Brethren, just last Sunday, we entered a new year in God’s calendar, and this also tells us that we are gearing towards the most important and solemn night of the year, which is the Passover.
The Passover is the first of a series of God’s Holy Days, and rightfully so. Without the Passover, the rest of the Holy Days would not have been possible. God’s plan of salvation will never happen unless a sacrifice is made first.
How can you get rid of sin in your life if you are not forgiven? How can you receive the Holy Spirit if Yahshua has not been offered? How can we look forward to Christ’s second coming, or the removal of Satan, or the millennial reign, and finally the Eighth Day if Yahshua did not die?
Thus, it is only fitting for us to review the Passover and learn its deep meaning, especially as we approach the Passover. In just a week from now, we will once again observe it and we need to seriously think about how it applies in our lives.
To truly gain a deeper understanding of the Passover, I would like to invite you to look into the Passover of the Old Covenant and the Passover of the New Covenant. The time gap between events in the book of Exodus and Yahshua is about 1,400 to 1,500 years. Now, that’s a lot of years.
Just think about the Philippines, which obtained its independence from the United States in 1946. Our country is just about 78 years old since it declared independence. Of course, if you’re going to base it on 1898, we are about 127 years old. Now, it was in 1521 when Magellan arrived in the Philippines. That’s just about 504 years. Yet, we understand it as something that is too ancient.
So, how much more would you think about the time gap between the Exodus and the crucifixion of Christ? 1,400 to 1,500 years is a lot of years. However, what’s so amazing about this is that we see amazing and undeniable parallelism between the two events. The similarities are just so striking that it is supernatural power that orchestrated all these. No mere human being could have possibly pulled it off. It takes a powerful God who is outside of time itself to truly make these happen.
That’s why, brethren, this afternoon, I would like to share with you 7 key elements we find in the Passover of the Israelites and the Passover of Yahshua. By doing so, we will gain a deeper appreciation of the true essence and significance of the Passover. This understanding should help us be better prepared when it comes to partaking of the Passover.
1. The Lamb
We read in Exodus 12:1-5:
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Exodus 12:1-5
Now, let’s break this down. The Israelites need to take a lamb:
- The lamb should be male.
- The lamb should be without blemish.
- The lamb should be of the first year.
In the New Testament, we know who the lamb is. This lamb is male. He is without blemish, which symbolizes how He is without sin. He died in the prime of his years like the lamb that should be of the first year.
By now, we know who the true Lamb of God is. Let’s go to John 1:29:
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
It’s quite interesting the chosen words of John here. He didn’t say, “Behold, the Prince of Peace or the greatest Teacher, or the Light of the World.” There are just so many titles to choose from. Yet, John specifically chose, “The Lamb of God.”
By calling Christ the Lamb of God, John is confirming how Yahshua will eventually suffer in the hands of men and become the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. What’s amazing is that, John repeated this in verse 35: 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:35-36
Yahshua willingly played the role of the being the Lamb. “I lay down My life… No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” — John 10:17–18 No one forced Him to, but He did it out of love for all humanity.
We even read in Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
That tells us something that Yahshua has been chosen to become the Lamb of God even at the time of creation. He was the perfect Lamb because He was sinless. We read in knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19
Why the Lamb?
Now, here’s an interesting question: of all the animals in Egypt, why would Yahweh specifically instruct the Israelites to choose a male lamb? Why not a cow, chicken, fish, or deer, why the lamb?
The traditional answer is that a lamb is a symbol of purity, innocence, meekness, and a gentle spirit, which perfectly pictures Yahshua’s characteristics. However, there’s another layer of understanding here.
You see, in ancient Egypt, one of their gods was named Khnum. Do you know how Khnum was depicted? He has a body of a man but with a head of a ram. Khnum, one of Egypt’s oldest deities. Khnum was believed to be the god of the Nile, the creator of human bodies, and a source of fertility and life.
In doing so, the Israelites weren’t just obeying a divine command — they were striking at the heart of Egyptian idolatry. It was as if Yahweh was saying, “This creature that Egypt deems sacred and untouchable? You will sacrifice it to Me. I alone am the Creator, the Deliverer, and the Source of Life — not Khnum.” This was a public rejection of Egypt’s gods and a declaration that Yahweh alone is God.
Now, think about this: we might not be living in ancient Egypt anymore. We sure are not worshiping Khnum. However, the Passover is also a reminder for us to destroy the idols in our hearts.
