The Passover: Part 2 (Exodus 12:1-20, 43-51; 13:1-16)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. Grab your Bibles. Go to Exodus chapter 12. We are looking at the story of the Passover.
We're working our way through the book of Exodus, and we're taking two weeks to look at the Passover because in Exodus, when the Passover happens, it is an event. It is a historical moment. It takes place, but at the same time in the book of Exodus, God institutes a memorial feast and a practice that's going to take place throughout the life of the people of Israel, and so we've decided to take this in two parts. Last week, we looked at the event, and this week, we're going to look at this memorial feast that's instituted by God, this tradition that is given to them, this practice that's given to them to help them as they continue to follow Him that God puts in place in Exodus chapter 12 and chapter 13, and then we're going to hopefully see how it helps us as Christians and how we get to engage with the Passover.
I love musicals, and Spencer this week said, yeah, a lot of people looked at you and thought, yeah, this guy loves musicals, and they were right. I do. I love musicals, and there are some people who say musicals are stupid. You're stupid. Musicals are great. I mean, I wouldn't say that, but someone should tell you.
But my favorite musical is Fiddler on the Roof, and in Fiddler on the Roof, and I've seen it, I've seen the play, but I've specifically thoroughly enjoyed the 1971 movie, but in Fiddler on the Roof, the main guy's Topal, is the guy who plays it, but his name's Tevye in the play, and it starts with a fiddler on a roof. It's a bit on the nose. It shows a guy standing on a roof playing the fiddle, and then the main character, Tevye, who's also the narrator, looks at the camera, and he says, A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? I won't do the voice for the rest of the quote, but this is his start-off quote.
He says, but here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof. This story is about a Jewish family in a Jewish village in 1905 in Russia. He says, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous? Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home.
And then he says, and how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word, tradition. And then he bursts into song because it's a musical. They sing a song about tradition, and the whole point is that these Jewish people have tradition that helps them know who they are and what they're supposed to do, and that they use tradition to guide their lives. And that we're actually looking at, the Jewish people added a bunch of traditions, but they also were given traditions, given practices by God. And we're going to look at the first feast that God gives them in Exodus chapter 12, that he says, you're going to practice this.
You're going to institute this. And that happens throughout the whole book of Exodus. And so we're going to look at the first one today and try to help see how God gives this to help guide them, that they're going to have practices that help them know who they are and where they're going and help them find their way over time. And hopefully we'll see how we get to engage with this practice of the Passover for the same purpose, that it helps us to use the words of Tevye, be able to follow the Lord without breaking our neck, without losing our way. And so let's pray. And we're going to read starting in chapter 12, verse 1 together.
Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you institute practices for our good, that you help guide us in what we are to remember and what we are to hold on to. We pray that you'd help us to understand from the institution of Passover, how we as Christians get to engage in that in a blessed way this morning. In Jesus name. Amen. So what we're going to read in chapter 12, and we were in chapter 12 some last week, is we're going to read this institution of the first Passover.
So the first bit we're going to read is just for this first one, for the event. So it says, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. So he says, I'm changing your calendar. This is the first month of the year now, because this is when I'm rescuing you from slavery. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the 10th day of this month, every man shall take a lamb according to their father's houses, a lamb for a household.
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons, according to what each can eat. You shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male, a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats and you shall keep it until the 14th day of this month when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. So on the 10th day, they pick a lamb from the sheep or the goats with it's without blemish, a male, a year old, and they keep it for four days.
And then on twilight, when the sun is setting on the 14th day of the month, they slaughter it. Verse seven, then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lentil of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night roasted on the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted its head with its legs and its inner parts. You're going to cook the whole thing.
And any part that's left, it says they're going to burn up. That's what it says in verse 10. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning. Anything that remains until the morning, you shall burn in this manner. You shall eat it. Now, this is for the Passover, the original one with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste.
It is the Lord's Passover for I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast and all the gods of Egypt. I will execute judgments. I am the Lord. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So he's going to come through and he's going to see the blood on the houses and he's going to pass over them and they're to eat ready to leave there to eat quickly.
They're to not put leaven in their breads because it won't have time for it to leaven there to make quick bread, eat quickly and leave. He's going to pass over the houses and then they're going to leave. That's for this original one. And then it says this in verse 14, this day shall be for you a Memorial day and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations as a statute forever. You shall keep it as a feast. So now he's turned, he's given him the instructions for the particular one.
And now he says, and this is going to be a holiday. You're going to have a feast every year. I'm going to do this this time and rescue out of Egypt. And then every year you're going to celebrate that I did this. There's going to be a feast. And are we just thankful that our Lord commands feasting?
I mean, we understand there are times to mourn and there are times to fast, but isn't it a joyous thing that God says, I want you to celebrate in recognition of what I have done. And you're going to do this every year. Seven days, you shall eat unleavened bread on the first day. You shall remove leaven out of your houses for if anyone eats, what is leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day, you shall hold a holy assemble and on the assembly, sorry. And on the seventh day, a holy assembly, no work shall be done on those days, but what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared for you.
And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread for on this very day, I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a statute forever. In the first month from the 14th day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month at evening for seven days. No leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel. Whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land, you shall eat nothing leavened in all your dwelling places.
You shall eat unleavened bread. So it's the feast of the unleavened bread. They're going to have a Sabbath day. Then they're going to practice the feast of the whole week as a feast of unleavened bread. They're only going to eat unleavened bread. And then they're going to have another Sabbath day, another holy day where they don't do any work.
They're not going to continue to paint their doorposts. That was for the event of the Passover, but they're going to have the feast of the unleavened bread. And they do continue to have a Passover sacrifice in memorial to this. And they do often eat lamb and bitter herbs. But what is instituted is a feast of unleavened bread to remind them that we left quickly, that God's salvation was quick when he brought us out of the land of Egypt.
And to Mark that he did this with a strong hand is the way it's going to word it several times. Let's jump down to verse 43. So we read last week, the 21 onward, we read where they actually, this happens. And now we're going to look again as he's giving instructions about the perpetual practice of this. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, this is the statute of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house. You should not take any of the flesh outside the house. So this is for the Passover feast that the night at twilight on the 14th day when they sacrifice and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised.
Then he may come near and keep it. He shall be as a native of the land, but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There should be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you. All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day, the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. So he draws this line and he says, those who want to participate in this have to belong to the people of Israel.
And the sign of belonging to the people of Israel is circumcision. That's the covenantal sign given to Abraham in the Genesis. And so he says, this is fenced off that the Passover feast is for those who belong to the covenantal people of God. That's really all that was getting at. And it says that they followed his command. Now in chapter 13, we're going to see him reiterate some of this and we're going to see that he institutes another practice.
And then we're going to get to talk through why is he doing this? Because we're going to see a little more of why God is giving this feast and this practice to the people of Israel. Chapter 13, verse one, the Lord said to Moses, consecrate to me all the firstborn, whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and beast is mine. Then Moses said to the people, remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery for by a strong hand, the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten today in the month of a bib, you are going out.
And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. And on the seventh day, there should be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. No leavened bread shall be seen with you and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. You shall tell your son on that day.
It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt and it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand, the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this statute as at its appointed time from year to year. So there's a couple of things he says in there. He says, we're going to practice this and you're going to tell your son what it means. Part of the reason we're practicing this is so that we'll remember and so that you'll explain it as you go.
That there's going to be times where you need to stop and say, Hey, here's why we're doing this. And I parents in the room. Do y'all do that? Do you take time when we do some of the practices we have like showing up here to sing and to gather? Y'all know that this is weird, right? The only other people who gather to sing together are at concerts.
We let y'all in for free. No, but we gather to make much of the Lord, to spend time singing together, to study the word together. We celebrate Easter and Christmas and communion and baptism. There's these different things that we have. And do you take time to explain? Here's why we do that because we're meant to, they were meant to with this.
And we're meant to with the practices we have to be able to articulate. Here's why we're doing this. And it says that it's going to be, he says this twice. So we'll talk about it again in a second, but it's going to be as a Mark on your hand or front lip between your eyes. And then he says, it's going to be that the word of the Lord, the law of the Lord might be in your mouth that we speak and eat out of our mouths. And that's part, kind of a play on words in this practice is that they're to partake in what God has done to help them remember.
That it's to be a physical thing that they partake in so that they might remember as they practice this and that they might tell it to the next generation. Verse 11, when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord. All that first opens the womb, all the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's. Every firstborn of a donkey, you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons, you shall redeem. And when in time to come, your son asked you, what does this mean?
