Standing Over the Door (LD 19; Exodus 12:7-20)

The danger we have is looking at the sacraments as containing some sort of magic.  So, we see there is the grace of God, and then there is the sacrament.  We can also think that the sacraments are just reminders given to us in the New Testament.  However, we see that there is a correlation between Passover to the Lord’s Supper.  We do not say that Passover is the same exact sign as the Lord’s Supper.  There is a correlation, but not a one-to-one identity.

We will look at the differences between the Lord’s Supper and Passover next week, but this week we consider the significance of Passover for the Lord’s Supper.  We remember that the sacraments, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, are signs and seals of Christ’s grace.  They hold out the promise and the power of Christ. They do not have a power in themselves, but they nourish us in Christ’s power.  We want to remember that the sacraments use metonymy, substituting one phrase for another.  So, when Christ says, “This is my Body,” he is not saying that the bread literally becomes his body.  It represents his body.  If the bread and wine literally became Christ then the cross is absurd because Christ would have already sacrificed himself in the presence of his disciples.  Clearly, the sacraments represent Christ and nourish us in the gospel promises, and the Spirit is pleased to work through these means in the Lord’s timing.

The Lord’s Supper is a visible sign and pledge of Christ’s sacrifice, symbolizing the believer’s participation in Christ’s suffering and death. It is not a re-sacrifice but a nourishment in that one-time sacrifice. So, when we see the basis for this Passover meal, we see that there is a clear distinction between the Lord’s people and the Egyptians.  The Lord gives Israel the sign that they will be protected.  Not from Egypt, but from the Lord.  In fact, the Passover blood represents God standing over his people.  Not in a stance that judges but in a stance that protects his people.

Passover is the picture of the Lord standing over his people in protection because he is the shield and defender for his people.  When Christ identifies himself as the Passover lamb, he is the one who is ultimately offered in our place and the one who protects us through this age.  Let us not look to the sacrament for life, but let us see the giver of life who stands behind the sacrament.  He is the God of our redemption; we are his redeemed.  We have been set free to walk in Christ and live as living sacrifices for him. Let us see the joy in our Christian calling as we walk by faith in the power of His Spirit!