Jesus in the Passover

Passover has its beginning in the book of Exodus in the Torah, or Old Testament. The first fifteen chapters of this Book detail the account of the call of Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of slavery and bondage and deliver them into the Land of Canaan, where God would bless them. This is the final official act of the birth of the Nation of Israel and it is celebrated yearly with the Passover Seder, about which you can read in other places on this site.

The Central Focus

The central focus of the Passover was the lamb, which was sacrificed and its blood put on the doorposts of the homes of the Jews in Goshen. It was a sign of faith enacted to bring about protection from death as the Lord passed over the houses of the Jewish people during the last night of the plague - the time of the death of the firstborn of Egypt. It was after this act of God that Pharaoh finally told Moses to take the Jewish nation and leave Egypt.

The Sacrifice of the Lamb

In the New Testament, reference is made in Luke to the Passover and the day of the sacrificing of the lamb. There are numerous references to Passover in the New Testament, indicating that the gospels were referring to the Jesus as being one of the many Jews in Israel who celebrated the Passover. The primary difference is that Jesus is called the Lamb of God and is likened to the Passover lamb that was sacrificed and its blood used to protect against the wrath of God. Some of the references include the first time that John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him while John was calling people to repent and turn to God. In John 1:29 the New Testament quotes John as saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."

No Fault is Found in the Lamb

Other similarities made by scholars identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God include identifying Jesus as not having defect. In the original Passover, a lamb was to be taken into the home of a family five days before God would pass over and the lamb was to be inspected to ensure that it had no spot or blemish - that it was perfect for the sacrifice. Additionally, it was to be roasted and eaten before the Jews left Egypt and not a bone was to be broken (Exodus 12:46 OT). When comparing the sacrificial lamb to Jesus, the New Testament declares that Jesus entered Jerusalem five days before the Passover and was "examined" by the Pharisees with questioning and challenges.  Pilat declares, after having had Jesus beaten for saying he was the Son of God, that he (Pilat) "found no fault in him".

Breaking Legs to Hasten Death

When crucified, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who were crucified with Jesus, but when they came to Jesus they found that he was already dead and consequently, his legs were not broken. It was customary during crucifixion to break the leg bones of the person after a few hours in order to hasten their death. In order to avoid asphyxiation, a person hanging on a cross would push their body up with their legs. Once the legs were broken, they died from asphyxiation.

It Is Finished

On the day the lamb was to be sacrificed each family would have taken their lamb to the priest to be slaughtered as an offering before God. It was during this time of day that Jesus hung on the cross and in the afternoon, when the sacrifices were complete, Jesus cried out, "It is finished" and died. The New Testament concludes the sacrifice for freedom from sin was paid on the Passover by Jesus when he was crucified. At that time it is said that the curtain of the Temple that covered the Holy of Holies was torn from the top to the bottom, opening the Presence of the Almighty to mankind, removing the separation between God and man.