I believe that’s one important lesson we often overlook or haven’t really thought of when it comes to the Passover. Remember, God was dealing with a group of people who have been enslaved for hundreds of years. They have been exposed too long to false gods and for God to truly set them free, they have to first kill the gods that have held them hostage in a foreign land.
In the same way, brethren, we all have been a slave to our own idols. As we approach the Passover, let’s take some time to examine ourselves and identify the idols that we should destroy. We might not be worshiping Egyptian idols, but could we be worshiping the idol of:
- Self
- Career
- Success
- Money
- Materialism
- Relationships
- Technology
- Gadget
- Entertainment
- Education
- Comfort
- Religion
2. Death
We read in Exodus 12:6 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
Now, that’s in Exodus. In the New Testament, we see here who was killed — it was no other than Yahshua, the Lamb of God. So, in both instances, there is death.
Looking back at the time of Exodus, we read how the firstborn of the Egyptians were killed by God. All throughout the land of Egypt, there was death. However, the Israelites were spared.
Now, you might think that death was only in the Egyptians, but actually, there is also death among the Israelites. However, instead of their firstborn, the lamb died in their place.
This tells us an important aspect of God’s justice. Everyone who sinned has earned the wages of sin, which is death. There is a price to pay. All of us need to pay the penalty of sin. All of us has to die. God loves all of us and He doesn’t want us to die.
The problem is that God can’t simply erase our sins because that would destroy the integrity of His law. So, how do you keep the law intact? God’s solution is to send His Son, the Lamb of God, to die in our place.
Earlier, we read in 1 Peter that we were not redeemed by silver or gold. It is like we are all have been slaves with no hope of achieving freedom. Left on our own, we are hopeless. We can’t do anything about it. But here comes our Redeemer and He bought us with His blood and we have received freedom from the penalty of sin, which is death.
That’s how important the sacrifice of Christ is. You and I can’t save ourselves. Only God can save us. We are all destined to die, but because Christ died for us, we can look forward to the resurrection to eternal life and that, brethren, gives us the blessed hope.
3. Blood
We read in Exodus 12:7: And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
You can just imagine, brethren, if you were alive at that time, it was truly a bloody night. In Exodus 12:37, it tells us that there were about 600,000 men besides women and children. So, the population of Israel at that time can easily reach up to 2 to 3 million people.
So, let’s just have a conservative estimate that there are about 600,000 households. That means there could also be about 600,000 lambs killed during the passover!
The sheer magnitude and number of the lambs needed to be sacrificed tells us the price the Israelites need to pay for their deliverance. Remember, they didn’t just need to kill it but also to put the blood on their doorposts.
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:11-14
22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22
We could see here that the primary purpose of the blood of Christ is for the forgiveness of our sins. Without the blood of Christ, our sins will not be forgiven. It was His blood that washed our sins away.
This is supported by 1 John 1:7:
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
4. Unleavened Bread
Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Exodus 12:8
Now, this is truly significant for all of us. Because in the New Covenant, the bread symbolizes the body of Yahshua:
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19
Bread is the most common food eaten all around the world. It’s a universal food and it is eaten by about 80%-90% of the world’s population. God uses this physical food to illustrate the spiritual nourishment we will receive when we partake of the spiritual bread. We read in John 6:32-35:
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
In Isaiah 53:5: But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Christ’s body was broken so we can be whole, so that we can be restored and healed. He took our place of punishment and received the punishment that is ought to be ours. I hope brethren that we can truly see how precious Christ’s sacrifice is for us.
5. Deliverance
The Passover happened in the first month of the year. The Passover is so life-changing that God chose to do it at the beginning of the year, signifying a new beginning for the Israelites as well.
We read in 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor. Exodus 1:13-14
In the same manner, we, too, have also been slaves to sin:
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Romans 6:17-19
In both instances, God took the initiative to free us from the bondage of sin. In Exodus, God chose Moses to deliver His people, but in the New Covenant, God chose Yahshua to deliver us from sin.
Now, here’s where the problem lies. Christ died for us so that we no longer become slaves of sins, but there are times when we still act as if we are still slaves.
Sometimes, we think that we can never change. We might think that Christ’s sacrifice only applies to all sins, but except this one because I can’t overcome it. That’s a slave mentality. Sometimes, we still take on our past identity of being part of the world, instead of being a child of Yahweh. Maybe, we become slaves of fear. We make decisions out of fear like we doubt God’s power and thus, we simply choose to not to move forward, but stay in our comfort zone where we don’t spiritually grow.
