The Death of the Messiah (Continued)

The blood of a lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintel

The Feasts of the Lord

The Passover (Continued)

YHWH ordered the nation, through Moses, to incorporate the festival into the annual celebrations of Israel as the first event of their religious year. This festival immortalized the birth of the nation, and established for Israel the principles of substitution and consecration. In light of the loss of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of the firstborn of Israel, God claimed Israel’s firstborn for His own. Thus, the Egyptian Passover began the process of making Israel a unique and separate nation.

At the Passover, they were separated:

by His Word (which they obeyed) and

by the blood of the lamb (which they applied).

Then as they continued to follow YHWH, they were separated:

by the pillar of fire (which protected them).

by the sea (through which they passed), and

by the Mosaic covenant (to which they consented).

Naturally, the character of the Passover changed once the nation had been rescued. In the first month of the second year after the exodus, the Tabernacle was erected, and since instructions had already been issued that the blood of all sacrifices had to be sprinkled on the altar it can be safely assumed that the blood of the Paschal lamb was also sprinkled on the altar. Furthermore, in the Promised Land, the Passover meal was to be eaten in a designated location. “Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name.” (Deut. 16:2) It became a celebration of the nationhood of the people, with the telling and retelling of their history, beginning with Abraham and giving particular and detailed consideration to the story of their redemption from Egyptian slavery.

The building of the Temple added greatly to the festival for it provided the focal point for the assembling of the nation. The Passover, abutting as it did the Feast of Unleavened Bread, became a great pilgrim festival where all the males of Israel presented themselves before the Lord. Naturally, being a family festival they brought their wives and children with them. With the gathering of the nation’s families at the beginning of the religious year, this great educational tool of YHWH could accomplish its purpose.

The priesthood and sacrificial system established, other elements were added to the festival, notably the priestly offering of a lamb for the nation. While the lamb for the household was killed on the evening of the Passover, the priest would sacrifice a separate lamb for the Passover on the morning of the Passover (in the Jewish day evening comes before morning). The lamb of the morning sacrifice then became part of the priests’ sacramental meal. No young goat was permitted now; it was to be a Passover lamb only. Other animals could be used as peace offerings at the festival, and even eaten in addition to the lamb at the Passover meal, but only a lamb could be used as the principal dish at the Passover meal, and for the Passover sacrifice.

By the time the Messiah commenced His ministry, the numbers making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast were considerable. Certain administrative arrangements had been put in place.


(1) They whitened sepulchers, tombs and graves to prevent accidental contact and contamination. This activity began some four weeks before Passover.

(2) Two weeks before Passover, they tithed herds and flocks.

(3) Pilgrims came early to Jerusalem to bathe in the Temple miqwehs to purify themselves.

(4) Because of the great numbers, it was required that each lamb killed in the Temple should serve for not less than ten people but not more than twenty. Each group or association had to be registered for the ritual.

(5) The Sanhedrin reset the boundaries of Jerusalem to include some of the nearby villages as well as the Mount of Olives. This was needed to accommodate the large number of visitors, for the Passover had to be eaten ‘within’ Jerusalem.

(6) Lambs could be bought on the Temple mount.

(7) Those that bought a lamb from the Temple flocks could attend at the priest’s gate, pay the money and obtain a receipt. This receipt would be exchanged for the lamb at the time of the ritual killing.

(8) For the Passover festival they put three courses of priests on duty.

(9) At Passover, they brought forward the time of the evening sacrifice to allow more time for the ritual.

(10) Those that attended the court of priests for the ritual were divided into three groups to satisfy the Scripture, “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight”. (Exod. 12:6) A text which yields (1) assembly, (2) congregation, and (3) Israel. Each group would be brought in through the Nicanor doors separately, while the others waited outside.

It was in this fashion that the great numbers of residents and visitors were accommodated for the national celebration of Pesach.

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