CHRIST'S TYPIFIED IN THE PASSOVER (6)
Exodus 12

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XVI. "Then they shall eat the flesh [of the Passover lamb] on that night" (v.8). The Israelites were to find safety in the blood of the lamb, and sustenance in its flesh.

The child of God, having found safety in the blood of Christ, is to find sustenance in His flesh (John 6:53-56): "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ..." To do so is to believe that Christ is truly come in the flesh, and that His flesh is given for the life of His people, and His blood is given for their redemption.

XVII. The flesh of the Passover lamb was to have been "roasted in fire" (v.8). The Israelites commonly boiled their sacrifices (e.g. 1 Samuel 2:13). But boiling here was strictly forbidden (v.9; more on this later), perhaps because roasting better fit the antitype, in which ... The flesh of Christ was "roasted in fire." Fire here represents God's wrath against sin (Hebrews 12:29): "For our God is a consuming fire" (cp. Deuteronomy 32:22; Isaiah 10:17; Ezekiel 21:31; Matthew 3:12). Christ acknowledged that He was "roasted in fire" when, as the consequence of bearing His people's "sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21) and "curse" (Galatians 3:13), "from above [God] has sent fire into my bones" (Lamentations 1:12f).

XVIII. "Do not eat it raw" (v.9). The lamb was to be roasted until it was well done, so that it was not rare to any degree. Christ was thoroughly roasted beyond any degree of rawness. He had to suffer the wrath of God for every transgression of every one of His elect (Isaiah 53:8). God was not satisfied until He had done so (Isaiah 53:11). Only then could Christ shout in victory, "It is finished!" (John 19:30).

XIX. "Do not eat it ... boiled at all with water" (v.9). Christ suffered without benefit of water. Having at the first refused that liquid which would have eased His pain (Matthew 27:34), He suffered to the very end in thirst (John 19:28-30). He truly knew what it is to say "Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer" (Psalm 32:4).

XX. The entire Passover lamb was to be roasted - "its head with its legs and its entrails" (v.9). (According to tradition, the entrails were first removed, cleansed, replaced.) Christ was in His entirety roasted. He subjected all the thoughts of His head, all the walk of His legs, and all the affections of His inward being to the will of God for the welfare of His people. Since Christ cannot be divided (1 Corinthians 1:13), the sacrifice of Himself for His people was entire, undivided.

XXI. "Nor shall you break one of its bones" (v.46). The purpose of this may have been to symbolize the unity of the nation. But this text is also a Messianic prophecy (along with Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20), because ... No bone of Christ was broken (Luke 23:31-37). Instead, His side was pierced with a spear, thereby fulfilling also the prophecy "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."

XXII. The Passover lamb was to be eaten "with unleavened bread" (v.8). Being unleavened, this bread was devoid of that which in Scripture is symbolic of evil. This truth was but intimated in the Old Testament (e.g. Leviticus 10:12f), but later revealed in far greater detail in the New Testament Christ is to be eaten, in a manner of speaking, "with unleavened bread" (1 Corinthians 5:8): "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

XXIII. The Passover lamb was to be eaten "with bitter herbs" (v.8). These bitter herbs are traditionally identified as endive, chicory, wild lettuce, and nettle. They served to remind the Israelites of the bitterness they had experienced in Egypt (1:11-14).

Christ is to be eaten, in a manner of speaking, "with bitter herbs." Christians are to remember the bitterness of their former lives in sin and shame which caused the sufferings of Christ in their behalf, and to join in "the fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10).