Thr Passover Lamb

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We frequently talk about Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Rightly so. He is the perfect Shepherd -- Our Guide, Protector, and Provider of every need. 
 But, Jesus is also portrayed in Scripture as the Lamb of God. Before Jesus ever went to the cross, He was identified. John the Baptist announces Him in John 1:29:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
    That was not just a poetic title.
That was a prophetic declaration.
John was not simply calling Jesus gentle or innocent. He was identifying Him as the Lamb. Not just any lamb. Not merely a symbol of meekness, although He perfectly exemplified these qualities. But The Lamb, the One to whom Passover had always pointed.
  As John said those words, he was pointing both forward and backward. Forward to the cross. Backward to Exodus, to blood on doorposts, to judgment passing over, and to deliverance through sacrifice.
     In Exodus 12, God gives Israel instructions that must have seemed strange at first. Each household was to take a lamb.
A very specific lamb. A spotless lamb; a male without blemish.
He was to be set apart, examined, and then killed. This lamb's blood was to be applied to the doorposts of the house.
Exodus 12:13 says:
“The blood shall be a sign for you... And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you...”
Notice this carefully. They were not saved because they were Israelites.
They were not saved because they were morally better. They were not saved because they suffered enough. They were saved because they were covered. The blood was the difference. That is the Gospel.
We are not saved because we are good enough.
We are saved because we are covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus Is the Better Passover Lamb!
Every detail of the Passover Feast points to Christ. The lamb had to be spotless: Jesus was sinless.
The lamb was chosen and set apart: Jesus was set apart.
The lamb was publicly examined: Jesus was publicly examined.
The lamb was killed: Jesus was crucified.
The blood marked those who belonged to God: the blood of Christ covers those who belong to Him.
This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7:
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Passover was never only about Egypt. It was always about Jesus.
When John called Jesus the Lamb of God, he was telling Israel:
Passover has a name: His name is Jesus.


Soli Deo Gloria!
Heather Sparks

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