“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.”
– Exodus 12:13
This verse just summarizes the meaning of the Passover. Or, the means by which the Israelites were delivered out of slavery in Egypt.
God says, “Take blood from the lamb that you sacrifice. And put it over the door post of your house and on this night, when tragedy and death shall strike every home in Egypt, if there is blood over your door post, I will pass over you.” Why is that? What is the picture here? Don’t miss it.
What the Passover Signifies
This picture is, when God sees the blood over that door post, he sees the penalty of sin, death. We know from the very beginning of scripture that’s the penalty for sin. And that it has been paid in that house. There is a sacrifice that has been made, a lamb who’s been sacrificed. Whose death provides a covering so the death of that sacrifice provides a way for the judgment and wrath of God can pass over the sinners.
In Christ, the wrath of God passes over us because it has been poured out on Him.
Jesus is the Final Passover Lamb
That’s exactly what happened on that night which is shared in Exodus 12:13, and in a much, much greater way, that’s exactly what happened on the cross of Jesus Christ. All of this is pointing forward. We know, in the book of John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” This is why Jesus came, to be this sacrifice, to shed his blood, and this is the heart of the gospel.
You and I deserve the judgment and wrath of God in our lives. We are sinners before a holy God. How in the world can we receive deliverance? And the answer is, by trusting in the blood of Jesus. By putting our faith in his sacrifice on the cross for us. So, when we are trusting in the blood of Jesus, though we deserve the wrath of God, it passes over us.
The Good News and Giving Thanks to Jesus
This is glorious news that never gets old, and I just wanted to remind you of it today. For us to remember it today in prayer, for us to say right now, “Lord Jesus, we praise you for your blood. We praise you for shedding your blood on the cross for us.” I praise you, oh God, for your gift of grace, sending your Son to shed his blood for my sin, all my sin! God, I deserve your judgment. I deserve your wrath forever!
Exodus 12:13 Putting Your Trust in Jesus
Right now, I don’t deserve anything good in my life. You are gracious, and I pray this on behalf of all kinds of different people who I trust have believed in you. And have put their faith in you, Jesus. And if they haven’t God, if there’s anyone who’s listening to this right now who’s never put their trust in the blood of Christ, shed on the cross to cover over their sins. God, I pray they would do that right now.
God, I pray that they would put their faith, their trust, in the blood of Christ shed for them. Additionally, that they would find refuge and shelter from the wrath and judgment they deserve under the blood of your Son, Jesus. All glory be to your name for saving us from our sins. And for passing over us when it comes to judgment. We deserve death. We deserve eternal death. Yet, your blood has made the way for our salvation.
Oh Lord, Jesus, we worship you. We praise you and thank you. And we pray, God, help us to make the good news of the blood of Christ, that covers over sin. Help us to make that good news present today in other people’s lives so that they might know the refuge that’s available from the judgment we deserve through what Jesus did on the cross for us. We thank you today, oh God, and we pray that you would help us to make this news known to somebody else today. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
