Zion UMC

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.  If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.  The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.  Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. ⁷ Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.  That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.  Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.  Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Exodus 12:1-13

The Hebrews have been enslaved in Egypt for a period of 400 years. Accepted as guests in the land at the time of Joseph and his Father Israel, they now are in oppressive bondage to the Egyptians. Despite numerous God directed plaques, the heart of Pharaoh was unresponsive to the demands of God. God’s plan of freedom required a ritualistic meal of an unblemished male goat or lamb, one year of age to be utilized in a particular way of sacrifice. The blood of the sacrificed animal was to be placed on the door frame of the Israelite homes. It was this blood seen by the Lord that would spare the inhabitants of that home. The Hebrews complied and were saved by this visible blood. The Egyptians were not so protected so that the first born males of men and cattle died. At midnight the land of Egypt mourned in unison and the Hebrews were released from their captivity.

They were “passed over” by the Angel of Death not because of their actions or status but because of the visible blood of sacrifice.

Passover Restrictions

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:

“No foreigner may eat it.  Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him,  but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.

“It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.  The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

Exodus 12: 43-47

The directions for the preparation and sacrifice of the Passover Lamb are specific and covered in great detail. Those directed to take this meal must come in a specific manner. A participant may not be outside of the Hebrew community. The animal carcass must likewise be cared for in a specific manner. A provision must be rendered so that none of the bones are to be broken.

The Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt occurred shortly after midnight. In celebration of this fact, this meal was to be enacted each year on the 14^th day of the first month.

The Death of Jesus

 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.  The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.  The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.  These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”  and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

 John 19:28-37

1500 Years later, John, the disciple Jesus loved, recorded for us an eye-witness account of the crucifixion of Jesus. Three years earlier, John the Baptist declared that Jesus of Nazareth was the lamb that takes away the sins of the world. The similarity between the lamb of the Passover and Jesus of Nazareth is clear. Both were deemed perfect. The lamb of the sacrifice was perfect in a physical sense and Jesus was perfect in a spiritual sense. He was without sin. Both surrendered their life giving blood to do God’s will. It is of note that the crucified Jesus had no bones broken during His crucifixion. The Exodus provision requires that the sacrificed lamb is to have none of its bones broken as well. Biblical uniformity is preserved.

Hours before His death, Jesus had modified the Passover celebration by the introduction of a New Covenant. This covenant did not have law as its basis but focused on the very person of Jesus. Using bread as a symbol, He declared that it was symbolic of His broken body and was to be internalized by His followers. Likewise the Passover Wine was symbolic of His blood that was to be poured out for those who believed in Him. In essence He was gifting His life’s blood so that others could live.

It is this act by the Christ (dying willingly for others) that completes the covenant enacted by God with Abraham the Father of the Hebrews. Jesus chooses to walk the blood path of life as the representative for Abraham and his kin. Such is necessary for neither Abraham nor his descendants could complete it in a sinless state. Perfection is the requirement. Only Jesus is sinless and perfect.

How does this apply to us? We come to God just as Abraham did, in faith. This faith resides in Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God who is the Way to God. It is He who walks the path of death as a substitute for crushed sinners.

We live in a time in which man considers himself smarter that God. He establishes himself as an authority that is more knowledgeable and trustworthy than God. The folly of such should be obvious but we are often guilty of having eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear.

Jesus has declared that He comes with a sword that will disrupt the whole of society. This sword is the Biblical revelation. Take care where you get your information.

We live in a time of critical decision making. Shall we stand and witness for Christianity with our lives or concede the high ground to secular humanism? The stakes are extremely high for our families specifically and society generally.

Genesis 12:1-4, 15:6

The Call of Abram

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,    and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

Genesis 12:1-4

Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

The Bible assures us that our age, or in fact any age, is not different from any other. What was created in perfection has been tainted by sin. The world presently and in the past has been dominated by evil and sin. We like to think of ourselves as enlightened because of all of the changes that have occurred in the secular world. Polio is no longer the scourge of the young, rheumatic fever is rare in this and other countries and life expectation has jumped from 47 years to the mid-seventies in the past 100 years. Despite all of the advances in the secular world, it remains a realm of darkness and danger. At the present time the Syrian people are being killed by their own government. Even in our own city, the prudent do not go to certain areas once the sun sets.

As a solution for the darkness that engulfed His creation, God called to a solitary man, Abram of Ur, and simply “Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  In more simple terms, because of faith in the person and character of God, Abram became in fellowship with God. Seeking faith in God fills the hole in everyone’s soul.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying  “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

   “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus spoke in parables which are simple stories that are directed to only one or two points. These generally fictional stories are meant to be interrogated by the soul and not merely by the mind. The mind is capable of investigating and storing knowledge. The soul has the ability to turn this learning into wisdom. The simplest definition of wisdom is to think as God thinks.

This story deals with the Kingdom of Heaven and the offer of the King to grant entrance. The invitation is ignored by most but is opened to all. One who comes is not properly attired and is expelled from the Kingdom into darkness. The point that seems clearly made is that we come to the King (God) on His terms and not in any random fashion. The emphasis is on the universal call to all to come to the feast but God dictates that which must be met to participate in the joy.

