On the Sunday before Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate what has become commonly known as “Palm Sunday.” Palm Sunday recognizes the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey while people laid palm branches on the ground before Him. The crowd hailed Him “Son of David,” which is a title of God’s Messiah.
The disciples “brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this!” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matt. 21:7-11)
This triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem occured on the Sunday before Jesus was crucified. Not incidentally, on the Jewish calendar, it was 10th day of Nisan (written as Nisan 10).
To the majority of Christians today, the date of Nisan 10, could seem insignificant. But, for a first century Jew, this was a highly important date on their calendar. Nisan 10, was the designated date for the selection of the Passover lamb, instituted by the Lord God himself.
God had given specific requirements for observing Passover. One of those requirements was in selecting an acceptable Passover lamb on a specific date. “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ‘This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household” (Exod. 12:1-3). That lamb was to become their Passover lamb.
That is why the date of Nisan 10, for early Jews, was known as “lamb selection day.”
When selecting their Passover lamb, it couldn’t be just any animal. Their sacrificial lamb must meet all God’s required qualifications for a Passover lamb. It had to be a chosen animal that would pass a thorough inspection to ascertain there were no visible signs of disease, scabs, sores, deformities, undernourishment, etc. This lamb was to be totally “without defect” of any sort. So, the Passover lamb couldn’t have even a small blemish, or it would be dismissed as unacceptable.
This Passover lamb (without blemish) was a foreshadowing, portraying what Christ would fulfill by giving His life “as a ransom for many” on a cross at Calvary. For, Jesus was the true “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
It’s important to note: when Jesus rode into Jerusalem while the crowd praised His worthiness, it was on “lamb selection day.” For, God was working His plan for the salvation of man, even though the crowd was oblivious to what was right in front of them. That is, the true fulfillment of the Passover Lamb was in Jesus of Nazareth.
As the people shouted their praises of His worthiness and specifically called Him by the Messianic title of “Son of David,” they were actually examining Jesus and acknowledging Him as “Christ, our Passover lamb” (1 Cor. 5:8).
The Passover lamb “without defect,” points to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
Except from Chapter 12:
Grow in the Grace: Spirtual Growth Lessons from Peter’s Walk with Jesus
“Without realizing it, the Israelites’ actions acknowledged and affirmed Jesus as the promised Passover Lamb, chosen precisely on God’s ordained day to select a lamb for Passover. It was no coincidence.
God institued the Passover centuries before, putting this holy observance in place as a foreshadowing of His Christ. In His redemptive death on the cross, Jesus became our Passover Lamb, unveiling the true meaning and fulfillment of why the Jewish feast was put in place.”
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