Wednesday 12. November 2014
3. Last Sunday in the Church Year
Jesus said to His disciples: "You know that after two days the Passover is arriving and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." (Matthew 26,2)
The first Passover occurred in Egypt. God sent an angel to pass over every home that had put the blood of a lamb upon the door posts. All those inside were spared. Unbloodied door posts told the angel to go inside and slay the firstborn. Thus the LORD redeemed Israel from Egyptian slavery.
In Matthew 26 the Jews are celebrating the annual Passover feast. This time, another Passover would occur in Jerusalem and again the firstborn would be slain. No bloodied doorpost would spare Jesus, the firstborn of both God the Father and Mary. Jesus would become the new and better Passover lamb. His shed blood on the cross redeemed all the world from sin.
The first Passover foreshadowed the second Passover. It was a type of what God would ultimately do with His Son to save the world. Christ crucified is the antitypical Passover. No more Passover feasts are needed, for redemption has been accomplished. Now we gather, like Jesus with His disciples, to remember the great saving actions of Jesus our Paschal Lamb. Each Sunday we hear His words, sing His praises and receive His Supper for the forgiveness of all our sins.
Prayer: O Eternal God, Merciful Father, You have appointed Your Son as Judge of the living and the dead. Enable us to wait for the day of His return with our eyes fixed on the reign prepared for Your own from the foundation of the world; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. (A87, Treasury of Daily Prayer)
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