You shall say to him by strong hands, the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord, all the males that first opened the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons, I redeem. Now the first one he said, practice the Passover and you'll tell your son. And this one he says, when your son asks you, why are we doing this? Because if your son watched a donkey be born and then you snapped its neck, your son might say, why did you do that?
That this is meant to be a perpetual practice for them. And y'all, it's kind of heavy. And it's not like the Jewish people would have loved to do this. If you have flocks and they begin, they get old enough to be able to, to give birth to young, the firstborn all belong to the Lord of every animal that is a sacrifice animal. So that would have been their sheep, their goats, their bulls.
But then it says of donkeys, you don't sacrifice that the Lord. He doesn't belong to the Lord. You redeem it or it just has to die. An unredeemed donkey dies. A redeemed donkey gets to live. And it's a practice that teaches them over and over again as they redeem every son that they have.
That's the firstborn son. It's a practice over and over and over again that reminds them that God redeemed us out of slavery at the cost of a redemption sacrifice. And without a sacrifice, there is no redemption. Without a sacrifice, there is a death. All firstborn sons that were not hiding behind the blood of the lamb died. And so we remember perpetually, continually that if we don't have the covering of the blood and the sacrifice that God puts between us and his wrath, there is death.
And they practice this over and over and over again. And that's what he says in verse 16. It should be as a Mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes. For by a strong hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt. They're going to practice this so they would remember him. It's to be a Mark on their hand or a frontlet between their eyes.
My oldest son, and he was two, he was learning how to talk and he would say some words, you know, he'd say ball, probably said stuff like milk and no, you know, the important things that you need to know when you're two. And, but he really wasn't talking, talking. And you get kind of used to your kids not talking. And it's, you know, when they say the first words, you're really excited. And, but he just, he wasn't talking. And my, uh, my wife, uh, was watching him one morning and she had put, uh, like a green skin mask on her face.
And she came walking in the room with this and our two-year-old son was watching TV and he looked at it and he went, what's on your face? He was like, I'm going to need a full sentence for this. We got to no more, just one word stuff. I'm what is happening here. And that's what he says is that this practice, these practices are meant to Mark you in a startling reminder way that you can't get away from. It's meant to be a part of your life.
Like something attached to your hand or your face. That's what he's calling them to. And so they do this. The people of Israel practice this for 1500 years. They practice this. Now they, at times don't, there are times where they rebel, there are times where they're in captivity, but in general, the people of Israel, when they're being faithful, they're practicing the Passover.
They're practicing the redemption of the firstborn. And it's just part of who they are. And they remember, they remember the Exodus out of Egypt as the moment in their history when God worked in a mighty way to make them into a people and to redeem them out of slavery and to call them to himself. And they practice this over and over and over again. Go to Luke chapter 22. We're going to see Jesus and his disciples in first century Jerusalem in the Roman empire practicing the Passover.
This is Luke 22. We're going to read verse one. We're going to read verse seven, and then we're going to read starting in 14. Now the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called the Passover. Now, maybe you've read the new Testament and now we've gone through Exodus and you go, Oh, I know what that's talking about. Yeah.
We just read about the feast of unleavened bread called the Passover. We now know what that's talking about. Verse seven, then came the day of unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So the Passover lamb is sacrificed at twilight because they won't their calendar sundown to sundown. So it's sundown.
It begins the next day. They sacrifice the Passover. They're going to have their Passover meal. Verse 14. And when the hour came, this is them celebrating the Passover meal together, Jesus and his disciples celebrating something they would have celebrated every year of their entire life. The whole nation would stop and celebrate the feast of unleavened bread.
If you didn't, you were cut off from the people. Like we don't have anything like that. I jokingly told one guy one time, I said, Hey, look, you've moved to the South and you don't understand this. You need to come to church with me on Easter because it's the South and everybody has to go to church on Easter. If you don't, the cops come by your house and check. And he went, really?
No, not really, but you should still come. But that's how this works. Somebody saw you eating leavened bread and it was like, Oh, you, you're not, you don't belong anymore. You're not welcome anymore. They practice this every year and it mattered. They're used to this, this Passover meal.
And it said, when the hour came, he reclined at table and the apostles with him. I just want to point out he reclined at the table because this has gone from the first event, which was belt on shoes on staff in your hand to a feast to remember the glorious work that God has done. It's now like, it's like Thanksgiving belt off. We've got to make some room here. People they're reclining at the table, celebrating what God has done. And it says a reclining at table.
And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Okay. So Jesus is about to do and say some odd things. If you had been practicing Passover your entire life, he's about to do and say some odd things. The first thing that he says that is odd is I've earnestly desired to eat this.
I'm not going to eat it. I've earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you. I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Now, if you heard that and you're the Jewish person who's practiced the Passover, the past, the Passover is fulfilled. What are you talking about? I've longed to eat this with you.
I'm not going to eat it until it's fulfilled. Go ahead. That happened hundreds of years ago. Passover fulfilled. God's already done this. But he says, I'm not going to eat it until it's fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
Verse 17, and he took a cup and when he had given thanks, he said, take this and divide it amongst yourselves among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. This is for you, but I'm not, I'm not partaking. And he took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. They're practicing the Passover.
They're taking the feast of unleavened bread and he breaks it and he says, this is my body that's given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Break bread in remembrance of me. Practice the Passover in remembrance of me. You're not, unless you're Jesus, you're not supposed to do that. You don't get to.
I mean, you can try. I'd encourage you to try. The holiday season's coming up. Give it a shot. You got a few coming at Thanksgiving. Say, I'd like us to go around the table and everyone say a thing that they're thankful to me about.
Maybe a thing you're thankful for me or to me. Grandma, you want to kick us off? Thanksgiving's about me. I'm sorry. I don't know why y'all are looking at me like that. Do this.
Remember me. Just give it a shot. You can't, like at Christmas, go over to someone's house. Like if you get into DIY and you like make a little tree topper of yourself and you put it on their tree. You're like, Christmas is about me. When y'all open presents.
Think about how I'm a great gift to the world. The ball is dropping. They start counting down. You run over to people and you're like, we're counting down for me. And they're like, is it your birthday? And you're like, no.
Also, if y'all kiss, that's about me. What? Don't mind me. I'm just going to watch. You can't do this. You can't just co-op things that have been happening forever.
This one's been instituted by God. And Jesus just says, I'm not going to do this until it's fulfilled in the kingdom, which we would have thought it already had been that God had already fulfilled the Passover. This is an event that took place. But he says, no, the ultimate fulfillment of Passover is yet to come. And he says, this is about me. Verse 20.
And likewise, the cup after they had eaten saying this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. These are a covenantal people. There's a covenant with Abraham that's renewed with Isaac and Jacob, but it's the covenant to Abraham. There's a covenant with Moses. There's a covenant with David. They're covenantal people.
And he says, Passover is about me. It's going to get fulfilled. And here's a new covenant in my blood. And to institute a new covenant for them is like. Jesus says something's happening here. The fulfillment of the Passover is here.
And Passover is about me. That the blood of the lamb that stands between us and judgment is about to be fulfilled. The blood that isn't just for one household for one night, but a lamb that you know and then is slaughtered and you partake in it. That the blood covers you, but you also consume it. That's about me. And when you practice Passover, remember me.
That's what he says. So let's go to first Corinthians 11, because now we're in the church and we're seeing how Christians have taken this so that as we as Christians study the Passover, we see that Jesus says it's about me. In first Corinthians in chapter five, prior to this, Paul says, for Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. That Jesus is our Passover lamb. And then he talks about the Lord's supper and how we are to practice it. Chapter 11, verse 23.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, we just read about this, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, also, he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and you drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
So this Passover meal that was practiced every year, Jesus says, this is about me. And then the New Testament church starts practicing this on a regular basis. That everything that was built into the Passover, this salvation out of slavery, this protection from wrath, this divine judgment, but the death of an unblemished firstborn to redeem. All of that built in and rolling up. And Jesus says it's about to be fulfilled. And he fulfills it fully and finally and eternally through his death on the cross.
And the church gathers to remember and proclaim. That when we partake in communion, the Lord's table, we remember and we proclaim. Anyway, my wife and I went, we were in the mountains one time and we went to go see a waterfall. And there was this way to get down to the waterfall. You could stand up or you could try to, on this little perch, or you could try to get down to it. And on the way down, there was a rope.
It was tied off on one end and it ran down this really kind of awkward way. But it helps you know where to go. And if you followed the rope, you'd get where you were supposed to be. And it was something to hold on to. So that you wouldn't fall.
Because falling was a real possibility. And I think without the rope, we probably wouldn't have made it. We'd have gone a little ways. And then I'd have been like, Anna, go ahead and see how it works. And then I'll see if I can come later. I wouldn't have.
