God Leads to New Life (KidQuest -- October 2)

Passover is one of the most significant parts of The Big God Story, ushering in a new way of life for the Israelites. Without a doubt, many of the images of the Passover feast point to Jesus. In fact, Philip, Paul, Peter, and John all affirmed the Passover Lamb is a picture of Jesus in Acts 8:32; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19; and Revelation 5:6, 13:8. Here are some of the comparisons found in Exodus 12:

“Tell the whole community of Israel that … each man is to take a lamb for his family … year-old males without defect …” (vv. 3, 5). The Israelites were instructed to kill and eat a perfect lamb. Similarly, it was only through Christ’s perfect life and His death that His people can be saved.

“All the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight” (v. 6). Many translations render the words “at twilight” to mean, “between the evenings,” the Jewish ninth hour. Accordingly, Christ died at the hands of the people during the ninth hour of the day.

“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs” (v. 7). By doing this, the Israelites affirmed their belief that God would save them by the blood of the lamb. In the same way, we actively submit to Christ in order to be saved.

“That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast” (v. 8). The bitter herbs reminded the Israelites of their sojourn in Egypt and, eventually, stood for the sin Christ accepted on our behalf. The bread without yeast was both practical (because fermentation takes time) and symbolic of a life without sin.

“The blood will be a sign for you … when I see the blood, I will pass over you …” (v. 13). The “Passover” is an allusion to the fact that God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites covered by the blood. When Christ shared communion with the apostles during Passover, He showed that His blood was not only sufficient to cover their sins, but also to obliterate them.

When God liberated His people from bondage, He brought them into new life; He bound them together as a nation of His own people. To commemorate this moment, God instituted Passover—a meal not only to remind the Israelites of their liberation, but one which also pointed toward Christ, the Lamb of God, whose blood covers the sins of the world (John 1:29).