An ancient feast of commemoration , of extraordinary events, faithfully kept by Israelites for more than 3000 years and by Christians for more than 2000 years confirms the fact that something newsworthy with everlasting spiritual meaning did happen. Another more important reason to confirm that extraordinary events with spiritual significance occurred is confirmed by the fact that the Lord repeatedly commanded Moses in Exodus 12:24 ,42, 13, 13:9, 10, 16, ” ...you shall observe this day throughout your generations…And it shall be when the Lord brings you to the land…flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month… it shall serve as a sign… for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year”. Why would God be so persistent that it must be kept and commemorated through all the ages?
It should be obvious that God sees very important spiritual lessons in these extraordinary events for humankind. Before we look into these events it is worth mentioning that when such extraordinary events occur it make such an impression on people’s lives, circumstances and destiny that they want to preserve the meaning of those events to prevent it from vanishing from memory. This is done by remembering and commemoration of these events in the form of sacred rituals, ceremonies and sacred festivals to be repeated into eternity for the benefits of future generations. People were eye witnesses of enormous interventions and miraculous acts of God in history to save and preserve His people and discipline oppressors. They learned something about God’s person and acts, which should be beneficial for later generations who might desperately be in need of similar acts of God in their circumstances.
Christians keep the Lord’s Supper which was instituted by Christ during the Passover and see this ceremony as a fulfillment of the Passover. The events (the crucifixion, resurrection and positioning of Christ at the right hand of God) which occurred during, before and after Passover are commemorated in the Lord’s supper. Sadly some churches detach the Old Testament witness from the New Testament. Doing that will rob us of to many spiritual truths applicable to our circumstances, and specifically in our situation with the drastic changes to expect over all sectors of human society universally, due to the occurrence of the corona virus. Over the centuries the Passover were celebrated with expectancy and lightheartedness by many people with or without church membership. The approaching Passover of 2020 evoked a somewhat different atmosphere among people. The sudden unexpected universal lock-down brought the whole world to a sudden standstill. So many diverse opinions came to the surface. On the one end some people believe the end of the world is near and on the other end some people do not care at all.
Before we elaborate on the current situation and how relevant the Passover message is to these unexpected events which are confronting us, let us first summarize the basic events which happened during this time in antiquity. Two unparalleled events occurred in the history of the world which changed the fortunes and destinies of people:
1) The Exodus. In Deut. 4:32 the people of God were bidden to ask from ancient history and from one end of heaven to another, if any such wonders had ever been known in the history of the nations. Here we can refer to the act of liberation by wonders of enslaved and oppressed people from a mighty brutal oppressive government, the appearance of God to Moses and His self disclosure of His name and person, the plagues inflicted on a stiff necked Pharaoh , the “coming down” of the Lord to take note of the oppression of His people, His attendance to their sighs, cries, groaning and prayers for help in their affliction and mass murder of their newborn babies, how He guided them out of Egypt by cloud at day and fire pillar by night, His providence on their journey through the desert, His provision of manna and water out of rocks and His aid in their conquering of enemies more and stronger than them and their conquest of the promised land.
2) The other more significant event; the arrival of the long expected Messiah, the God-Man, Son of God, offering his life as substitutionary sacrifice at his crucifixion over Passover, atoning for the sins of humankind, giving his life as ransom for many to reconcile two alienated parties God and humankind. Unexpectedly to everybody’s surprise resurrected on the third day, taken up in heaven, appeared to more than 500 people, taken up in heaven before the eyes of his disciples and positioned at the right hand of God, invested with all authority in heaven and on earth to rule as King and Head of the community of believers, speak as The Prophet, and continuously intercede as High Priest , sending His Spirit to actualize the salvation accomplished on the cross and carry on with his ministry through his chosen community of believers until such time of his second coming to finally establish the kingdom of God and judgement of unbelievers and the devil.
Now that we have summarized the events leading up to the institution of the Passover in Exodus 12 more than 3000 years ago and the crucifixion of Christ more than 2000 years ago during and after the Passover, let us look shortly at the institution of the ceremony in Exodus 12 and blend it with the Lord’s supper, with its practical value to our lives in mind. a Short description will follow and we can elaborate on each of them in later posts. It is important to take note of the following Scriptures to orientate yourself towards the practical spiritual truths: Exodus 12 for the institution and ( Exodus 1 to 12 for historical background) in the Old Testament. Luke 22:7 to verse 23; Matthew 26:17 to verse 30; Mark 14:12 to verse 25; 1 Corinthians 11:23 to verse 23 for the institution of the Lord’s Supper and Matthew 26-28; Mark 14-16; Luke 22-24 for the background.
PRACTICAL VALUE TO OUR LIVES.
