A connection in Scripture
The Passover Lamb and the Cross
Why they are connected
On the night God rescued Israel, a lamb died so the people could live, and its blood on the door turned death aside. Paul says plainly, Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Jesus was crucified at Passover, and John notes that, like the lamb, not one of His bones was broken.
The Scripture behind it
“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:13
“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”1 Corinthians 5:7
“For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”John 19:36
Who has recognized it
Paul names Christ our Passover directly, and John's Gospel draws the lamb imagery around the crucifixion. The New Testament makes the connection explicit.
Where readers differ
Traditions differ on how the sacrifice accomplishes what it does, the various understandings of atonement. But that the New Testament reads Christ as the Passover lamb is stated, not inferred.
Why it matters for seeing Christ
It means deliverance comes at a cost, and that God Himself provided the life it cost. You do not turn death aside by your own goodness; you shelter under a life given for you. The blood on the door was never about the door. It was about the lamb.
Questions people ask
How is Jesus the Passover lamb?
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Just as the Passover lamb's blood in Exodus 12 turned death away from Israel's homes, Christians believe Jesus' death delivers His people from death. He was crucified at Passover.
Why does John say none of Jesus' bones were broken?
John 19:36 notes that no bone of Jesus was broken, echoing the rule that the Passover lamb's bones were not to be broken (Exodus 12). John is showing his readers that Jesus is the true Passover lamb.