The Original Passover Celebration

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Call to Remember

Exodus 12:1-16 The Message (MSG)

12 1-10 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.
11 “And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God.
12-13 “I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14-16 “This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.

For Reflection

There are a lot of reasons to remember this story, not the least of which is its expression about the mercy and protection God delivers to his chosen people.  But this story is also paired with God's proclivity toward violence as are many of the old testament stories. And yet, in many instance's God is kind, compassionate, and forgiving. For me the issue of a vengeful violent God is baffling.

Perhaps we Christians need to remember that Jesus in his life's work has shown us who God is. As the fullest revelation of God, Jesus not only shed light on how the righteous should behave, but he also revealed much about how we should understand how the people of the old testament defined God and their relationship to God.  Christ did not hit, nor did he hate anyone. Christ preached and practiced reconciliation, kindness, and love. He was not cruel or commit acts of retaliation or vengeance.

My image of Christ is hanging with outstretched arms on a cross, willing to die; not to take up arms. it was a sacrifice so profound to lead us to understand God's commitment to resist violence.

Pray

Pray and invite the Holy Spirit into your soul.  Pray so there is not room in your soul for anything else except God's wisdom.

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