Passover Redemption – The Night That Changed History
Four cups of wine. Bitter herbs. Unleavened bread. Every element of the Passover Seder pointed toward liberation – until Jesus transformed them into something greater. On this night, He didn’t just commemorate Israel’s deliverance from Egypt; He became the deliverance for all humanity. The ancient story of Exodus suddenly blazed with new meaning as Jesus took the matzah and said, “This is my body.”
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” — 1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
Blood on the Doorposts Revisited
The original Passover required each household to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and smear its blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:7). This visceral act of faith spared them from death. Jesus, the perfect Lamb, now offers His blood not on wood, but on the cross – protecting us from eternal separation from God.
Three profound shifts occur in Christ’s Passover:
- From temporal to eternal salvation (Egypt’s liberation vs. freedom from sin)
- From national to global redemption (Israelites vs. “whoever believes”)
- From repeated sacrifice to once-for-all (annual Passover vs. Christ’s finished work)
The bitter herbs of slavery now remind us of sin’s bitterness. The unleavened bread (matzah) – striped and pierced – mirrors Jesus’ wounds.
The Fourth Cup Fulfilled
Jewish tradition includes four cups of wine representing God’s promises in Exodus 6:6-7. Scholars note Jesus stopped at the third cup (“I will redeem”) during the Last Supper, declaring it His blood of the covenant. The fourth cup (“I will take you as my people”) finds its fulfillment in Revelation 19:9 – the marriage supper of the Lamb.
This interrupted Seder creates a stunning truth: We’re living between the third and fourth cups, between redemption and eternal communion. How then should we live?
Reflection Questions:
- Deliverance Then and Now: What “Egypt” (bondage) do you need Christ to deliver you from today?
- Bitter Herbs: What painful experience has God used to make you rely on Him more?
- Living Unleavened: How can you remove the “yeast” of sin (1 Corinthians 5:8) during this season?
Passover Redemption – Prayer:
“Jesus, our Passover Lamb,
Thank You for being the perfect sacrifice that spares me from death.
As I taste the bitterness of my sins,
Let me also taste Your sweetness of deliverance.
Make me mindful that You’ve redeemed me
Not for aimless wandering,
But for purposeful journeying toward eternity with You.
As I await the final cup of fulfillment,
Keep my heart unleavened by hypocrisy
And ready for Your return.
Amen.”
