Passover: Take for Yourself a Lamb

Feasts of Israel Series, Part 3

“On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household” (Exodus 12:3 NKJV).

After establishing the date for Israel’s exodus from Egypt, God needed a way to set them apart. The first step was to have each household set aside a lamb on the tenth of the month of Abib (later called Nisan). At twilight on the fourteenth, they were to slay it. (Exodus 12:3–6)

What might God’s purpose have been in keeping the lamb for four days?

Michael Norten, in his book Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts, suggests the people needed the time to evaluate the purity of their lamb. Four days also allowed them to reflect on the four hundred years of captivity they were preparing to leave—one day for each hundred years. Then again, who could resist growing fond of a lamb during that time? How much more serious would the moment be when he died?[1]

The Final Passover Lamb

Rituals surrounding the choosing of the Passover lamb developed over the years. By the time Jesus was born, special shepherd-priests would be assisting in the birthing of sacrificial lambs—assuring their blemish-free condition. New lambs were wrapped in swaddling clothes (strips of old priestly garments) and placed in a manger to keep them from being trampled.^[2] A remarkable reflection of Jesus’ own birth.

Some thirty years later, as He approached Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus stopped over in Bethany to stay with Lazarus and his sisters. This happened six days before Passover according to John 12:1. Since Passover is celebrated at twilight on the fourteenth, it placed Jesus two miles from Jerusalem on the ninth.

“The next day,” when He rode into Jerusalem to cheers and palm waving, it was the tenth of the month—the same day householders were setting aside their Passover lambs (John 12:12). For four days, the Jewish leadership made a pointed attempt to examine Jesus’ credentials. Question after question, test after test, He rose unblemished from their inspection.

On the fourteenth, at the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m.)—just as the people were preparing their lambs for sacrifice—Jesus was nailed to the cross (Mark 15:25). At the sixth hour (3:00 p.m.), while householders were slaying their lambs, darkness enveloped the land (Mark 15:33). At the ninth hour (6:00 p.m.) as Passover meals were being set on the table, Jesus breathed His last (Mark 15:34–37).^[3]

Take Him Aside and Consider

The rituals Passover point both backward and forward—back to Israel’s original salvation as a people and forward to a greater, more permanent deliverance to come. Now that the Lamb of God has appeared, have you taken Him aside recently to reflect on His worth and appreciate what He has done for you? Have you looked forward to consider what pains He’ll go to, to rescue you from your current situation?

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^[1] Michael Norten, Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts (Nashville: West Bow Press, 2012, 2015), 2–3.

^[2] Ibid, 6.

^[3] Dr. Rickard Booker, Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2016), 42. [Note: there is considerable debate about whether Jesus was crucified on Passover or the day after. Either way, He would have died at the time of the evening sacrifices.]