The Essence of Passover

by Matthew Crouch

“… Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7

This week millions of Jewish individuals and families across the world are celebrating Passover, which commemorates God’s freeing of the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt.

The account in Exodus 12 of this miraculous liberation is unforgettable, as on the night of Passover God instructed the head of each Jewish household to apply the blood of a lamb “without blemish” (v. 5) to the top and the sides of the door frame of the family’s home. God promised that when He saw the blood on the doorposts of the Jewish households that He would “pass over” those homes and keep them safe. But on the homes not having the blood of the lamb, the firstborn sons would be struck down and killed. That, of course, was the first step in God’s leading the children of Israel out of the bondage of slavery and into the Promised Land of freedom and destiny.

Throughout the thousands of years since then, generations of Jews have obeyed God’s command to recall this liberation through a weeklong Passover commemoration. Laurie and I have been in Jerusalem at the Western Wall during Passover week and have witnessed the deep emotion that wells up in the heart of Jewish people as they give thanks to God for His faithfulness.

Of course, for the Christ follower, Passover takes on special significance as we recall that Jesus, God’s only Son, was sacrificed as our Passover Lamb, dying for us on the cross so that He could be raised gloriously to liberate us from the bondage of sin and death.

Through God’s grace we can live each day with hope and confidence as we walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Whatever obstacles we face, God gives us the power to be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Because of that hope, the very essence of Passover is ours as God’s children, as we embrace His mercies that are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23).

Nothing gives Laurie and me greater joy and satisfaction than knowing that this message of Jesus — our Passover — is covering the earth 24 hours a day through the Trinity Broadcasting Family of Networks. That means across every inhabited continent, TBN programming is bringing salvation, hope, healing, and restoration to more individuals and families than ever before.

Here’s just one story of someone who has been touched for eternity through TBN –