But anyway, it helped us get there. It helped us hold on. And that's some of what he's saying is these regular practices for us as a church. This regular practice of communion is tied to the death of Christ. That we're proclaiming his death. And it takes us until he comes.
We do this until. He's already died. And we proclaim it until he comes. And we hold fast. And so when we gather. And this morning we're going to take communion together as a church.
We're going to celebrate the fulfilled Passover. That there is blood of a spotless lamb that covers us and stands between us and judgment. And we're going to proclaim his death until he returns. And so there are a few things that happen when we take communion. We have bread that's been broken. We have the cup that we share.
And so there's a few things that happen. One is it reminds us that our redemption is costly. There's something that's proclaimed. Physically proclaimed to us. Every time we gather and we've got communion set up on these tables. You're a sinner.
Without a sacrifice. You're in trouble. You need to be redeemed. And if you've come in here this morning and your plan. Is to be moral and righteous and holy. In your own strength.
In your own name. By your own merit. May you look at that table and know you're a sinner who needs to be redeemed. But that table proclaims. That we have redemption. That there is forgiveness.
You need forgiveness. But there is forgiveness. If you came in this morning dragging. Feeling like you're going to be swallowed up by your sin. Wondering how on earth am I going to make it to the end. How on earth will I stand before a holy and righteous God.
And not just be crushed. The answer is. We hide behind the blood of the lamb. That there is forgiveness offered. And that we celebrate and remind ourselves. That I need forgiveness.
But I can receive forgiveness. Through the work of Christ. When we partake in communion together. We remember that our redemption is real. There's something about physically having to touch it. That when we take this in a moment.
And you dip it in the cup. And you. Every time I'm walking back. And it's kind of dripping on my fingers. Or on my hand. And I'm walking like this.
It reminds me that he really died. That his blood really spilled. That he poured it out. And it's a new covenant. That guards. And protects.
Just as the people in the Passover. When they slaughtered their lamb. And they were painting the blood on their doorpost. And they could see it. They could see the cost of their protection. They could see the cost of their redemption.
That we get to see it. And we get to remember that it really happened. That it stands as an event in history. That we proclaim. And look back to. And remember.
So that we know. That we have forgiveness. And we partake in it. That every time. I take communion. And you take communion.
You get this moment to say. Lord I need this. Without your forgiveness. Without your sacrifice. I am hopeless. And helpless.
And it helps us hold on. And then. It reminds us. That our redeemer lives. Because we proclaim his death. Until he comes.
And we have a certain future. Purchased. Not by our works. Our intelligence. Our effort. Praise Jesus.
Not by our works. Our intelligence. And our effort. But by his. And that we long. For the day.
That he returns. And claims us. And it helps us. Stay tied to him. That's why we practice it regularly. We practice this more often.
Than we used to. Because we need. More often. A reminder. That we need Jesus. That we're going to gather together.
That we belong together. That he's accomplished this for us. And that we need forgiveness. And we receive forgiveness. And we have hope in him. It's tied off.
To the death. Buried on resurrection. And it leads us. To his ultimate return. And we. Remember his death.
And we proclaim it. Until he comes. If we're not careful. We'll have a guiding line. But it won't be Jesus.
Some of us. If we're honest. If we really think about it. It's tied off. To I used to be poor. And it's tied up.
To I'll be rich one day. It's tied off. To loneliness. And it's. It's anchored up here. To romance.
If I can just work my way. I can make it. That's my hope. That's my future. And the problem is. We make all these decisions.
In our lives. That don't make any sense. Because we're supposed to be tied off. To a forgiveness. And a hope. Set secure in Christ.
And anchored to an eternal hope. Set secure in Christ. For the day that he returns. And claims us. We're supposed to live. Between those two points.
And we gather together. As a church. To proclaim that to ourselves. And to each other. I love. When I get to sit back here.
And watch our church family line up. And all of us remember together. And I need forgiveness. But I get forgiveness. And I'm proclaiming the death of Christ. Until he comes.
Because I have hope. And only in Christ. Oh it's a glorious thing. To get to participate. With a family of sinners. Redeemed by the blood of Christ.
With our hope anchored in Christ. Longing for the day that he returns. And claims his people for himself. It's a glorious thing. To get to partake in. To get to remember.
That we have a Passover lamb. We have blood that stands between us. And utter destruction. We have a redeemer. Who's died. Who's risen.
Who lives. And one day returns. To claim his people. And may we cling to that. Hold to that. Practice that.
Remember. May it be on our hand. And on our forehead. So that we can walk. This life. Between those two points.
The band's going to come back up. And we're going to practice the Lord's Supper. So that we might remember. There's going to be a moment for them. To play. And for you to pray.
For you. To remember. I'm a sinner. And I need forgiveness. Some of you need to ask for forgiveness this morning. But you need to know that you're given forgiveness in Christ.
That the purchase. The cost of your redemption has already been paid. That we have hope. Some of you need to talk to the Lord about longing for his return. Proclaiming his death until he comes. And recentering yourself on living between those two points.
With our hope fully in him. If you are not a Christian. Communion is not for you. Because it's a celebration. Of Jesus' blood on our behalf. And that we belong to him through his sacrifice.
Christ is for you if you're not a Christian. That you can come to him and ask for forgiveness. That you can ask him to redeem your soul. And he will. That you can say I need your blood to cover me. And he will.
And then you can take communion. For the first time as a celebration of what he's done. But if you're not a Christian. And you haven't taken that step. And we ask that you remain seated. Out of respect for Jesus.
And for our church family. But if you're a Christian. After a moment. Of praying. Of praising. Let's celebrate.
That we have a hope. And let's remember his death. And proclaim it. Until he comes. So you pray.
And when you're ready. To take communion.
The Passover: Part 1 (Exodus 11:1-10, 12:21-42)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer. I am one of the pastors here. We're going to be in Exodus 11 and 12 today, which is on page 31 in your Blue Bibles. We're actually going to be in this story twice when we're here this week and next week as well. So you can go ahead and flip there and follow along.
The text will also be on the screen this week. So I was told that when you get to your 30s that you get into one of two things. You get into smoked meats or World War II. That's what they say. And four years in, I've gotten into both of those. Not that World War II is something I was disinterested in.
I've always been interested in World War II. It was my family's war. So my grandfather, both my grandfathers fought in World War II. One was a Boilermaker in the Pacific Wars. The other one was actually an original member of Navy SEAL Team 6 in the Pacific Wars. He was pretty bad at the bone.
So both of them fought in it, and therefore I've always had interest in it. It's always been significant. And that's not just significant to me. It's significant to many Americans. I mean, we beat evil. We won.
It was a big deal. It was a big part of our nation's history. And there's a lot of significance for it us as a country. But what happens is I think oftentimes you get caught up in the significance of the story and how big and how weighty it is that you actually miss the details of the story. And for me, that was me. Like, growing up, I sat in history classes.
I watched Pearl Harbor and Saving Private Ryan. Like, I knew things. I knew the big events. I knew the significance. But I never actually sat in some of the story.
And over the last few years, like, I watched movies and look at documentary things and read about it. Just how the politics of how we got into the war in the first place. The fact that they're actually, I don't know, when I finally realized that there was a war before we got into it. Like, the war just kind of started for me when Pearl Harbor happened. There was a whole war that was going on before. Looking at the details of that.
Looking at that story. How we got into it. The different battles that were fought. The story itself is actually pretty incredible. And what can happen, what can happen is, is that you can be so caught up in the significance of it that you miss the story itself. And that is what happens with Passover.
Passover, I mean, it's one of the biggest events in the scriptures. I mean, outside of the creation and the fall, in Genesis 1 and 2 and 3, I mean, there's no other bigger moment in the Old Testament. I mean, Passover is huge. A lot leads up to this. And a lot flows out of this. And you can get so swept up in the significance and the weightiness of the Passover event that you actually miss the story.
So what we're going to do is we're going to take this in two parts. Part one is this week. And we're just going to look at the story and spend some time in the story. And then next week we're going to come back to it and look at the significance of how that flows into the rest of the scriptures. So we're going to look at the story today.
And then we're going to see why it's really good news. Let me pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help us be immersed in this story and see you so clearly and so wonderfully. That it would compel us to worship, to believe, to delight in you who brings redemption and freedom. We ask that you go to work in our hearts and help us respond in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right. So in chapter 11, verse 1, The Lord said to Moses, Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. So this is it.
This is the final sign and wonder. This is the final plague upon the Egyptians. It's all going to end here. This is what God predicted when he called Moses at Mount Horeb in Exodus 3. When he told Moses, I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. After that, he will let you go.
