Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) was Israel’s redemption story, Jesus died on a passover to write the redemption story for you and me.
The first Good Friday in a sense was the culmination of all the Passover celebrations for the centuries preceding it.
In Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means “to pass over”), because God passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.
The first Passover, celebrated in Egypt was supposed to be a mirror of the final sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God, Yeshua on the cross, leading to redemption of not only Israel but for all mankind, those who choose to believe.
“The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”’
John 1:35-36 MSG of
“You must know (recognise) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 AMPC
The Passover was meant exclusively for the descendants of Abraham.
“Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the instructions for the festival of Passover. No outsiders are allowed to eat the Passover meal.”‘
Exodus 12:43 NLT .
The final passover with the sacrifice of Jesus removed the exclusivity and welcomed us all at the table.
“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”
Galatians 3:28-29 NLT
When Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples the night before the crucifixion, He took the bread and wine and constituted the Lord’s supper and welcomed us to do the same, a Passover meal to commemorate the final sacrifice!
“He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”’
Luke 22:19 NLT .
The original Passover Seder (meal) consisted of roasted lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs, God specially instructed in Exodus 12:46 not to break any bones of the lamb. In Jesus, our passover lamb we see at the cross none of His bones were broken.
“These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”’
John 19:36 NLT .
The Jews do not include the lamb sacrifice in their passover celebration today, this tradition stopped after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, since Adonai had specifically asked that the sacrifices be made only at the temple in Jerusalem.
In Jesus our passover lamb, sacrificed for our redemption from the Egypt of our sin and bondage, He abolished the need for repeated blood shed.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16-17 NLT
God bless you!
joyancejames 