A Passover Connection to the Resurrection
“I AM the Resurrection and the Life!” - John 11:26
“Worthy is the Lamb who was Slain!” - Revelation 5:12
“He is not here, He has RISEN!” - Luke 24:6-7
[Insert your favorite Resurrection scripture here]
Whether you prefer to say Easter or Resurrection Day or choose to recognize it on Saturday or Sunday; two things are for certain and one thing is for sure: Jesus. Got. Up!
We won’t get into the societal dissonance around Christian tradition and theology. We will take this weekend to honor the most important sacrifice Jesus gave to save our lives and change the entire history of humanity for generations to come.
My curiosity was sparked as I was reading the book of Exodus and wanted to dig deeper between the connection between Old Testament Passover and the New Testament Resurrection. Exodus (found in the Old Testament) details the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites were in bondage and slavery to Egypt and so God sent plagues to the country to rescue them. In one of the final plagues against Egypt, the Israelites received instructions to sacrifice a lamb as an offering. They were to eat from the body of the cooked lamb and smear it’s blood over the doorpost of their homes. This sacrifice, and more specifically the blood of the lamb over the doors, was a significant marker of identity. When morning dawned, the families who were obedient were saved from a spirit of death that swept through the night. This event was recorded as the Passover because those homes were “passed over” and saved from death. (Exodus 12)
Fast forward to the Last Supper in the New Testament. Jesus joined his 12 disciples in Jerusalem for a customary festival and dinner celebrating the milestone of the Passover that occurred centuries before. In fact, the Last Supper was the catalyst to a series of events that ultimately lead Jesus to his death on the cross. (Luke 22)
So, what’s the symbolism? The Israelites were saved through the death of a lamb and application of its blood. Likewise, humanity is saved through the death of Jesus and the application of his blood. See, Jesus is the Lamb of God! (John 1:29) Before Christ, living animals were sacrificed as an act of purification for sin as demonstrated in the book of Exodus and throughout the Old Testament. When Christ arrived, he surrendered his life to be the living sacrifice for our sins and it is through His blood that was slain providing provision for our sins to be “passed over”. (Romans 8:3) The grace in His death is that instead of God seeing the offensiveness of our sin, God sees the blood of Jesus as a marker of identity that covers us to be saved. No future animal sacrifice would ever be required because Jesus died for all sins, for all people, for the rest of time. (Hebrews 9-10)
The miracle is not just in His death, but because Jesus received authority from God to walk out the tomb and bondage to death. This phenomenon is significant because it represents the new life we enter in with God after being saved from our sins. Remember, the Israelites needed a savior to rescue them from bondage and slavery to Egypt. Likewise, we need Jesus as a savior to release us from bondage to sin. Even though humanity was born into a sinful nature apart from God, Jesus is the bridge back into relationship with God. (John 14:6)
Faith is the most critical part of our relationship with God. Where would the Israelites have been if the lamb died, but did not have the faith to apply the blood of the lamb over their homes? In order to “activate”our rescue or salvation, we must “apply” the blood of Jesus to our lives. What does this look like for modern times? We must confess Jesus is the son of God, believe Jesus died as our personal sacrifice for sin and that Jesus rose with power from death. This belief allows us to walk in freedom because it demonstrates a new order, a new covenant and a new life with God. (Romans 10)
However you decide to celebrate, do so in love and honor to God. Love on someone today and share the good news that the Savior still lives!
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