Exodus 12:1-14
This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on September 10, 2017.
Much has happened between Exodus 3:1-15 and Exodus 12:1-14. God provides Moses with signs for the times. Moses receives a spoiler alert on how the encounter with Pharaoh will end and then God sends him back to Egypt to set the plan in motion. As foretold by God, a triad of plagues in triplets strike the land of Egypt as Pharaoh and God take turns in hardening the King’s heart. In this rhythmic dance, a noticeable pattern emerges, in the first two plagues of each triplet Pharaoh is warned and instructed to let the Israelites go. When he refuses, the aforementioned plagues take place. However, the final plague in each triplet comes upon Egypt without warning, and with each plague, the severity grows even worse. Now the tenth and final plague is given to Pharaoh affixed with a warning label of “extreme danger” as a disclaimer for disobedience. Here we find the Passover (Exodus 12:1-13:16), in between the call of Moses occurring “in the past” and the fulfillment of a promise by God “in the future” with special instructions for God’s people, Israel, to follow in between “in the present.” A closer inspection of Exodus 12:1-14 unveils the Passover is more than a dietary meal for the purpose of remembrance for the posterity of Israel. The Passover signifies the messiness of life, where the tension between the call of God and the realization of the promise of God takes place in our lives. It’s the “in between” phase of life where God doesn’t merely pass over His people, but provides them with a specific set of instructions for their obedience and ultimately their deliverance.
During this crucial stage of the journey, God relays to Moses and Aaron that a new day has dawned for His people, as God orders a blank slate on the tablet of time for chronicling the history and identity of the Israelites based on what God is about to do (Exodus 12:1-2). Whether the Hebrews would now have two calendars (a civic and religious) or recalibrate their existing way of tracking time, one thing is for certain, the 15th of Nisan has become the origin of a new axis, a new season and way of life. More than that, God places emphasis on the family unit, household, as the means by which the Passover is experienced and celebrated. The importance of community bears mentioning in a time where our current society places enormous emphasis on individuality.
As for the object of sacrifice, a lamb without blemish, male, one year old, from either the sheep or goats (Exodus 12:5) whose blood must be shed to satisfy God’s vengeance regarding the price and penalty of sin– a life for every first-born. Of course, our minds immediately race to Jesus, He who knew no sin, as our sacrificial lamb (Hebrews 9:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29) whose blood has been spread over the doorposts and lintels of our lives. It would do us well to keep in mind there is nothing clean and tidy about sacrificing a lamb and then roasting its head, legs, and internal organs with strict instructions on its preparation. This moment in time would leave an indelible imprint in the minds of God’s people for the days, years, and generations to come.
Then there is the unleavened bread and bitter herbs to be eaten (Exodus 12:8), a bread of affliction with an implication of immediacy and urgency as there is no time to wait for the bread to rise. Moreover, the bitter herbs are reminiscent to the bitter taste of 430 years of slavery in Egypt and the desperate cries of a people rising to the vicinity of their God. Finally, Yahweh clarifies proper dinner etiquette. This is no casual fellowship meal amongst family and friends. No, this meal must be eaten with fear and haste in the appropriate dress attire – a cloak tucked into the belt, sandals strapped on tight, and a staff readily in one’s hand (Exodus 12:11). One must be ready for departure at a moment’s notice. In actuality, the carrying out of Yahweh’s instructions constitutes faith in action for the Israelites as God’s judgment sojourned through the backstreets and alleys of Egypt that night with no regard to reputation or heritage. On this night, only the blood of the lamb would provide appeasement and protection.
When preaching the text, themes of redemption, sacrifice, compassion, protection, and the Eucharist come to mind. A sermon dealing with the elements of the Passover (i.e., the sacrificial lamb, the blood, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and the attire speaking to the manner of preparation), while relating the “so what?” and “now what?” for the congregation may go a long way in revitalizing the past acts of God for His people as a foreshadowing of the promise that is yet to come in the eschaton. Moreover, a closer look at the meaning of Passover may prove enlightening. A more likely meaning of “Passover” is “have compassion on” or “protect” (“spare,” Isaiah 31:5). Compassion means “to suffer with” to get under the skin of another to identify with the other. How might the meaning of the text breathe new life in light of an alternative semantic range?
God “has compassion on” or “protects” the Israelites (Exodus 12:13), their doors stained with blood (Exodus 12:23), and their houses in Egypt (Exodus 12:27). Here, God suffers with His people while enacting judgment on their adversaries as He alone protects them from the plague. In this vein, the kenosis (Philippians 2:7-8) and Eucharist (1 Corinthians11:23-26) might be viewed as Christ “having compassion on” humanity, getting under our skin to identify with us in His sufferings, so that we might have eternal life and in doing so glorify the Father. Could this be the perpetual Passover of the Lord for those who by faith live in a constant state of urgency (a preparedness) for the fulfillment of God’s promise in the messiness of life?
Arbra L. Bailey
National Director of African American Relations
Compassion International in Colorado Springs, Colorado
abailey@compassion.com
Tags: The Passover, Sacrificial Lamb, Protection, Unleavened Bread, Compassion, Judgment