How does Exodus 12:38 connect to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19? Exodus on the Move: God’s People Leave Egypt “A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds—a very large number of livestock” (Exodus 12:38). • Israel departs in the Exodus, redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:13). • Yet the crowd is not ethnically uniform: “a mixed multitude” (Hebrew: ʿēreb rab). Foreigners who believed the LORD’s word left Egypt with Israel. • Already, God’s saving work extends beyond the physical descendants of Jacob. A Mixed Multitude: Foreshadowing the Nations • Genesis 12:3 promised Abraham: “in you all families of the earth will be blessed.” • Exodus 12:48-49 required any foreigner wishing to eat Passover to be circumcised, showing that faith, not bloodline, grants covenant access. • Isaiah 56:6-7 later pictures foreigners who “hold fast to My covenant,” welcomed to God’s house. • The “mixed multitude” is an early snapshot of God forming one redeemed people from many peoples. From Preview to Command: Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Connection points: 1. Same divine Author — the LORD who liberated Israel now incarnate commands worldwide mission. 2. Same pattern — redemption first (Exodus deliverance; Christ’s cross), then gathering the nations. 3. Same goal — covenant inclusion: • Passover sign → circumcision and shared worship (Exodus 12:48). • Gospel sign → baptism and shared worship (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-41). Shared Themes: Redemption, Signs, Mission • Blood of the lamb → salvation from judgment (Exodus 12:13); blood of Christ → salvation from sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). • Visible sign of belonging: circumcision then, baptism now (Colossians 2:11-12). • Pilgrimage: Israel journeys to Canaan; the church journeys toward the new creation, inviting every ethnicity to join (Revelation 7:9-10). Implications for Today’s Disciple • Expect diversity in God’s family; it started in Exodus 12. • The Great Commission is not a new idea but the flowering of an old promise. • Evangelism mirrors the Exodus invitation: call outsiders to trust the Lamb, leave slavery to sin, and travel with God’s covenant people. • Commitment matters: the mixed multitude had to embrace Israel’s God; converts today publicly confess Christ and are baptized (Romans 10:9; Acts 8:36-38). In Summary The “mixed multitude” of Exodus 12:38 previews the worldwide scope of salvation. Matthew 28:19 turns the preview into a mandate: take the good news of the true Passover Lamb to “all nations.” The same God who welcomed Egyptians into the Exodus now commands His church to welcome every people into life in Christ. |
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