Exodus 12:24 commands, "And you shall observe this thing [the Passover sacrifice] for you and your sons forever." The redemptive death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the ancient Passover sacrifice almost 2,000 years ago, but this verse implies that its fulfillment does not mean the end of its observance. God's people, the church of God, His elect, will observe this festival in perpetuity. While no longer repeating its ancient rites, true Christians keep it in a new way that Jesus Himself ordained on His final, earthly Passover, reported by all the gospel writers.

Some 3,500 years ago, in the home of each Israelite, a lamb was slain on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, just after the sun had gone down, beginning the day. On the last night of His life, our Savior faithfully obeyed this command as He observed this ordinance with His disciples, and as I Corinthians 11:23-26 instructs, we observe the New Testament Passover at the same time, in remembrance of our Savior's life and His death.

After the Israelites slew the Passover lamb, they smeared its blood on the doorposts and lintel, the parts of the frame surrounding the door that led into their houses. When God sent the Death Angel to slay the firstborn of Egypt, the Angel "passed over" any home that displayed this bloody symbol of God's protection. Obedient Christians have this guarantee today, but in a far more spiritual and eternal way (Revelation 20:4-6)!

When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, they were sanctified or set apart. They were not better than the Egyptians, but God chose them as His people because of His promises to Abraham. The Israelites exhibited faith in their leader, Moses, doing as he instructed. They chose a perfect lamb from their flock, sacrificed it, and spread its blood on the doorposts of their homes. So, they were passed over and lived.

At the time, Israel had done nothing to deserve God's mercy. They were as sinful as the surrounding nations. God did not offer forgiveness to the freed Israelite slaves, but He offered them deliverance. Today, He offers the called and chosen both physical and spiritual deliverance.

There are other parallels between the original Passover lamb and its fulfilment by our Savior, Jesus Christ. However, the ones we have discussed should be enough of a witness to remind us why we observe Passover today. As the apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 11:26, by partaking in it, we "proclaim the Lord's death [and all it entails] till He comes."

When we eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine, representing His body and blood, we are symbolically sharing the Savior's life of obedience, remembering that only by His perfect obedience are we allowed into the Father's presence. His obedience, not ours, grants this rare and tremendous privilege to those who have been baptized into His church. We can have a relationship with the Most High God!

The Passover meal recalls the peace offering, in which harmony, peace, and satisfaction exist between God, the High Priest, and the offeror. It pictures the Father's grace and the blessings that come from being in union with Him and the brethren. In it, we see the serenity created by justification.

As its name implies, Passover is God's passing over previously committed sins. Paul writes in Romans 3:25, "God set forth [Jesus] as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins that were previously committed." This festival stands as an annual remembrance of how, by His life, our Savior satisfied the offerings of Leviticus in complete devotion to God and His commission. We are the beneficiaries of that dedicated Life, and ultimately, all mankind will share in these blessings if they so choose.

The author of Hebrews 9:22 instructs, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." The Greek word underlying "shedding" means "an effusion" of blood. An effusion is "a pouring forth." A specific focus on Passover is Jesus Christ's voluntarily shed blood, which He calls, "My blood of the new covenant" (Matthew 26:27), meaning that His blood makes possible, inaugurates, and ratifies the New Covenant.

When we drink the wine during the Passover service, we remember that we who have been redeemed by His blood have made an agreement with and a commitment to Him. We recommit ourselves to living in obedience to God as the New Covenant insists, allowing Him to put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts, as Jeremiah 31:33 says.

As Passover approaches, we need to meditate on these things to focus ourselves on Christ and His remarkable work. In particular, we may want to use the four days between the tenth (April 18, 2024) and fourteenth (April 22, 2024) day of the first month to intensify our relationship with the Lamb of God. Remember the type of the Passover lamb and how God delivered Israel through its shed blood, but especially remember its antitypical fulfillment.

That gives us four days to reflect on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, His perfection, and all His complete sacrifice has provided us. Consider that we have been justified by faith, and we now have peace with God through the living sacrifice of our Lord. Also, we should be thankful that He who knew no sin became an offering for sin for us "so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21), a prominent theme of the Day of Atonement. The apostle Peter adds, ". . . rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (I Peter 4:13).

"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (I Corinthians 5:7).