The Passover is the most important of the Jewish festivals since it celebrates the central truth that undergirds the identity of God’s people. It was the passing over of the curse. When the angel of death visited Egypt with a curse the Israelites were ‘passed over’. The thing that set them part was not their moral character or spiritual state. Rather, it was the fact that they had the blood of the sacrificial lamb over the doors and windows of their homes. In every other way the Israelites were the same as the Egyptians and many of them would have certainly adopted the idolatry of Egypt. What set them apart was therefore nothing in themselves. It was the blood of the lamb that protected them. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus approaching him, he declared: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus is the lamb whose blood protects us. His sacrifice causes the curse upon the world, of which we are deserving, to pass over us. It is a well-known truth. You have probably heard it many times. But I hope you can find something fresh in this today. Reflect on the fact that God accepts you, loves you, and favours you. It is not because you are better than others. It is simply because you have received the forgiveness and protection of Christ’s shed blood over your life.
Offer your praise to God today and rest in his love.
Read Exodus 12:1-30
