How does Exodus 12:25 connect to Jesus as our Passover Lamb? Setting the Scene of Exodus 12:25 Exodus 12 drops us into the night when Israel escaped slavery. God prescribed a lamb, its blood on the doorposts, and an annual memorial meal. Verse 25 looks beyond Egypt to Canaan, commanding Israel to “observe this service” when they reach the Promised Land. The Passover was never meant to be a one-time event; it pointed forward to a greater fulfillment. Looking at the Text Exodus 12:25: “When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to observe this service.” • “When you enter” – anticipates future grace. • “The LORD will give you” – God’s initiative, not Israel’s merit. • “Observe this service” – keep rehearsing the rescue story. The Ongoing Nature of the Passover Ordinance • Annual repetition would embed redemption in Israel’s collective memory. • Each feast looked back to the lamb’s blood that spared them and forward to a yet-unseen, ultimate Lamb. • The ordinance was portable: Egypt, the wilderness, the Promised Land—and eventually the upper room in Jerusalem. Jesus Steps Into the Picture • John 1:29 – John the Baptist announces, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” • 1 Corinthians 5:7 – “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • At the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29), Jesus held the very Passover meal Exodus 12 commands, yet He reinterpreted the bread and cup around His own body and blood. Parallels Between the Original Passover and Christ • Selection of a spotless lamb (Exodus 12:5) → Christ lived without sin (1 Peter 1:19). • Blood applied to doorposts (Exodus 12:7) → Christ’s blood applied to believing hearts (Hebrews 9:12-14). • Death of the firstborn spared by substitution (Exodus 12:12-13) → We are spared eternal judgment by Christ’s substitutionary death (Isaiah 53:5). • Eating the lamb in readiness for departure (Exodus 12:11) → Believers partake of Christ and live as pilgrims awaiting a heavenly homeland (Hebrews 13:14). • Perpetual remembrance mandated (Exodus 12:24-25) → The Lord’s Supper proclaims His death “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). New Covenant Fulfillment • Exodus 12:25 ties continuity between the past rescue and future settlement; Jesus forges continuity between the Passover and the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). • The original Passover inaugurated Israel’s national life; Christ’s sacrifice inaugurates the church’s spiritual life (Ephesians 2:13-16). • Just as Israel entered Canaan after the lamb’s blood, we enter eternal rest through Christ’s blood (Hebrews 4:9-10). Living Out the Truth Today • Remember: Regularly rehearse Christ’s sacrifice just as Israel rehearsed the Exodus. • Rest: Confidence in salvation rests not in our works but in the applied blood of the perfect Lamb. • Reflect: Our lives should display readiness and holiness, mirroring Israel’s unleavened urgency (1 Corinthians 5:8). • Rejoice: The promise of “entering the land” finds its highest joy in the promise that we will dwell with the Lord forever (Revelation 21:3). |
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