Luke 22:15-23
Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
This prompted me this week to think about the 1st Passover which is found in Exodus 12. So many details to consider all of which are a shadow of Christ to come!
When the Lord told Moses and Aaron that the Passover month was the first month of the year from that day forward.
1. That the man of the household was to take a spotless male lamb or goat on the 10th day and kill it at twilight on the 14th. I asked myself, could I do that. I wouldn’t want to! I would ask why, instead of having a heart of obedience.
2. The unleavened bread of being representation of the sinless body of Christ. In scripture, leaven is symbolic of sin.
3. The blood on the door posts and lintel at the top as it would be on the Cross
Exodus 12:8-9
Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.
What a picture that is of Christ suffering and dying on the Cross.
Exodus 12:11-13
And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
The Passover like the Communion was initiated by the Lord and belongs to him.
‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 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.
Christ is our only escape from death and judgement. We accept the terms and conditions. If we reject the Cross, we reject our only escape. Without his blood covering us, which we have to accept in our hearts, we cannot escape the wrath of God.
Taking part in communion reflects the remembrance of the freedom given by God during the Egyptian exodus. We don’t have to kill a lamb like the Israelites do but we are set free by Christ who is the Lamb of God who has once and for all paid the price for our sins. Communion today is Permanent Peace after the War. We are alive because of Him.
Colossians 2:11-17
In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
