In the True Spirit of Christmas I will continue with the "Messiah" theme in the next few articles. The Old Testament, currently used by those that call themselves Jews, and those that call themselves Christians, is full of the Messianic theme. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Passover ritual.
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (Source)
The first Passover was designed to demonstrate the difference between those that worshipped Pharoah and the gods of Egypt, and those that worshipped Jesus Christ, the God of Moses.
3 ¶Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: (Source)
The lamb without blemish was symbolic of the Christ, whose divine nature made Him the only individual that has ever lived in this world without sin. Thus, He was the only individual suitable for being sacrificed for the sins of mankind.
7 And they shall take of the blood (of the Passover lamb), and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. (Ibid)
Placing the Passover Lamb's blood on the two side-posts and above the door itself was symbolic of the Crucifixion. The Christ had his hands nailed to the cross and a crown of thorns placed upon His head. The door itself symbolized the Christ, who was the barrier that separated the Israelites from certain death.
The lamb was also to be roasted with fire, that "none of it remain until the morning". This is symbolic of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemne and on the cross.
12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. (Source)
When the Romans crucified an individual, it was customary to break the bones in his upper legs to hasten death. Jesus Christ was dead on the cross by evening, so they left all of His bones intact.
Animal sacrifice, which was practiced under the Mosaic law, was given to the ancient Israelites as a constant reminder that their Messiah would offer Himself as a sacrifice for their sins. Paul explained this best in his writings to the Hebrews:
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Source)
We need to understand that God offered the Israelites the opportunity to understand the the importance of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. They were offered a straight path into the promised land, yet they rejected it. As a result, that generation wandered in the wilderness and a new one was raised, worthy of entering the Promised Land. Those that had wandered had been deceived by their own self-importance and the lusts that burned within their flesh.
They had removed the barrier that separated them from death and misery. They had rejected the true significance of the Passover and its symbolism. They had rejected their Messiah.
