What is Passover, and how does it relate to my life today? Learn the meaning of the Passover and how the Passover points to Jesus. Find freedom in Christ this Holy Week.

For the longest time, I was bound by fear. My emotions and need to control were rooted in my fears. But praise God, through being rooted in God’s truth and love, I found His love perfecting me to a place where fear no longer has a stronghold in my life.

I went through a process of healing as I encountered the love of Jesus. As I sought Jesus and came to Him in my pain, the Lord perfected me by His love and cast out fear.

That’s when I found true freedom.

Jesus says in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” There is freedom in Christ, and His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

There is no way we can experience freedom when we are bound by sin. Fear, lust, anger, unforgiveness, selfish ambition, and jealousy are forms of sin.

Maybe your struggle is not with fear, but whatever your struggles may be, know there is freedom as we surrender our lives to Jesus and encounter God’s love.

As we approach Holy Week and Easter (Resurrection Sunday), I want us to reflect on the passion of the Lord, His immense love for us, and how the Passover beautifully points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, who sets us free from the bondage of sin.

What is Passover?

The Passover meal is first mentioned in Exodus 12.

Exodus 12:1-11 says, “Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 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. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 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. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.”

God continues to explain why it’s called the Passover meal in Exodus 12:12-14, which says, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.”

The Passover meal was meant for the Israelites to remember God’s mercy upon them because of the blood of the lamb that protects them from God’s judgment. The purpose of the Passover meal was to be a foreshadowing of Jesus, the ultimate spotless lamb of God, who shed His blood for us to save us from God’s judgment.

God instructed the Israelites to find a lamb without blemish, a perfect, spotless lamb. Only Jesus can be the spotless lamb because He is God, which makes Him perfect.

The Passover meal is a powerful meal that now points us to Jesus.

Now we get access to Salvation by faith, as we believe Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and follow Him. We get to abide in the shadow of the almighty God as we dwell in the secret place of the Most High (Psalm 91:1).

Egypt as a Symbol of Bondage

During this time, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Egypt represents bondage, sin. The Bible tells us that sin leads to death, and when we are overcome by sin, we live in bondage, not freedom.

Often, we mistakenly believe that following Jesus restricts our freedom because of the rules we have to follow. However, these rules are designed to protect us. Think of a roller coaster. Roller Coasters are designed with parameters and boundaries to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride.

God’s rules and boundaries aren’t restrictions, but rather guidelines that set us up to enjoy life with freedom.

When we are trapped in sin, like the Israelites were in Egypt, we are not truly free. Moses was a foreshadowing of Jesus, who leads us out of bondage (Egypt) into freedom and everlasting life. We now have freedom because Jesus died on the cross for us, redeeming us by making us right with God through the shedding of His blood.

Abundant Life in Christ

John 10:10 is one of my favorite verses. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When you’re bound by sin, you’re not free. Addiction is an example. Whether it’s pornography, drugs, or alcohol, addiction causes you to be bound to practicing certain behaviors. That’s not freedom.

But Jesus came to set us free. In Jesus Christ, we are set free to live the holy and righteous life that He called us to live.

Jesus has his last supper, the Passover meal with his disciples. Luke 22:14-20 says, “When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Jesus made a new covenant, in what we now call communion, where we no longer have to sacrifice animals for our redemption (being made right with God), but instead, we get to look to Jesus, who is the ultimate lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus also chose to die during Passover, when lambs were also being slaughtered (Luke 22:7-8).

Jesus shed His blood for us, died, and on the 3rd day, He rose from the grave. Jesus’s last words on the cross were, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Jesus finished the work for your freedom and your salvation.

When we accept Jesus into our lives and obey Him, we receive the gift of eternal life. Will you give your life to Jesus and follow Him daily? What is distracting you from following Jesus? Are there sin patterns you are tolerating that are preventing you from experiencing the freedom Jesus died for you to have?

Look to Jesus and invite Him to reveal Himself to you. Jesus is your passover lamb who is also alive. He is your redeemer. So remember, there is freedom in Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, reveal yourself to us as our Savior, the spotless lamb of God. I thank you, Jesus, for what you’ve done. We celebrate your resurrection. We celebrate you as our Savior and the freedom we have in You.

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Bible Verses on Salvation

• Hosea 13:14: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” (NKJV)
• Revelation 1:18: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 25:8: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.” (NIV)
• 1 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.” (NKJV)