We can know from careful Bible study the actual Passover is an annual event, not weekly. It’s a much more serious occasion. It is the beginning of God’s plan. Without it, we could go no further. For ancient Israel, the Passover made possible their release from bondage. Later, when God delivered the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, after a tremendous audio-visual show, He reminded Israel that it was He who brought them out of Egypt (Exodus 19:17-19, 20:1-2).
This event was just a physical foreshadowing of what was and is to come. The Passover is what takes us out of bondage to our sins, our personal Egypt.
Christ went through a horrific time on the Passover, but upon His death, there were immediate positive results. The curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple at Jerusalem was miraculously torn in two from the top to the bottom, the earth quaked, tombs opened, and many saints who had died were brought back to life (Matthew 27:45-54). When the heavy Temple curtain was torn, it opened the way to the Holy of Holies, symbolically granting us direct access to God the Father. Not only that, Christ had just paid the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven and begin a new life. The Passover opened hope and life for all of humanity.
True followers of Christ have also been given God’s Holy Spirit, an access to spiritual and physical healing, and to Christ as our High Priest. We are literally saved by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10).
When the Israelites ate the Passover, there was a sense of urgency. We should have that same sense of urgency about coming out of sin. Emulating Christ in every way, staying close to God through prayer, and forgiving and helping others around us to grow. Sometimes we only remember what people were; but we are to change and support each other and develop spiritually as God gives us the willingness and the power to do so.
There is no way to overestimate the value of the Passover. God is giving us the opportunity to become priests and kings. It’s about service, and giving, and learning to be like God. “But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
God has given us opportunity to be His children and to help fix this broken world. Let’s go forward in joy and confidence to appreciate and gain a better understanding of what our Father and Jesus Christ, our Passover, have done and are doing for those who willingly follow His way to Life.
John Prohs