“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 12:1
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses…” – Exodus 12:7
“The blood will be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you…” – Exodus 12:13
As we begin this second week of Lent, let me remind you that we are on a journey that has a destination. As we are making our way through the greatest story ever told, we have realized that it is our story. The story of our beginnings and the God who created us, loves us, and has provided for us. It is the story of our wandering away in a desperate attempt to “find ourselves” and the relentless pursuit of a determined Shepherd to bring His lost sheep home. It is the story of our rescue from the bondage of sin and our reconciliation with our loving Father. The destination…this rescue…this reconciliation is brought about by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the center of the story! It is the center of your story.
Everything before that event in our narrative points to that moment and everything after refers back to it. Yes, cover to cover, the Bible is about Jesus.
Today we are reminded of that while we are still very early in the story…thousands of years before the cross, Israel experiences an incredible rescue of epic proportions. It is the most prolific story of the Bible and has been told more than any other. The deliverance of the people of Israel from their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. It is a BIG deal! It is the stuff movies are made of…and have been. This part of our story has been remembered and told on a regular basis for thousands of years. It has been intimately woven into the religious history of Jews and Christians. God directed the nation of Israel to establish an annual feast to celebrate and commemorate it…Passover. For Christians, it was during the Passover that Jesus revealed Himself most clearly to His disciples. In fact, the Seder meal was the last supper of our Lord. Therefore, the church observes the Holy Communion on a regular basis.
It was during that “Last Supper” that Jesus connected the dots for His disciples and for us. He basically told them that this major event was a foreshadowing of His coming and what He was about to do. He said that the blood of the lamb in the ceremony represented His blood. The bread represented His sacrifice for us. He was the Lamb of God. It is His blood that takes away our sin and makes possible our reconciliation. John the Baptist said this when he saw Jesus,
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” – John 1:29
In this ancient story of deliverance we are presented with a God who rescues and provides the means for forgiveness and restoration. Notice in the Scripture today that this rescue is initiated by God because of His love for His people. It is not that Israel was sinless, quite the contrary, they were “saved” or passed over because they were covered by the blood. This act was a foreshadowing of things to come. It was a taste of what God was going to ultimately provide for us once and for all.
The Bible tells us that we are helplessly lost, in bondage to our sin, and condemned to die. But God so loved the world that He came to rescue us and provide the sacrifice that would forgive us. If we will trust…believe…have faith, we can experience life in all its fullness…with Him.
This is the story of our salvation.