The Doctrine of Revelation: The Storyline of Scripture (Part 10)

There are significant markers in all of our lives that define who we are and what our future may look like. We can each think of specific events such as graduations, weddings, birth of a child, etc. But if you were among the ancient Israelites one national event forever defined who you were. It was known, simply, as the Exodus. This event, however, does not define Israel only. Rather the Exodus is the paradigm for all salvation history, including our salvation.

Like “The Sixties” the title The Exodus need no other qualifiers or explanations. Most folks who grew up in the church at all are familiar with the amazing story of Moses’ leading God’s people out of bondage in slavery to Egypt. The story focuses on three main characters. First, there is Pharaoh who refuses to let the people of Israel go, his heart is hardened against the God of Israel. Then there is Moses, God’s chosen servant appointed to speak God’s words to both Pharaoh and Israel. And lastly there is God Himself, who shows up to display his mighty power and grace. It is the major themes of this story, however, which point us forward to the gospel.

The Exodus is about freedom from slavery and to obedience to God. Israel had spent hundreds of years in bondage and finally God answers their cry for rescue and seeks to bring them out of bondage to Egypt that they might come and worship and serve Him alone. Later Paul uses this analogy to describe our own redemption. Paul writes it this way:

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

It is because of Jesus that we are rescued from the Kingdom of Darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Light. There is a transfer even greater than the departure from Egypt. In Luke 9:31 Jesus appears with Moses to discuss his “exodus” (departure) by which he literally means His death. Jesus’ death is the New Testament exodus, it is the fulfillment of that foreshadowing event.

The connection between the two events, however, is perfectly realized in the Passover. The Lord had decided on one last punishment to convince Pharaoh to let Israel go free: He will kill the first-born son of every household. In order to spare His people this punishment, however, God ordered all Israel to kill a spotless lamb and to put its blood over the door posts of their home. The Spirit of the Lord would see the blood (more literally see their faith in God) and Pass Over that house. This event marked Israel forever. They were always to celebrate this Passover meal as a define marker of who they were as God’s chosen, and graciously loved, people. But this event which defined Israel was point them and us towards Jesus, the real sacrificial lamb.

In the opening verses of John we find that Jesus is identified as the “Lamb of God” (John 1:36). And at the, so-called, “Lord’s Supper” we find Jesus taking the Passover with His disciples and replacing its meaning with his forthcoming crucifixion and resurrection. Note the text and the amazing way that Jesus changes centuries worth of meaning.

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”  27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,  28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:26-30)

Jesus, here, very blatantly states that the Passover is not about the Exodus of the nation of Israel, rather it is about the salvation of sinners through His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus is the Passover lamb, whose blood sprinkled on us saves us from the Wrath of God. God killed His first-born Son, so that we would not die.

There is much, much, much more that we could say about the parallels between and indeed the fulfillment of the Exodus event in Jesus. Time and space prohibits it. But it is my firm conviction that the Exodus is the epic event that defined salvation for centuries, and Jesus perfectly realizes that event in His death and resurrection. The Exodus, for believers, is all about Jesus!