When your children shall 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 Israelites in Egypt when He slew the Egyptians but spared our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
The Israelites went and, as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
At midnight the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
This was the last plague inflicted by God on the Egyptians which He used to convince Pharaoh to let His people, the Israelites, go free -- to be able to experience their relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their God...our God --- and to do so without the yoke of slavery chained around their necks and emblazoned on their backs. Yes, essentially God killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household in order to communicate to them that He was serious about His people no longer being held hostage.
Some might call this cruel.
However, flash forward. There was another first (and only) born whom God allowed to be crucified so that another group of people could be liberated, released from being held hostage, set free. This time, that One (and only) was His Son (John 3:16). Sacrificed for us. So that WE could (and can) also have the opportunity to experience a renewed relationship with God without the yoke of slavery chained around our necks and emblazoned on our backs.
Maybe it's not cruel...
...Maybe it's the ultimate act of Love.
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)
Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
But it didn't end there. It was that Same Love that was so powerful that it raised Jesus from the tomb to live again (Luke 24:1-7; 1 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 1:19-21); brought Him up to be reunited with His Father (John 20:17; Ephesians 4:7-10); and then offered Him again, this time as that "gift of God" which IS eternal life - the Holy Spirit, Who was sent to live in (John 14:12-18, 25-28), regenerate, and renew (Romans 5:10, 6:4; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 4:16) anyone who would receive Him (John 1:12-13).
That IS the ultimate act of Love.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life. (Romans 5:10)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Happy Passover...
Blessed Resurrection Day...
Terri
