Jesus is Our Passover Lamb

“The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ”

John 1:29 NASB

As Jesus approached the Jordan River, John the Baptist received the honor of baptizing Jesus. When John referred to Him as the Lamb of God, he was referring back to the days of Egyptian bondage. God’s last plague upon Egypt was death for every firstborn child and animal, but not for Israel. The death angel “passed over” Jewish homes with lintels painted with the blood of an unblemished, innocent lamb.

The Celebration of Passover

The celebration of Passover has happened every year since Israel’s liberation from Pharaoh, and it continues today, beginning on April 12th at sunset. Jesus’s last meal with His disciples was a Passover meal where He explained the significance of what He was about to suffer at the cross.

And when He had taken some bread and 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.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.‘

Luke 22:19-20 NASB

Today, Christians remember what Christ did for us on the cross by taking communion. The elements represent His physical suffering (the bread) and His blood (the wine or juice) shed for the forgiveness of sins.

God’s Perfect Timing and Its Meaning

‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.‘

Matthew 26:2 NASB

It was no coincidence that Jesus went to the cross on the day of Passover. God was showing Israel that Jesus is the Messiah, our Passover Lamb. As Jewish families ate roasted lamb, broke Matzah, and drank cups of wine, Jesus hung on a cross, an innocent Lamb suffering for the sins of mankind and shedding His innocent blood.

Through His blood, our sins are washed away, and we receive the gift of salvation. Through His resurrection, we have eternal life with Him in heaven.

How do we apply His blood?

In Egypt, the Jews applied the blood to their doorposts. Collecting a basin of blood wasn’t going to save them—its application on the lintel was the key to their salvation.

And so it is with us. Knowing that Jesus is our Passover Lamb isn’t enough to save us. We must apply the blood of the Lamb to our hearts by asking God to forgive us of our sins and receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:1-2 NASB

God is extending an invitation to receive Christ today. What better time to personally know Jesus as our Passover Lamb!

Dear Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to be the final sacrifice for our sins. We rejoice in Christ’s fulfillment of Passover as the spotless, sinless Lamb of God. May those of us, who don’t know Christ personally, receive Him into our hearts today. Forgive us and wash us in the blood of the Lamb, and write our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Jesus is Our Passover Lamb by Karen Jurgens Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved.