“Jesus is our Passover Lamb” Author and Writer Ronald Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

 “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;

ENCOURAGING WORD: 

Before I get into this very important message, I need to give you a scenario and then see how you reply. Let’s say someone offers you a million dollars. You have the option of picking it up at any time, however, there is a deadline as to when you can receive it. That day could be one day or several years. When would you choose to receive that gift. I know the answer; you would get it either right away that day or for sure the next day. 100% of all who received this offer would get it as soon as they could. There would be no hesitation. I have to admit it; I would do the same. Now. Let me compare that to something that is more valuable than any amount of money. Jesus Christ has an offer on the table for all who would receive it. Jesus is offering salvation to all who would receive His gift of Grace, or to put it more plainly, entry into heaven forever. Now, I heard a lot of people tell me that they believe in Jesus but they are not ready to surrender to His love. If you fall into this category, I have to be blunt by saying, “You are ignorant in ever sense of the word.” If you say that you are going to hold off on your commitment to serve Jesus, then I have to say, “You are not a believer, because if you truly did believe in Jesus and His plan for salvation, you would give Him your life immediately. The cost of refusing the gift of grace is eternity in hell separated from God for ever. This could happen tomorrow or years from now. Are you really willing to take the chance that it will be years from now. In other words, 100% would jump on the gift of one million dollars but very few are will to give up their life for Jesus. Now, let me share this very uncomfortable verse in the Bible that everybody should take very seriously.

Matthew 7:13-14; “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Keep this thought in mind. When God judged the world with a worldwide flood, He saved eight people, Noah, his wife, His three sons and their wives. That was it. That is a few. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He saved four people. Lot, His wife and his two daughters. That is even fewer than Noah and his family. Religion cannot save you; good works cannot save you, only Jesus Christ can save you. Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved as it is clearly laid out in the Passover.

The Passover is primarily detailed in the Book of Exodus, where God commands the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood so that the "The Lord will Pass over all those that had lambs blood sprinkled on their door post.” This was the final plague. The judgement that finally freed the Hebrews from 400 years of bitter bondage.

Exodus 12:23; “For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.”

The central verse explaining the institution of the Passover in the Old Testament is found in; Exodus 12:13; "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. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

For a deeper look into the history and meaning of the Passover, explore these foundational passages:

The Origin Story: In Exodus 12:21-27, Moses instructs the elders of Israel on how to perform the ritual sacrifice and meal to remember their rescue from slavery. 

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’  that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So, the people bowed their heads and worshiped.”

The Date and Festival Rules: Leviticus 23:5-8 establishes the exact dates and outlines the accompanying Feast of Unleavened Bread. “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy assembly; you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy assembly; you shall do no customary work on it.’”

These verses outline the timing and practices for observing the Lord's Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It establishes the 14th day of the first month as Passover, followed by a seven-day period requiring unleavened bread, holy meetings, and daily fire offerings. 

The Christian Fulfillment: In the New Testament, Jesus shares the Last Supper with his disciples during the Passover, which is why Christians often refer to Him as the "Passover Lamb." This connection is highlighted in; 1 Corinthians 5:7, which states: "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Notice how significant this is when it comes to our salvation. All the Hebrews had to do was to apply blood on the lentil and the two door posts of their home. By applying blood to the lentil and doorposts, they were saved from the death angel. They didn’t have to perform any works, just faith. If there were any homes that did not have the blood on their doorsteps, the first born male of that family would die.

According to the biblical narrative, yes. The blood was an act of obedience and a physical covering of protection. If a Hebrew family had failed to follow Moses' instructions to place lamb's blood on their doorframes, their firstborn sons would have died just like the Egyptians'.

Theologically, this event is meant to show that salvation came not from mere heritage or genealogy, but from faith and strict obedience to God’s commands. According to biblical commentary, the plague did not arbitrarily target Egyptians; it struck any household lacking the required covering.

This act is deeply symbolic in Judeo-Christian tradition. For instance, in the Christian Bible, the Apostle Paul and other writers often point to the Passover lamb as a foreshadowing of Jesus. In this interpretation, the physical blood on the doorposts represents how faith in the "Lamb of God" covers and protects us from the spiritual consequences of sin.

In the Scriptures, the firstborn represents preeminence, inheritance, and dedication to God. During the first Passover, God commanded the death of every firstborn where the homes did not have the blood on their doorpost. The Israelites' firstborns that had the blood on the doorposts of their homes were spared because they were "redeemed" by the blood of the lamb, making all firstborns sacred.

Understanding this biblical concept highlights its significance across a few major themes:

The Passover and Redemption (Exodus 12 & 13)

The Final Plague: In Exodus 12:29; “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.”

