The Passover- Exodus 12
Today, I would like to look at our Exodus reading, which describes the origins of the Feast of Passover.
In preparation for the final plague against Egypt, where all the firstborn will die, the people of God are instructed to take a lamb without blemish, which is to be slaughtered and its blood is to be put on the doorposts and lintel of their houses. We read,
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments … The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Ex 12:12-13).
… They are to roast the lamb over a fire and eat it. And they are to eat it ready to run- ready to leave at a moment’s notice. … This was all orchestrated in order to free God’s people from slavery in Egypt. This event will be a defining event. It will be a new beginning and so it will be the beginning of their calendar year. …
Passover traditions for the Jewish people changed when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans (70AD). So, present Jewish Passover celebrations don’t include the sacrificing and eating of lambs. … While the Temple stood, there were specific rituals concerning the sacrifice of the Passover lambs. …
This might be a bit too much detail for the animal lovers among us, but I think these are interesting and important details that I didn’t know until I read a book titled, “The Crucifixion of the King of Glory”. According to the scholar Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, The Passover lambs were roasted in a new clay oven created especially for Passover and used only once for this specific purpose.[1] The Lambs were supposed to be roasted upright in the oven, so the oven was made to be tall. Constantinou writes,
Passover traditions for the Jewish people changed when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans (70AD). So, present Jewish Passover celebrations don’t include the sacrificing and eating of lambs. … While the Temple stood, there were specific rituals concerning the sacrifice of the Passover lambs. …
This might be a bit too much detail for the animal lovers among us, but I think these are interesting and important details that I didn’t know until I read a book titled, “The Crucifixion of the King of Glory”. According to the scholar Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, The Passover lambs were roasted in a new clay oven created especially for Passover and used only once for this specific purpose.[1] The Lambs were supposed to be roasted upright in the oven, so the oven was made to be tall. Constantinou writes,
“A wooden skewer was inserted from the bottom of the lamb up to the head. Another skewer was inserted across its back with its forelegs spread out and tied to the skewer along its back”.[2]
… Essentially, the lamb looked as though it had been crucified. Furthermore, the skewers were made of wood, since metal skewers were not allowed. Metal skewers would get hot in the fire and start cooking the lamb from the inside, which would designate the lamb as “grilled” rather than “roasted”. The ritual directions required the lamb to be “roasted”, so it required wooden skewers.
The practice was discontinued when Rabbis forbade eating lamb at Passover in recognition that the Temple was destroyed, which was where the lambs were supposed to be sacrificed. But this practice didn’t die out overnight[3] and Justin Martyr, an early church Father, said he witnessed this practice.[4] We can imagine Christian religious authorities telling Christians that they aren’t supposed to have Christmas trees anymore at Christmas- Well, the weight of community tradition has a kind of momentum of its own that is hard to change quickly.
The Passover Lamb may have also been connected to the mysterious story of the Binding of Isaac. In Genesis 22 we read about Abraham planning to offer his son as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. We read that Isaac carried the wood on his back for the sacrificial fire (Gen 22:6). Isaac is old enough that he can carry a significant amount of wood up a mountain, and so many assume that Isaac is a willing sacrificial victim because he should have been able to overpower his elderly father. So, he was at least a teenager. Rabbinic tradition says he was 37 (Ibn Ezra’s Commentary on the Pentateuch, Gen 22.5.1), and the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus says he was 25 (The Antiquities of the Jews, 1.13.2). …
The date in the Jewish calendar when Isaac was said to be bound was at the start of Passover (14th of Nisan). When God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, He provided a ram whose horns were caught in a thicket to sacrifice in place of Isaac. The whole of Israel was, in a sense, within Isaac. The ram being sacrificed instead of Isaac meant Israel was saved from being sacrificed. If Isaac died, all of Israel would have died with him.
The sacrifice of the Passover Lamb has a similar kind of saving effect in the Exodus story for the Hebrew people who placed the blood of the sacrificed lamb on their doors. The lamb, in a sense, died in place of the firstborn, who would have died in the final plague that struck Egypt. And, within these firstborn, were whole families, just as we saw with Isaac. The lambs were sacrificed in place of the firstborn, and whole families are alive who might otherwise have died with their firstborn ancestors. They are alive due to the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb that saved them from the final plague.
St. Paul says,
The practice was discontinued when Rabbis forbade eating lamb at Passover in recognition that the Temple was destroyed, which was where the lambs were supposed to be sacrificed. But this practice didn’t die out overnight[3] and Justin Martyr, an early church Father, said he witnessed this practice.[4] We can imagine Christian religious authorities telling Christians that they aren’t supposed to have Christmas trees anymore at Christmas- Well, the weight of community tradition has a kind of momentum of its own that is hard to change quickly.
The Passover Lamb may have also been connected to the mysterious story of the Binding of Isaac. In Genesis 22 we read about Abraham planning to offer his son as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. We read that Isaac carried the wood on his back for the sacrificial fire (Gen 22:6). Isaac is old enough that he can carry a significant amount of wood up a mountain, and so many assume that Isaac is a willing sacrificial victim because he should have been able to overpower his elderly father. So, he was at least a teenager. Rabbinic tradition says he was 37 (Ibn Ezra’s Commentary on the Pentateuch, Gen 22.5.1), and the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus says he was 25 (The Antiquities of the Jews, 1.13.2). …
The date in the Jewish calendar when Isaac was said to be bound was at the start of Passover (14th of Nisan). When God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, He provided a ram whose horns were caught in a thicket to sacrifice in place of Isaac. The whole of Israel was, in a sense, within Isaac. The ram being sacrificed instead of Isaac meant Israel was saved from being sacrificed. If Isaac died, all of Israel would have died with him.
