Happy Passover! After teaching six Seders in the past few days, I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and write a few blogs on Passover! There are so many powerful themes found in the Feast of Passover that we can apply to our daily lives, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share them with you!
Whenever I teach a Seder, I love unveiling for the audience all of the many detailed ways that everything about Passover points to Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah, the Passover Lamb. Here are just a few examples, all relating to the day that Yeshua died:
– The Passover Lamb was bound to the altar at 9:00am, the exact same time that Yeshua was bound on the cross.
– The priests would sing the Psalms of Hallel all throughout they day as they slaughtered the more than 250,000 passover lambs brought to the Temple by all who were observing the Feast in Jerusalem. These Psalms spoke of Messiah Yeshua – “Hosanna, save us now!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
– The blood from the 250,000 slaughtered lambs would pour down the Temple Mount into the Valley of Hinnom. They would release thousands of gallons of water to help wash the blood down the mountain. Blood mixed with water poured down the mountain as blood mixed with water poured out of Yeshua’s side.
– The Passover lambs were skewered across the shoulders and down the middle in a crucifixion pose.
– The Temple veil was torn from the top down, one symbolism being the Father renting His garment in mourning over the loss of His Son.
– After the High Priest slaughtered the Passover Lamb, the last of the lambs to be killed, he would say ” I thirst,” wet his lips with water, and then proclaim “It is finished,” meaning the slaughter of all the lambs for Passover was complete. He would do this at 3:00 pm, the exact same time that Yeshua died on the cross after saying “I thirst,” receiving the sour wine, and declaring “It is finished!”
Now try to picture this scene, try to imagine what Yeshua must have seen and heard hanging on the cross. Perhaps He could even see the lambs hung in a crucifixion pose, the blood mixed with water pouring down the Temple Mount, the veil of the Temple torn from top to bottom; perhaps He could hear the priests singing the Psalms of Hallel with words that described Himself; perhaps He could hear the High Priest saying “I thirst,” and then “It is finished!”
Every scene and sound around Yeshua screamed out “I am the Passover Lamb!” Sadly, however, many of the people were blind to who Yeshua really was. In essence, they were believing lies about who He really was. Many were good religious people, doing all the right things, following the law, even obeying the commandments, but they couldn’t see Yeshua for who He was and they couldn’t accept Him into their daily lives — as the Passover Lamb, Messiah, Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They were going through the motions of their faith, doing all the right things, but for varying reasons, they were blinded to the truth about Yeshua.
We can look at this scene and criticize and condemn these unbelievers. How could they have been so blind? After all, God gave them 1,400 years from the first Passover to rehearse, to practice observing this Feast, so that when Yeshua came to earth, all would know without a doubt that He was the Messiah, THE Passover Lamb. How could they be so blind?
Yet, how many of us are the same way? We are blind to who Yeshua really is in our lives. We believe lies about Him in our hearts. We are religious, we try to do the right thing, we go to church or congregation, even obey His commandments, read His Word and pray, but we don’t really allow Him into our daily lives as our Messiah, King, the ruler of our lives – that is, of our moment by moment thoughts, emotions, attitudes and actions. We believe and follow Him on the “outside,” but on the “inside,” we are blind to who He is and we can’t allow His love and truth to go past our minds and penetrate deep down into our hearts. Perhaps we are believing lies about Him, lies such as:
– He doesn’t want me to be happy. He wants me to be miserable.
– He doesn’t understand what I’m going through.
– He’ll love me more if I’m perfect, if I don’t mess up.
– He just wants me to be perfect.
– I’ll never be able to please Him. I’ll never be good enough.
– He’ll never leave me nor forsake me, unless I mess up.
– He’s not with me. He’s distant.
– He doesn’t care about the details of my life.
– My needs aren’t important to Him. He doesn’t care about my needs.
– He’s too busy or I’m not important enough for Him to hear and answer my prayers.
– He pays attention to everyone else, but not to me.
– I’ve got to help Him hold all things and all people together
– He’s mad at me. I need to let Him cool off a little.
– He sees me as a failure.
– He’s disappointed in me.
– He’s condemning me.
– He could never accept me after what I’ve done.
– He’s a slavedriver.
– He’s pointing His finger at me.
– He’s just wants me to work for Him.
– He just wants to use me.
– He wants me to be alone
Maybe we put someone else’s face on Him. Or perhaps we fear what he would take away from us if we really allowed Him into our moment-by-moment lives, we fear what we would lose – friends, family, pleasures. WE want to be in control of our thoughts, emotions, attitudes and actions. We don’t really trust that He is for us!
Ask God to show you what you’re really believing in your heart about who He is. Confess those lies to Him as sin. Over the next few days, we’ll explore what the themes of Passover and elements of the Seder have to tell us about the truth of who Yeshua really is. This Passover season, let these truths shine the light into the blindness and misperceptions of Him in your heart that block you from receiving all that He has for you, all of the love, wisdom and power that He wants to pour into your life and into your heart, every minute of every day.
He came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly! John 10:10