1) Ex. 1:1,2. The Lord said to Moses that this shall be the beginning of the months, the first month of the year. With this announcement God instituted a new calendar, a spiritual calendar. A new year has dawn for them, a new starting point, a new epoch or era, a new direction. We learn from this that God is a God of a new fresh start.
a) The Passover time reminds us that a new spiritual year is to commence. It is now time to realize that the old things have passed away. After the Passover and lock-down we might wake up in a new world where everything is different. Due to the continuity of life and humans’s resistance to change it often takes abrupt measures to bring an old order to a standstill. It took 10 plagues to liberate a community from oppression.
b) Like the Israelites on that moonlit night we are on the doorstep of a new future and we should do what sensible people do at new year, taking stock, reflect on the past, setting goals and plan for the future. What exactly is happening now is not known, but God knows and He is always ahead of the plans of the enemy. It is time for us to get closer to God to get to know His plans and our part in it. Whether adverse events are man made or caused by evildoers God has the geniality to turn it into the advantage of his plan for his people.
c) The word “new” carries with it uncertainty and the unknown concerning the future, and change and departure from the wrong in the past. Change implies a departure from the past or a shaking off of the wrongs of the past. A lot went wrong on this planet. The Passover reminds us that God also intervenes in times of evil going to far or when his people groan, sigh and pray. He came down to stop the oppression. Passover reminds us of the judgments of God on all evil. This is a time to reflect on everything that went wrong on the earth. Some of us are in the camp of the oppressed and others in the camp of the oppressors. Good advice for the oppressed would be to continuously call upon God in humble prayer, connect with Him, enter into a relationship with Him to get advice and instructions from him concerning his plans which include you. For the oppressors, to repent. Oppression occurs in all areas of life; in work situations, economical, or political oppression of minority groups, in families towards children or women, religious oppression and even in churches you will find manipulation, misuse of members and dictatorship. There are so many evils we can name, social evils, immorality, wars, land grabs, violence, human trafficking, child abuse and oppressive governments to name a few. God is a Liberator, we forgot that we can come in collective prayer towards him.
d) It is not just the evil things that must be changed but also a lot of our outdated ways of doing things and way of thinking which is not necessarily wrong but not workable anymore. The same miraculous powers can be released as in those times. As already said, during this time closeness with God is a necessity.
e) As mentioned “new” implies change. Consequently change requires adaptability from us. We learned from the Passover narrative and from the current challenge with the corona virus that changes can be very abrupt and sudden and such sudden disasters can disrupt every area of our lives. Let’s take for instance career changes. The salesperson, agent and many other jobs, are very dependent on face to face interactions in doing transactions. Suddenly such people must find other ways to interact. a Medical doctor consult probably 40 people per day. Social distancing affects also mega churches with enormous financial overheads- are they ready to adapt to breaking up in smaller groups and what about the huge and expensive buildings?. Sudden changes can disrupt people mentally, psychologically and spiritually. We have to arm ourselves with strong faith an and intimate relationship with the Lord. This will assist us in our new outlook towards the new direction which holds better things than the past.
f) New seasons and destinies evoke fear within us and a sense of uncertainty and it is often difficult for us to look past the current disasters we are facing. The following statement is difficult to understand, but if we look past disasters and plaques it can be instruments of change, repentance, awakening, discipline, liberation, revelation, new beginnings and creativity. Such events can even unite nations and churches against a common foe. As mentioned we need to be wary, ready and adaptable. We need strong faith and an intimate relationship with the Lord. To be able to look past the disasters we need Divine insights , instruction and wisdom from above. This can only be accomplished if we are in an intimate relationship with the Lord. This statement flows into the second practical spiritual lesson for us.
2) This section will reveal the secret of this needed intimate relationship with the Lord and the foundation it rested on and how it is brought about. The understanding of Jesus as the sacrificial Passover lamb and faith in it initiates, maintains, and carries it through. The symbolism embedded in the paschal meal or the partaking in the Lord’s Supper reveals some of the most important practical spiritual truths and disclose the primary message of the Gospel.
a) Let’s firstly look at some of the Scriptures : Luke 22: 7,8. “Then came the day of the Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed . Jesus send Peter and John, saying “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” (NIV). This was the last supper Jesus had with His disciples. Jesus is also called the Passover lamb by Paul. (1 Corinthians 5:7 ) In Exodus 12 a Passover lamb was to be eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The Lord commanded them to put some of the blood on their doorposts and said; ” and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plaque will befall you to destroy when I strike the land of Egypt” (RSB) The statements of Jesus while breaking the bread “this is My body, which is for you” and sharing the cup ” this is the new covenant in my blood, do it in remembrance of Me.” “Paul says as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11) John witnesses as follow: ” Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
b) Some explanation is needed on the meaning of sacrifice which is a practice that belonged to the primeval traditions humans inherited from the garden of Eden. (God slaughtered an animal and covered Adam and Eve’s shame with animal skin). a Practice that might be unintelligible or even incomprehensible to the modern human mind, though pagans might have a better idea of the meaning. For primeval humans sacrifice was just as natural as prayer. Prayer in the sense of dependency and sacrifice in the sense of their felt need for propitiation. Most of their worship and religious practices were accompanied by prayer and sacrifices. They believed that God was pleased by sacrifices. It seems that modern humans lost that original spiritual knowledge.