The sacrifice of the Passover Lamb has a similar kind of saving effect in the Exodus story for the Hebrew people who placed the blood of the sacrificed lamb on their doors. The lamb, in a sense, died in place of the firstborn, who would have died in the final plague that struck Egypt. And, within these firstborn, were whole families, just as we saw with Isaac. The lambs were sacrificed in place of the firstborn, and whole families are alive who might otherwise have died with their firstborn ancestors. They are alive due to the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb that saved them from the final plague.
St. Paul says,
“Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7).
Anyone who knew the story of Christ would have connected these symbols. It would have been natural for these first Christians to see these symbols pointing to Christ, the Lamb of God, the beloved Son. … In The Gospel of John we hear John the Baptist referring to Jesus saying,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29).
… In Peter’s first letter he says,
“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. …” (1 Peter 1:18-20).At the Last Supper Jesus says,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer …” (Luke 22:15-16).
It is at this supper where we read,
“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:26-28).
… Remember that the Passover Lamb was sacrificed, then roasted and eaten by families. Jesus is relating these symbols to himself.
When Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to death, it was noon (the 6th hour). At the same time crowds were bringing their lambs to be sacrificed at the Temple. At 3pm the lambs began to be sacrificed. Their blood was collected in bowls which were poured at the base of the altar. To prepare the lambs to be roasted later, the lambs were skinned by hanging them on hooks, with the forelegs outstretched, and at the same time Christ’s arms were outstretched on the cross as he hung outside the city walls. … Jesus died on the cross at the moment lambs began to be slaughtered in the Temple, on the Day of Preparation (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42). …
The final plague, and the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, opened the door to freedom from slavery in Egypt, and set them on the path to the Promised Land. It came at a horrible cost, which was escalated due to the stubbornness of Pharaoh. … Similarly, the death of Christ, as the Lamb of God, saves us from the power of sin, and everlasting death, and opened the way to the Kingdom of God.
It is sometimes hard for modern people to enter into this symbolic world, where these are not mere symbols, but symbols filled with reality and power. We don’t offer bloody sacrifices anymore, but that was once a universal human experience. … We experience sacrifice in more metaphorical ways- in the form of money given in taxes, in exchange for participation in the identity of a country.[5] Or, maybe we speak about sacrificing present comforts and pleasures, to gain long term goods. …
When Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to death, it was noon (the 6th hour). At the same time crowds were bringing their lambs to be sacrificed at the Temple. At 3pm the lambs began to be sacrificed. Their blood was collected in bowls which were poured at the base of the altar. To prepare the lambs to be roasted later, the lambs were skinned by hanging them on hooks, with the forelegs outstretched, and at the same time Christ’s arms were outstretched on the cross as he hung outside the city walls. … Jesus died on the cross at the moment lambs began to be slaughtered in the Temple, on the Day of Preparation (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42). …
The final plague, and the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, opened the door to freedom from slavery in Egypt, and set them on the path to the Promised Land. It came at a horrible cost, which was escalated due to the stubbornness of Pharaoh. … Similarly, the death of Christ, as the Lamb of God, saves us from the power of sin, and everlasting death, and opened the way to the Kingdom of God.
It is sometimes hard for modern people to enter into this symbolic world, where these are not mere symbols, but symbols filled with reality and power. We don’t offer bloody sacrifices anymore, but that was once a universal human experience. … We experience sacrifice in more metaphorical ways- in the form of money given in taxes, in exchange for participation in the identity of a country.[5] Or, maybe we speak about sacrificing present comforts and pleasures, to gain long term goods. …
Modern secular society has made the world flat- just chemicals, matter, atoms, biology. It has lost most of its sense of spirit. … But, meaning is connected to symbol. Love is connected to symbol. You will not see the value of life through a microscope. There is nothing wrong with microscopes, but they are not able to indicate value and meaning. Most of our lives are lived through meaning- through symbol, not empty symbol, not mere symbol, but symbol filled with power. …
The God-Man, Christ, gave his life on the cross, as the great Passover Lamb, whose shed blood marks his people and saves them from a life enslaved to Sin and eternal death. His self-sacrifice has shown us the dramatic love of God, which guides us into the Kingdom of God. To be members of the Kingdom of God is to be people bringing God’s love to this world. …
These are powerful symbolic realities- Chemicals, matter, atoms, biology, these can’t tell us how to live meaningful lives. … But, Christ on the cross can show us how to live through his sacrificial love. AMEN
[1] Tabory,
“Crucifixion,” 402.
Tabory, Joseph.
“The Crucifixion of the Paschal Lamb.” Jewish Quarterly Review 86 (1996);
395-406
[2]
The Crucifixion of the King of Glory, p.355 (This book is the source for much
of the historical information here)
[3] Tabory,
“Crucifixion,” 396.
[4] Justin
Martyr, Dialogue with Tryoho 40, ANF 1:215
[5] An
image I heard Jonathan Pageau use
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