Two Passover Lamb Parallels
I have two really special Passover Lamb stories I want to remind you of this morning and then I want to show how they are connected in a very special way. But first, here is a free gift. (Be sure to read the rest of the blog to explain its significance.)
*Click Here For Free Passover Parallels Chart
The Israelite Slaves
The first story is the the story of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt. They were made to work hard, building bricks, and their masters were cruel. But God had a plan to rescue them. Moses was chosen to be their leader. When he repeatedly went to Pharaoh and asked for him to free the Israelites, Pharaoh repeatedly said “No.” So God gave the plagues of Egypt to the Egyptians to show Pharaoh that God was in control. Although they were all powerful, the last plague was the most dramatic. God sent an angel to kill all the firstborn babies and the firstborn animals of the Egyptians. But He spared the Israelites.
They were to sacrifice a lamb (Passover Lamb) and put its blood on the door posts of their homes. When the angel came through to kill the firstborn children, he would “passover” those houses that had the blood of the sacrificed Passover Lamb on the door posts, and spared the Israelites. Following that, God commanded the Israelites to celebrate Passover as a remembrance of God’s rescuing them. Don’t you just LOVE that theme of rescue throughout the Bible!
Our Passover Lamb
Now I have another story I want to remind you of. It happened the night before Jesus was crucified on the cross. Jesus was meeting in the Upper Room with his disciples for a very special meal together. It was a very intimate time of sharing for many of them, but for Judas, it was the night he betrayed Jesus with 30 pieces silver. This is the night that Jesus gave them the wine and the bread and said “This is my body which is given for you. This is my blood which was shed for you.” Jesus was telling them that soon He would be sacrificing His life for them, so they could live forever with Him. This was the first communion and it is packed with meaning.
Now, here is the reason for telling these two stories together. They are intimately connected. You see, when Jesus met with his disciples for the Last Supper, the night before His death on the cross, they were actually celebrating Passover. They were celebrating God’s rescue of His people by way of the Passover Lamb’s blood painted on the doorframes. So Jesus death happened during the Passover celebration- resulting in our our death being passed over because the Lamb of God shed His blood for us on the cross! All while they were celebrating the Jewish Passover. WOW! And the most intimate of all events, the Last Supper, is the vehicle for displaying God’s grace and mercy on us through the sacrifice of His Son. Again given on Passover.
Looking back on this, it’s clear to see that Passover foreshadowed our salvation. The gift I referrred to above is a worksheet that your students can use to look up Scriptures that compare the Passover rescue to our rescue through Christ. It makes our rescue so much more memorable to see that God was working throughout history, preparing for our rescue. This chart is taken from The Lord Supper… Let’s Get Ready! where this is explained on the kids level in more detail in this workbook.
God’s rescue of His children and the Passover Lamb is foreshadowed over and over again throughout Scripture. To the Rescue is a picture book that I wrote to display how God has shown this throughout Scripture. This may also be a helpful tool.
If you missed it, here is that free chart for you to download.
*Click Here For Free Passover Parallels Chart
Easter is around the corner! And before Easter comes Easter week. May you all have a wonderful preparation for Easter and rejoice in Jesus’ great sacrifice for you. This is such a great week to bring all of this together for the kids and parents.
*This chart is taken from The Lord Supper… Let’s Get Ready! You might find this a good tool to prepare your kids for communion, as well.
