Today my subject is the Passover. I’ll be using a lot of scripture here. It is written in Exodus 12:21-34,

21  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.  

 22  And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

 23  For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

 24  And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

 25  And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

 26  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

 27  That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

 28  And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

 29  And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 

 30  And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

 31  And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

 32  Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

 33  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

 34  And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 

            And thus, on that day, the Jews were freed from 430 years of captivity and started their journey into the Promised Land

History shows going forward the Jews had not always kept Passover, having lost the custom. But during the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Passover was being observed according to the commandment.

            But when Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, He did it differently.

Matthew 26:1-32

 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

 2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

 3  Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

 4  And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

 5  But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

 6  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

 7  There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

 8  But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

 9  For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

 10  When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

 11  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

 12  For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

 13  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

 14  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

 15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

 16  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

 17  Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?

 18  And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 

 19  And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

 20  Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

 21  And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

 22  And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?

 23  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

 24  The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

 25  Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.

 26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 

 27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

 28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

 29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

 30  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 

 31  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

 32  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

            We pick up more information about that night in John 13:1-35,

 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

 2  And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;

 3  Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

 4  He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

 5  After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

 6  Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 

 7  Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

 8  Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

 9  Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

 10  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

 11  For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

 12  So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

 13  Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

 14  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

 15  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

 16  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

 17  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

 18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

 19  Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. 

 20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

 21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

 22  Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.

 23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

 24  Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.

 25  He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

 26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 

 27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

 28  Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

 29  For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

 30  He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

 31  Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

 32  If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

 33  Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

 34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

You will notice that after the Passover meal, they left the upper room and went to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed. They did NOT stay in the room until the morning according to the commandment of the first Passover. Jesus was instituting a NEW thing, not done previously.

Jesus himself would become the Passover lamb that was sacrificed, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. By His shed blood, He opened the way into the Holy of Holies, that only the High Priest had been able to enter only once a year, and that at the danger of losing his own life if his own sins were not covered.

Up to now, the Jews were instructed to choose their own lamb to sacrifice. But THIS Passover was different from all the rest, in that God had chosen His OWN lamb to sacrifice. Matthew 27:22-54, and this tells of the mock trial of Jesus, and the Jews demanded He be crucified, and how they crucified Him.

22  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

 23  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

 24  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

 25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

 26  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

 27  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers

 28  And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

 29  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

 30  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

 31  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

 32  And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

 33  And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

 34  They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

 35  And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

 36  And sitting down they watched him there;

 37  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 38  Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

 39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

 40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

 41  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

 42  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

 43  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

 44  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

 45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

 46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 47  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

 48  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

 49  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

 50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

 51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

 52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

 53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

 54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

            Jesus accomplished with His sacrifice, what the blood of animals could not. Year by year, by observing the Passover and the shedding of innocent blood, the sins of the Priests and people were swept under the carpet for another year. By His own blood, our sins were not “passed over”, nor swept under the carpet, but were FORGIVEN, never to be charged against us again.

We are not known as disciples of Jesus by what we wear, or what days we keep, but by what He said would identify us: if we have love one to another. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 5:7-8,

 7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 

 8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

            It is not the eating of unleavened bread for a week after Passover that takes away our sins, but ONLY the blood of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Eating unleavened bread signified leaving out the Leavening, and the effort or the works of putting the sin out of our life. Try as we may, the ONLY removal of sin from our lives can be done, not by our own works, but by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus of Nazareth. He is our Passover Lamb, chosen by our heavenly Father Himself. Did He get the job done? Yes, He did. Are YOU under the blood of the Lamb of God?