15/11/07

The Meaning Of PASSOVER

Luke 22:16 "For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God."


The Lord longed to share the Passover meal with His disciples. He was less than 24 hours away from fulfilling His mission and, like anyone who can see the finish line, He must have had feelings of relief and excitement.

The Passover meal commemorated the Jews' deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 13:3-10). It also had a much deeper spiritual application that, as Jesus explains here, would be fulfilled through His death. The Jewish nation as a whole had missed any future prophetic meaning of the Passover.

On the night of the original Passover, the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and judged the land by slaying all the firstborn men and beasts. The Jews had to slay a spotless lamb, take its blood and apply it to the door posts of their homes. They were commanded to remain indoors, under the covering of this blood until morning. When the Lord passed through the land at midnight to execute His judgment, He passed over the homes that had the lamb's blood on their doors and no one inside was hurt. This is a perfect picture of the redemption that Jesus provides for us.

Everyone deserves judgment because of their sins. However, Jesus provided Himself as a spotless, sacrificial lamb for us, so that if by making Him as our own sacrificial Lamb and remaining under His blood protection; proclaiming Him as Lord, God will pass over us on judgment day.

Jesus was sacrificed on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish year - the exact day and time that the passover lambs were being slain. Truly, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7).


[ Prayer for the Day ]

ABBA Father, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ. You saved us from eternal punishment and death through His sacrifice. Keep us under His sacrificial blood at we pass Your judgment day. We make this prayer in Jesus' Name. Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]

Luke 22:15-18 [NIV]
15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."


Exodus 13:3-10 [NIV]
3 Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites - the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey - you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

1 Corinthians 5:7 [NIV]
7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.


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