This is the end of the wonders. He does this. And then you are going to leave. And all of you are going to leave. Every man, every woman, every child, every livestock, everyone. One of our students was listening to Chet preach last week.
And she said, this is no hoof left behind. Like, this is everyone. And I thought, that is a fire dad joke. I'm saving that for when I teach this to my kids. But it is.
It's every single person is leaving once God finishes this. The time has come. Verse 2. Speak now in the hearing of the people. That they ask every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor for silver and gold jewelry. This was also foretold in Moses' calling.
That you're not just going to leave completely. You're not just going to leave completely. You're going to leave with riches. You're going to plunder the Egyptian enemy once I'm through with them. When the total war of victory is complete, you will leave with gold and silver and clothing. The Egyptians are going to freely give this to you.
Verse 3. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. In the sight of Pharaoh's servants. In the sight of the people. Let's just pause for a moment.
Sometimes it's good to look at the Bible and look at the different figures in it. And just follow their story. If you look at Moses. At 40 years old, he kills a man and he's scared. So scared that he leaves Egypt.
And he goes away. And then at 80 years old, he's older. He's weaker. He has a speech impediment. He has self-doubt. He has all kinds of excuses why he can't be used by God.
He is not an imposing figure in himself at all. And that is exactly who God uses over and over again. He's so feared. So respected. This is the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. In the sight of Pharaoh's servants.
In the sight of the people. I mean, Pharaoh's servants feared him. He was the king. One of the most powerful men in the world. He was a God to them. Moses.
Moses. And his weakness. He was great to them. Verse 4. So Moses said.
Thus says the Lord. About midnight. I will go out in the midst. Of Egypt. And every firstborn. In the land.
Of Egypt. Shall die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh. Who sits. On his throne. Even to the firstborn of the slave girl.
Who is behind the hand mill. And all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry. Throughout all the land of Egypt. Such as there has never been. Nor ever will be again.
But not a dog. Shall growl against any of the people of Israel. Either man or beast. You may know. The Lord makes the distinction. Between Egypt.
And Israel. So the final. Plague. The final sign. And wonder. Moses announces it.
To Pharaoh. This will be the devastating blow. That ends. Centuries. Of slavery. Centuries.
Of abuses. This is going to end it. God is going to kill. Every firstborn. Male. In Egypt.
And that's what's bound up in that word. Firstborn. This is the firstborn males. Every firstborn son. From Pharaoh. All the way down.
To the cattle. Everyone is going to die. There's going to be a weeping. And a wailing. That has never been heard. In the land.
And that never will be heard again. The grief. Is going to be. Deafening. And this final part of the plan. Was also foretold.
To Moses. In Exodus 4. When Moses was coming to Egypt. God made this clear. He said. Then you shall say to Pharaoh.
Thus says the Lord. Israel is my firstborn son. And I say to you. Let my son go. That he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go.
Behold. I will kill your firstborn son. The Egyptians. Enslaved. The firstborn of God. That's what's being.
That's what's being shown here. The Egyptians enslaved. The firstborn of God. Israel. For years. Abusing them.
Forcing them to labor. Taking their very children. Ripping them out of their hands. And killing them. This is what the Egyptians did. To the firstborn of God.
And then. An ironic twist. God is going to bring that judgment. On their head. He's going to bring Pharaoh. And this nation.
To its knees. And he's going to bring judgment. To this false God. And this people. That has oppressed them. For so long.
And some may look at that. And go. Isn't that. Excessive. Isn't that a bit much. That God is going to end this like this.
By killing the firstborn male. In every household. Let me speak to that for a moment. And examine why. Actually God is just. In doing this.
First. God is God. He is a righteous judge. And if he deems this. As judgment. Then.
It is a righteous one. Now. I know that's not satisfying. I don't know how circular that sounds. To some of you. But it doesn't mean it's not true.
Second. There is a western. Kind of grimacing. To this story. That I would argue. Is a unique reaction.
When compared to other cultures. In this world. And certainly other time periods. That we just. As western Americans. Are largely insulated.
From injustice. We don't. Experience. The kind of injustices. That other parts of the world do. We don't know what.
Genocide is like. We don't know what mass. Murder. And rape. And all the. Horrible things that happen.
Under dictators. We don't know what that's like. We're largely insulated. From them. So we don't know what a real cry.
For justice is. There are moments. Where we see glimpses of it. In our culture. Saw it a couple of weeks ago. There's a man.
That was sentenced. For. For taking his vehicle. And running it through a Christmas parade. A couple of years ago. Killed.
Six. Seven people. Killed a child. Injured. Dozens. It was a terrorist.
An terrorist attack. Wanted to kill as many people. As he could. And that is sentencing. Someone. Yelled out.
Burn. In hell. You piece of. Fill in the blank. No one looks at what happened. With that event.
And looks at that response. And thinks. That's not merited. So we. We see a glimpse of it. There is.
There's a. There's a call. For justice. That we feel. That we tap into. A little bit.
We're just largely insulated. From it. Because other cultures. Have experienced. Horrible injustices. And you have to understand.
The Israelites. Have endured. Centuries. Y'all. Longer than America. Has been a country.
Centuries. Of abuses. Of oppression. Of enslavement. And had their children. Ripped out of their arms.
And murdered. They've endured. Horrible. They've endured. The worst. And they desire.
Justice. Justice. Other cultures. And other peoples. Who experience it. They desire.
Justice. They don't see that as a bad thing. They say. God is a good. Just. God is a.
Good thing. And they are longing. For this justice. To happen. There will be a painful. Grievous.
Wailing. In the land of the Egyptians. But not a sound. Not a sound. Will be uttered. Against the Israelites.
And Goshen. They're going to be. Okay. So Moses. Announces this judgment. And then he continues.
He says. And all these. Your servants. Shall come down to me. And bow down to me. Saying.
Get out. You. And all the people. Who follow you. And after that. I will go out.
And he went out. From Pharaoh. In hot anger. Moses. Moses says. All of this.
And again. The irony. Is unbelievable. Moses. Or Pharaoh. Was a false God.
To the Egyptians. They bowed down. To him. Fearing him. And Moses says. When this is done.
You're going to bow down. And you're going to beg. Us to leave. Then. We'll be free to go. It just demonstrates.
The power of God. Here. And then it says. He left in hot anger. Now. We don't know.
Why he left in hot anger. We don't know. If he is a prophet. Who is taking. The tone. Of God.
We don't know. If. At this point. Pharaoh has already. Said. You're not leaving.
And he's. Angry at this. We don't know. But he leaves. At hot anger. And then God gives.
Tells Moses. This in verse nine. Then the Lord. Said to Moses. Pharaoh will not. Listen to you.
That my wonders. May be multiplied. In the land. Of Egypt. Which was the plan. All along.
Moses and Aaron. Did all these wonders. Before Pharaoh. And the Lord. Hardened Pharaoh's heart. And he did not.
Let the people of Israel. Go out. Of his land. So. Pharaoh says. No.
Which is how. This is always going to be. Therefore. Judgment. Is coming. Now.
We're going to skip. Chapter 12. Verse 21. And we're going to see. How Moses prepares. The people.
For the coming. Judgment of God. And we're going to see. The redemption. That he offers. To his people.
So pick up. In verse 21. Chapter 12. And Moses. Called all. The elders of Israel.
And said to them. Go. And select. Lambs. For yourselves. According to your clans.
And kill. The Passover lamb. So. We're going to see. What Passover means. In a moment.
But he tells them. Go. According to your clans. According to your families. And kill. The Passover lamb.
Slaughter. This Passover lamb. Then he says. Take. A bunch of hyssop. Which is a bush.
They use for cleansing. Cleansing. Some cleansing ceremonies. It's going to be used. As a paintbrush here. Take a bunch of hyssop.
And dip it in the blood. That is in the basin. And touch the lentil. And the two door posts. With the blood. That is in.
The basin. So. This is what. This is what it looks like. You have a lentil at the top. Posts on the sides.
And he says. Slaughter the lamb. Put his blood into a bowl. To a basin. And you take that. With some hyssop.
And you go. And you Mark the top. And you Mark the sides. You Mark your door. With the blood. And every.
Israelite family goes. And they find. A lamb. And they start marking. The doors. He says.
None of you. Shall go out of the door. Of his house. Until morning. Because judgment is coming. You're not going to be out there.
For this. None of you. Shall go out. Of the door of your house. Until morning. For.
Verse 23. The Lord will pass through. To strike the Egyptians. And when he sees. The blood of the lentil. And on the two door posts.
The Lord will pass over. The door. And will not allow. The destroyer. To enter. Your houses.
To strike you. So when. Night. Falls. And the sun. Sets.
Get into your houses. Hide yourself. Behind the blood. Because judgment is coming. He says. The destroyer.
