Under the Blood
Read: Exodus chapters 11 and 12
What are you trusting to make things right between you and God? For a lot of people, the answer sounds like this: "I try to be a good person. I go to church. I pray when life gets hard. I try to live better than I used to." But the story of Passover in Exodus challenges that whole idea.
Exodus 11–12 describes a night when judgment came to Egypt. God warned that the firstborn in every household would die. But He also gave a way of escape: a lamb would be sacrificed, and its blood placed on the doorposts of the home. God made a simple promise in Exodus 12:13: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Notice what He didn’t say. He didn’t say, "When I see your effort." He didn’t say, "When I see your intentions." He said, "When I see the blood."
What are you trusting to make things right between you and God? For a lot of people, the answer sounds like this: "I try to be a good person. I go to church. I pray when life gets hard. I try to live better than I used to." But the story of Passover in Exodus challenges that whole idea.
Exodus 11–12 describes a night when judgment came to Egypt. God warned that the firstborn in every household would die. But He also gave a way of escape: a lamb would be sacrificed, and its blood placed on the doorposts of the home. God made a simple promise in Exodus 12:13: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Notice what He didn’t say. He didn’t say, "When I see your effort." He didn’t say, "When I see your intentions." He said, "When I see the blood."
Why do you think God emphasized the blood rather than the people’s effort or sincerity?
What are some ways people today try to earn God’s approval instead of trusting what Christ has done?
Years ago, I heard a story about a small-town judge who was known for being both fair and compassionate. One day a young man stood before him in court, clearly guilty. The law required a heavy fine, and the judge had no choice but to pronounce it. The young man looked crushed. He didn’t have the money. The judge paused, then did something unexpected. He stepped down from the bench, took off his robe, walked over to the clerk’s desk, and paid the fine himself. Justice was upheld. The law wasn’t ignored; mercy was extended because someone else paid the price. That’s a picture of what the cross means.
In Exodus, a lamb died so the firstborn could live. In the New Testament, John the Baptist looks at Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus became the substitute. The point of Passover wasn’t just that a lamb died somewhere in Egypt. The blood had to be applied to the door. Each household had to trust God enough to obey and place it there. And that’s still the question today: Not whether you know about the Lamb, not whether you admire the Lamb, but whether you’re trusting what the Lamb has done for you. Because when God sees the blood, judgment passes over, and people walk free
In Exodus, a lamb died so the firstborn could live. In the New Testament, John the Baptist looks at Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus became the substitute. The point of Passover wasn’t just that a lamb died somewhere in Egypt. The blood had to be applied to the door. Each household had to trust God enough to obey and place it there. And that’s still the question today: Not whether you know about the Lamb, not whether you admire the Lamb, but whether you’re trusting what the Lamb has done for you. Because when God sees the blood, judgment passes over, and people walk free
How does understanding Jesus as our Passover Lamb deepen your appreciation of the cross?
Have you trusted the Lamb and placed your faith in what Christ has done?
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