Texts:
Exodus
12:1-14
Date: Sunday, September 8, 2002
Author: Rev. Jonathan K. Twitchell
“And
can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior’s blood?”
Barbaric, don’t you think? It’s
really downright gruesome that we would gather here every week in celebration of
blood. And yet, all over the world,
millions of people will gather in Christian worship, celebrating the death of
Jesus
and the shedding of His blood. And
yet, this morning, we gather in remembrance and celebration that it was the
shedding of
Christ
’s blood on
Mount
Calvary
that opened the door for us to experience God’s plan of Salvation.
Though the shedding of blood may strike us as barbaric and
gruesome, that is precisely what is needed in order to provide salvation and
freedom from bondage.
Last
week, we watched as
Moses
had a life-changing encounter with the Holy
Living God. We learned that an
encounter with the Holy Living God forever changes the very fabric of our lives
so that we can no longer carry on “business as usual.”
Moses
did indeed accept the call of God on his life,
and he took his family back to
Egypt
. He
found his brother
Aaron
, and together they went into Pharaoh’s courts
demanding the release of their people. Pharaoh’s
heart was hardened, and he treated the Israelites that much more ruthlessly.
The
God of
Abraham
,
Isaac
, and
Jacob
, however; is not a God to be trifled with.
You know how God tried to get Pharaoh’s attention through the 10
plagues of
Egypt
. First
there was the plague of blood where all of the water in
Egypt
turned to blood and was undrinkable.
Then came the plague of frogs, where frogs came up from the river and
covered the land. The third plague
brought gnats that swarmed the land, bothering men and animals alike.
This was followed by the plague of flies, and then a plague that caused
the death of all of the Egyptian livestock.
The sixth plague brought painful boils upon all of the Egyptians and
still Pharaoh would not listen to
Moses
or
Aaron
, and continued to enslave the Hebrews.
The seventh plague brought hail and lightning destroying anything in its
path. Any crops or vegetation that
managed to survive the seventh plague were destroyed by the locusts which came
in the eighth plague. After the
ninth plague of total and complete darkness for three days, Pharaoh called
Moses
before him and gave him permission to take just
the men, women, and children with him to worship God.
After
Moses
explained that the animals were also needed in
order to offer appropriate sacrifices, Pharaoh changed his mind and banished
Moses
from his sight.
It
was at this point in the Exodus narrative that we read about God preparing the
Hebrew people for the tenth and final plague.
1
The Lord said to
Moses
and
Aaron
in
Egypt
, 2 “This month is to be for you
the first month, the first month of you year.
3 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.
4 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. 5 The animals you
choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the
sheep or the goats. 6
Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people 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.
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the
fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it
over the fire—head, legs and inner parts.
10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till
morning you must burn it. 11
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.
12
On that same night I will pass through
Egypt
and strike down every firstborn—both men and
animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of
Egypt
. I
am the Lord. 13 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
.
14
“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.”
And
so began the feast of The Passover. The
Israelite children were to slaughter a lamb, spreading its blood across the top
and down the sides of their doorways. Because
of the blood, the Angel of Death passed over the Hebrew houses while it
completed its terrible mission of killing every firstborn child in the
land
of
Egypt
. A
weeping and wailing such as had never been heard before spread throughout the
land
of
Egypt
as households discovered the loss of their
firstborn children. Pharaoh had
enough of conflict with
Moses
and his God, so he called
Moses
and
Aaron
to him and told them to take all of their
people, the men, women, and children, as well as their flocks and go worship
their God. The Egyptian people
couldn’t be rid of the Hebrews quickly enough, loading them up with silver,
gold, and articles of clothing for their journey, urging them on their way.
At
first glance, the story of the Exodus might appear to be quite gruesome.
However, even through the darkness, we see God’s saving hand at work.
Pharaoh had numerous opportunities to allow the Israelites to leave in
peace, but continued to resist the God of Abraham,
Isaac
, and
Jacob
. When
we recognize God’s saving qualities, we must also recognize His power and
victory over evil. You can’t have
freedom from evil without evil experiencing defeat.
The Israelites couldn’t have freedom from the Egyptians without God
first displaying His power over the Egyptians.
The
Passover festival became an annual feast celebrated by the Hebrews, a day of
remembrance. The Exodus event is
celebrated as the primary saving event of the Israelites, and Jews celebrate it
to this day. Practicing Jews will
thoroughly clean their house prior to the month of Passover, in order to remove
any possibility of leaven, or yeast in their house.
Through Passover, Jews celebrate the salvation of their entire nation
through the saving acts of Yahweh. It
is a somber celebration, recognizing that their salvation depended on the death
of the Passover lamb, as well as the death of the firstborn of all the
Egyptians. Their bitter slavery is
remembered through the eating of bitter herbs, and their tears are remembered
through salt water. One piece of
bread, the afikomen, is eaten to remind them of the Passover Lamb which
gave its life for their deliverance. At
one point during the Passover meal, ten drops of wine are slowly dripped into a
saucer, reminding them of the ten plagues on
Egypt
. No,
this is not a time for gloating a victorious escape from
Egypt
, but for recognizing that with God’s
deliverance comes God’s judgment. Passover
also developed a Messianic aspect, as one seat would always be left empty in
hopes that Elijah would return to foretell the coming of Messiah.
Passover reminds us that
though the shedding of blood may strike us as barbaric and gruesome, that was
precisely what was needed in order to provide salvation and freedom from
bondage.
It
was during this very central and significant celebration that Jesus spoke deeper
meaning and significance into the disciples’ celebration of Passover.
Jesus took the afikomen, which represented the Passover Lamb, and
he broke it, saying “This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance
of me.” (I Cor 11:24) Jesus then
took the third cup of the meal, the Cup of Redemption, which represented the
blood of the Passover Lamb and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my
blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (I Cor 11:25)
At that point in time, Jesus told His disciples that He was the Passover
Lamb, whose body was to be broken for their Salvation.
It
wasn’t long after that meal that Jesus was sold into the hands of the chief
priests and elders, who brought him before Pilate on charges of blasphemy.
Pilate attempted to have Him released, but the growing mob outside his
balcony called for His crucifixion. And
so, Jesus, the Passover Lamb, went to the hill of Calvary, carrying His own
cross, being beaten, whipped, and mocked by the soldiers and the crowd.
There, on the hill of Calvary, Jesus, the Passover Lamb, shed his blood
for our deliverance. Like the
Passover Lamb that was slaughtered for the deliverance of the Israelites, He was
broken and spilled out for our deliverance from the bondage of sin.
As He hung on the cross, breathing His last, He became the Passover Lamb.
Gruesome?
Absolutely. Barbaric?
No doubt. But necessary?
No question. For, though
the shedding of blood may strike us as barbaric and gruesome, that was precisely
what was needed in order to provide salvation and freedom from bondage.
Benediction:
The Lord bless you and keep you; the
Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace.
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