celebrated in Jesus’ time, and it was the reason why the leaders of the land were in Jerusalem when Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified.
The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Passover lamb. John 1:29 refers to Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5:7 speaks of Jesus as “our paschal lamb”.
Jesus is hanging on the cross as the Passover lambs are being sacrificed. Exodus 12:46 commanded that none of the Passover lamb’s bones should be broken. John 19:31-34 tells us that when the soldiers went to break Jesus’ legs so that He would die quicker, they found Him already dead, so no bones were broken.
The Passover lamb symbolizes deliverance, freedom and redemption. That is what Jesus brings us also. Passover freed Israel from slavery to Egypt, while Jesus frees us from slavery to sin. Paul teaches in his letter to the Romans that before we were saved, all we could do was sin, but now that we are saved, for the first time in our lives, we have the choice not to sin.
Revelation 20 tells us that after our earthly lives are over and the Lord returns, there will be a final judgment. There is a lake of fire which is second death and anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into it. The way to get our names into the book is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we do that, the blood He shed for us marks our hearts and second death will pass over us, just like the angel of death passed over anyone in the houses marked with the blood of the Passover lamb. Let us be grateful that our eternal life with the Lord is set, due to our faith in Jesus. For those who we encounter that are headed for second death, let us share Christ with them so that they might also get their names written in the book of life.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on June 9, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 