Table Talk
October 1, 2023 Speaker: Brian Wilbur Series: The Lord's Supper
Topic: The Lord's Supper Passage: Exodus 12:3–41
TABLE TALK
The Passover Feast and the Lord’s Supper
By Pastor Brian Wilbur
Date: October 1, 2023
Series: The Lord’s Supper
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
In this morning’s message I would like to take the opportunity to prepare us for our participation in the Lord’s Supper. On the first Lord’s Day of each month we symbolically gather around the Table and partake of a small piece of bread and a small cup of grape juice. We ought to be diligent to make sure that this monthly practice does not devolve into an empty ritual. This means that our hearts and minds must be informed about the meaning of the Supper. But it is not enough to be informed, for we must also be worshipful partakers of the Meal. What follows is not a comprehensive guide to Communion, but a selective focus on a few aspects of Communion that should be helpful to us all.
THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT
Holy Scripture says:
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. (Exodus 12:21-27)
AN OPENING WORD TO FATHERS
As we begin to unpack this passage, I’d like to start in a place that would be easy to overlook. Israelites experienced the original Passover event in their respective households – and in the future, they were to keep the Passover festival in their households. The Passover celebration was decentralized, and it was the responsibility of the head of household – the father – to see to it that the entire household kept the Passover feast according to God’s instruction. This helps us to understand verses 26-27, where Moses envisions children asking their fathers, “What do you mean by this service?” The answer is not: ‘Good question, go ask the local priest; good question, go ask the nearest prophet; good question, go ask the pastor.’ The father himself was to be a competent teacher of God’s statutes and ordinances. Thus Moses tells fathers what to say in verse 27, which we’ll come back to. Moses was equipping fathers to shepherd their families. Of course, the father had a much greater responsibility than simply memorizing the single sentence that Moses gave him in verse 27. Fathers were to teach God’s words diligently to their children, as Deuteronomy 6 and the Book of Proverbs make so clear, and mothers also were to impart sound instruction to their children, as the Book of Proverbs also makes clear.
Now just think for a moment about how important it is that biblical theology actually be the core curriculum of every family. Your household is the center of operations for your entire life, and you spend a massive amount of time in your house and massive amounts of time with the members of your family. If your household isn’t pumping the lifeblood of good theology into the arteries and extremities of your everyday life, then your household is setting you up to live an ungodly life. On the other hand, if your household is the perpetual training ground for learning and practicing God’s ways, then you will be equipped to be the savory salt and bright light that God intends.
Further, the fact that God ordained the Passover feast to be celebrated household by household, shows us that God intends for us to experience His redeeming grace up close and personal, with the people that we are closest to. If you know Israel’s circumstances at the time of the original Passover event, then you know that they were slaves in the land of Egypt. The Israelites probably numbered around two million (since the men alone numbered six hundred thousand according to Exodus 12:37). They lived apart from the Egyptians in the land of Goshen. Now the Lord could have told Moses to kill one lamb, and have blood from that one lamb applied to the gate of Goshen. But in that case, the vast majority of Israelites would have been so far removed from the blood of the sacrificed lamb, that the whole event would have been less visible, less tangible, less personal, less participatory. But less visible, less tangible, less personal, and less participatory is not the Lord’s way. Instead, the Lord’s way is for every household to participate in the Passover in an up close and personal way.
While today’s sermon is not primarily about the responsibility of fathers and mothers to teach their children the ways of the Lord, I do hope that this passage impresses upon you your holy assignment from the Lord. Although there are some differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament in terms of how God’s covenant is administered to His people, the centrality of the household to godly discipleship remains constant. Dads and Moms, you bear primary responsibility for teaching the gospel to your children. Dads and Moms, you bear primary responsibility for teaching your children about the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper – and not only for teaching your children about these ordinances, but for preparing your children to partake of them. Dads and Moms, you bear primary responsibility for explaining God’s promises and standards to your children. Moreover, you bear primary responsibility for setting an example to your children by believing, cherishing, and practicing the truth in your own life. As you do these things, your children will come face to face with biblical discipleship, which is up close and personal, relational and conversational, thick with real life dynamics, gracious and warm, patient and yet also demanding – and all of it must be governed by God’s Word. On this pathway of biblical discipleship, each household actively participates in what God is doing with and through the whole congregation.
