The Passover Feast

The Day of Unleavened Bread came, the day the Passover lamb was butchered. Jesus sent Peter and John off, saying, "Go prepare the Passover for us so we can eat it together." Luke 22:7-8 (The Message)

Have you seen the movie The Ten Commandments? The epic by Cecil B. DeMille with Charlton Heston as Moses? Remember the ten plagues, the locusts, the frogs, the boils? The last plague was the death of the first-born throughout Egypt. The Israelites, slaves in Egypt at the time, were God’s chosen people so they needed to be spared from this plague. They were instructed to spread the blood of a lamb on the sides and top of their door so that the angel of death would “pass over” their household. The lamb was to be a one year old male, either a goat or a sheep, and was to be perfect, without blemish.

The Passover became one of the major Jewish holidays. And so, during this particular year in the life of Jesus, he met with his disciples to celebrate the Passover feast.

The disciples didn’t know it at the time, but the Passover lamb was always meant to symbolize Christ. Back when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God had planned that just as they would be freed from their bondage by the blood of the lamb, we would be freed from our sin by the blood of Jesus. Even the doorframes where the blood of the Lamb was spread takes on the shape of the cross where our Lord was crucified.

Lord Heavenly Father, You developed the best plan for all of our lives, from way before we were even born. We may not see it every day, but help us to realize that You know the meaning behind all that goes on around us. Help us to understand Your plans and see that Your perfect way is the only way.

(From now until Easter, my Sunday blog will be taken from the book of Luke, looking at the last days to the last hours of Jesus’ life on this Earth. I pray that I can share something meaningful with you. The included picture this week was taken by my daughter Val in Saikeri, Kenya, last summer.)