Living Manna

Palm Sunday is the day that Jesus enter into Jerusalem. We know this entrance will be crucifixion and death. Why is able to enter in triumphantly even though he knows there will be death? It is because he knows that there will be resurrection.
This week that Jesus is suffering is the same week as the Passover week. The first Passover is the week of the exodus. God told them to take a lamb on the 10th day of the month of Nisan and they were supposed to investigate that lamb to see if it has any blemish. On the 14th day of the month, they were to kill the lamb and put the blood on the doorpost so that the angel of death will pass over their house. It was the same week and 4 days later Jesus is to be crucified. Interestingly, Jesus is to be killed on that day, the lamb has to be blameless, Jesus was found to be blameless and he died on the Cross.

1. The significance of the Passover and fulfilment of Jesus Christ

The season of Passover denotes the end of slavery in Egypt and it is the start of a new beginning. This Passover, this crucifixion, is the only way of salvation. The only way of salvation is through Jesus, through the Cross. This is the week that Jesus came to the earth for. This was the purpose that God our father send Jesus.

2. There were things that must be eaten during Passover

Those who wants to be saved from Egypt needed to kill and eat this lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herb.
Eating is the faith one believes by taking into the heart rather than knowing in the head. Eating is digestion, taking into your system. So it is absorbing it, making it into my flesh and blood. Something that will come in and be my energy, be part of me. Eating is accepting, receiving and making it mine. Jesus told his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he is speaking about the divinity and humanity of Jesus, the essence of Jesus who is the Word.
(i) Lamb
Firstly, just like in Exodus 12:1, it is according to the number in the family. It is more specifically to each person, it depends on individual faith. You cannot follow a group, your wife, your husband to heaven. Just because your parents are good believers does not mean you will go to heaven. This salvation is individual, that means each and everyone of us has to eat and receive Jesus Christ into us in order for salvation to take place.
Secondly, firstborn lamb without blemish is referring to Jesus Christ. Therefore this lamb cannot be a lamb on this earth. Only God who came down in the form of man can be the true lamb.
Thirdly, it has to be male, meaning it has to be with seed. Luke 8:11 tells us that the seed is the Word of God. And so the way for us to recognize our lamb is not by his outlook, his claims but it is through the Word.
Verse 9 says do not eat raw. It is the custom of ancient idol worship. He is saying do not believe in Jesus without the inspiration. Your faith needs to be ripened up. Raw faith is just you heard about it. Do not think you believe that you go to church. Do not think you believe because of the years of your attendance. Just because all your friends and all your family members go does not mean you believe. This faith needs to be ripened. It need to be cooked on fire. Our faith needs to be fired up by the fire of the Holy Spirit. He says do not boil it, do not mix the Word with other things.
You shall eat the lamb with your loins girded, with sandals on your feet and staff in your hand and in haste you shall eat it. This is referring to the faith that is ready, ready to go when God calls us, ready to leave and go when God needs us to go. Ready faith does not complacent settle in the world, does not get tied up with the things of the world.
Lastly, do not break the bones. Bones represents your essence. The bone is the structure, the source and the foundation for blood and flesh. Jesus’ bones represent the spine of the Word.

(ii) Unleavened bread
They are not only to refrain from eating the bread but they are not supposed to have leaven in the air. That is why the Israelites went through to clean the house because leaven is so fine that it can be in the air. This lent and the Passion Week is a spring cleaning time of our souls and faith. Let us be searching for the leaven in our faith and clean it up because if we eat this leaven you cannot participate in this great celebration. 1 Cor 5:6-8 Apostle Paul defines leavened bread as the malice and wickedness in us.
Leaven or yeast refer to the teaching of idolatry, teachings easier to swallow, tastier to our mouth but it contains false wisdom, fleshly rationalism, materialism, in fake form of the truth. In Luke 12:1, the leaven is hypocrisy. Sometimes, we deceive ourselves. Because we are labelled Christians, we come to church, sometimes because of the things we do outwardly we deceive ourselves but what is the truth inside?

(iii) Bitter herbs
It is the symbol of the pain and affliction in Egypt. Bitter herbs is to remind us of the wicked days, of sin so that we will not go back. Those who do not remember this bitter history, God’s work of salvation, they will start complaining, they will start to want to go back to Egypt.

Conclusion

3 things we have to eat.
We have to eat Jesus, we have to take in the word of Jesus Christ.
Unleavened bread, take away our hypocrisy, let us be truthful, be sincere and repenting of our sins.
Bitter herbs, let us remember the hardship, God’s work of salvation.
Lastly, we need to have the faith that prepares for the Passover. Who was the one who prepared the donkey and the one who prepared the room for the Passover meal? We need to become the one who carry the jar, to prepare the room. In the Bible, we see people with jars of water. The jar represent the heart that holds the word of God, like the jar that holds the manna in the ark of the covenant. When Jesus ask for what belongs to him, do you have it prepared to give it to him? May we keep this Passover by putting the end to our own Egypt. May we keep this Passover with the Word and these 3 things.

AMEN