The Passover Fulfilled

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 22nd of March, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the 4th Sunday in Lent, the 4th week of our walk with Jesus, our reflection on what He did for us and of our self-examination of our own lives.  And we are nearing the destination of this walk, with our Lord’s sacrifice upon the cross.

For Jesus, this was a turbulent time.  Since past, present, and future were all the same to Him, He could see all the world-changing events whirling around Him.  In a way, it’s much like today, as the world is constantly changing in response to the coronavirus, with so much going on we can barely keep up.  But Jesus knew what was coming and what was about to happen, to Him and to the world.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was approaching, and being good Jews, Jesus and His followers prepared to share the meal of Passover.  But others were plotting and scheming, trying to arrange for a substitution of the lamb to be sacrificed.

Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded for us of this time, from chapter 22 verses 1 through 16 of his Gospel account, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be sacrificed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”

10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”

13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

--Luke 22:1-16 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You instituted the ritual observance of the Passover during the days of Moses.  And even then, long before You sent Your Son Jesus to earth, You knew that only He could fulfill and complete the Passover.  Only His blood, poured over the doorposts of our souls, can save us from the final death that will sweep across mankind.  Thank You, Father, for carrying out Your great plan for our salvation, even at the cost of sacrificing Your own Son.  Father, please help us understand the true meaning of the Passover and all its implications.  Help us remain true to Your Son even when others would betray Him.  Show us just what He fully means to us.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit in our hearts and thoroughly understand the message we so need in this age.  Speak to us of the sacrifice made so that we might have life everlasting.  This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Evangelist D. L. Moody once said something very close to my heart:  "I never preach a sermon without thinking that possibly the Lord may come before I preach another."

Another evangelist and former president of the Moody Bible Institute, Dr. George Sweeting, estimated that "more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy...  Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ.  Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme.  Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord's return - one out of every 30 verses.  Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event...  For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are eight on His second coming."


During this period of Lent, we are leading up to that wonderful time when Jesus is resurrected from the dead and rises from the grave, having conquered death.  Those of us who believe in Him and follow His voice will share in that great victory.  This is the promise of the resurrection, that we too will be resurrected from the dead and given new life.

And that brings us to our Lord’s return to earth.  On His first visit here, He conquered death.  On His second trip, He will conquer evil.  This time, there will be no betrayal, no Passover, no sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb.  Death – final, everlasting death – will come to those who refuse to believe.

The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus were momentous, crucial events in our lives.  His return will be spectacular, with final ramifications for the unjust.


Judas betrayed Jesus for a reward of money.  We won’t get into whether Judas was fated to do this – prophesy said someone would.  For God’s plan to be carried out, It was necessary for Jesus to be handed over to the religious leaders of the day, so that they could have Him executed.  Otherwise there would be no blood shed in sacrifice for the redemption, the atonement of our sins.  There would be nothing to protects us, not even we who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord.  Nothing else could save us from eternal death when it passes across the land.  Satan didn’t realize, when he enticed Judas to do his dirty work, that he too was simply following God’s plan to fulfill the Passover.

The Passover is mentioned a lot in our scripture reading.  This is why Jesus and His followers made what would be His final visit to Jerusalem, to observe the ritual Feast of the Passover.  This is why He sent Peter and John ahead to make arrangements for the meal.

Before the coronavirus hit, we were scheduled to be shown a traditional Passover Seder, the ritual and meal similar to what Jesus would have held.  This observance, including the meal, was to honor God and obey His command to His people given to and implemented by Moses.  Listen to how this began, as recorded by Moses in his Book of the Exodus,  chapter 12, verses 1 through 13…

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire — its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'"

--Exodus 12:1-13 (NKJV)

God was about to free His people from slavery in Egypt by encouraging the Egyptians to let them go.  The encouragement came in the form of plagues, crushing the will of the powers to be.  Of course, as we know, it took a lot of encouragement.  Even that, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, was all part of God’s plan, so that the Passover could occur.  God’s angel would cross the land of Egypt, bring death to the firstborn of every house, every creature.  Only those under the blood of the spotless lamb would be spared.

Family, Jesus was that Lamb, the Lam without blemish.  We stand under His blood and are spared eternal death.  God’s angel will return to bring death to all the world, and only those protected by the blood of the Spotless Lamb will be saved!


Now, you may be wondering why the little stories I used at the beginning spoke of the return of Jesus.  It’s because our scripture today speaks of His return.  I just mentioned one aspect of it, the coming of death to all the world as foretold in the Book of Revelation.  That is all part of the preparations for Jesus’ return.  In our scripture reading, Jesus said He will no longer eat of the meal of Passover until the Passover is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

That is the time when we will need to stand under the blood of the Lamb, so that the angel of death will pass over us.  That is the time when Jesus returns to bring death, everlasting death, to those who refuse to believe and obey.  When this will happen, no one knows.  So we must be ready, for He could come at any moment, even before I deliver my next sermon, as Rev. Moody noted.  This is why the children of Israel were told to eat their Passover meal quickly, watchfully, leaving nothing until morning.  We have to be prepared and ready.  Because Jesus will return, and He will fulfill and complete the Passover.  Only those washed in His blood will be spared.

Blessed be Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God!  In the glorious name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You’ve had a plan since the creation of the universe for our salvation.  And it all depended on Your Son being sacrificed so that we could be atoned by the blood of the Spotless Lamb.  By Your Son’s sacrifice, we who believe in and obey Him are now seen by You as clean - our sins forgiven and forgotten.  By His blood, we are prepared for the ultimate fulfillment of Your Passover.  Thank You, Father, for offering us a path to salvation and protection from the final death.  Please help us to live our lives worthy of Your great love, to live as Jesus lived, to love as He loves.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice atoned for our sin, redeeming us, washing us clean in God’s eyes.  We are shielded, protected by Your blood.  The final death will pass us over.  Thank You, Jesus, for washing us clean with Your blood.  Thank You for giving us a way to escape eternal death but instead enjoy life everlasting with You in paradise.  Please help us stay strong in times of trouble.  Help us remain courageous in our faith.  And help us live as You would have us live.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.