Jesus… the Lamb of God

In Matthew 26 we read, “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, “The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate with my disciples at your house. The disciples did as Jesus directed and prepared the Passover.”

At Passover we celebrate our liberation and our freedom. It is the holiday when we remember how God, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, redeemed the people of Israel from slavery and bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt. My dad used to call me every year with the same statement, “Murray we need to know who is coming to Passover this year so we can prepare the table.” Preparation is always involved … in Jesus’ day, today, and in our hearts.

Preparation in Jesus’ Day

God commanded the Israelites to retell the story of the Exodus. They were instructed to have on their Passover table the bitter herbs, the unleavened bread, and the Passover lamb (Exodus 12). When God told the Israelites to celebrate and remember he never gave them details on how to celebrate. The Passover seder (order) has evolved over the millennia, however we know in Jesus’ day they had wine on the table as well. 

The initial Passover sacrifice was offered by the Israelites at the command of God during the night before the Exodus from Egypt. The blood from this sacrifice, placed on the Israelites’ doorposts, served as a sign to the Angel of Death. As he moved through the land that night to strike down the firstborn of the Egyptians, he would see the blood and pass over the homes of the Israelites (Exodus 12:1–23). Death literally passed over. The firstborn of the Israelites were spared, and the door of freedom was opened.

The sacrificial animal, which was either a lamb or kid, was necessarily a male, one year old, and without blemish. The killing took place in the court of the Temple, and might be performed by a layman. The blood had to be caught by a priest, and rows of priests with gold or silver cups in their hands stood in line from the Temple court to the altar, where the blood was sprinkled. The lambs were sacrificed.

The home had to be prepared as well. Passover, as the beginning of a seven-day festival called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, required all leaven to be removed from the home. Unleavened bread is eaten in remembrance of the fact that as the Israelites fled Egypt they had to take their bread with them before it had risen. It is a symbol of freedom from slavery and bondage. It is also a biblical symbol of purity and holiness, as leaven represents sin in the Bible. Making preparations in Jesus’ day would require the home to be purged of all leaven. He instructed his disciples to do so. The home was made holy. The table was set.

Preparation For Passover Today

Preparing for Passover today is a bit more extended, elaborate, and complicated than in the day of Jesus. Since there is no Temple, altar, or sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb is not slain, and has not been since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. However, today the rabbis have instituted a much more elaborate system of preparation. The system, or process, for preparing for Passover in religious Jewish homes is called cleaning out the “chametz,” or cleaning out the “leaven.”

Rabbinical law has so encumbered the process that most Jewish people do not fully do it. It requires cleaning the house of all possible locations for bread or yeast products, including searching every page of every book in the house where crumbs might have fallen during reading. The refrigerator must be entirely scrubbed down and sterilized. The stove and oven must be sanitized. All dishes and silverware that have come into contact with bread or yeast must be put away. Have you ever wondered where the term “spring cleaning”comes from? This is a partial answer!

After the house is cleaned, all food products with leaven in them are boxed up and put in bags, and then taken out of the house. Oftentimes the leaven is given to a non-Jewish friend to hold onto until after the Feast of Unleavened Bread is over.

Preparation for Passover today has become an elaborate and  difficult series of rules and regulations to follow in order to be ready for Passover. Though the Bible does command the Israelites to remove the leaven from their homes, the rabbis of today have made it a much more difficult ritual, based on human regulations. As I observe how ultra-Orthodox in the Jewish community prepare for Passover, I think of Jesus’ words, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30  Removing the leaven from one’s home is meaningful; however, we must not let ritual and tradition distract us from God’s true purpose...drawing us into a deeper, loving relationship with Him. This is true in Jewish and Christian homes alike.

Preparation For Us Today

The season leading up to Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread should be a time of preparation for us as well. As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Messiah it is important to evaluate our own lives. Every Lord’s Day should be a celebration of the Resurrection; yet, during special times and seasons we all become more reflective. As spring arrives, the days become warmer and longer, we think about the renewal of life and the anticipation that comes along with it.

Let’s remember that Jesus is our Passover Lamb! The picture of the unblemished lamb, slain to effectively cover the home with its blood so that death might pass over is a picture of Jesus himself. As we look back on the Passover that Jesus celebrated we can clearly see that history was orchestrated for that night. Jesus sacrificed a Passover lamb, celebrated the Passover, was betrayed, crucified, and died... His blood atoning for the sin of many. We can thank and praise God for His goodness to us!

Remember the leaven. As we contemplate Passover and Unleavened Bread we should take a deep look inside of our own hearts and lives. Leaven represents corrupting influences and hidden uncleanness in our own lives and in the Body of Messiah Jesus, the church. We all have corrupting influences that overshadow that which is pure, both in heart intent and in what we do.  The battle between our flesh and spirit. Now is the time for us to prepare, to look inward, and to, by God’s grace and with His strength, remove the leaven.

Passover and Unleavened Bread, most importantly point us in the direction of Messiah. It is very easy is to go to church, celebrate communion, and even the Resurrection, but miss Jesus. Oftentimes our earthly existence blinds us to heavenly realities. I’ve wondered how some of the Israelites responded to God’s command to take a spotless lamb and to sacrifice it. Were some so wrapped up in their own issues and their problems with the Egyptians that they disobeyed the Lord? Probably. And they suffered the consequences. 

Finally, Passover gives us the opportunity to ponder our influence in the world around us. How are we inviting others into the story of redemption? In the Passover Haggadah (the book containing the “telling of the story of the Exodus”) one of the first sayings is, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Jewish people invite all who don’t know, who are unaware of the story of the Exodus, to come and share in the meal. It is an invitation for those who have not seen to see, and for those who are hungry to come and partake.

We read in John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Those of us, who know the Passover Lamb Jesus, need to take the opportunity of the upcoming season to tell others about Him. As we celebrate His Death and Resurrection, may our hearts and minds be focused on the need of the world to see Him. 

This Passover and Easter season we will be in churches around the country sharing the message of our Messiah. We will be pointing others to Christ. There will be many in attendance who do not know the Lord. 

Every year we have the opportunity to talk to Jewish people who do not yet know the Lord. Many are amazed at the connections we make between the Passover today and the Passover Jesus celebrated with his disciples. There have even been those who mark the celebration of “Jesus in the Passover” as their moment of coming to faith! 

Christians are also encouraged in their faith and walk with Jesus. Just as Jewish people’s lives are changed as we present Jesus in the Passover, so are Christian’s lives. It is not unusual for believers in Jesus to mark the celebration of Passover as a turning point in their lives. It is a Jewish festival celebrated today by Jewish people in a very similar manner that Jesus celebrated it 2000 years ago. We explain our Jewish roots in context and Communion takes on a deeper significance.

By Murray Tilles

Founder and Executive Director