Passover and the Lamb
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts, calls His children and His elect to be presented to Him at specific times of the year, that He appoints. There are weekly Sabbaths, held on the Seventh Day, true believers cannot forget the Seven Feasts of the Lord. Explained in order in Leviticus 23, the seven Feasts are holy convocations, appointed times in which the Holy God of Israel presents Himself to His children to give them what they need. The first of these is the feast of Passover.
Last year, the general idea of the Feast was established in our Passover article. This year, the concept of the Lamb will be explored with depth.
In the twelfth chapter of the book of Exodus, we are told of the Passover of the Lord. The third verse to the thirteenth verse are very explicit on the lamb that is supposed to be used for the Feast. In summary, they are to have one per family, one year old males without defects, roasted and eaten with haste (Exodus 12:3 - 13). The blood of the lamb would be put on the door frames to protect the Israelites from the Lord, who would strike down on enemies of the Israelites (Exodus 12:13). From then, it was meant to be lived in perpetuity by the children of Israel, as explained in the verse:
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.”
- Exodus 12:14
Passover represented many of the things that the Messiah would come and do. Being an unblemished male lamb, like Christ who did not sin (Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5), our sins could be put on them. The families of Israel would choose a lamb, while the Lord chose Yeshua to be His sacrifice for the sins of those who followed Him in truth (John 1:36, John 3:16). This sacrifice is an eternal one that would be too big for any one animal to take. The blood of the lamb would protect from death, while the blood of Christ gave life (Revelations 1:5 - 6; Hebrews 13:12).
The Lamb of God is generally a complex topic that is often repeated and given in many churches, but what astounds many is the fact that is still meant to be lived. The feast of Passover is meant to symbolize your passing over from death to life (Exodus 12). True believers who follow Yahweh in truth must acknowledge the importance of the feasts, which He wanted us to live in perpetuity (Leviticus 23:1 - 2, 41). We cannot claim that Yeshua is our Passover lamb, who died for our sins and gave His life for ours, if we do not ourselves proclaim that He is Lord by celebrating this Feast of Passover.