The Passover Lamb

Here is another article about Easter as I promised.

by Dr. Larry Ollison

 

 

 

 

Jesus was set aside to be sacrificed, examined, tested, and crucified on the exact month, day, and hour that the Jews had been handling and slaughtering the lambs for over fifteen hundred years in the keeping of the feast of the Passover.

Jesus was set aside for observation and inspection five days before the sacrifice in the same way that the lamb was set aside for five days for inspection.

Let me prove it to you. In John 12:1 it says, “Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany . . .” Six days before the Passover, Jesus showed up in Bethany where Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, lived. During this time, religious leaders were trying to kill Lazarus because Jesus raised him from the dead. Jesus was at Lazarus’ home six days before the Passover.

Since the Passover was celebrated on the 14th, that means Jesus was in Bethany on the 9th. Then if you look at John 12:12-13, it says, “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

So the next day was the 10th, which was the day of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. From that point until the 14th, Jesus was scrutinized, questioned, and interrogated to find out who He was. In fact, in Matthew 21:23-27 Jesus was questioned severely concerning His authority. In Matthew 23, they tried to trick Jesus. They tried to ask Him trick questions to get Him to say something that was wrong. But Jesus passed every single test. The scripture says He answered them perfectly. Finally, in desperation, when they couldn’t find anything wrong with the Lamb of God, they sent Him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Look at what happened there in John chapter 19. “Pilate then went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.'”

The Jews couldn’t find any fault in Jesus, so they turned Him over to the government. The government could not find any fault in Him either. The Lamb had been examined for five days and He was found without spot or blemish or fault. WOW! First Peter 1:18-19 says, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

The blood of Jesus was like the blood of an inspected sacrificial lamb. It was without blemish and without spot. Jesus was the Passover Lamb. Not only was He inspected like the Passover lamb for five days, but He was crucified and slaughtered on the same day and at the same time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed all over Jerusalem.

Jesus knew what was going on. He was not oblivious to this whole thing. In fact, in Matthew 26:2 you’ll find where He said, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He knew the exact day He was going to be crucified.