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:1-7

1st John, written by the Apostle John, “the one Jesus loved,” is a letter written by John in his waning years. The purpose is to discount heresy that had attached itself to the Christian message. John’s thrust was that joy does not have to be postponed to the future but is available at the present if we seek to fellowship with God.

The Scripture from Matthew alerts us to the fact that this fellowship is initiated by God and certain conditions must be met before we are accepted into His presence. The reference to the “wedding suit” makes it clear that this is not a casual “come as you are” affair.

At issue is the transfer from the Kingdom of Darkness (the secular world of sin) to the Kingdom of Light wherein we have fellowship with God and with one another. The means and the mechanism by which this occurs are attributed to “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Some in theologic circles of our day are appalled by the idea of “Substitutionary Atonement” and the shedding of the blood of Christ for the cleansing of sin. The idea, however, is as old as the Old Testament itself which declares that there is no forgiveness from sin without the shedding of blood. I doubt that even the most tenured of seminary professors would be bold enough to challenge John’s statement. John’s statement is backed by personal experience with the Savior Himself.

The thrust of 1st John to his audience of nearly 2000 years ago has the same application today. Joy does not find its source in the contemporary secular culture of any day. The secular world is dark, seducing and temporary. It may provide fleeting happiness but never lasting joy. Joy is an awareness of an intimate fellowship with God that overcomes all circumstances and situations.

It is fellowship with God that Abram discovered and enjoyed. This same fellowship with God is available to all who accept the Lordship of Jesus. By the aspect of forbearance the blood of Jesus cleansed the sin of Abram centuries after he died. The same act of selfless sacrifice can cleanse us all. We must seek it, ask for it and follow its source. Only Jesus can provide us with fellowship with God. It is then that joy dawns in our souls.

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.  But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

Daniel 12:1-4

The Old Testament book of Daniel contains many significant events such as the survival of his three friends thrown into the fiery furnace, Daniel’s night in the lion’s den, the hand writing on the wall, as well as an end time countdown when time expires and a judgment ensues. Perhaps more striking is a generalized resurrection of the dead to either everlasting life or eternal shame and condemnation. To this point in time, the nature and extent of the resurrection of the dead was nebulous. Such is clearly promised and the implication is that Daniel will be one of the wise who will shine like the stars in the heavens. What is implied is that death will not have the last word but will be defeated. This news is noteworthy and has application to the whole of humankind this and all days. The prophetic word is not accompanied with any explanation that declares how this is to come about. Such a mystery is to be disclosed in the future.

Who has believed our message    and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

Isaiah 53:1-2

By oppression^] and judgment he was taken away.  Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living;   for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence,  nor was any deceit in his mouth.  Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,  and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,    and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,   he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53: 8-11

 

Years before the great prophet Isaiah had introduced us to the Suffering servant who was to be God’s agent. The Jews of his day and later as well did not know what to do with this Suffering Servant. The knowledge hinted at by Daniel is portrayed in a 2700 year old work that outlines the role, purpose, crucifixion and death of this figure who will likewise be resurrected from the dead and will see his offspring.

Those who turn to look upon Him in faith will be rescued from shame and their sins will be completely and everlastingly overcome.

Jesus Has Risen

 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

 Matthew 28:1-8

 

Four gospels present us with four different accounts of who was there, when and how. Does this lessen the veracity of the fundamental story? No, not really. If there were four identical accounts, we would certainly have something to worry about. If multiple witnesses in a court of law give identical eyewitness accounts, they have been coached as to what to testify.

Was the tomb really empty? This is the one thing that everyone agreed upon. The soldiers revealed it to be so. How, they didn’t know. The skeptical Jews said that the disciples stole the body away. Their state of mind was not one of taking on a contingent of armed Roman soldiers. They were hiding behind closed doors and concerned as to whether they were next. Thomas was unwilling to take the word of his companions despite his close association with them for 3 years. An ancient book of religion dating over 1500 years into the past said that Jesus merely swooned and the cold stone of the tomb revived Him. This is a great faith in homeopathic medicine. Jesus had been exsanguinated by His multiple wounds and the Roman lance plunged into His right chest would have killed Him had He not already expired. Multiple additional witnesses included His brother James who thought Him to be insane, the pair on the Road to Emmaus, 500 on a mountain top in Galilee and to Saul of Taurus on the road to Damascus.

What else makes this story ring true? Convinced Jesus was alive; His disciples challenged the Jewish leaders, the Roman Empire, and the secular world at large with this story. Such cost the majority their lives.

But why did Jesus not appear to the powerful and the elite? The issue is not with the intellect alone but with the dark soul and spirit of humankind. The need is not merely knowledge to inform but wisdom to transform. Jesus came for sinners who can comprehend that they need a Savior. There is only one who died on a cross but was resurrected from the grave. It is He that provides the narrow path to a resurrection of Joy.

Good Friday has its purpose and the proof of its worthiness is the resurrection of the Savior on Easter Sunday. It is on this day that Christians profess that the Savior has arisen. He has arisen indeed.