1. The Institution of the Passover in Egypt
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.'" The lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year. They were to keep it until the fourteenth day, then kill it at twilight. The blood was to be applied to the doorposts and lintel. The flesh was to be roasted with fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This was the Passover to the Lord.
2. The Lamb Without Blemish
The Passover lamb had to be without blemish or defect. It had to be a perfect specimen, without any physical flaw. This requirement points to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. Peter writes that believers were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Jesus was examined by Pilate, who declared, "I find no fault in Him." He was the spotless Lamb of God, the only one qualified to die for the sins of others. The blemish-free lamb was a type of the sinless Savior.
3. The Lamb Was Slain at Twilight
The lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month, "between the evenings" (twilight). The timing was precise. Centuries later, at the exact hour when the Passover lambs were being slain in Jerusalem, Jesus died on the cross. John records that the crucifixion occurred on the day of preparation for the Passover. Jesus, the true Lamb, was sacrificed at the same time the lambs were being killed. The timing was not coincidental; it was divinely ordained to show that Christ is our Passover.
4. The Blood Applied to the Doorposts and Lintel
The blood of the lamb was not enough to save simply because the lamb was slain. The blood had to be applied. God commanded, "And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it." The blood was applied with hyssop. It was a visible mark of faith. The Lord said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." The blood was not for the Israelites to see; it was for God to see. So the blood of Christ is not applied by human works but by faith. When God sees the blood of His Son applied to the heart, He passes over the sinner.
5. The Lord Passes Over When He Sees the Blood
The Lord said, "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." The Passover was not based on the worthiness of the Israelites. They were sinners. They deserved the same judgment as the Egyptians. The difference was the blood. God did not say, "When I see your good works" or "when I see your righteousness." He said, "When I see the blood." So salvation is not by works but by the blood of Christ applied through faith.
6. The Lamb Was Roasted with Fire, Not Boiled
God commanded that the lamb be roasted with fire, not boiled in water or eaten raw. Fire represents judgment. Christ was roasted in the fire of God's wrath on the cross. He suffered not merely physical death but the full judgment of God against sin. He cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" The fire of divine judgment fell upon Him. He was consumed by the wrath that sinners deserved. The roasting of the lamb points to the suffering of Christ under the judgment of a holy God.
7. The Lamb Was Eaten with Unleavened Bread and Bitter Herbs
The Passover meal included unleavened bread (representing the haste of the exodus and the removal of sin) and bitter herbs (representing the bitterness of slavery and the bitterness of sin). Believers feed on Christ by faith. He is the bread of life. To eat the lamb is to receive Christ, to trust in His sacrifice, and to make Him part of oneself. The unleavened bread calls believers to purge out the old leaven of sin. The bitter herbs remind believers of the bitterness of sin that made the sacrifice necessary.
8. The Passover Was to Be Observed Perpetually
God commanded that the Passover be observed as a lasting ordinance throughout the generations. The feast was to be a memorial of Israel's deliverance from Egypt. For believers, the Lord's Supper is the New Testament Passover. Jesus took bread and wine on the night He was betrayed, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." The Passover looked forward; the Lord's Supper looks back. Both point to the same Lamb: Christ.
9. The Protection of the Firstborn Under the Blood
At midnight, the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon. But when He saw the blood on the doorposts, He passed over that house, and the destroyer did not enter. The firstborn of Israel were saved by the blood. This points to the salvation of all who are covered by the blood of Christ. The firstborn in Egypt were under judgment just as the Egyptians were. The only difference was the blood. So every sinner is under judgment; the only difference is whether they are covered by the blood of the Lamb.
10. Christ, Our Passover, Sacrificed for Us
Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." The apostle explicitly identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover lamb. As the Passover lamb's blood protected Israel from the destroyer, so the blood of Christ protects believers from the wrath of God. As the Passover lamb's death brought deliverance from Egypt, so the death of Christ brings deliverance from sin, death, and hell. Let every believer rejoice that Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed.
Conclusion
The Passover lamb was a divinely appointed type of Jesus Christ. The lamb was without blemish, slain at twilight, its blood applied to the doorposts. The Lord passed over every house marked by the blood. Paul explicitly identifies Christ as our Passover, sacrificed for us. The blood of Jesus, applied by faith, protects believers from the judgment of God. Let every sinner flee to the Lamb of God, whose blood alone can save.