What's The Point Of Easter?

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread,

on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

Luke 22:7

Yesterday was Good Friday, the day in which followers of Jesus remember, and celebrate, the His death on a Roman cross to pay the penalty for our sin. You may wish to read an earlier post of mine, entitled "What's Good About Good Friday?"

As Good Friday approached, I was preparing some other things when I came across some verses that struck me quite powerfully. I love that about God's Word; it makes the claim, in Hebrews 4:12, that it is "living and active", as opposed to dead and static; as a result, I should not be surprised that, after years of studying it, I still find new things to learn. Anyway, in preparing for a communion feast, I came across the verses above.

Verses 1 and 2 of the same chapter read "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death ..."  Hmmm ... seems they had the same problem over 2000 years ago that we're dealing with today; the top religious leaders embroiled in some dirty scandal. If you've read my posts, you know that the consistent message of the gospel, as found in the Bible, is that being religious, performing religious rituals and doing religious things cannot save or transform you! The only thing that can is actually not a thing at all; it is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. It is to Him that we look for forgiveness, not acts of penance. It is in Him that we place our faith and trust, not in an institution like the church. And it is Him that we follow and model and obey, not a set of rules and regulations. And any good works that we perform are not done to EARN our salvation or favour with God, but a response out of a heart of love for the God who loved us first! But I digress ...

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a memorial feast, reminding them of the time the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God was preparing to set them free by His mighty hand. This involved the people eating bread with no leaven (yeast) for seven days; not only that, but they were instructed to go through their houses and remove all leaven from their homes. All this was done while He judged Egypt for their sin of rebellion and stubborn disbelief. The ninth plague was darkness, and it was followed by the last and most terrible plague, the death of the all the firstborn in the land. And this is where Passover comes in: God instructed the people of Israel that they were to take a lamb, a blemish-free, perfect lamb, and kill it, and then take the blood of that lamb and splash it on the doorposts and the lintel of their home. "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you" and judgement would not come to their home.

Every single one of these symbols points to Jesus! Jesus was the Son of God sent to set us free from the slavery of our sin; because we are powerless to free ourselves, God had to do it by His mighty hand. Leaven is a picture, a type, of sin throughout the Bible; Jesus was the only Man in history to be without sin, and He came to remove our sin from us. But it came only at great cost to Him; John the Baptizer called Him "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", a reference to that Passover Lamb. Jesus was perfect and blemish-free, making Him the only suitable One to be our substitute. He was slain, and when HIS blood is applied to our lives, God's judgement passes over us, because Jesus was already judged in our place!

Remember the ninth plague, darkness? When Jesus hung on the cross, "there was darkness over the whole land" for three hours. In that time, God judged Jesus for our sin and, since Jesus came to BE our Passover Lamb, there could be no protection for Him; God paid the penalty for our sin with the death of His own Firstborn!

This, ladies and gentlemen, clearly demonstrates the extent to which God was willing to go to, the costs He was willing to incur, to procure our salvation. This is the clearest demonstration of His love for you and me! Readers, I plead with you, accept His gift of salvation! He offers it without cost to you, though it cost Him everything! What He asks in return is your obedience, your faith, your love, and SUCH a loving God is a delight to follow! This Easter, make Him your Saviour, your Passover Lamb, the Lover of your soul! It will change EVERYTHING, and you will never regret it! 

If you have questions about this, you can reach me at mikeysingsbass@gmail.com.