Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith, viewing Jesus as the Passover lamb—as He was the final sacrifice, providing deliverance from our sins. As the Jews were physically set free by the first Passover, we are spiritually set free by Jesus’ death when He took our sins into that grave.
From the beginning of his ministry, he was destined to become our Passover lamb.
At Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29, ESV)
Jesus came to Jerusalem at least twice during His lifetime to observe Passover. At His final Passover on earth, Jesus broke the unleavened bread and told His disciples, “Take, eat –this is My body.”(Matthew 26:26, ESV). Those who eat this blessed bread demonstrate their acceptance of Jesus as their sacrificial lamb, whose broken body and death free them from their sins. Then, He took the cup and asked them to drink, “for this is my blood…poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26: 28, ESV). By drinking this blessed wine, symbolizing His blood shed for us, we show the world that we are His—much as the blood over their doors showed the angels that the Hebrews belonged to God.
So, what does Passover mean to Christians? I think it means:
1. God does not change—He seeks to set His people free from bondage
2. God foreshadowed Christ’s coming thousands of years before He was born. His incarnation was always part of the plan to reunite God with His people.
3. The eucharistic symbolism and rituals unite us as a body and recenter us in our faith
4. We serve a God outside of time but always in control. If we follow Him, all will be well.