Comparison of Passover and Easter

Lesson 6 – The Passover - Past and Present

Some Exodus lessons are about God and a Super Hero - Moses. Tonight’s lesson is about regular people that God asks to do some unusual things. And it is about redemption – purchasing our freedom, through the death of something or someone else.

Chapters 12 and 13 hop back and forth from the present to the future – you almost need to outline it to sort it out. I have broken down this discussion to do just that.

Right from the start God is saying “ We are going to win the next war on January 14, and here is how you must celebrate it in years to come.”

Normally, years after an event, we realize in hindsight how important and event was and we decide to celebrate it with a special day. God knew ahead of time, the importance of this event to the Israelites. 3000 years later Passover remains the most important celebration in the life of Jews.

Chapter 12: 1- 12 The Lord’s instructions to Moses and Aaron to prepare for the last plague – a vaccination to prevent the death of your first-born child.

This is the first plague that requires some action by the Israelites.

Do you wonder why? God already knew who they were. Does God really intend to give us a choice?

God didn’t say that only the pious, the righteous, or the “good people” would be saved – but the obedient. Obedience is a choice.

The blood on the door frame was a visible sign of belief? Was that only for God – or also for the neighbors?

How many of you are the “first-born” in your family? Do you understand how important that position was to the Israelites? They would receive a double share of the estate. They were the future family leader and they were at risk of death!

(In our society it is not quite the same - however the first-born gets all the pictures, all the relatives come, etc. – no. 3 is hardly noticed. Studies show that the first-born is often the “responsible” child and the middle child is often the rule breaker)

Chapter 12: 14 – 20 The Lord’s directions for future celebrations of the event that is about to happen.

And were you surprised how they responded? I might have expected some to say –

“Do we have to do all that? It is not my recipe for lamb! I don’t like bitter herbs and unleavened bread. We are the Israelites. God has protected us in all the other plagues – why do we have to do this now? What is the hurry – we don’t even know where we are going. And why the good lamb – why not the runt, the sick one?”

And the oldest child – what were they saying? “Dad- please follow the instructions!”

The Israelites response—They worshiped and they followed the instructions. This time - they were obedient.

I would suggest that you attempt to list the instructions that we as Christians now have and think about our obedience.

Chapter 12: 29-42 Everything happens as the Lord had said. The first-born of the Egyptians dies. The Israelites collect their neighbor’s jewelry and leave. Some of their neighbors leave with them.

Imagine the crying in the night. (Makes me think of the pictures from Baghdad – of women wailing in the streets.) Pharaoh demands the Israelites leave and then he requests a blessing. He now understands that God is God and Pharaoh is not God.

I won’t try and explain the Egyptians contribution of silver and gold – was it generosity or fear?

Note (vs.38) “Many other people went up with them.” Since the Israelites were the slaves, who were the others? Are these friends and neighbors? Had they intermarried? These others became part of the freed people. Commentator Enns says, “This is another hint that God’s purpose for bringing the Israelites out of Egypt is for a broader purpose.” He is including more than the Israelites. Circumcision is required, but one may become a believer and participate in the celebration even if one is not an Israelite.

Paul convinced the early church that we – independent of our ethnicity – might become believers without the mark of circumcision. Is there another way that we can provide that ongoing external sign of belief? Should there be one that is more permanent and visible than baptism as a child?

Chapter 12: 24-28, 43-50 and 13:3-10 Rules for future Passovers and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are the central celebrations of the Jewish faith. The youngest child is assigned the task of asking: What does this celebration mean to you? The answer is: It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.”

What celebrations have deep meaning in your family? Try to write a question that we have our children ask each year? Write also what you think our answer should be?

What rituals in worship are deeply meaningful - creeds, scripture, etc? Do we need to establish more rituals in worship or family? Should there be words we commit to memory?

All yeast had to be removed from the house during the feast. Did you wonder about that?

Chapter 13:1-2, 11-16 Future - consecrate the firstborn animal and son – Sacrifice the small animals, you may redeem the child and large animals.

God’s demand here seems new and a little surprising. He seems to be saying “I have saved/redeemed your firstborn son and now he is mine.

A little like the story of Abraham and Isaac – redeemed by a ram. In Numbers 18 the redemption of a son was set at 5 shekels of silver. God provides a path of redemption – but a reminder that we are really his.

Wed. night, Clint Jacobs said that when his son was baptized, the pastor said, “your son is no longer yours, he is God’s”. We don’t usually hear that today.

The prophet Samuels mother took her son to the priest – gave him to God.

Jesus was God’s first-born as well – not redeemed but given by God as a sacrifice for our sins.

Have we dedicated our children to God? Have we told them they belong to God? It is certain they do not “belong” to us. - We know that by the time they are about 17.

Did it seem like you were almost reading another version of the Easter story as you read today’s lesson. The “death of a lamb, saved by blood, redeemed by sacrifice” are the words of the Gospels and appear in Paul’s writings.

President Lincoln, as he struggled with the mounting death rate of the Civil War and the questions of citizens about the price being paid, drew strength from his understanding of the scriptures – redemption comes at a price – often in blood being shed. He was attempting to redeem the slaves and a nation.

As we think of our redemption from the slavery of sin we need to make sure we understand God’s plan and know what it means to be obedient. I hope you spend time thinking about His plan and His instructions this morning. Do we know what they are?

Finally, we must understand that redemption is not the end of the story – only the beginning of freedom. The Israelites needed to be ready to move on – there were years of “moving on” before they would see the Promised Land. “Free at Last”, but many miles to go.

C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters has the devil advising his associate on earth on how to handle a prospective Christian. “The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. Let him do anything but act.”

We have been redeemed, but what action or journey is before us before we can reach the Promised Land? Are we moving on or still parked in Egypt?

What in my life would indicate I am no longer stuck in Egypt?

Comparison of Passover and Easter
	Passover	Easter
When?	14^th day of Nisan (see note)	Passover week
Why?	Redemption of first born sons, and of a nation	Redemption of all who believe
How did Redemption occur?	Death of a lamb without blemish	Death and resurrection of Jesus – a man/God’s son - without blemish
What was the Visible Sign?	Blood on the door frame	Blood on the cross/Risen Christ
The Celebration of Remembrance	Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread	Holy Week
Meal of Remembrance	Passover Meal	Communion
What are we to say?	When your children ask you, What does this ceremony mean to you? - Then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians”. Exodus 12:26	And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19
After Redemption? Free at last but not the end of the story!	40 years of travel and growth on the way to the Promised Land	Growing in the Spirit

Note: Do you wonder why Easter comes at various times in the spring? It is based on the lunar cycle or month of 29.53 days. Thus the lunar year is 354.36 days, or 10.9 days short of a solar year. The Israelites utilized a 12-month year with a 13^th month added seven years during a 19-year cycle (during the year 3, 6, 8,11,14,17 and 19).) Passover drifts back and forth by more than a month on the Gregorian calendar but is always on the 14^th day of Nisan J.