b) Fundamental to the idea of sacrifice is that of substitution. Substitution implies vicarious punishment and forgiveness (according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary vicarious means; something that is performed or suffered by one as n substitute by another, or to the benefit or advantage of another). The life of the sacrifice which is in its blood (Leviticus 17:11) counts in the eyes of God for the life of the sacrificer or the offerer (In New Testament terms the one in need of forgiveness, redemption, atonement and reconciliation with God). With trust in the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross for us we share in the benefits of Christ’s substitutionary death as punishment on our behalf, His resurrection and positioning as King , Prophet and High Priest in Heaven. It is through the blood of Christ that we get access to the benefits. Please read Isaiah 53 Prophecy concerning Jesus’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross. The old Testament sacrifices a type or shadow of the real sacrifice of Christ on the cross. “He was crushed for our iniquities , the chastening for our well being fell upon Him. And by His scourging we are healed”. (RSB)
c) It is important to realize that substitutionary sacrifice is introduced, adopted, and sanctioned by God. The substitute accepted by God takes the place and covers the offerer . God accepts the offer on behalf and on the merits of the sacrifice. This is the divinely appointed way of forgiveness, atonement (covering), redemption (Ransom price paid to free us from the judgement of the law) and reconciliation with God. ( to enter into a relationship with God)
d) When God entered into a covenant relationship with humans, Abraham, Moses, and through Jesus with us ” this is the new covenant in my blood ” he accomplished it through, substitutionary sacrifice , bloodshed and sprinkling of blood. The initiation, maintenance and fulfilling of this covenant relationship rests on the substitutionary sacrifice.
e) To be in intimate relationship with the Lord does not happen by humans approaching the unseen Almighty God. Since the Garden of Eden humans were alienated from God. The only God appointed way to be reconciled to God is through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood on the cross where He made atonement for our sins and thereby reconciled us with God and justly expiated our sins. He paid the ransom price to free us from the judgement of Gods law. This is the only way how the barrier could be removed. Faith or trust in this gracious and loving act of God in Christ and no trust in own works glorifies God in Christ. This prevent us to boast in our salvation. This salvation must be appropriated by us in faith and we must also acknowledge our estrangement from God. The goodness of God leads us to repentance which is a change of direction and dedication to God and His purposes. We become regenerated and adopted by God as His children and drawn into an intimate relationship with Him.
f) Due to the fall of humanity in Eden we lost our spiritual knowledge and was overtaken by evil. I don’t underestimate the capabilities of the human race especially when it comes to technological and scientific achievements. But sorry to say, when it comes to spiritual knowledge and knowledge of God we are dull.
g) The main point to bring to the attention here is the necessity for such an intimate relationship wit God. Such an relationship connect us with God and causes a spiritual awareness and insights of wisdom to enable us to look past disasters, set new and relevant goals and plan for the appropriate action. To get to now some of the unknown things of the future that just God knows and reveals to them that are close to him. Noah is a good example of a person who walked with God (in dialogue and constant communion with God) and consequently received timely warning of the impending flood. He also received the plan for survival for him and his family and saved humankind and animal life from annihilation.
3) The third practical spiritual truth we learn from the Passover is the mentioning in Exodus 12 of the manner how they ate the Passover. They were to eat standing with there garments gathered, shoes on their feet and staff in hand with bitter herbs and unleavened bread which symbolizes their readiness to leave bondage, expecting any moment the summons to the march an urgent hurry. After accepting the message of the Passover Lamb slain for reconciliation and believing the Gospel with a repentant heart we are ready for the journey with God with a sure destination, ” I will deliver you from bondage and bring you into the land that flows with milk and honey”. ” When you eat the bread and partake in the cup you proclaim the death of our Lord until He comes”.
Let us summarize: The Passover is a extraordinary feast based on extraordinary interventions of God in History with a very relevant message to all our circumstances. Disclosing His name I Am who has a passion to save His people from bondage and display He is Almighty over world history and a force to be reckoned with when He intervenes. In Christ he displays his love and grace towards the world in sending His Son to die a substitionary sacrificial death to reconcile us with God into an intimate relationship ,regenerate us and give us spiritual awareness and insight to understand ,cope and look past disasters.
The Passover is in a sense a spiritual new year and summons us to a strong faith, covenant relationship with Him in a journey to a sure destination. In Him we are safe under the blood of the Passover Lamb. He enables us to change and be adaptable to sudden changes and challenges of this world and make us wise to learn from the current world crises to be ready for his Returning, but in the mean time He will walk with us like Noah and receive timely warning of the challenges and receive plans of wisdom for survival for us, our families and God’s people. HAPPY SPIRITUAL NEW YEAR. May God bless this message to your heart and intervene in your circumstances.