Passover

Last Sunday we concluded our series on an Old Testament Easter with a look at the Passover. The cross was the defining moment of Jesus and it is the defining moment of the Church. There is a reason why the cross is the symbol of Christianity. It is no coincidence that the crucifixion of Jesus took place at Passover. Passover was the defining moment of the people of Israel and Jesus was about to become the new Passover Lamb. When John the Baptist saw Jesus and said "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" he was not saying that Jesus was cute and cuddly like a lamb. John was identifying Jesus with the Passover lamb. When God's holiness and our sinfulness are mixed, they are an explosive combination. But because of Jesus' death on the cross, God sees Jesus' blood rather than our sin. Jesus' blood causes God's wrath to pass over us just as the lamb's blood caused the angel of death to pass over the Israelites in Egypt. We must be thankful that we have a perfect Passover lamb in Jesus Christ!