Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Today is the first day of Passover (and I wish a blessed Passover season to all of you reading this). Like Easter is the seminal event for Christians because of the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, Passover is the seminal event for Jews because it marks the salvation of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
As most Christians know, there would be no Easter if there was no Passover, because Jesus –... the Passover Lamb – was sacrificed during the Passover season, marking our salvation from the bondage of sin.
I hope during this season of Passover/Easter, all of us – Jews and Christians (and non-believers as well) – will take the time to read the Biblical accounts of the exodus and the crucifixion. You can find those accounts in the book of Exodus, chapters 1-14, and Matthew, chapters 26-28. They are relatively short chapters and can be read in one sitting, or in two or three. As you read, don’t just read, but contemplate the messages in each story – and their application to our lives today.
For example, what does the story of the exodus tell us about those who, like Pharaoh, tempt us to compromise our faith? What does the story teach us about the danger of hardening our hearts to God, and what He often does in response to our self-hardening? (Romans chapter 2 is a great follow-on, but I digress). What does the scene on Golgotha’s hill tell us about Jesus? What does it tell us about those around Him? Is there application to our lives today?
Passover and Easter are historical events that literally changed the world. If we let them, they can change our lives, as well.
As most Christians know, there would be no Easter if there was no Passover, because Jesus –... the Passover Lamb – was sacrificed during the Passover season, marking our salvation from the bondage of sin.
I hope during this season of Passover/Easter, all of us – Jews and Christians (and non-believers as well) – will take the time to read the Biblical accounts of the exodus and the crucifixion. You can find those accounts in the book of Exodus, chapters 1-14, and Matthew, chapters 26-28. They are relatively short chapters and can be read in one sitting, or in two or three. As you read, don’t just read, but contemplate the messages in each story – and their application to our lives today.
For example, what does the story of the exodus tell us about those who, like Pharaoh, tempt us to compromise our faith? What does the story teach us about the danger of hardening our hearts to God, and what He often does in response to our self-hardening? (Romans chapter 2 is a great follow-on, but I digress). What does the scene on Golgotha’s hill tell us about Jesus? What does it tell us about those around Him? Is there application to our lives today?
Passover and Easter are historical events that literally changed the world. If we let them, they can change our lives, as well.
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