Easter: The Passover Completed
by Pastor Walter Snyder

No festival of the Christian Church is greater than the Resurrection of Our Lord. The early
Christians thought that an annual celebration was too seldom---that's why they instituted Sunday
worship (along with Friday fasting), so each week would remember the Lord's death on Good
Friday and His resurrection on the third day.

Many Easter hymns and readings mention the Passover, the Paschal Feast, or the Pascha (these
latter coming from the Greek word for the Passover). The connection between the Lord's
resurrection and the Passover is no human invention. Christ Himself used the Passover meal to
connect His suffering, death, and resurrection to His Church through the institution of His
Supper. The New Testament writers and the early Church continued to maintain the connection.

Passover began with the angel of death sparing those firstborn of Israel whose doorposts bore the
blood of the slaughtered lambs. It continued as the Children of Israel "passed over" the Red Sea,
on their way to the land promised by the Lord. An eighth century hymn by John of Damascus
connects Israel's Passover with that of the Christ:
     Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
     Of triumphant gladness;
     God hath brought His Israel
     Into joy from sadness.
     'Tis the spring of souls today:
     Christ hath burst His prison
     And from three days' sleep in death
     As a sun hath risen.

Paul wrote in Romans 9, "It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the
children of the promise are counted as offspring." In keeping with the apostle, John's hymn
reminds us that the Christian Church is the fulfillment of Israel. Not Egypt, but sin, death, and the
devil enslaved us. Jesus defeated sin by remaining holy. He unmade death by suffering it Himself.
With sin and death beaten, the devil loses power to terrify or destroy us. Eden's cursed  tree of
Eden no longer can poison us. Christ is the ultimate Passover Lamb. His blood turns eternal death
and suffering in hell away from all who are marked by it. The Law of God demanded death for
sinners. Christ knew no sin but became sin for us, that His death might absolve all of us who are
conceived and born sinners.

In His resurrection, Christ remakes life. The first Passover was of lamb's blood and Red Sea
water. It protected Israel from death and brought them into new life. At His death He poured
blood and water from His spear-pierced side (John 19:34) to shield us from death and make us
spiritually alive and heirs of eternal life.

Scriptural imagery of Holy Baptism invokes the blood-covering and the Red Sea crossing. In
Baptism, Christ grants the blessings won on the cross to the individual. As Pharaoh's army
perished in the flood, so our sins are drowned by water and the Word. Sinful human nature is put
to death and a new person arises from the flood (Romans 6:3 5). Baptism makes us participants
in the Passion and Resurrection of Christ and each baptism celebrates the Paschal victory of Jesus.

Christian funerals also maintain the Passover connection as they celebrate the Resurrection: While
the world weeps and cannot be consoled, Israel knows that the Passover is complete when the
believer dies. The crossing is finished, and the Christian passes from life to life.

And what better day of the year than Easter to receive the Lord's Supper? In Holy Communion
we eat the body of the ultimate Passover Lamb. We receive His blood and receive His life, for
"the life of every creature is its blood. (Lev 17:14)" The "Feast of the Resurrection" is more than
a figurative meal, it's an actual eating and drinking participation in Jesus' cross to grave to
resurrection Passover.

God grant you safe entry into the Promised Land. Christ Jesus has completed your salvation and
now shepherds you through this life into life eternal. To Him be glory forever!

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the
book "What Do Lutherans Believe."

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from ~The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version~<TM>, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Ask the Pastor, © 2004 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this
disclaimer, by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution.
Translations into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate
international copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.