The Passover Lamb

This last week was Passover and in the school where I teach young children, several were observing the tradition. The Friday evening prior to the start of Passover a co-worker even left work early so that she could do a major cleaning and throw out any food stuffs that had yeast in them. I asked her why she cleaned so thoroughly and her response was that although she was not a strict Jew, she used the opportunity for Spring Cleaning!

On Monday when the children returned to school there were several Jewish families represented and of the ones I knew in class, only one young boy asked if there was any matzo for snack instead of the cookies offered. My Jewish co-worker had , in fact, brought some for those children who needed it and casually offered it to anyone else who was curious or just wanted it.

I found this all very interesting, as I assumed it a rather important tradition to be kept holy and sacred. Oftentimes my assumptions are way off. Further, the discussions then began in the classroom on what the matzo was even about and the children began discussing possibilities of its meaning. This went naturally into conversations on Passover and in all of the 6 and 7 year old little people present, not a single one understood the significance of their Passover. I refer any curious reader to Exodus chapter 12 where the Institution of this Feast is well explained by the First Testament writer, Moses.

In the classroom I tried to keep silent, but felt very frustrated that these young ideas of the 'why and what for' of Passover were so off the mark. I spoke of the blood of the lamb being placed on the doorposts in order for the death angel to passover the home of the Jewish families inside,and I thought my anti-gun and violence helper was going to have a heart attack!

So, this morning in preparing for my own Lord's Day of Worship I decided to see what my own responsibilities were as a believer in the passover Lamb, Jesus Christ! I decided to go to the source of Truth, God's Holy Scriptures, and found with great delight that there was a verse I had never paid attention to before! [The background comment here would be that I have been reading this book for over 40 years and find such verses regularly]

I Corinthians 12:6-8 reads, Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth!.

My daily keeping of the Passover, as an expression of great love, with thankfulness for the sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is simply being sincere and truthful? Simply? Completely? Totally Truthful and totally sincere? Daily? Talk about needing a Spring Cleaning of the Soul!!

Out with the malice, out with the wickedness, in with the Truth and Sincerity! Not just once a year will this cleaning take place, not because of tradition or cultural clamoring, but because I have been gifted with the greatest gift of all, the shed blood of the passover Lamb! The blood WAS placed on my doorpost by Jesus Himself, and the death angel is going to pass me by, and I will spend eternity in heaven with a very Holy God, bowing down in worship to Him always and forever.

Wow. I was ready for worship today, in spirit and in truth.