When I think of what Easter means to us now, I also think of what it must have meant to the Jews during the week that they were celebrating Passover--if they had eyes to see it, that is. The festival was traditionally a welcoming of spring, new lambs, and it was a commemoration of their Exodus from Egypt. Jews from all around poured into Jerusalem to participate in the festival traditions. Each year, in the month Nisan (originally called Abib, I think) on the tenth day, the high priest chose a sacrificial lamb from outside the city and led it into Jerusalem while crowds of people sang Psalm 118: “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” In Jesus’ time, we know that on that very day, Jesus, probably following the procession of the sacrificial lamb, also rode on a donkey before the crowd, humbly presenting himself as the Sacrificial Lamb. Jesus then mirrored the role of the high priest to pray and teach before the sacrifice. This he did memorably at the Last Supper where he broke bread with his disciples, teaching them of the things to come and praying for them. In order to ensure its perfection, the sacrificial lamb would then be taken to the Temple to be publicly tried and tested, just as it was done by every Israelite family during the first Passover. Because God is perfect by nature, there must be punishment for sin, and his judgement can be satisfied by nothing less than perfection; thus, the atonement for sin before Christ always required a spotless lamb. Jesus too was tested. He was put on trial before the Sanhedrin, before Herod and Pilate--and before the world who saw him maintain perfection even as he was tortured and mutilated in ways I can scarcely bear to imagine…in those moments, I believe that there was no one on earth who looked less human and no one on earth who could be perceived as more beautiful….and to think that I did that to him!—it breaks my heart. But it was His love for you and I that held him there—not the mob or Jerusalem or the Roman army.
Then the high priest would sacrifice the perfect and proven lamb as a single atonement for all, spilling its blood like the Israelites did for Passover. The blood of the pure lamb smeared over the doorways of their homes was a covering to ensure that they did not suffer the same fate as the Egyptians when the angel of death passed over. Without the blood, the angel would have killed all the firstborn in the household. The Passover was but a precursor to the crucifixion of Jesus, whose shed blood would serve as a full covering and atonement for every sin that would ever be committed. And the difference between the traditional sacrificial lamb and the Lamb of God was that Jesus was the Final Sacrifice. The sacrifice of lambs would never be required again, nor would there be any further need of priests or any sort of liaison to bridge the gap between God and men. The thick veil that had always separated the presence of God in the holy of holies from the rest of the world ripped down the middle, and a new dwelling place was chosen…our hearts! Furthermore, by rising to life three days later, Christ not only conquered sin but death as well! (Yay!!) No longer should we fear hell or the grave if we’ve accept Jesus, entrusting our lives to his care and guidance. There are so many more details about the Passover and the rituals that Christ fulfilled and provided meaning to, but I haven’t time to mention them…Nevertheless, I am astounded at the forethought of the Father, how he orchestrated all of these prophetic traditions and events so that Jesus could fill them with meaning and bring them all to a dramatic and meaningful fruition!