There is a word in the Bible that carries a great deal of meaning; however, it is not mentioned in Christian circles very often. The reason this word is neglected is it is firmly bound up in the writings of the Old Testament. Many of the teachings from that time were discounted as the Christian establishment tried to distance itself from anything Jewish. Much truth has been lost because of this and the richness of the Bible is compromised by the direction taken. The word I am referring to is Passover. It was a special event that was written about in the scriptures and there is a great deal of deep meaning associated with it and the season of the year in which we find it recorded.

The richer and greater lesson had to do with the future coming of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 12:11 is the first place that the word is mentioned. Strong’s Concordance shows the Hebrew word to be pesach (#6453) which is taken from the root word pasach (#6452) and carries the meaning “to skip over, leap or pass over.” Exodus 12 explains Israel was to take a lamb on the 10th day of the first month (Hebrew calendar) and keep it until the 14th day. On that day, the lamb was to be killed, the blood smeared on the doorposts of the house and the flesh roasted and eaten.

There are other details given, but the point of this article is found in verse 29. At midnight, God sent a destroyer (verse 23) to kill all the firstborn creatures in Egypt—of both man and beast (Exodus 11:4-5; 12:29-30). Where blood was smeared on the doorposts, the destroyer was to pass over (verse 27) and the firstborn would be protected in all of these homes. It may be of interest to note that although the firstborn of the Egyptians’ livestock were killed, apparently the Israelites’ animals were protected.

An even greater meaning

The richer and greater lesson had to do with the future coming of Jesus Christ. His shed blood would pay for the sins of the world. The penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but the gift of God is eternal life. Just as the Israelites had to smear the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, so too, the protection offered by the blood of Christ also involves an act. For people today, it is the act of repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38).

From 1 Corinthians 5:7, we understand Christ is our Passover lamb. His shed blood protects those who come under its guardianship. The word Passover comes from the act of the destroyer passing over the homes of the Israelites. All the events of the day, preceding or following this event were related. By that I mean, the killing, smearing of blood, roasting and eating of the lamb were to take place before midnight. If the blood were not on the portals by that time, the destroyer would enter. The death penalty still exists for all people who have not truly accepted Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.

The word Passover occurs 48 times in the Old Testament. In Exodus 12:10 and 34:25 we see the added directions that the whole lamb was to be eaten and if anything was left, it was to be consumed by fire before daybreak. In the case of small families, it was always considered appropriate for them to join others and share the meal so there would not be excess waste.

Some estimate the population of Israel at the time of the Exodus to be between 2 and 3 million. One can see that at a time of poor communication and slow travel, an enormous event was about to occur. It is not just a little family packing up and moving, but an entire nation. There would have been millions of animals added to the number and many details, such as taking along the huge sarcophagus that contained the body of Joseph (embalmed in the Egyptian manner—Genesis 50:25-26). The logistics of such a move are beyond our modern-day comprehension. Even if prepared to leave, the departure would be slow and ponderous.

Jesus sits with the disciples and partakes of the Passover.

Leviticus 23:4-6 includes the Passover in the holy convocations or feast seasons of God. It states, “on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.” There is a distinction made when the term Passover is applied here. It is applied only for the 14th day. Numbers 9:1-5 also states the Passover is to be kept “on” the 14th day. There were restrictions as to who could keep the Passover and if something interfered with this special observance, God allowed the person who could not observe it on the 14th of the first month, to observe the Passover on the 14th of the second month. Once again, the terms were the same—to kill and eat a lamb. The importance can be seen when we understand that Christ was slain (therefore the Passover lamb) from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

There is no doubt Jesus Christ introduced the new symbols of the Passover at the start of the 14th day of the first month. In Luke 22:7 we read that on the evening of the 14th (Exodus 12:6) Jesus sat down with the12 disciples. The order of events (according to the synoptic Gospels) appears to be as follows:

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Jesus sits with the disciples and partakes of the Passover.
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Jesus rebukes their contention.
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Jesus washes their feet.
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Jesus identifies Judas as the traitor; Judas withdraws; and the remaining disciples profess loyalty.
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Jesus institutes the Lord’s supper (new symbols of the Passover).
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Jesus addresses the 11 in the upper room and again on the way to Gethsemane.
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Jesus intercedes with the Father for His own.
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Jesus agonizes in the garden, is betrayed and arrested.

All of these events took place on the 14th day. We see references to the 14th day being the Passover day in Joshua 5:10 and the next day noted as the day they began to eat unleavened bread. The 15th day is declared to be the Holy Day and the first Day of Unleavened Bread. It is the day after the Passover (verse 11). Numbers 33:3 states that Israel departed from Egypt “on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover.” Although in time the term Passover grew to include the whole eight-day period, its root still lies in the passing over of the marked houses of Israel by the destroyer.

We ought to understand that God counts each day as beginning at sunset, not sunrise as is customary today (Genesis 1:5, 19). Thus if Wednesday was Passover, it would actually begin on what we call Tuesday evening. This complicates our reasoning, but by understanding this point, we will see why Jesus instituted the symbols of the Passover on the night before He was betrayed. The evening occurs at the beginning of the day in God’s reference. The 15th day was declared to be a day of great rejoicing because it was the day God took Israel out of Egypt (Numbers 33:3).

God’s people today recognize the importance of the solemn observance of the Passover. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ allows us to receive the gift of eternal life from God and protects us from eternal death. It is what atones for our sins—it reconciles us to the Father, and His life within us leads us to salvation.