A judgment, and a mercy
The Passover Lamb
At the heart of the exodus stands a lamb. Its blood on the door meant the difference between death and life, and it is the clearest shadow in all the Old Testament of the Christ to come.
“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
What happened
What happened. On the eve of the final plague, God gave Israel the ordinance of the Passover. This month was to be the beginning of months to them (Exodus 12:2). On the tenth day, every household was to take a lamb, and "your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year" (Exodus 12:5). They were to keep it until the fourteenth day, "and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening" (Exodus 12:6). Then came the command at the center of it all, "they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses" (Exodus 12:7). They were to eat the lamb roasted with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and eat it in haste, dressed to travel, "it is the LORD's passover" (Exodus 12:11). God gave the promise that would define the night, "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).
What it meant
What it meant. The Passover teaches how God saves. Notice the sequence. Judgment was coming upon all, Israel included, for the destroyer would pass through the whole land. The people were not spared because they were better than the Egyptians, nor because of their heritage alone, but because they took shelter under the blood of a lamb that died in their place. It was a substitute; the lamb died so the firstborn would not. The lamb had to be without blemish, for only an unblemished life could stand for another. The blood had to be applied, struck visibly on the door, not merely admired or approved. And God said, "when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). Their safety rested not on their own feelings or worthiness but on the blood being there where God had commanded. This was to be kept forever as a memorial (Exodus 12:14), a yearly retelling so that every generation would know that God redeems His people by the blood of a lamb.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The New Testament does not leave us to guess the meaning. "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Every detail finds its fullness in Him. He is the Lamb "without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19), the sinless One who alone could stand in our place. He was examined and found faultless, as Pilate said, "I find in him no fault at all" (John 18:38). His blood, not admired but applied by faith, shelters us from the judgment we deserve. John the Baptist pointed and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). And He was crucified at the Passover season, the true Lamb slain for the sins of the world. When God sees us covered by the blood of Christ, judgment passes over, and we are brought out of bondage into life.
Questions people ask
Why did the lamb have to be without blemish?
"Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year" (Exodus 12:5). A spotless lamb pointed to the sinless substitute needed to stand in the place of another. This is fulfilled in Christ, "a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).
How does the Passover point so directly to Jesus?
Paul states it plainly, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). As the lamb's blood on the door turned away death, Christ's blood shelters all who trust Him. John called Him "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), and He died at the Passover season.
Was it enough for Israel to believe the lamb had died?
No. God said, "when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). The blood had to be applied to each household's own door. So it is with Christ, His blood must be personally trusted and received, not merely acknowledged as true.