Is coming. So the destroyer. Some look at this. And say. It's the angel of God. Angel of death.
Some look at this. At Psalm 78. And say. This is a company of angels. That are doing this. But.
It seems to be angelic forces. On behalf of the power of God. They're going to come. To every single door. And if they see. The blood.
That is on the door. They're going to pass. Over. This is where we get the term. Pass over from. They're going to pass over.
Your. Door. And you will be saved. And judgment will go. To somewhere else. Verse 24.
You shall observe. This right. As a statute. For you. And for your sons. Forever.
When you come. To the land. The Lord. Will give you. As he has promised. You shall keep.
This service. And when your children. Say to you. What do you mean. By this service. You shall say.
It is the sacrifice. Of the Lord's Passover. For he passed. Over the houses. Of the people. Of Israel.
In Egypt. When he struck. The Egyptians. But spared. Our houses. And the people.
Bowed their heads. And worshipped. Verse 28. Then the people. Of Israel. Went and did so.
As the Lord. Had commanded. Moses and Aaron. So. They. Did.
So the people. Hear this. Response. Hear what they're called to do. And they're going to remember this. We'll look at this more next week.
This is going to be something. That they continue to remember. For years to come. And then it says. They worshipped. They worshipped.
When they heard this. You know why they worshipped? Because they've been slaves. For centuries. And they won't judgment. They won't redemption.
So they worshipped. God. And then they did it. They went. Just as they were told. They trusted.
Moses and Aaron. They trusted the word of God. And they went. And each clan. Slaughtered a lamb. Can you imagine.
The frantic energy. That would have been felt. On that day. After receiving this. Each family. Going.
And making sure. They find the lamb. Making sure they slaughter it. Making sure they get enough blood. To put on the doors. Each family.
Marking the doors. The sounds of. Goats. Being slaughtered. This would have been a frantic. Day.
As night began to fall. And as the sun set. The people of God. Hid themselves. In their homes. And they waited.
And as night. Got. Darker. Verse 29. At midnight. The Lord.
Struck. Down. All. The firstborn. In the land. Of Egypt.
From the firstborn. Of Pharaoh. Who sat. On the throne. To the firstborn. Of the captive.
Who was in the dungeon. And all. The firstborn. Of the livestock. Can you imagine. How intense.
That night. Would have been. The Israelites. Huddled in their homes. Waiting. For this force.
To come through. I can imagine. That they probably. Were huddled. As far away. From the door.
As possible. I can imagine. That they were huddled. Together. As families. Surrounding their kids.
I can imagine. That the firstborn. Was hugged. A little bit tighter. And they're looking. At the door.
And they're. Trusting. That the blood. Is going. To cover them. That the blood.
Is going to hide them. From judgment. That as long as. They're behind the blood. They're going to be okay. And they wait.
Until finally. Judgment comes. Over each. House. And the land. And then it finally.
Shows up to their door. And they wait. And then finally. Passes over. And then. And the darkness.
And the silence. Of the night. When it's all done. There's a cry. And there's another cry. And then there's a chorus.
Of grief. That goes over. All the land. Verse 30. And Pharaoh rose up. In the night.
He. And all his servants. And all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry. In Egypt. For there was not.
A house. Where someone was not dead. Every. Egyptian house. Has a dead boy. Verse 31.
Then he summoned Moses and Aaron. By night. And said. Up. Go. Out.
From among my people. Both you. And the people of Israel. And go. Serve the Lord. As you have said.
Take your flocks. And your herds. As you have said. And be gone. And bless me also. Pharaoh.
The most powerful man. In the land. A king. That is feared. Is begging them. Get out.
Leave. And he's so humbled. In this complete. Military. Defeat. That he is begging Moses.
For a blessing on his way out. Pharaoh said. Seven chapters before. Who is this God. And now he's saying. Please leave.
And bless me. By the power of your God. Bless me before you leave. This is complete devastation. Verse 33. The Egyptians were urgent.
With the people. To send them out. Of the land. In haste. For they said. We shall be.
All be dead. Amen. So again. The Egyptians. Were oppressors. The Israelites.
Feared them. And now. They're saying. Get out. Or we're all going to be gone. Leave.
So. Verse 34. The people took. Their dough. Before it was leavened. Their kneading bowls.
Being bound up. And their cloaks. On their shoulders. The people of Israel. Had also done. As Moses told them.
For they had asked. The Egyptians. For silver. And gold. Jewelry. And for clothing.
And the Lord. Had given. The people. Favor. And the sight. Of the Egyptians.
So that they let them. Have what they asked. Thus. They plundered. The Egyptians. So they.
Gather. Their unleavened bread. Their families. And they plunder. The Egyptians. Just as God said.
The Egyptians. Freely giving their riches. Gold. Silver. Clothing. Take it.
Just take it. And leave. This is a complete. Surrender. This is what happened. In military.
Victories. Once you surrender. You surrendered. All the loot. All your values. Get out.
Verse 37. And the people of Israel. Journeyed from Rances to Succoth. About 600,000 men on foot. Besides. Women and children.
They leave. Can you imagine. What that was like. To finally. Walk. Freely.
All they've ever known. Is slavery. All they've ever known. Is slavery. They've. They've been beaten.
They've been mistreated. They've been treated as property. They've had. Their babies. Ripped from their arms. All they've ever known.
Is. Suffering. Under this people. And not just them. Their parents. And their.
Grandparents. And their great grandparents. For centuries. This is all they've ever known. Is. To be slaves.
To a people. Who brutalized them. And they walk. Freely. Away. And as the sun rises.
They're free. They're finally. Free. Their redemption. Is there. They can taste it.
They can. Realize it. They're finally. Free. And they're leaving the land of sorrow. And pain.
This moment is huge. This moment is unbelievable. People are joyous. Verse 38. A mixed multitude. Also went up with them.
And very much livestock. Both flocks. And herds. And they baked. Unleavened cakes of dough. That they had brought.
Out of Egypt. For it was not leaven. Because they were thrust. Out of Egypt. And could not wait. Nor had they prepared.
Any provisions for themselves. Look at more of that. Next week. Verse 40. The time. That the people of Israel.
Lived in Egypt. Was 430 years. So centuries. Y'all. Of suffering. At the end.
Of 430 years. On that very day. All the hosts. Of the Lord. Went out. From the land.
Of Egypt. And hosts. There's intentional language. That's military language. They're military victors. Because of God's work.
Verse 42. It was a night. Of watching. By the Lord. To bring them out. Of the land of Egypt.
So this same night. Is a night. Of watching. Kept to the Lord. By all. The people of Israel.
Throughout. Their generations. And they're free. You got to sit. And look at the story. And you got to sit in it.
And imagine. What that's like. You got to put yourself. In their shoes. And imagine. How long.
And how desperate. They would have been. How hopeless. They would have felt. They heard about. That they were the people of God.
They heard all this. They had their. They knew. That they were. They were a part of. Of a people.
And they weren't always here. That. It's not the way. It's supposed to be. And they longed. And they waited.
For years. And for years. And for years. Hoping. And then finally. Someone came.
And they came. And they told them. You're going to be free. God is coming. He's going to free you. He's going to bring signs.
He's going to bring wonders. And they waited. And they watched. As the first sign and wonder. And then the next plague. And the next plague.
And the next plague. And the next plague. Each one. Showing the power of God. Each one. Showing.
Maybe this is it. All the way. To this final one. Can you imagine. What it was like. To be the people.
Who received this news. The judgment was coming. That very night. And to receive the instructions. For Passover. Can you imagine.
What it was like. To finally say. All right. We're going to be saved. We're going to be free. But we need to take a step of faith here.
We're going to trust. Moses and Aaron. And to find the lamb. And to slaughter the lamb. And to go to your door. And to paint the door.
And to sit there. In the darkness of the night. Hoping. Waiting for your redemption to come. Waiting. And then judgment comes.
And how terrifying that must have been. And to hide yourself behind the blood. Hoping that that blood is enough. To keep judgment at the door. And then finally judgment. Hits the lamb with a force.
That has never been felt before. And then finally. They're free. The hesitant step out of the house. The hesitant step. Towards the Egyptians.
Who used to be so scared of. You've been longing for change. You've been longing for a new life. You've been longing for this. And finally. It's there.
You take the riches. And you walk. Freely. To be with your God. Can you imagine what that. Felt like.
If you're a Christian. You don't have to imagine that. That is your life. If you're a Christian. That is your life. Because you.
Because you. Through faith. Received. A spiritual. Exodus. This story.
Is your. Story. Everyone. Comes into this world. A slave to sin. A slave to your desires.
