21 July 2023

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

From Exodus 11:10-12:14, NRSV

The ten plagues that had been sent to Egypt had not persuaded the Pharaoh to release the people of Israel from captivity. God therefore instructed Moses and Aaron to prepare for their departure by other means. God gave details to be passed on to the people about the selection, preparation and eating of a lamb. The blood from the lamb was to be used to mark the houses of the community of Israel so that their houses would be passed over when a destructive plague was sent to Egypt. They were to eat the meal hurriedly and be ready to depart straightaway after eating – to make their “exodus” from Egypt and so to begin a new life freed from slavery and under God’s protection. The significance of the Passover was to be marked by changing their calendar so that the month of Passover was to become the first month of the year and the Passover to be celebrated as a festival every year. The Passover is important for Christians as well as Jews since it marks the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper. Whilst celebrating the Passover with his apostles, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of entering into a new covenant. Jesus himself was to become the lamb to be sacrificed. Jesus took two symbols used in the Passover, the bread and wine, and gave them a new meaning as a means of remembering his sacrifice.

• • How do you suppose Moses and Aaron were able to persuade the people of Israel to follow these instructions?
  • What do you know about the significance of The Passover to Jews today?

You may like to find out more about the Festival of Passover and how it is celebrated in our own times.