Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Al Hughes
The Passover
Levi%cus 23:4-‐8; Ex. 12:1-‐13, 21-‐23
Why study these Jewish Feast Days?
1. They are in the Word of God (Mt. 4:4).
2. Paul wrote, “Whatsoever things were wri0en afore2me were wri0en FOR OUR
LEARNING, that we through pa2ence and comfort of the scriptures might have
hope” (Rom. 15:4).
3. They point to Jesus and I love to point people to Jesus. Paul wrote these holy-‐
days “are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col. 2:17).
The Passover is the FIRST of three major feasts: Passover; Pentecost; Tabernacles.
BACKGROUND: Israel was in bondage to the Egyp%ans for 400 years. God raised
up Moses to deliver them. God judged Egypt with ten plagues. The last plague
was the PASSOVER which finally lead to their deliverance (READ Ex. 12:1-‐13).
• The Passover Feast celebrates the most important event in Israel's history —
God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt.
➡Jewish people have kept the Passover annually throughout their genera%ons,
as God instructed them (Ex. 12:14). But there was only one Passover—only one
%me when God judged the land of Egypt—only one %me when the children of
Israel applied the blood of the Passover lamb to their homes. All other Passo-‐
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vers since have been memorials of what occurred on that first Passover (Dt.
16:1-‐3).
• The Passover is a picture of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5:7; Isaiah
53:1-‐7; Acts 8:32-‐35; John 1:29; Rev. 5:6).
➡The New Testament Church does not observe the Passover, but we do observe
as a Memorial the Lord's Supper that Christ ins%tuted in its place.
I. 10th day of the month—The Lamb SELECTED (Ex. 12:2-‐5).
A. 12:3—“A lamb” had to be offered. Everyman needed a lamb.
B. 12:4— “THE lamb” — Not just any lamb. It had to be a specific lamb.
• Ex. 12:4—A house may be too ligle for the Lamb but the Lamb was
never too ligle for the house! Jesus is the Lamb and He is always
enough!
• Ex. 12:5—The requirements: No blemish; Male; yearling; separated.
• 12:43-‐47— No bone was to be broken (cf. John 19:33, 36).
C. 12:5— “YOUR lamb” — The lamb had to be personally appropriated. The
neighbor’s lamb would not atone for your sin. Jesus has to become
YOUR Lamb.
II. 10th day -‐ 14th day— The Lamb SCRUTINIZED (Ex. 12:5-‐6).
• Lamb selected on the 10th day of the month and observed for 5 days.
• Sacrificed on the 14th day.
Jesus was crucified on the Passover:
A. Jesus enters Bethany just outside of Jerusalem six days BEFORE Passover
(John 12:1). That would be the 9th day of the month.
B. John 12:12—On the 10th day Jesus enters Jerusalem (Lamb pulled out of
the flock to be examined for five days). Jesus was scru%nized for five
days by the Pharisees, Sadducees and lastly Pon%us Pilate before He is
slain. Luke 11:53-‐54—Jesus is observed by the Pharisees looking for a
fault. No fault could be found (John 19:4). He was the perfect Lamb
without spot or blemish (1 Pet. 1:18-‐19).
C. John 13:1—Lord’s Supper is ins%tuted on the evening of the Passover—
The day before Jesus is crucified (cf. John 18:28, 39).
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D. Jesus, the Lamb of God, crucified about the same %me the people are
killing their passover lambs (between 3 -‐ 6 PM). See Mark 15:25, 33-‐37
III. 14th day — The Lamb SLAIN / SACRIFICED (Ex. 12:6). On evening of
the 5th day (3:00 -‐ 6:00 pm). 5=number of death.
• The firstborn wasn’t saved from death by admiring the lamb, caring for
the lamb, or loving the lamb. The lamb had to be slain, and the blood ap-‐
plied to the doorposts of each house.
A. THE PLACING of the blood. The blood had to be personally applied to
the door (vs. 7 cf. vs. 21-‐23).
1. It is not enough to know Christ shed His blood – He must be received
as YOUR Savior and the blood applied to your heart (John 1:12).
2. The blood was applied to the door posts and lintel. Those in the
house had to pass “through the blood.”
➡Not on the threshold (Heb. 10:29— “Of how much sorer punish-‐
ment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden un-‐
der foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanc2fied, and unholy thing…”).
3. Faith required (Heb. 11:28). The children of Israel had to believe the
blood of the lamb would protect them from “the destroyer.”
B. The POWER of the blood
1. Power to save from God’s judgment. Likewise, Chris%ans are saved
from God’s judgment by the blood of Christ—The Lamb of God.
2. Power to redeem from bondage. SAVED BY THE BLOOD!
C. The Jews also fed on the lamb, and this gave them strength for the jour-‐
ney ahead of them. Likewise we feed on Christ through His Word.
SUMMATION: Aqer the Temple was built, the Passover Feast was integrated in the
Temple worship. Lambs were sold at the temple to those who traveled from great
distances for the Passover. It would be too difficult for them to carry their Lamb to
Jerusalem, so they purchased one when they got there. These Lambs were bred
for the sole purpose of sacrifice—They were born to die. Jesus was BORN TO DIE.
➡Passover was the beginning of the Jewish religious year (vv. 1-‐2); and when a
sinner is born again, it marks for them a new beginning in a new life (2 Cor. 5:21).