Israel rose to Josiah’s challenge in the preparation to celebrate the Passover. The groundwork for the great celebration may have kept them awake at night in anticipation of the coming event. They worked on assigned tasks with constant energy. Jeremiah’s announcement, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV) possibly played in their minds. The words became joy to Israel also, compelling the priests to annihilate anything concerning idol worship throughout the land. The inspected animals, fenced together, awaited their deathblow to become the Passover lamb, eaten in each household. Israel prepared their houses and the additional food for the Passover meal. Wine flowed in abundance. The musicians prepared instruments and songs to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joy, peace, and love permeated the atmosphere.
The table’s spread included all the elements for their hasty eating. Four cups graced the Passover Meal table, see Exodus 6:6-7. The first cup – the cup of sanctification represented, “I will bring you out.” The Lord would bring Israel out of Egypt. The Lord brings us out of the ways of this world. The second cup – the cup of judgment represented, “I will rescue you.” The children of Israel poured this cup out while reciting the ten plagues of judgment on Egypt, remembering how the Lord rescued them from Egypt and the plagues, including the death angel passing over each house where the applied blood to the doorpost protected from death. Jesus Christ received all the judgment, which should have poured on us. Jesus drank this cup in the garden ~ “And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:20). The third cup – the cup of redemption, blessing, or grace represented, “I will redeem you.” This cup followed the meal, saying grace after the meal. This cup became out cup of which we may partake during communion. The fourth cup – the cup of praise represents, “I will take you as mine.” Because of Jesus finished work on the cross (execution stake) we belong to Him. During the Passover meal, Jesus decides to step into Gethsemane (olive press) Garden to pray. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Adam had chosen his own will in the first garden, Jesus chose the Father’s will. Jesus fulfilled the “I wills” and redeemed our wills in the garden.
Josiah and each household ate the Passover meal, just as they had eaten in Egypt on the night of their deliverance. Now under way, jubilant sounds rose into the heavens as praise ascended to God. At last, this generation experienced Passover. “For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah” (2 Kings 23:22).
Since this renewal of the great celebration of Passover continues throughout the generations, we find that Jesus had the disciples make the Passover meal and eat together, becoming the Lord’s Supper and our communion, Luke 22. Passover occurs as our Lord Jesus, our Passover lamb, without spot or blemish died on Passover. Jesus, God in the flesh, wrapped Himself in humanity to die in our place. “Hebrews 2:14 ~ ‘Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.’ Took part” ~ koynoneho ~ to share fully. All people descend from Adam and we share fully in Adams’s flesh and blood. Jesus “took part of the same” metecho ~ to take part, but not all. From the time of conception to the time of birth of an infant, not one single drop of blood ever passes from Mother to child. Even though proteins, fats, carbohydrates, salts, minerals, and even antibodies pass freely from Mother to child, the waste products of the child’s metabolism passing back to the Mother’s circulation, yet no actual interchange of a single drop of blood normally occurs, and is even dangerous. All the blood of the child is produced within the child itself. The Mother contributes no blood at all— no blood passes to her offspring.” Jesus blood came from a separate source. Jesus partook of human flesh without partaking of the effect of Adam’s blood, His blood was the result of supernatural conception” (M R Dehaan, The Chemistry of the Blood, Zondervan, pp31-34). Fully man, yet He provided spotless blood, God’s blood.
May we reflect in our celebration of our Passover Lamb, who suffered drops of blood in the garden, then scourging—thirty-nine lashes with a leather strap containing pieces of metal to break the skin, revealing his internal organs. Blood continued to flow from the thorns in his brow, and from the nails in his hands and feet. Every time He pushed up to breath on the execution stake, using his heel, it caused more bruising (internal bleeding) fulfilling Genesis 3:15, “and you shall bruise his heel.” The first part of Genesis 3:15, also fulfilled, “he shall bruise your head,” “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:15). Jesus bruised the enemy’s head and rescued us. His pierce side that flowed with blood and water revealed death had occurred by heartache. He died around three in the afternoon, just in time for the evening sacrifice. The burial occurred on Unleavened Bread. He rose from the grave on First Fruits, fulfilling the feasts of Israel and the scriptures written in the Old Testament.
May we continue to celebrate the Passover, by celebrating Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the feasts as the Passover Lamb, buried on Unleavened Bread, and rose from the grave on First Fruits. Because of what He accomplished, our hearts and lives may experience change, life, and joy forever. May we allow God’s Word to become alive and powerful, affecting all areas of our lives, proclaiming as Jeremiah, “Your words were found and I ate them, your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” We may say, “I am alive by His Word. He told me so by His writings of His fulfilling the words in the scriptures.”
© Carolyn Marlowe/Alive by His Word ~ 2012
Thank you for this beautiful post.