Obeying the enemy of this world. The evil one. That's what the Bible. That's what the Bible clearly. Teaches. You don't come in this world.
Free. You come in this world. Slave. If you're in Christ. Especially. If you came to Christ.
Later in life. You can remember. What it was like. To be a slave to your sin. You can remember. What it was like.
To be. Longing for change. Longing for something. Different in life. Be longing. For something.
To be different. This can't be. All. That there is. Know what that's like. And then.
Someone came. And someone told you. The good news. Of the gospel. Someone told you. About the blood.
Of Jesus. Passover. Points forward. To. The cross. Jesus.
Became. Our Passover lamb. Someone told you. About the blood. Of Jesus. Someone told you.
That he died for you. Someone told you. That if you trust. In the finished work. Of Jesus. On the cross.
That you can hide. Behind the blood. That his blood. Will cover you. That judgment. Will pass over you.
And more importantly. It passes on to him. Because Jesus. Is the Passover lamb. That was slaughtered. On our behalf.
Judgment. Ultimately. Was not poured out. On any Pharaoh. It was poured out. On Christ.
And you heard. The gospel. And you believed. And trusted in Jesus. As your only. Hope.
And you pointed to the blood. As your only. Hope. And then you walked out. Free. For the first time.
You tasted. Freedom. The freedom. That is found. In the gospel. The freedom.
That is found. Is that I don't have to obey. My sinful desires. Anymore. That I actually can have. Freedom.
That I can taste. And see. That God is good. And choose. To follow him. And be with him.
Forever. And you. Got to experience. The riches. That come with that. That this military victory.
That Christ. Secures for us. Comes with. Plundering. Of riches. And it's not gold.
Or jewels. Or clothing. It is his grace. And his goodness. And his kindness. And his faithfulness.
And his gentleness. All of that. That resounds. Into eternity. You get to experience. All of that.
And what you get to experience. In part now. You get to experience. In full. Later. If you're a Christian.
This is your story. You know this story. You live this story. You know Passover. But some of you.
May not be a Christian. And some of you. Have not experienced this. But maybe you. Have always said. That you were a Christian.
Maybe you've. It was an intellectual belief. Maybe it's something. You just agreed with. But this.
Right here. This. This is not. Your life. If you trusted. In other things.
As your only hope. Maybe it's the things. Of this world. Maybe it's the riches. Of this world. Maybe it's yourself.
That you put. Hope. In other things. That you've never. So clearly heard.
The word of God. You've never clearly. Heard the gospel. And hidden yourself. Behind the blood. And said.
That's my. Only hope. That blood. Is my. Only. Hope.
Hope. And you've never. Experienced. What it's like. To walk in the freedom. That Christ provides.
You've never. Experienced. What it's like. To not obey. Sinful desires. You've never tasted.
And seen. That God. Is truly. Better. Than anything. This world.
Has to offer. That you've never. Walked. In the freedom. That he offers. And with him.
That if you're honest. You've never. Had this. And what I so. Desperately. Want for you.
This morning. Is to finally. Believe. Is to finally. Trust. In the Passover lamb.
As your. Only. Hope. To hide yourself. Behind the blood. That covers your sins.
To finally. Surrender. To this. God. We're going to do something. Differently.
That we. We don't normally do.
From Plot to Passover (Matthew 26:1-25)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
To be continued... Good morning. I'm so thankful for those who volunteer and serve with our worship week in, week out. They are all volunteers, and I'm thankful for the work they put in in leading us every Sunday to respond to the goodness of the gospel in praise. So there's something I'm thankful for.
My name is Spencer. I'm one of the pastors here. We're going to be in Matthew 26 this week, the first 25 verses, so you can go ahead and flip there. We do have physical Bibles, a sign of good things, as the pandemic is where it is. But we have Bibles now.
We have Connect cards. It's nice. If you want to grab a Bible, you can go ahead and turn to page 485. That's where it will be. The text will also be on the screen. I had a friend a few years back.
She was a vocal woman of faith. She led Bible studies. She was zealous. I mean zealous in the good way that zealous is used biblically. Zealous for what was good. We were a part of the same ministry.
I thought that she was going to be a leader in women's ministry in the church. I thought that she was going to be a missionary, lots of things. And then she started dating one of our other good friends, and they fell into some sin. They had a horrible breakup. And I don't say this to be funny at all. It was a little bit of a Britney Spears moment.
She cut her hair in pretty dramatic fashion. She lost an unhealthy amount of weight. And then she moved away. And over the next few years, I watched online as she became a subtle critic of the faith she once stood for, and then a very vocal, aggressive critic of the gospel she once proclaimed. And I won't pretend to know her heart, because I don't have to. And I won't pretend to autopsy her once vocal faith with any precision.
That's not my job. But something changed in her. I don't personally know what was happening in her heart, but there's a general pattern for how these things go. And what happens is that someone ultimately treasures something above Christ. And when something happens, when trials come, eventually what they're treasuring over Christ, what resembles faith, begins to crumble completely. And this story has played out in tragic fashion over and over and over again.
And today we're going to be in a series of a bunch of different stories. And in these stories today, we're going to see one of the most tragic stories of all time of someone who put their faith in something else and eventually turned their back on Jesus. So we're going to watch that play out. But alongside this really tragic story of someone turning their back and betraying Jesus, we get to see a second example of someone whose heart so loves Christ, it's two just different approaches, two different hearts, two different mindsets with Jesus. And we're going to see them kind of side by side today.
And I hope that as we walk through this, we'd be reflective of our own hearts. We'd be honest with ourselves that we wouldn't be prideful. We'd humble ourselves. We'd let the Spirit speak to us. And we'd respond. So let me pray.
And then we will jump into these stories. Father, you are good. What we said earlier, your steadfast love endures forever is so true. It endures in the fact that we get to open up your word and we get to hear you speak. God, I pray that you'd help us listen. And that we respond.
In Jesus' name, amen. Like I said, we're moving through a bunch of different stories. So it's going to be one scene, the next, the next, the next, starting off verse 1. When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, you know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. So all these sayings really captures what he just spent, what Chet just spent the last three weeks on.
All right, that was the final discourse, the final teaching of Jesus. There's no more teachings. We're shifting completely towards the cross. Every step right now is moving towards the cross. And he's been hinting at this, right? He's been saying that he's going to die.
He's been saying that he's going to be crucified. Now he's saying it's happening. It's happening in the next couple of days. When Passover is done, he will be delivered. He is being very explicit about what is about to happen. All right, it says that, shifts.
Different scene, verse 3. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. All right, so while this is going on, there's a group of religious leaders who are meeting in the shadows. And their leader is named Caiaphas. This is the first time we see him.
We're going to see him later on as well. He is the high priest. And the leader of what we're going to see throughout chapter 26 is called a council. But the literal Greek word for that is Sanhedrin. So we know what council this is.
It's the Sanhedrin council. The Sanhedrin council was a religious and also political group of religious leaders that came together for two purposes. They wanted to make sure that the people followed the law while also working with the Roman government to keep the people in check. And there are two main parties in the Sanhedrin, two political parties. You have the Pharisees, we've seen over and over again, and the Sadducees that we've seen a little bit of as well. They function a little bit like our U.S.
Congress. They have two different theologies, just like we have two different political philosophies, two different ways of governing, but they have to work together, and power shifts depending on who's in power. The Sadducees at the time of Jesus had the power in the Sanhedrin, and their leader, Caiaphas, believed to be a Sadducee, has them all together. We're going to see them working together throughout 26, plotting against Jesus together to kill him. So, this plot is happening. And then we shift again.
Like I said, a lot of quick stories. Verse 6. Now, when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. All right, so Jesus now goes to Bethany. He goes to a specific house, the house of Simon the leper. Now, this is the only time that we see Simon.
He does not currently have leprosy. He couldn't host this gathering if he did, because if you have leprosy, you have to be completely apart from the people. So, we can read into the context here and make a pretty educated guess that Jesus actually healed him of leprosy. At one point, he had leprosy. Now, he is healed. And somehow, Simon the leper, the nickname has stuck, which is not the most endearing of nicknames.
I mean, we wouldn't call someone, I don't know, chafing Chet because of a problem they had in college. Like, that's, we're adults. We wouldn't do that. That nickname wouldn't stick, right? Like, Simon went and got healed of leprosy. That guy went to the doctor.
It's fine. We're adults. We move on. I don't know why Matthew decided, I want to keep this name. Maybe they were friends and he wanted to mess with him for the next 2,000 plus years of this gospel being read. Regardless, that's who he is.
Simon the leper. And they're at his house. All right, here's what happens at his house. Verse 7. A woman came up to him with an alabaster flask, a very expensive ointment. And she poured it out on his head as he reclined at the table.
