For those of you not familiar with the Passover, it is the event that freed the Israeli people from slavery in Egypt.  Moses was instructed by God to “free His people”.  When Moses came before the Pharoh and demanded that he set the Israelites free, the Pharoh refused.  Because of his refusal God worked through Moses and sent a plague upon Egypt.  The Pharoh remained obstinate and eight more plagues were brought against Egypt, with the Pharoh keeping Gods people in bondage after each.  The 10^th and final plague would be this – that God would send the angel of death through the land and the first born of every household would die.  Animal and human.  God however had special instructions for the Israelites.  They were to slaughter a lamb, without blemish, and without breaking any of it’s bones.  Then they were to dip a hyssop* branch in the blood of the slaughtered lamb and sprinkle it on the door posts of each household and when the angel of death came he would ‘pass over’ these houses and they would be spared.  They were instructed to eat “with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight.”.  At midnight the Lord slew every first born in the land of Egypt, including the Pharoh’s  son.  The Pharoh summoned Moses and told him to leave at once and take the Israelites and go and worship the Lord as they wished.

This is a quick summary.  The whole story can be read in Exodus chapters 11 and 12.

Now for the ‘New Passover’. 

• The Israelites sacrificed a lamb to free them from slavery ~ God sacrificed His only Son to free us from the slavery of sin. 
• Just as the Israelites had to choose a lamb with no blemish ~ Christ is the only one (aside from His mother Mary) without the blemish/stain of sin.
• The blood from the lamb was the ‘sign’ to pass over the Israelites doors ~ The blood from Christ is a ‘sign’ of the new covenant
• Part of Passover required that the Israelites eat the flesh of the lamb that was sacrificed.  This was required or they would suffer from the plaque of death for the first born ~ so we too must eat the flesh of the lamb of God to have eternal life (Jn 6:54) also at the last supper “Take and eat, this is my body…which will be shed on my behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Without this we could not have eternal life with God.
• The Passover Feast required 4 cups of wine be drunk to complete the celebration ~ at the Last Supper (which by the way was Christ celebrating Passover with His disciples) only 3 cups were drank.  Because they sang hymns then went into the night.  Traditional Passover, this would be the 3^rd cup and then after hymns one more cup would be drunk to complete the feast.  These were strict rules and Christ was a devout Jew who would not sway from these rules.  He also said that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until His Kingdom was at hand.  During his persecution and suffering you can only imagine how thirsty he must have been but he refused drink until on the cross when he said “I thirst” and was given a sponge dipped in sour wine (which by the way was on a hyssop* branch) then he said “It is finished” (this was the 4^th cup) and gave up His spirit.
• I now understand why in the Garden of Gethsemane Christ said “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” 
• Lamb at Passover specifically could not have any bones broken in the slaughtering of it ~ It was custom at a crucifixion, after an amount of time that the legs of the person be broken so that they could not support themselves and they would suffocate ~ When the soldiers came to Jesus they did not break his legs as was customary
• And as a last note:  The Israelites were instructed to “eat with their loins girt and sandals on their feet”  In other words be ready to go when God calls them.  Don’t eat and then get ready ~ I believe this also pertains to our receiving Eucharist.  We have to eat it “ready to go” -  in other words, we can have no mortal sin on our souls when we receive it, to keep us from God when he calls.

I know this was long, but I hope it gives you something to think about this last week of Lent.

May God Bless You Abundantly During This Time, the Holiest Week of the Year.