The Passover is a great turning point in the history of Israelites as recorded in Exodus 12. The Israelites escaped the judgment of God which came upon the Egyptians and their gods through the nine plagues without having to do anything. They grew in their trust and knowledge of God during this time and now were called to a new beginning for which God gave them specific instructions to follow during the 10th plague, the death of the firstborn in Egypt. Their safety and freedom from slavery depended on them carrying out God’s command. Redemption involves faith and obedience.
God spared His people from the death of the firstborn when He saw the blood marked on the lintels and the doorposts of their houses. The blood applied on the doorpost by the Israelites was a step of faith, trust and obedience to God’s command. God instructed a Passover meal without yeast and a posture ready to flee from Egypt. This posture signified their readiness in faith to move out from their life of slavery in Egypt to freedom. God also gives them an Annual Festival – The Feast of the Unleavened Bread, to be celebrated for seven days, to remember and testify from generation to generation how the Lord brought them out from slavery.
The Passover foreshadows Jesus who was the fulfilment of the Passover Lamb. In John 1:29, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The Passover Lamb was merely a shadow or type of what was to happen for the salvation of entire mankind. Christ, the Lamb of God, delivers us from the greatest enemies, sin and death, through His blood shed on the cross.
We sing, What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. We pray saying, cover us Lord Jesus with your precious blood. But why is blood so important for redemption? When Adam and Eve sinned, they sewed fig leaves and covered themselves attempting to hide their sin and shame, which symbolically represents their own attempt to solve the problem of sin. But their solution was inadequate. God stepped in and clothed them with garments of skin. Here we see the very first death of God’s creation, an animal that Adam was charged to protect and take care of died, for its skin to cover their shame and sin. Blood is important because blood spells life. Without it, we cannot live. And in the Old Testament we see God setting up a sacrificial system of substitutionary atonement for sin.
Leviticus 17:11 – “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Hebrews 9:22, – “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The shedding of blood for our sins signifies the life-giving nature of blood and the need for a sacrifice to atone for our transgressions.
So this system taught the Israelites important lessons about redemption, that is, sin must be punished because God is just and holy and He cannot overlook sin. Sin is serious and its consequences are ugly. Every sacrifice of animal that would die before their eyes was a visible reminder of the terrible consequence of sin – Death. Hebrews 10:4 says that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. But instead only covered it. It was a temporary stay of judgement. In Genesis, the creation had to die because of people’s sin. But sin is so dangerous and powerful, that to fully deal with it the Creator Himself had to die for our sins and His unblemished blood was shed for us on the cross.
There is amazing power in the blood of Jesus Christ and what it does for those who believe in Him.
- Reconciliation – Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Jesus’ blood shed on the cross reconciled our relationship with God, that which was lost in the Garden of Eden, allowing for a restored relationship, by which we could call God, Abba Father.
- Access to God – Hebrews 10:19,20 says, “…we have confidence to enter the most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and a living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body…”. Thereby we gain bold access to God in worship and prayer.
- Redemption, cleansing and forgiveness – Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.” Christ being the unblemished Passover Lamb, His blood shed on the cross expiated for the sins of humanity. He not only forgives but He remembers our sins no more. The accuser, the devil, keeps reminding us of our sins, but God remembers them no more because He has cleansed us by His blood.
- Justified and made righteous by His blood – We are declared “not guilty”. Romans 5:8-9 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” We are clothed with the garb of righteousness because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
- Sanctified by His blood – We are progressively cleansed everyday by His blood and set apart for His purpose. Hebrews 13:12 tells us that Jesus also suffered…in order to sanctify (make holy) the people through His own blood. God gives us grace and strength to lead a life of holiness.
- Consciences cleansed by His blood – Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” This is amazing! Christ’s blood cleanses our conscience from acts that lead to death! He gives us the grace and strength and discernment to say ‘no’ to those thoughts and desires that do not honour Him.
- Power to overcome the evil one –The blood of Jesus Christ gives authority and the devil hates the blood of Jesus because he knows that this is what defeated him. Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” It is only by the life that flows through the blood of Jesus Christ that we have power and authority to overcome the evil one.
- A symbol of God’s Love – The shedding of Jesus’ blood is the ultimate expression of God’s love and mercy. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. GOD IS LOVE and His love is immeasurable. Jesus’ blood shed as atonement for us is the only way that can give us redemption and pay for our sins forever.
- Jesus’ blood initiated a New and Eternal Covenant – In the Last supper with His disciples, we read in Matthew 26:28 – And He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin.” Hebrews 9:12, Jesus Christ did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place (the heavenly sanctuary) once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of Jesus is seen as the basis of the new and eternal covenant between God and humanity, replacing the old covenant based on sacrifices of animals. The New Covenant is one of grace and of forgiveness.
Jesus’ blood has infinite worth, His death a substitute for an infinite number of people and covers an infinite number of sins.
This blood of Jesus Christ becomes effective in our lives only when …
- The blood of the Lamb is personally applied in our lives by faith. Having followed all the instructions that God gave the Israelites, if they had failed to apply the blood on the doorposts they would have faced the same judgement that came upon the Egyptians. There is perfect protection in the blood and it is only for the obedient.
- We need to approach God with humility, acknowledging our dependence on His sacrifice and recognising our need for forgiveness and grace. The blood was smeared on the doorposts and not on the threshold, where people walk over. Christ’s blood should never be looked down in contempt or dishonoured. Hebrews 10:29 (ESV) says, “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”
- We can plead the blood of Jesus in our times of difficulty, knowing that it has power to overcome every obstacle, bring deliverance and give us victory.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anita Ravi
Manager, Design, Life Focus Society
