Day 13: Easter Eggs
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” – Hebrews 9:22, New International Version
Movies often include hidden messages or inside jokes that attentive (and knowledgeable) viewers will pick up on. We call these “Easter eggs.” Similarly, God hides marvelous Easter eggs in His redemptive story.
Unfolding Plan
God chose Moses to lead His enslaved people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, where His unfolding plan would provide the solution to the fall of humankind. Pharaoh was so stubborn he needed ten plagues to persuade him to let go of his free labor. The horrible last plague could have devastated the nation of Israel too, but God provided the Passover, one of His redemptive Easter eggs.
Firstborn
In Exodus 12, the last plague dealt death to all the firstborn sons. Many ancient cultures gave the firstborn male child special blessings and responsibilities. Destroying the firstborn decimated the culture.
Earlier, Pharaoh had ordered the killing of all the firstborn males of the Hebrews simply because he feared the Hebrews were growing too numerous (Exodus 1). The time had come for God’s judgment and for Pharaoh to taste his own medicine.
A Bloody Night
On the dreadful night of the Plague of the Firstborn, God instructed every Hebrew family to sacrifice a young lamb without defect and to paint the blood on the sides and tops of their doorways.
That night, the blood protected everyone in the home. No one died. Each little lamb gave its life to protect the people from the judgment of the Lord. The Passover was God’s redemptive work for the nation of Israel. (Jews celebrate Passover to this day.) In it, we have an “Easter egg,” a marvelous picture of a coming Rescuer.
Thousands of years later, Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, gave His blood for us that we might escape the judgment of God. As the opening words of the old hymn say,
My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
God does not save us because we’ve done anything to deserve saving. Rather, God sees the blood of His Son on us and passes over us. That’s something we can celebrate. Think about that the next time you hunt for Easter eggs.
Next: Christ’s blood makes us sinless. But with God’s help, we also sin less. Wouldn’t rules help do that? Maybe not. Find out next time.
Questions:
- Does the killing of the firstborn of Egypt seem justified to you? Why or why not?
- Why was it important for God to put foreshadowing symbols of Christ in the history of His people?
- What do you think of when you hear the phrase “the blood of Jesus”? Does it make you feel queasy? Confused? Grateful?
Going Deeper:
- Read Genesis 12
- Read Killing lambs? Making sense of the Passover meal
- Read Moses, Passover and the Exodus
