Lift up your weary heads—it’s time to celebrate! Though our world shouts panic, chaos, and doom, the LORD speaks, “Celebrate the Passover (I Cor. 5:7,8)! In Passover the full extent of My love is revealed, and I have sealed your victory over sin, darkness and death!”

Let’s step back to understand the story of our Creator and His love. God created people to enjoy His beauty in creation; but, through sin, creation itself became the source they looked to for love, life and truth. This has resulted in brokenness, dysfunction and ultimately death; for only the Creator can produce authentic love, life and truth.

In God’s love for man, He created a pattern of salvation which, when followed, could bring his broken people back into fellowship with Himself. Since death is the result (or penalty) for focusing upon the creation and away from the life-giving Creator, the LORD developed a pattern in which a living creature could take the penalty of death in exchange for another’s life. This system of forgiveness and restoration, through an innocent animal dying in place of a sinful person, was developed in the Tabernacle of old, as described in Exodus. It finds its climax and fulfillment in Jesus’ death on the cross at Passover.

During the time of Pharaoh’s oppressive rule over the Jewish people, God instructed His people to slaughter a lamb and place the blood over the doorposts of their homes. Done in faith, this sacrificial blood upon their doorposts would act as a sign and protection from God’s outpouring of judgment upon the Egyptians. “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 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. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13). God instructed His people to forever remember and celebrate His protection and deliverance from oppression, which came through their “Passover lamb” (Leviticus 23:4-5, Numbers 9:2).

During the Passover celebration, Jesus instructed His disciples, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:29). Beloved, Jesus’ blood sacrifice offers final forgiveness, protection, and deliverance from oppression. Let’s celebrate Father’s love revealed through the Passover, and share the Passover story with our neighbors, friends and relatives. Jesus is our Passover Lamb of God, and in Him our life and victory is secured!