Day 6 of 21
The Passover Lamb
The Blood That Saves
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
On the night of the tenth plague — the death of every firstborn in Egypt — God provides a way of escape for His people. Each household must take a lamb without blemish, kill it at twilight, and paint its blood on the doorposts and lintel of their house. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you" (Exodus 12:13). This is the Passover — the Old Testament's most powerful preview of the cross.
Reflection
The Passover is not a metaphor or a parable. It is a real event with real consequences — the difference between life and death for the firstborn in each household. And its details are so precisely calibrated to foreshadow Christ that the New Testament makes the connection explicit: "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Consider the requirements. The lamb must be without blemish — foreshadowing Christ, "a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19). The lamb must be a male in its prime — a life of full value given in exchange for the life of the household. The lamb's bones must not be broken (Exodus 12:46) — fulfilled when the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs on the cross (John 19:33, 36). The blood must be visibly applied — not just shed but displayed on the doorposts, a public declaration of trust in God's provision.
The mechanism of salvation is substitution. The lamb dies so the firstborn does not. Death comes to every house in Egypt that night, but in the houses marked with blood, the death has already occurred — the lamb has died in place of the son. Spurgeon saw the whole gospel captured in one sentence: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." Salvation is based not on the worthiness of those inside the house but on the blood of the lamb on the door.
Goldsworthy identifies the Passover as the central saving event of the Old Testament. It became the defining memory of Israel — celebrated annually, recited to children, referenced by prophets. And when Jesus chose to die during the Passover festival, He was making a deliberate statement: His death is the true Passover, the sacrifice to which all previous Passovers pointed.
At the Last Supper — a Passover meal — Jesus took the bread and wine and reinterpreted them: this is my body, this is my blood. The lamb on the table was being replaced by the Lamb of God. The blood on the doorposts was being replaced by the blood of the cross.
Going Deeper
The Passover teaches a truth that is offensive to human pride: we are not saved by our achievements, our virtue, or our efforts. We are saved by the blood of a substitute. The Israelites did nothing to earn their deliverance except trust God's word and apply the blood. This is the pattern of the gospel: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Key Quotes
“The Passover lamb is the great type of our Lord Jesus Christ. When I see the blood, I will pass over you — here is the whole gospel in one sentence.”
“The Passover is the central saving event of the Old Testament, and it finds its antitype in the death of Christ, the true Passover Lamb.”
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, You are my Passover Lamb. Your blood was shed so that judgment would pass over me. Help me to live each day in the freedom Your sacrifice has purchased.
Meditation
The Israelites were saved not by their own goodness but by the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. How does this image deepen your understanding of how you are saved?
Question for Discussion
Why do you think the idea of substitutionary sacrifice -- an innocent dying in place of the guilty -- offends some people and comforts others? How should we engage with those objections in our conversations about the gospel?