Sabbath Thought - How Will You Partake of the Passover?

In just a few days, the baptized members of the Church of God will gather to partake of the Passover.  What is the history of this observance, why did God institute it, and how are we to partake of it?  In the covenant God made with Abraham, God foretold of Israel being in bondage for 400 years before He would bring them to the land He promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:13).  Subsequently, we find the first instruction regarding the Passover recorded for us in Exodus chapter 12 as God set the stage to deliver Israel out of Egypt (a symbol of sin).

In Exodus 12 God instructed Israel (through Moses) that on the 14th day of the first month of the year as God declared it, they were to gather as family groups in a home, kill a lamb, put some of the blood on the doorframe of their home, and to not leave that home until the morning.  God explained to Israel that they were doing this so that the Death Angel He would send through the land would not kill their firstborn, as he would in the rest of the land of Egypt (v.12).  The blood on the doorposts was to be a sign of their submission to God, and they would be "passed over" in this judgement (v.13).

The Passover was instituted by God to show the necessity of innocent blood to cover (pay for) our sin.  This was done for 1,400 years until God sent His Son to be the perfect "lamb" as a sacrifice for our sins (John 1:29).  Jesus Christ then instituted new symbols for the Passover - footwashing, the bread and the wine - to represent the New Covenant for those whom God would call into His Church.  By partaking of the symbols of the footwashing, eating the unleavened bread and drinking the wine, we picture humbling ourselves by and through Jesus Christ, "eating of His flesh" (which sustains us spiritually) and accepting His blood (His sinless life) which gives us true life (John 17:3, Romans 5:10). 

How are we to keep the Passover?  In John 13:15 Christ stated to the disciples that He gave them an example, and that they were to do as He did to them.  This certainly applies to the footwashing portion and other symbols of the Passover observance, but it also extends out to everything Christ did.  He served (and continues to serve) the Father and His people, and is our faithful and perfect High Priest (Hebrews 7:26-28).  As our High Priest He has also established a New Covenant.  The Old Covenant could not bring righteousness where the New brings a hope of salvation (Hebrews 7:18-19, 9:15).  God promises salvation to those who take on the mind of His Son (Philippians 2:5).

In Philippians chapter 2 we find how we are to become like Christ and follow His example.  He sought no reputation and became like a bondservant (v.7), and He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death (v.8).  Because the Days of Unleavened Bread are tied so closely to Passover, we can also apply the symbol of unleavened bread to how we are to keep the Passover.  Unleavened Bread is symbolic of being without sin, so partaking of the unleavened bread during Passover represents internalizing the life of Christ, Who was without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and Who is the Bread of Life (John 6:33, 35, 48, 51)!

Let us then keep Passover (and the following Days of Unleavened Bread) with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8)!

I wish you a meaningful Sabbath, upcoming Passover, and Days of Unleavened Bread,

Dan Dowd

31 March, 2023