newprotest.org: PASSOVER AND EASTER

PASSOVER AND EASTER

April 13, 2017
by: jovial_cynic


There's often an association between traditional celebrations of Easter and pagan traditions centered around fertility, spring-time, etc. Easter bunnies, eggs - none of it is biblical, but it has become a tradition that Christians participate in.

An often missed association is between Easter and the Jewish Passover celebration. It is the remembrance of the time God struck down the Egyptians who enslaved Israel with ten plagues, the 10th being the death of the firstborn in the land by way of the Destroying Angel. The only way for anyone in Egypt to be saved was to take a young unblemished lamb into the home, kill it to be eaten, but first taking a hyssop branch dipped in the lamb's blood and marking the side and top door posts of the home with that blood. By seeing the blood covering the door posts, the Destroying Angel would *pass over* the house and not enter it, sparing those inside from destruction.

Jesus' death on the cross served as an extension of that story: as the unblemished Lamb of God, his blood was shed to cover our door posts, so that when God's Destroying Angel is sent to destroy wickedness in the world, he will *pass over* those who are covered.

The celebration of Easter, for Christians, is about recognizing that the Lamb was the son of God, voluntarily laying down his life for us. And while this story could remain somber as we reflect on a senseless death, the celebration of Easter is the story of resurrection - the Lamb is raised from the dead, and encourages us to know that the work of salvation is final. We are redeemed. We are saved by the blood of the lamb.

And for that, we Praise God.
np category: theology
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