God struck down every firstborn in Egypt as judgment, while passing over the Israelite homes marked by sacrificial lamb's blood. Note, If there was an Israelite home that did not have the blood on the doorpost, the first born of that home would have been put to death also. Being an Israelite did not save them; they had to receive the blood of the lamb to be saved. In the same way, the Jews of our time also have to receive the Blood of the Lamb (which is Jesus Christ) as their sacrifice for their sins. Jesus Christ is our Sacrificial Lamb and without Him, we would all perish, but when Jesus shed His blood on the cross, He did that for the remission of sins to all who would receive this gift. Just like all those that perished without having blood on the doorpost and lentil of their homes. All those that do not receive the blood of Jesus Christ as the only propitiation for their sins, will perish into the lake of burning fire when they appear at the “White Throne Judgment.” You may ask, how do I receive this wonderful gift. We read the answer in the following verses;

John 3:1-3; “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

It is spelled out very clearly how we must be saved. These verses are Words spoken by Jesus Christ. There is no other way to be saved but through the Blood of Jesus Christ and that can only be fulfilled by being born again into the Holy Spirit. If you don’t accept this truth, then you will die in your sins and suffer the consequences of eternity in “The Lake of Burning Fire.” There is “NO OTHER WAY” to be saved regardless of what any pastor or priest may tell you. You may say, “Saved from What? Saved from spending eternity in hell because you denied the Blood of Jesus Christ. We have the choice, Jesus will not send anybody to hell, it is a decision that we have to make, and He will honor our choice. We see a lot of paintings of Jesus Christ standing by a door. When you see one of the paintings, notice there is most likely no doorknob on the outside of that door. There is a reason for that. Jesus is on the outside knocking on our door; He will not enter until He is invited in. If you don’t invite Jesus Christ into your life, He will not invade your free will, and you will be on the outside looking in when that door closes for good. Once that door is closed, the door to grace will be shut just like the door to Noah’s ark. When the door to Noah’s ark closed, people were screaming and begging to be let in. When the door to grace closes, it will be the same scenario. I’ll bet you that every soul that drowned in the flood wished they had listened to Noah and repented of their sinful ways and entered the ark. We still have that choice to make. When the door closes, I can promise you that you will wish you made the choice to follow Jesus Christ while you had the chance.  

The primary Bible verse identifying Jesus as the sacrificial lamb is John 1:29, where John the Baptist says, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Key Old Testament Prophecy (The Foundation

Isaiah 53:7: He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.

Throughout the scriptures of the Bible, Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God.

The New Testament Fulfillment (The Sacrifice)

1 Corinthians 5:7; “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Here, Paul adjusts the metaphor to one best understood by those familiar with the Jewish Passover. In preparation for that celebration, Jews scour their homes to remove any hint of leaven. They would make and eat, instead, unleavened bread. In addition, they would sacrifice a Passover lamb and put its blood on their doorposts before eating it. Paul's metaphor puts the Corinthian Christians in the place of the Passover dough. They must cleanse out all the old leaven and become a new, unleavened piece of dough.

1 Peter 1:19; “but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish. Our Father purchased us with the blood of Christ. The value God place on our lives was equal to that of the very life of His "only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Peter describes Christ as a lamb free from blemish or defect. His Jewish readers, especially those who grew up participating in the sacrificial system, would have immediately understood the reference. In fact, some may have carried a memory of watching as a perfect, beautiful year-old lamb was killed, understanding that its blood was being spilled to cover their sin for a time.

John 1:36; and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'  Look, the Lamb of God! The final plague of Egypt was the death of the firstborn. Only those whose doors were covered with the blood of a lamb were spared. The preparation for sudden travel and the requirement of blood made a powerful symbol of Jesus' future work on the cross. After the judgment, those who stepped through that door were freed from their former slavery. Those of us who step through the door into salvation are free from the penalty of sin which is a form of slavery.

Ultimate Victory in Revelation (The Eternal Lamb)

Revelation 5:6; And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” In this verse John describes how he saw Jesus as a Lamb, standing between God's throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of the twenty-four elders. The Lamb that appeared to have been slain had seven horns and seven eyes. Horns are a scriptural metaphor for power, and the verse explains that the seven eyes are the seven spirits sent out into all the earth.. A Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. 

Revelation 5:12; “saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.' Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. The trail to Christ's kingdom passed through the cross. When Jesus was on earth, His disciples believed His earthly kingdom was imminent, but He told them repeatedly that He had come to die. The angelic host proclaimed Jesus' right to honor and power, in part, because He endured the cross. They declared He is worthy to receive royal acclaim because He "is the Lamb who was slain." He is worthy to receive the power or authority to establish and administrate His kingdom.

Revelation 7:17; “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.'”  The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. Undoubtedly, believers in the tribulation will mourn the loss of their martyred fellow believers. They will shed tears as they suffer at the hands of their persecutors. However, in the kingdom reign of Christ on the earth the survivors will never hunger or thirst again. Further, God will wipe away the survivors' tears. The Lamb will be the survivors' shepherd, and He will lead them to springs of living water.

When all is said and done, those that pass on from this life to the next that received Jesus Christ as their Sacrificial Lamb (Jesus Christ) will be forever in paradise where they will spend eternity serving and fellowshipping with Jesus in the most unbelievable environment. We read in; 1 Corinthians 2:9; “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man. The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” This is saying that no matter how great we think it will be like, it will be much better than anything that we could imagine. Now, for those that reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and Sacrificial Lamb, they will find themselves in an environment that was designed for Satan and his fallen angles. Not a good place to spend eternity, but it is your choice. Decide today, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.   

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen!

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God!