How does the Passover in Ezra 6:19 connect to Christ's sacrifice? Ezra 6:19 in Context “On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.” What the Returned Exiles Were Celebrating • Deliverance remembered: the night God spared Israel through the blood of an unblemished lamb (Exodus 12:1-13). • Cleansing experienced: the temple had just been rebuilt and purified (Ezra 6:15-18), restoring right worship. • Covenant renewed: Passover was Israel’s annual recommitment to the LORD who rescues. How This Feast Points Ahead to Christ • Same day: Jesus died on Passover Eve—“the fourteenth day of the first month” (Matthew 26:17-19; John 19:14). • Same picture: – Unblemished lamb (Exodus 12:5) → “Christ, our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). – Blood applied to spare from death (Exodus 12:7, 13) → “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19). • Same salvation sequence: sacrifice first, freedom follows—Israel left Egypt the next morning; believers are freed from sin by the cross (Romans 6:6-7). • Same call to purity: seven days of unleavened bread (Ezra 6:22) → “Let us keep the feast…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). • Same dwelling place: a cleansed temple then (Ezra 6:17-18); Christ makes believers His living temple now (1 Corinthians 3:16; John 2:19-21). Fulfillment Secured in Jesus • Isaiah 53:7 foretells the silent Lamb led to slaughter. • John 1:29 identifies Him: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” • Hebrews 9:12 confirms the once-for-all offering: “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” • Luke 22:15-20 shows Jesus re-interpreting Passover bread and cup as His body and blood, instituting the Lord’s Supper. Why the Link Matters Today • Confidence: Scripture’s promises and patterns converge perfectly in Christ—history is moving exactly as God said. • Gratitude: the same God who brought exiles home provides eternal deliverance through His Son. • Commitment: as the exiles renewed covenant worship, believers live in daily, wholehearted devotion to the Lamb who was slain. |
    |