Joni shares the connection between Exodus and Easter: a lamb. The crimson thread of sacrifice runs all the way from Exodus to Jesus, reminding us of the gravity of our sin and the sacrifice of Christ.
The story of Easter, well, actually it begins way back in Exodus.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and do you know why I love reading the Old Testament book of Exodus? It’s because the crimson thread of Jesus and his sacrifice, oh, man, it’s so evident, especially in the Passover story – the Passover feast is a key element in God’s redemptive story. And since it’s Easter week, I want to take a look at it in Exodus 12. God says to Moses, he says, “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household… The animals… must be year-old males without defect… Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight."
Wow. Okay, so here, God is explaining that each family is to choose a lamb, bring it into the house, take care of it, love it, tend to its needs, cuddle it, and then, slit its throat!? Oh, my goodness, that’s awful! It’s a little like my 4-H days on our family farm. My sisters and I also took care of lambs. They were so cute and fuzzy. We cared for them, and grew to love them, and who doesn't consider a lamb the picture of innocence, right? But then, there came the day after the county fair when our 4-H lambs were trucked to the slaughterhouse! It was awful. It was like, “Daddy, why?!” It just felt horrible.
In the same way, God wrote "horror" into the script for Passover. He intended that his people be absolutely revolted by the slaughter of the lamb that they had grown to love. It was meant to be heart-wrenching. God had every intention of arousing in the hearts of his people dread and pity for this precious little Lamb. God intended that the slaughter of that Passover lamb show the exacting demands of God's justice, as well as how destructive and awful sin really is. And that is such an important part of the redemptive story because Passover portrays “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). God wants our hearts to break over the sacrifice of the precious Lamb of God. He wants to arouse dread over sin and deep sorrow in our hearts for Jesus, for we are the ones who caused his horrific death. Our sin led him to the slaughterhouse. And all of that should break our hearts, as well as lead us to grief and repentance.
And so, as we take time this Easter week to ponder the sacrifice that Jesus made on his cross, we can remember Isaiah 53, where it says that “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Oh, friend, on these last few days leading up to Easter, make sure you take time to think about these things, how a lamb in the Passover story is a biblical “type” of Christ, that is, a true picture of love for the Lamb who would be slain. The hill on which Christ was crucified was a slaughterhouse. So, ask the Father to fill your heart with commensurate emotion, knowing that Christ was, yes, butchered on your behalf. Fall in love with Jesus because of that. And just as the God’s people celebrated Passover as a festival, a remembrance, let's remember the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. It’ll make your Easter celebration all the richer, all the deeper, and truly more meaningful. Thank you, friend, for letting me share these reflections with you on this wonderful week where we remember his death that led to our life.
© Joni and Friends