By Pastor Oscar Lohuis
Without understanding the Jewish Passover, the Christian Easter cannot be understood. Both festivals revolve around salvation through God. There are a number of similarities that demonstrate why Easter is the most important festival in the liturgical year for Christians.
As Christians, we believe that much of what we read in the Tanakh, the Old Testament, points to the coming of Jesus Christ. We see many parallels between God's mighty deeds in Israel and what later happened through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The Christian Easter festival originated from the Jewish Passover, also called Pesach. The Apostle Paul therefore writes, also with regard to the death of Jesus: "For our Passover lamb, Christ, was sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
We believe that much of what happened in the tabernacle and later in the temple in Jerusalem was prophetic. The sacrifices pointed beyond themselves to the one sacrifice that was to be offered. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, has come into the world. Drawing on Exodus 12, I would like to reflect on what Easter means for Christians. I see a number of commonalities that show us why this is the most important festival in the church year for Christians.
A lamb without blemish
Each family had to take a lamb and slaughter it on the fourteenth of the first month. It had to be a lamb without blemish. Thus, we read in the New Testament that Jesus was without sin, that he never sinned. This is a crucial aspect of what he did for us.
He came to fulfill the law, which, among other things, means that he fully complied with the law. No one is perfectly righteous; no one has managed to keep their heart perfectly pure. In order for God to accept humanity back, someone had to act who was capable of doing so; someone representing all of humanity.
Before Jesus died for us, he lived for us. He brought righteousness, the righteousness we lack on our own. The law is so holy, so perfect, it speaks of such a pure, selfless, and upright life, that it overwhelms every person. The law is a reflection of God's own holiness and therefore cannot simply be handled by humans. God sent the Messiah to fulfill the law in our place. On the basis of his righteousness, we may now come to God. We are saved by grace, not by the law, and in doing so, we affirm the law itself.
Redemption through blood
The blood of the lamb had to be sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of the houses. When the Lord saw the blood, he passed by the houses, and they were spared the plague, the death of the firstborn. The only thing that saved them was the blood. The lamb had died in place of the firstborn. The entire sacrificial service of Israel speaks of vicarious sacrifices. Therefore, we believe that the Messiah of Israel came first to act as the suffering servant of the Lord.
“Yet he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5,6).
On Good Friday, we remember Jesus' death in our place. The only reason we can draw near to God is through blood, just as it was in the tabernacle. The blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat between the cherubim and the Law. Only through this could the Lord say to his people, "I will meet you there." The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins. Just as the plague of death did not befall Israel, we can now know that there is no condemnation. Decay, judgment, and death no longer have power over us because the Messiah died our death. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, has come into the world.
If God wants to accept a person who has fallen into sin, two conditions must be met. First, the penalty for sin must be borne (that is, death—the soul that sins dies). Second, the person must never sin again. Jesus did both for us. He fulfilled the law for us, both through his death and through his life. It is also noteworthy that Jesus' legs were not broken when he hung on the cross (John 19:33).
Regarding the Passover lamb, it is said: “…and they shall not leave any of it until morning, nor break any of its bones; they shall observe the whole Passover ordinance” (Numbers 9:12). This is just one of the many prophecies that were fulfilled in the Passion of Jesus.
Freed from slavery
Through Passover, the surrender of judgment, Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt. The forgiveness and acquittal we receive through the sacrifice of Jesus do not lead to a life of indiscriminate arbitrariness, where everyone does as they please (that is the worst form of slavery), but to the freedom to obey God.
The unleavened bread eaten during Passover symbolizes a pure and holy life. “Let us therefore celebrate… with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). On the day after the Sabbath of Passover, the first sheaf of the harvest was brought before the Lord: “He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be acceptable to you; the priest shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:11). On the day after this one Sabbath, movement began to stir in Jesus’ body. Death could not hold him.
From that day on, fifty days had to be counted until the beginning of the harvest (Leviticus 23:16). Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, the first fruits of his completed work appeared—the Holy Spirit filled all of Jesus' followers who had gathered in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit urged them to proclaim "the mighty deeds of God" (Acts 2). The word Pentecost comes from the Greek expression Pentekoste (50th day) and refers to the 50th day after Easter.
It all fits together so wonderfully. Blessed are You, God of the universe, who allows us Gentiles to share in so many spiritual blessings that have come to us through Israel.
We have published this article from our archives. It first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 128. You can order the newspaper free of charge here. We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