Maybe, we become slaves of unforgiveness. We find it hard to forgive others. We become slaves of anger, resentment, and disappointments.
The Passover is a yearly reminder that we have been delivered from the world, from Satan, and even from ourselves. We read in Galatians 2:20:
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
I want you to remember that. It is no longer you who live, but Christ. So, why do you have to worry if Christ lives in you? Why do you have to hold on to resentment and unforgiveness if Christ lives in you? Why do you believe that you can’t overcome sin if Christ lives in you?
Brethren, we have been delivered from slavery and thus, let us live this life in the newness of life that God has given us.
6. Obedience
On the evening of Passover, God gave specific instructions to the Israelites to follow. They need to take a male lamb on the tenth day of the month and until the fourteenth. They need to kill it at twilight. They need to take the blood and put it on their doorposts. They need to eat its flesh, roasted in fire, eat with unleavened bread, with bitter herbs and they should be eating it with a belt on their waist, sandays on their feet, and staff on their hand.
Why do they have to do all these? We read in Exodus 12:12-13:
12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 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.
Now, here’s an important point to consider: God expects us to obey Him. A lot of Christians today don’t put enough emphasis on obedience anymore. They will tell you that all you need is love and faith. Yet, we see here that the Israelites obeyed God precisely as He instructed.
Why? Because for them, it was a matter of life and death. The life of your firstborn is on the line. If you don’t obey, you will die on that evening. However, if you obey, you will be protected.
Can you just imagine, an Israelite will say, “Oh, I’m an Israelite. I love God in my heart. I don’t need to follow his instructions. I don’t need to put blood on my doorpost.” What do you think will happen to that Israelite? Yes, there will be death in his household.
In the same manner, brethren, God expects us to obey Him not because we want to earn our salvation, but because as a fruit of our true repentance and acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for us.
7. Examination
Self-examination is an essential part of the Passover. At the time of the Israelites in Exodus 12, they needed to make sure that they had a lamb without blemish and without spot. You can’t simply select a random lamb, but rather you have to examine it. Not only that, but the Days of Unleavened Bread would immediately come right after the Passover. The Passover is the final day for them to look into their homes and remove all leaven.
Thus, it is also the same for us today. However, instead of examining the Lamb, we will examine how the Lamb, who is Christ lives in us. Instead of just examining our homes, we examine our hearts to get rid of any leaven in it.
We read in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
As we can see here, there’s a way for us to partake of the Passover in an unworthy manner. Of course, no one of us, of ourselves, is worthy to partake of the Passover. However, by accepting the sacrifice of Yahshua, we can partake of it in a worthy manner.
Paul explains how we can partake of the Passover in a worthy manner. The keyword is “examine.” He wants us to examine ourselves before we take the bread and drink of the cup.
This is a serious matter. We should not take the Passover lightly because if we do, Paul says that we will drink judgment to ourselves, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Thus, how should we examine ourselves? To help you with your self-examination, I would like to ask you the following questions:
- Have I confessed and repented of my sins?
- How much have I grown spiritually compared to the last Passover? Am I growing or dying?
- How much of the fruit of the Holy Spirit am I bearing? Am I loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled?
- Are there sins in my life that I tolerate? Am I excusing certain behaviors or attitudes that I know are sinful?
- 5. Have I forgiven those who have wronged me? Or, is there anyone that I have offended, wronged, or hurt? Have I reconciled with them?
- Do I actively seek to know God’s Word and apply it to my daily life?
- Do I spend enough time in prayer, worship, and reading the Bible?
- Am I seeking God with my whole heart, or am I simply going through the motions?
- Am I humble enough to admit my weaknesses and ask God for help?
- Am I actively preaching the Gospel?
- Do I view others with compassion and love, as Christ did?
- Am I walking in humility? Have I been prideful or self-righteous in any area of my life?
- Am I quick to repent when I am wrong, or do I tend to defend myself?
- Do I practice gratitude and contentment?
- Am I truly living for God or for myself?
These questions provide an opportunity for deep reflection on your spiritual health and relationship with God. The goal of self-examination is not to bring condemnation but to recognize areas where we need to grow, to repent, and to experience God’s renewing grace. It’s about approaching the Lord’s Passover with a heart that is humble, repentant, and grateful for the incredible gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
