Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (Part One) & (Part Two)

 Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (Part One) ----- by John Reiss "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God." A foundational principle that enables us to be children of God is the idea of type and antitype. If we have been in the church for any time, we have been exposed to this concept. Biblical type-and-antitype concerns the revelation of a truth or a prophecy and its later or spiritual fulfillment. Within Scripture,an antitype in the New Testament is most often foreshadowed or predicted in type or as a pattern in the Old Testament. The Passover lamb is a type of its later fulfillment in the life and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Ancient Israel is a type of the spiritual nation of Israel, the church of God (see Galatians 6:16). The death of the lamb in Egypt provided the Israelites with physical deliverance from their bondage, and Christ's death provides us with deliverance from our spiritual bondage to sin. How does the Passover offering stand as a type of its fulfillment in Christ some 1,450 years later? God describes this offering in Exodus 12:3, 5-6: Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: "On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. . . . Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You maytake it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight." The first New Testament fulfillment is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Exodus 12:3 commands, each household of the children of Israel chose a lamb from their flocks on the tenth day of the first month, Abib, four days before it was to be slain. In the sequence of events leading to Christ's crucifixion, the tenth of Abib alignswith Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people laud Him with palm branches, calling out, "Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" (Mark11:9). In this way, the people of Israel choose their Passover Lamb. The second fulfillment concerns the Passover lamb of old being chosen from the personal flock of each Israelite household. Originally, Passover was a very personal festival, kept in the home, not as it was later observed nationally in the Temple.This detail indicates that its purpose was personal. The head of the household brought the chosen Passover lamb into the home four days before its sacrifice to spend those days with the family. Among the most docile animals, lambs symbolize gentleness, innocence,and vulnerability. The family and the lamb enjoyed an amount of intimacy during that short time, and they personally felt the grief of its death. The third fulfillment coincides with what the apostle Peter writes in I Peter 1:18-19 . . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. The chosen lamb was a lamb, by definition, not older than one year. It was as innocent as an infant. As a child ages, he becomes more worldly and corrupted by sin. The Passover lamb, an infant among sheep, was to symbolize this innocence, being undefiledand harmless. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus Christ in this way: "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens" (Hebrews7:26; emphasis ours throughout). He was indeed "holy," pure and separate from other humans, having never sinned (IICorinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; I John 3:5). He was perfect like His Father in heaven (Matthew5:48). Only a perfectly sinless, holy Sacrifice could redeem sinners and take away their sin. The author of Hebrews calls the Savior "harmless," denoting innocent, blameless, or free from evil. Peter provides some commentary to this description: "‘Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile inreturn; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously" (IPeter 2:22-23). Though we are full of sin, our Redeemer was as innocent as a newborn baby. Hebrews7:26 also declares Jesus Christ to be "undefiled," from a Greek word meaning "unstained, unsoiled, undefiled, chaste, pure, inviolate, and unimpaired." The author adds another layer to His absolute perfection and purity. He was so perfect that He had notone flaw, not one imperfection, not one defect, not one blemish! But He was more than just perfect: He was both a perfect human being and a holy God-Being, something infinitely greater than a mere physical lamb. As such, He could represent both Creator Godand man and thus qualify as the Perfect Sacrifice to pay for and take away the world's sins. The fourth fulfillment brings together Exodus 12:46 and John 19:32-33, 36: Exodus 12:46:"In one house [the Passover lamb] shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones." John19:32-33, 36: "Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. . . . For these things were done that the Scriptureshould be fulfilled, ‘not one of His bones shall be broken.'" The type of the Passover lamb was fulfilled even to this "minor" detail. However, God made sure that even these seemingly insignificant details had their antitypes so that we could have no doubt that Jesus Christ is our Savior. The fifth fulfillment manifests in Jesus' obedience, which is perfectly exemplified by an uncomplaining and submissive lamb. In the Suffering Servant chapter, Isaiah 53, God prophesies: He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah53:7) This passage convinced the Ethiopian eunuch once Philip explained it to him in light of its fulfillment in Christ. Matthew 27:11-14 provides us a gospel account of the antitype: Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "It is as you say." And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him,"Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. As we saw earlier, Peter also attests to this in I Peter 2:23 (see also Mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:8-9). ------------------------------ In Part Two, we will investigate a final antitype of the ancient Passover lamb. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (Part Two) Exodus 12:24 commands, "And you shall observe this thing [the Passover sacrifice] for you and your sons forever." The redemptive death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the ancient Passover sacrifice almost 2,000 years ago, but this verse implies that its fulfillment does not mean the end of its observance. God's people, the church of God, His elect, will observe this festival in perpetuity. While no longer repeating its ancient rites, true Christians keep it in a new way that Jesus Himself ordained on His final, earthly Passover, reported by all the gospel writers. Some 3,500 years ago, in the home of each Israelite, a lamb was slain on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, just after the sun had gone down, beginning the day. On the last night of His life, our Savior faithfully obeyed thiscommand as He observed this ordinance with His disciples, and as I Corinthians 11:23-26 instructs, we observe the New Testament Passover at the same time, in remembrance of our Savior's life and His death. After the Israelites slew the Passover lamb, they smeared its blood on the doorposts and lintel, the parts of the frame surrounding the door that led into their houses. When God sent the Death Angel to slay the firstborn of Egypt, the Angel"passed over" any home that displayed this bloody symbol of God's protection. Obedient Christians have this guarantee today, but in a far more spiritual and eternal way (Revelation20:4-6)! When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, they were sanctified or set apart. They were not better than the Egyptians, but God chose them as His people because of His promises to Abraham. The Israelites exhibited faith in their leader, Moses, doing as he instructed. They chose a perfect lamb from their flock, sacrificed it, and spread its blood on the doorposts of their homes. So, they were passed over and lived. At the time, Israel had done nothing to deserve God's mercy. They were as sinful as the surrounding nations. God did not offer forgiveness to the freed Israelite slaves, but He offered them deliverance. Today, He offers the called and chosenboth physical and spiritual deliverance. There are other parallels between the original Passover lamb and its fulfilment by our Savior, Jesus Christ. However, the ones we have discussed should be enough of a witness to remind us why we observe Passover today. As the apostle Paul saysin I Corinthians 11:26, by partaking in it, we "proclaim the Lord's death [and all it entails] till He comes." When we eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine, representing His body and blood, we are symbolically sharing the Savior's life of obedience, remembering that only by His perfect obedience are we allowed into the Father's presence. His obedience,not ours, grants this rare and tremendous privilege to those who have been baptized into His church. We can have a relationship with the Most High God! The Passover meal recalls the peace offering, in which harmony, peace, and satisfaction exist between God, the High Priest, and the offeror. It pictures the Father's grace and the blessings that come from being in union with Him and the brethren. In it, we see the serenity created byjustification. As its name implies, Passover is God's passing over previously committed sins. Paul writes in Romans 3:25, "God set forth [Jesus] as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins that were previously committed." This festival stands as an annual remembrance of how, by His life, our Savior satisfied the offerings of Leviticus in complete devotion to God and His commission. We are the beneficiariesof that dedicated Life, and ultimately, all mankind will share in these blessings if they so choose. The author of Hebrews 9:22 instructs, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." The Greek word underlying "shedding" means "an effusion" of blood. An effusion is "a pouring forth." A specific focus on Passover is Jesus Christ's voluntarily shed blood, which He calls, "My blood of the new covenant" (Matthew26:27), meaning that His blood makes possible, inaugurates, and ratifies the New Covenant. When we drink the wine during the Passover service, we remember that we who have been redeemed by His blood have made an agreement with and a commitment to Him. We recommit ourselves to living in obedience to God as the New Covenant insists,allowing Him to put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts, as Jeremiah 31:33 says. As Passover approaches, we need to meditate on these things to focus ourselves on Christ and His remarkable work. In particular, we may want to use the four days between the tenth (April 18, 2024) and fourteenth (April 22, 2024) day of the firstmonth to intensify our relationship with the Lamb of God. Remember the type of the Passover lamb and how God delivered Israel through its shed blood, but especially remember its antitypical fulfillment. That gives us four days to reflect on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, His perfection, and all His complete sacrifice has provided us. Consider that we have been justified by faith, and we now have peace with God through the living sacrificeof our Lord. Also, we should be thankful that He who knew no sin became an offering for sin for us "so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (IICorinthians 5:21), a prominent theme of the Day of Atonement. The apostle Peter adds, ". . . rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (IPeter 4:13). "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (ICorinthians 5:7). ------------------------------------ Passover: An Extraordinary Peace Offering by David C. Grabbe The sin offering, typifying Christ's paying the price for our sins, is not the same as the Passover offering, which symbolizes fellowship with the Creator God because of God's favor and acceptance. The Passover sacrifice is a type of peace offering. Ezekiel20:5-7 clarifies that the Israelite slaves in Egypt were unabashed idolaters, even carrying their idols out of Egypt into their tents in the desert. God destroyed the first born of the Egyptians and mercifully passed over the sins of the idolatrous Israelites.The Passover sacrifice is basically unconnected with expiation, but represents the peace and security which attends fellowship with God. In its ancient historical context, the Passover sacrifice made possible God's protection from the death of the firstborn,His willingness to mercifully overlook (pass over) the people's sins. The Passover sacrifice does not prefigure the forgiveness of sin, neither in its historical context nor in the symbolism of the lamb's sacrifice. In the New Testament context, God's peopleenjoy a covenantal relationship with God—the covenant of peace. Through the New Covenant symbols of the covenant, God's people eat of the bread of life and drink of His blood in order to maintain the precious communion between themselves and God, thereby showingtheir continued faithfulness to the Covenant confirmed by Christ in His death. -------------------------