All right, so, let me pause. There's a lot of debate about this. It's gone back and forth. Some version of this story shows up in all four gospels. After spending some time with it, Chet and I looking at it this week, looking at different commentators, it seems that this story shows up in three of them and then one of them is separate. So, Matthew, Mark, and John seem to be describing this story that happened in Bethany.
All right? This happens in the gospel sometimes. They take different, they focus on different details of stories. They're told a little bit differently because these stories are being told thematically. They focus on different things. Luke has a different story of a woman coming to anoint Jesus.
That one seems to be a completely different situation altogether, which happens. You have a feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000. You have some overlap and differences and similarities between stories. But when you look at this and you piece together Matthew, Mark, and John's accounts, you get a more full picture of what's happening here. So, John's gospel tells us that this woman is one of the Marys. All right?
There's a bunch of different Marys in the New Testament. It's confusing to keep up with who's who. This is one of the Marys. And Mark and John's gospel tell us what type of ointment this is. It's nard oil. So, nard oil, if you know it today as spike nard.
It's a very precious oil imported from India. It's very expensive. The amount that she brings to him is worth about an annual, a year's salary. I mean, it's a very expensive oil that she brings to him. And Mark's gospel doesn't say, I mean, it gives us more of a picture that she didn't use a little bit. She broke the jar open and she anointed his entire, all over him.
Matthew focuses on the head because there's a little bit of Matthew, what he does with David, some comparisons to David and kingship, anointing of the head. There's some Old Testament pictures there. Mark just talks about he's being covered with this oil. John goes with a different picture, focuses on the fact that she took her hair and she was scrubbing his feet with this oil. This is a deeply humbling admiration for Jesus because she could have grabbed some cheaper oils. Right?
There are cheaper oils out there. She could have gone and gotten something different. But no, she goes and she grabs what's probably the most expensive, most valuable thing that she has. And she goes and she grabs it. She looks at it and says, I know who deserves this. I know who's worthy of this.
Probably would have just sat in her house like fine china that's never used just to look at. She's like, I know who's getting this. And she brings it to Jesus. Jesus taught in Matthew 6.21. He says, For where your treasure is, your heart will be also. And it is clear.
This woman treasures Christ. Which shows the first heart posture that I want us to see this morning. And that is this. If Jesus is your treasure, you'll trade everything for Him. If Jesus is your treasure, you'll trade everything for Him. She treasures Christ.
And out of the overflow of her affection, her admiration, her really worship of Jesus, she devotes the most valuable thing for Him. She goes and she gets it and devotes it to Him. If you treasure Christ, you'll trade everything for Him. And we see that clearly in her actions. It's almost childlike. You get your child something for Christmas or for a birthday.
And they run upstairs and they go and they find the most valuable toy they have and they get excited and they come down and they bring it. I got you this. I mean, she treasures Christ. Her heart belongs to Him. I want you to picture the room and just smell it as she breaks in and she breaks the alabaster, beautiful alabaster jar. She breaks it and starts to anoint Him.
Just think of the smell that would just overwhelm you. Have you ever been to somebody's house that's been diffusing oils? And you walk in and it just knocks you back? That was a few drops of oil they put into a diffuser. And I know that they're the most essential, most precious, most well-sourced, purest oils in the world. But listen, that's a few drops.
This is a pound of expensive, fragrant oil and she just, she completely just anoints Him. I mean, it's a powerful display. It would knock you back to see this. And the disciples see this and they respond. Verse 8, and when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.
So, the disciples are indignant. They're angry. They are not happy at this. They break up the moment with a, well, actually, Jesus. Which I've, I've learned through personal experience that, well, actually, moments aren't received well. They're not appreciated by others.
I get excited and I bring in a well, actually, fact. They're like, oh, I actually just died inside. So, that's what this is. Well, actually, Jesus, this is really expensive oil. We just did the math. That's a year's worth of salary you just taught on, right?
To help the least of these among us. That could have helped a lot of least of these. So, they do this. John's gospel tells us that Judas, who we're going to learn more about in a moment, was leading the charge. But it says, and when the disciples saw it, they were indignant.
This is a collective mindset that this woman has come and she's wasted a lot of precious oil that could have been sold and helped a lot of people. To their credit, minimal credit, it's a jarring moment. She walks in. I mean, it's a lot to handle at once. And that is a very expensive gift. Right now, the elders and our toast team, that's our treasury and oversight sustainability team, they're the ones that oversee our finances.
We work together to put a budget together and that's what we're doing right now. We're putting together a budget because our annual budget runs from second quarter to first quarter so it'll start in April. So we're going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth because we care about stewarding our gifts and offerings well. So we're getting at the end of setting this budget and if someone just piped up and said, you know what, I think we should get Matt Freeman a gift. Let's get him a $40,000 guitar.
We'd go, no, that's insane. That's over the top. But Matt isn't Jesus and Jesus has a completely different take on this. Verse 10. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, why do you trouble the woman?
For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. Jesus does not see it as a waste. He sees it as beautiful.
Y'all, He knows the value of the ointment. He knows how to math. You know how we know this? He created math. He knows how to add. He knows what's happening here.
He sees the value. And He sees that it's beautiful. Because this comes at a very specific moment. There's two reasons why this is a beautiful display of affection and worship of Jesus. The first is very clearly seen in the text. This comes at one of the most pivotal moments in all of history.
Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross where He's going to be crucified for the sins of humanity. And then He'll be buried. And when they buried people back then, they anointed their bodies with oil. Whether she knows it or not, it's foreshadowing. It's just pointing forward. He's about to die.
He's about to be buried. It's a beautiful display. And it's foreshadowing. I love just in the details of how God works all of this together. That someone in India sourced this oil. They put it in a beautiful alabaster jar.
It was shipped and it made its way all the way to Israel. It ended up in a marketplace where she or someone else bought this for her and she put it on display for years for everyone to see. And then one day she encountered Jesus and He absolutely changed her world. And then later on she said, you know what? That belongs to Him. I will anoint His body because in God's sovereign plan this was to anoint His body in preparation for what's about to happen in just a few days. that's what's clearly on display but also it shows her heart that if you treasure if Jesus is your treasure you'll trade everything for Him.
She sees Jesus is worthy of this and Jesus says that is wonderful. That is good. This act of devotion will be remembered. He says, write it down. This is going John says of all the stories that be told about Jesus would fill all the books he's saying which means they had to choose which stories they wanted to focus on he says this one gets in. She will be remembered for her act.
So, story shifts again. Verse 14 Then one of the twelve whose name was Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said what will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver and from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. Jesus had twelve disciples twelve men that he poured into for three years twelve men that were his friends they ate countless meals together they camped out together they got to do ministry with Jesus see him perform miracles they got to perform miracles they got to be on the inside track of some of the most profound teaching that's ever been taught or ever will be taught for three years the twelve got to spend time with Jesus and then one of them says he's worth thirty pieces of silver he's worth it trade him out take the silver and I'll run thirty pieces of silver is about four months of wages so it is a little bit it is quite a bit of money but Judas says that's worth it we don't know much about actually let me say this for for group leaders those who have led groups I want you to hear me so clearly I know there have been moments where you've watched people turn their back on you stab you in the back where you've watched people walk away from Jesus and you've questioned yourself over and over and over again and I just want to say very clearly to you to lead groups and have led groups Jesus spent three years with twelve and one of them abandoned him and stabbed him in the back and sold him out and you're not better than Jesus so just receive some grace we don't know much about Judas we know that he was one of the twelve we know that he had the same experiences that the other disciples did we know from John's gospel he was the one that led the charge on why is this woman wasting this oil because what was happening was he was the treasurer okay he kept the money bags he wasn't concerned about helping the poor because he was actually helping himself to the money that came from that was given to Jesus' ministry so we know that he's greedy we know he's a thief you know he's deceptive but what we know most about him is really this act of betrayal that I mean I mean Judas that's you call someone a Judas you know you can be a hard atheist you know exactly what that means you're a backstabber you're a traitor you're a betrayer so no one names their kid Judas y'all know anybody named Judas?
