The Lamb of God

I once heard it said that the Passover instructions found in Exodus 12 are like planning a family reunion as your house burns down. Imagine the oddity—the absolute insanity!—of setting your children down at the kitchen table as flames engulf your house and telling them, “Get out your notebooks. I have a few things to say. At this time next year, we are going to gather our family to remember this event. We are going to eat a meal together that symbolizes this special occasion. And here are all the things you will need . . .”

Pretty strange stuff. But in the book of Exodus, this is exactly what you find. As the God of Israel prepares to deliver his people out of Egypt, and as the impending death of every firstborn son is bearing down on every family in the land, God not only gives Moses instructions for saving his people from death, but he also institutes a meal for families to remember this pivotal moment of God’s saving power. Such are the ways of God.

In Exodus 12, God not only saves his people, but he calls them to remember how they are saved. And this fall, we are looking intently at the cross of Christ for this very reason. God wants us to remember his great works. As Psalm 111:2 says, “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.”

Truly, in the Old Testament, there is no greater work than the Exodus. There is no greater display of God’s mercy and judgment than the Passover. Thus, it is worth our time to study it. And we study it, not simply to see how God worked in history, but to see how this Passover foretold the greater Passover of Jesus Christ.

Indeed, 1 Corinthians 5:7 calls Jesus the Passover Lamb and throughout the New Testament Jesus is portrayed as God’s God-given sacrifice (see John 1:29 and Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13). Thus, we return to Exodus 12 this week to better understand how the Lamb of God died as a substitute to secure our salvation.

As you have time, read Exodus 12 in preparation. You might want to read John 19 again, too. Together these two chapters, plus a host of others, show us how this climactic moment in Israel’s history lead us to see Christ and his greater sacrifice.

I look forward to worshiping Christ with you this Sunday and pondering again the finished work of our glorious Lord. May God open our eyes to see the wisdom of the cross and the way it unites all of Scripture.

For His Glory and your joy,
Pastor David

Discussion & Response Questions
Exodus 12

1. What are the three sections of Exodus? How does knowing the outline of Exodus inform our salvation?
2. More specifically, what are some of types and shadows, patterns and promises found in Exodus that point us to Christ?
3. With respect to the Passover itself, what do we learn about God? Salvation? Christ? God’s people?
4. Why is “remembering” so important for God’s people? How does the Passover teach us about the importance of remembering?
5. Where does the New Testament teach us to remember? And how does Jesus connect the Passover feast to Christians remembering his cross?
6. In what ways do we find confirmation in the New Testament that Jesus is the Passover Lamb?
7. Why does it matter that we understand Christ’s death in terms of Old Testament promise? (Hint: The gospel is based upon fulfilled promises. See Acts 10:32–33; Romans 1:1–7; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8)
8. How does the focus on sacrifice and substitution strike you? Is this how you have understood Christ’s cross and your salvation?
9. How does rightly understanding the work of Christ on the cross purify and strengthen your faith? How does it impact your daily living and ethical choices? (Hint: 1 Corinthians 5:7 is set in the context of ethics).
10. What else did you learn about Christ and God’s gospel from studying Exodus 12?