Have you ever wondered why Jesus is called the Lamb? Why He needed to die as an offering? Why was blood needed?
The answers to these questions are found in the book of Exodus. God’s people have been oppressed and forced into slavery. The Pharoah has been increasingly evil to the Israelites even making a decree that every newborn baby boy is to be thrown into the river.
Moses is born at this time in history, but he is spared when his mother places him into a basket, and he is pulled out of the river by the Pharaoh’s daughter. This baby boy would grow to be a great leader and lead his people out of Egypt by following the Lord’s directions.
Fast Forward to later in Moses’s life and he has become a man who speaks with the Lord. A man who has been called by the Lord to relay messages from God to the Pharoah regarding releasing the Israelites from a heavy burden of slavery.
But the Pharoah isn’t cooperating. He is relentless in keeping the Israelites captive.After nine horrible plagues, he still hasn’t budged. He continues the tyranny.
Finally, the Lord executes a tenth and final plague. This is a terrible plague to imagine coming from such a kind, loving, merciful Lord. But remember, the Lord has given Pharoah nine opportunities to let the people go in peace, and the Pharoah has refused.And even before the Lord executes this final judgment against Pharoah and the Egyptian people, He sends Moses to tell Pharoah what’s coming. He was given a final opportunity to release them. He stubbornly refuses.
This last plague would mean the death of every firstborn son of every household. But, there was to be a protective covering, a mark, a seal that would cause the angel of death to PASS over a home. Every home with the mark would be spared.
The Israelite families were instructed to take a blemish-free lamb and sacrifice it. They were to take some blood and mark the outside doorpost with it. And then, they were to have a meal in which they ate the lamb. This would be the first Passover meal and would also be their last meal as enslaved people.
Tomorrow, they would exodus or escape from Egyptian oppression. And so it happened: the Israelites and their firstborn children were spared from death by the mark of the blood of the lamb! Their homes were passed entirely over while every Egyptian household was struck with the death of their firstborn. The Pharoah relented and told the Israelites to go just as God had promised he would.
Deliverance from slavery AND total protection from death came from the mark of the blood of the lamb. And notice they ate the lamb. They partook in the eating of the body of the lamb that was slain.
So now let’s look to Jesus, our precious Savior, and dig deeply into His name, which was given to Him throughout scripture: The Lamb who was slain.
When Jesus walked by John the Baptist, John declared, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.”
Precious Jesus, our Lord, chose to be the Passover Lamb who would cause death to “Passover” His people. He decided to leave His seat on High and come to earth as a humble baby who would grow into a man who faced real temptation but never sinned. He chose to look at His precious creation, who battled cycles of unbelief, and have mercy on them. He decided to offer Himself as the sacrifice that would atone for all sins and break the curse of death.
He chose to offer up His divine blood so that a protective mark could be placed on every believer in Jesus Christ. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are marked with a seal that causes death to lose all power over you! You breathe your last breath on earth and take your next breath in the Presence of the Lord. Death loses its sting; the curse of death now passes over you. Jesus’s final meal with His disciples was the Passover meal! Jesus would be crucified during Passover, making Him the Passover Lamb who would usher in a NEW COVENANT with His people.
And just as the Israelites celebrated Passover every year to remember their freedom and deliverance, now Jesus would teach His disciples to partake in communion to remember Him and this New Covenant of freedom. Something powerful happened after Jesus died on the cross. He didn’t stay in the grave! He rose again three days later, ultimately conquering the enemy of death.
He resurrected from death to life and promised that those who believe in Him will live, too.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, Jesus told Martha,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25-27
In Revelation, Jesus is also called the Lamb. There will be a grand victory celebration of the Lamb. Everything will be completed, new, and restored; the Lamb of God will reign, and His Name will mark those who trusted in Him. All His followers will be with Him, fully redeemed and restored for eternity!
Dear Lord,
Thank You, Lord, that the blood of the Lamb breaks every curse. Thank You that Jesus’s blood is a redemptive seal over my heart that marks me as a redeemed child of the Living God, and nothing, not even death itself, can separate me from Your love. Thank You for Your divine birth, Your model life for us, Your sacrifice of becoming the Passover Lamb, Your resurrection, Your ascension, Your gift of Holy Spirit, and the PROMISE of Your return! Give me a renewed hunger and thirst for You and Your Precious Word.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Blessings and deeper revelation of Christ this Christmas!
This blog post is an excerpt from my NEW book
Anticipating the Savior: A Journey through the Names of Jesus
You can grab your copy on Amazon in soft or hardcover!
https://a.co/d/3D1vHX8
Vanessa Lynn