You can be a hard atheist you know exactly what that means you're a backstabber you're a traitor you're a betrayer so no one names their kid Judas y'all know anybody named Judas? I don't that's on the black list of names you'd never name your kid that because we know what that means he's a traitor we don't know why Judas did this alright I mean we see that he's greedy
Some have theorized that it's possible that the religious leadership is closing in turning against Jesus we know from the context of the gospels that they assumed some type of political movement was going to happen in Jesus and they were very surprised when it didn't so maybe he just thought I need to get out while I can and get some money we don't know it's possible
It's a decent theory we don't know but you can see very clearly that ultimately one of the reasons why he did this is because he cared about himself and that really presents the second approach to Jesus second heart towards him if something else is your treasure you'll trade Jesus for it if something else is your treasure you will absolutely trade Jesus for it whether it was money
Or power or whatever Judas said it's worth it I'll trade Jesus for that so he sells Jesus out story shifts again verse 17 now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus saying where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover he said go into the city to a certain man
And say to him the teacher says my time is at hand I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples and the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover alright so can't spend a lot of time here today we will spend some time next week because in this meal at the very end of it Jesus is going to institute the Lord's Supper communion so we'll spend time on that next week
But you at least need to know what the Passover meal is generally the Passover meal was basically a meal of remembrance it was like celebrating Independence Day it was a joyous meal it remembered that God saved his people from the Egyptians it's a joyous celebration so like every Passover meal that all of them have been in before the expectation is this is a joyous occasion and it turns very quickly into something very serious verse 20 when it was evening he reclined at the table
He reclined at table with the twelve and as they were eating he said truly I say to you one of you will betray me and they were very sorrowful and began to say to him to one another is it I Lord it says they were very sorrowful now that word sorrowful doesn't quite capture the emotions that are involved in this is deep sorrow shock
Confusion they are utterly confused and shocked that anyone amongst them would betray Jesus that can't be is it I Lord is it I Lord one by one is it I Lord they want to know is it me verse 23 he answered he who has dipped his hand in the dish will with me will betray me
The son of man goes as it is written of him but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it would have been better for that man if he had not been born Judas who would betray him answered is it I Rabbi he said to him you have said so he says is it I Rabbi he doesn't say is it I Lord he didn't see
Jesus as Lord he sees him as Rabbi a great teacher but not God is it I Rabbi Jesus confirms it yes it is you and shock had to set in and it says that they were greatly they were sorrowed couldn't believe this shock sets in in that moment and ultimately Judas made a decision that he thought was best for him
And it says it had been better had he never been born which is where we get that phrasing from there are two central figures in this series of stories this series of stories there is the woman Mary and there is Judas and there is two different heart approaches to Jesus the first if Jesus is your treasure you'll trade everything for him
That was her heart the second if something else is your treasure you'll trade Jesus for it the problem is is that when we see those two approaches it's very easy for us to distance ourselves from Judas we don't want to be like him we don't want to think of ourselves as anything remotely close to him but the reality
Is is that Judas Judas didn't always look like this Judas spent three he was a disciple he was more of an insider than a woman he looked the part he performed miracles he did good works he helped the poor he taught he was sent out by Jesus as a missionary he looked
Every bit the part so much so that when the eleven found out that one of them was going to betray him they couldn't believe it it's not possible they were greatly sorrowed at this it's hard for it's hard for me to wrap my mind around anyone who can walk away from Jesus I've witnessed over the years and I know it's going to continue to happen people that look
So much like a follower of Jesus people that seem like they were so deeply in love with him and they walk away and then I look at my own heart and I look at my life and how much of my own life is wrapped up in my own self-interest in my own idolatry and I look at this story and I just tremble and I plead
For repentance there's a song by a band called King's Kaleidoscope it's called What Have We Done in that song they say Judas sold you for thirty I'd have done it for less and that may seem to some as melodramatic but I would invite you to check your own heart and examine your own
Heart and realize the things that you treasure over Christ name your price if there's something else that you treasure you ultimately will trade Jesus for it so what are you trading right now what are you trading valuing above
Jesus is it success that's a big one in our culture people will go after success with everything in them a lot of times when we sort this out we talk about deep idols we talk about how power power idolatry is underneath this that it's pushing someone to pursue success at all
Costs they'll steamroll anybody that gets in their way sacrifice their energy their time their effort their money their identity in order to get it because that's the thing they value over Christ at all costs we'll get it and then someone tries to point out hey man I haven't seen you at group a lot lately I haven't seen you on Sundays and it's like
No I'm busy I'm working I've got this I'm doing that and people try to point hey man I think you're valuing this too much you're like no you start boxing people out you've treasured something above Christ if something else is your treasure you will trade Jesus for for others that's sex maybe that's living with your boyfriend or your girlfriend or sleeping
Around and ultimately what comes out of that is this is what makes me happy this person makes me happy and a lot of times when we're working through deep idols like that there might be some approval idolatry that's happening there that you give yourself away to someone because that that means you feel loved like no Jesus is actually
Better don't do this this happens with sexuality someone will say well pedestal this and say no this is the most important thing I could possibly pursue and we're trying to say no this is what the Bible says and someone says I don't care what the Bible says if you treasure something else
Above him you will trade Jesus for it in the end we do this with comfort talk about that as an idol a deep idol beneath all the rest it's the reason why people pursue pleasure that if I can just get comfort in this world whether that's drunkenness whether that's drugs whether that's sensuality
Whether that's pornography if I can just fill up this void life is hard it's full of pain and misery if I can just cover up the pain with a little more pleasure I'll be okay and then someone comes in and says no that's not good that won't actually bring you hope you keep going back to it
It will not satisfy it never brings comfort maybe the kind of person that doesn't like to ever be disturbed doesn't like anyone point out anything in your life everyone bends their will towards you because they don't want to make you angry because your life is about comfort and at the end of the day
You just want to do you and nobody is going to tell you how to live your life if you treasure that above Christ you will trade him for it or maybe it's just you worship yourself it's very clear that's part of what Judas was doing he worshiped himself
Maybe you're so obsessed with your own image to others I feel this there's some control idolatry in this that you got to be all things to different people you got to make sure that you're putting on the best face you got to put on different
Masks you got to control your image you got to control all the things in front of you ultimately you're worshiping yourself this happens with self righteousness ultimately in self righteousness you do a bunch of good works I got to make sure I
Check every box I got to make sure I'm doing all the good things if I don't do all the good things everything's going to fall apart you're not worshiping Jesus you're worshiping yourself maybe the kind of person that values your
Time above others that if anyone infringes upon your time you're not happy maybe it's production I got to get stuff done and it doesn't matter who gets in the way as long as I get the tasks done I go on and on and on I just I want us
To be honest what are you clinging to right now I want you to think about it I want the spirit to go to work on your heart what are you treasuring what are you clinging to above Christ think of it I want you to heed the warning you are already on your way
To the council you are already on your way to collect the silver you are already on your way to trade out Jesus for it and it will destroy you listen Jesus is on a collision course with your idolatry he is on a collision course with my idolatry with my sin and my
Hope this morning is that we see this woman we see her heart and we say I want that I mean that's when I look at the story I want that heart I want to be so deeply in love with Jesus that no as he starts pointing out things
That I'm like that's fine it's yours point it out whatever I find most valuable whatever idolatry that I'm so clinging to I'll go and I'll get it and I will break it before your feet take it that I want the heart of this woman Jesus you want my time you want my money you want my
Future you want my identity point it out I will take it and I will bring it and I will break it before your feet you are worth it I want this heart and for our church I want us to have this heart that we would lay anything that we're clinging to above him anything that we're treasuring above him we lay it at his feet because he's better that's why we say it every week Jesus is better than everything else
Because if you don't believe that if we don't treasure Christ with everything in us you won't make it you will walk away and my hope is that we wouldn't be Judas but we'd be this woman and we come to Jesus in repentance and in worship Matt's going to come up and he is going to sing a song over us it's a song that you're not
Familiar with and I just I want you to just listen to the words and I want you to let the spirit go to work on your heart some of you have actually never treasured Christ you've never actually treasured him and I want this morning for you to finally see that he's better than whatever you're clinging to
I want you to believe I want you right now to come to him to lay your life down completely before him and I want you to respond and believe for the rest of us I want us to if you love if you follow Jesus I want you to to sit in this moment
And ask the Holy Spirit to go to work on your heart it's not if you cling to things you do it's not if you treasure other things you do and I want you to let him go to work on your heart
And I want you to bring it to him I want you to go to find the idols in your heart the things you're treasuring and worship above him and bring it to him it's a daily pursuit of Jesus where we do this y'all this sounds
Familiar for a reason because we have to keep dying to our own self and to our own sin and bringing our idols and bringing the things we treasure to him this week in groups I want you to go to your groups
And I want you to be vulnerable I want you to bring your sin and bring your idolatry I want you to let others call you out and I want us to respond in repentance I want us to have the heart of this woman I want us to come in our brokenness and our weakness because the
Spirit's power is made perfect in our weakness and we are a weak and needy people but we have a sufficient and glorious God who's worthy of our worship so in this moment may we be a people who see a need for Jesus and repent
And behold Jesus like this woman is