Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall eat it. (Exodus 12:3-7)
The most obvious symbol of Passover is the lamb. The Hebrew people, on the first Passover and during each Passover in the Old Testament, were to take a lamb - one lamb per family (or two, depending on number of people) - and keep the lamb in the house four days. During this time parents and children would form an attachment to this yearling pet.
The Lamb selected was to be a perfect lamb, an animal without blemishes, a lamb to be desired. Why is this? First of all, we should always give our best to God. But more importantly, we worship a Holy and Perfect God, and the lamb represents our adoration for the Divine. We see the fulfillment of this in Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God. (John 1:29; Acts 8:32-33; 1 Cor 5:6-8; 1 Pe 1:17-21)
On the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, the people of Israel are to take the lambs and kill them in exchange for the firstborn sons (John 3:16). Some would object, calling this extravagant or bloody, but there is symbolism in this instruction. The first symbol is our attachment and attraction to sin, which we want to hold and which holds on to us. All sin, no matter how minor, hurts someone. The shedding of blood is a lesson so we will understand how much our sin hurts others and how much our sin hurts God.
The second symbol is that of a lamb who will save a whining, complaining, mostly prayerless people who only cry out when all hope is lost, save a miracle from God. The blood is a symbol to save their own family so the Angel of Death will “Pass Over.”
A third symbol is the shedding of Jesus' blood as a sacrifice for our own sin, which is incredibly similar to the blemishes of the Hebrew people so long ago. God wants us to attach ourselves to Him and love Him (therefore keeping Him in our hearts and homes) so we will fully understand the depth of the price Jesus paid for us on the cross.
Is your participation in this Passover motivated by simple interest (or obligation), or will you become part of the story, understanding every facet intimately? Have you taken part in this story through the selection of a lamb? Do you understand the consequences of your sin and live in appreciation for the marvelous gift God gave to bring you out of slavery into freedom?
Is your faith in Jesus just a religious idea? Do you have a strong bond with the Lamb of God who gave His life for the sin of the world?
The Lamb selected was to be a perfect lamb, an animal without blemishes, a lamb to be desired. Why is this? First of all, we should always give our best to God. But more importantly, we worship a Holy and Perfect God, and the lamb represents our adoration for the Divine. We see the fulfillment of this in Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God. (John 1:29; Acts 8:32-33; 1 Cor 5:6-8; 1 Pe 1:17-21)
On the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, the people of Israel are to take the lambs and kill them in exchange for the firstborn sons (John 3:16). Some would object, calling this extravagant or bloody, but there is symbolism in this instruction. The first symbol is our attachment and attraction to sin, which we want to hold and which holds on to us. All sin, no matter how minor, hurts someone. The shedding of blood is a lesson so we will understand how much our sin hurts others and how much our sin hurts God.
The second symbol is that of a lamb who will save a whining, complaining, mostly prayerless people who only cry out when all hope is lost, save a miracle from God. The blood is a symbol to save their own family so the Angel of Death will “Pass Over.”
A third symbol is the shedding of Jesus' blood as a sacrifice for our own sin, which is incredibly similar to the blemishes of the Hebrew people so long ago. God wants us to attach ourselves to Him and love Him (therefore keeping Him in our hearts and homes) so we will fully understand the depth of the price Jesus paid for us on the cross.
Is your participation in this Passover motivated by simple interest (or obligation), or will you become part of the story, understanding every facet intimately? Have you taken part in this story through the selection of a lamb? Do you understand the consequences of your sin and live in appreciation for the marvelous gift God gave to bring you out of slavery into freedom?
Is your faith in Jesus just a religious idea? Do you have a strong bond with the Lamb of God who gave His life for the sin of the world?
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