What does Easter mean to you?
At Easter we celebrate the vastness of God’s plan of salvation and deliverance that came together at Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It’s no accident that Jesus’ death happened during the Jewish festival of Passover – on exactly the same day that the Passover lamb was sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem.
In fact, every instance where Passover is celebrated in Scripture is incredibly significant and points towards what Jesus accomplished that day on the cross. So let’s take a closer look at each of them.
First Passover – Freedom FROM…
At the first Passover, God comes to a people who are slaves in a foreign land and creates a pathway for their deliverance and freedom. The word Passover comes from the Angel of the Lord “passing over” each household where the blood of a lamb was put on the doorposts. You can read the story and the very specific instructions God gave to the Israelites in Exodus 12.
I wonder how many of the Israelites really wondered what was going on. Why did they have to do all these things? The blood of the lamb on the doorposts; making sure they ate all the roasted lamb that night; getting rid of all the yeast (which is a picture of sin) from their houses and not being able to eat bread made with yeast for 7 days; having their meal fully dressed in travelling clothes. What did it all mean?
God was actually setting a pattern for them and for us, and providing a real-life example of rescue from slavery. Passover changed everything for the Israelites. They immediately began a journey to a new identity; a new way of thinking; a new land. The difference between slavery and walking in freedom could not have been greater. And that is God’s intention for each believer. Jesus changes everything for us, and with salvation comes a journey, a fresh identity and a new destination.
Second Passover – Freedom FOR…
The second Passover recorded in the Bible (Num 9:1-5) takes things a step further. It shows that Passover does not just bring freedom FROM something, but also demonstrates freedom FOR something. Notice that when the Israelites reach Mt Sinai, God doesn’t say “I have brought you to Mt Sinai, but instead He says “I have brought you to myself” (Exod 19:4). They have been set apart FOR something extremely special (Exod 19:3-6). They are now God’s holy people – their identity is being permanently re-defined.
Then God shows Moses a very detailed pattern for a unique structure they must build (Exod 25:15-31:18). It needs to have primary place in the centre of their camp, and God Himself would come and dwell in their midst. The second Passover is at the dedication of this new structure, which is the Tabernacle for His Presence, and this is very significant.
For the Israelites, and for us, freedom from bondage to slavery is only step 1. The second Passover reveals the beginnings of God’s plan of transformation – from a rag-tag bunch of people to a glorious and holy nation who belong to God; from a slavery mindset to a new identity and a whole new way of thinking; from having a belief in God to living and moving with God’s continual presence. That’s what the Israelites began to experience, and that’s to be our experience too. It’s radical. It’s exciting. It’s challenging. And it’s gloriously amazing!
We’ll continue our journey through remaining Bible Passovers in the next post.