WALKING THROUGH THE PASSOVER IN EXODUS 12
As we walk through the Passover as it unfolds in Exodus 12, notice the very active role of each household.
Verses 3-4
The Passover feast meant that each household was to have a lamb of its own, or in the case of a small households each pair of households was to have a lamb of their own:
“Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.” (Exodus 12:3-4)
Verse 5
Each household was to know and understand that the lamb taken was to be a perfect and spotless lamb:
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5).
Verse 6
Each household was to know and understand and experience that their own unblemished lamb was to be sacrificed:
“and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregational of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.” (Exodus 12:6)
Verse 7
Each household was to know and understand and see that blood from the sacrificed lamb was to be applied to the entrance of their home:
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” (Exodus 12:7)
Verses 8-9
Each household was to know and understand and taste that the meat from the sacrificed lamb was to be literally internalized by eating it:
“They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.” (Exodus 12:8-9)
Verse 10
Each household was to know and understand that the Passover meal was a holy meal:
“And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.” (Exodus 12:10)
It is quite right to enjoy the leftovers of ordinary meals. But the Passover is not an ordinary meal.
Verse 11
Each household was to know and understand and dress in such a way that they were ready for action. The Passover meal was not like a classic American Thanksgiving meal, in which overfed people have no choice but to take refuge on the sofa while they watch men on a football field on the big screen undertake all the action. Participants in the Passover meal were themselves to be ready for action:
“In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.” (Exodus 12:11)
When you are on the cusp of redemption, you don’t allow yourself to get into a long and drawn-out food coma. You remain attentive and watchful; you let the gravity and holiness of the moment have its proper effect on your outlook; you await your marching orders because, in point of fact, they were soon to be summoned out of their households in Egypt, and never to return.
Verses 11c-13
Each household was to know and understand that the lamb’s blood, applied to the doorway of their house, saved them from God’s judgment:
“It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:11c-13)
Verses 21-22
Each household was to know and understand that they had to take refuge under the blood of the lamb. After receiving the instruction from the Lord earlier in the chapter, starting in verse 21 Moses actually communicates the Lord’s instruction to the men of Israel:
“Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.” (Exodus 12:21-22)
Let this last part of verse 22 sink in. Commenting on this text, R. J. Rushdoony comments,
“The requirement to remain in the house all night at the first Passover meant that the blood of the lamb was their shelter…. On this occasion, the blood plus the requirement to remain indoors made clear that their only security and shelter was in God’s atonement.”[1]
The blood applied to the doorway of the house gave protection to the people who were in the house. If you were inside a house where the blood had been applied to the doorway, then you were in God’s appointed shelter, under the protection of the blood of the lamb, which had died as a sacrifice in your place. If you ventured outside the door of the house, you put yourself in grave danger.
Verse 23
Each Israelite household was to know and understand that the fundamental difference between an Israelite household and an Egyptian household was that Israelite households were recipients of undeserved grace, whereas Egyptian households were recipients of deserved judgment. Ponder these words:
“For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” (Exodus 12:23)
Notice what verse 23 doesn’t say. Verse 23 doesn’t say, ‘For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, but when he sees the spiritual beauty and moral excellence of the inhabitants of your household, the Lord will pass over your house and not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to stroke you.’ That would be salvation by our own good works, salvation by our own moral excellence, salvation by our own impressive record of exquisite obedience. But there would be no salvation in that case, for if you know anything about the Israelites, then you know that they were very much like the Egyptians – ungodly, ungrateful, fleshly, and idolatrous. I want to quote R. J. Rushdoony one more time. He said,
“There is a very important aspect to the passover which must not be overlooked. Plagues one through three hit both Egypt and Goshen; plagues four through nine struck Egypt alone. Both Egyptians and Hebrews were now vulnerable to the tenth plague, which set forth God’s judgment on all unatoned sin. Thus, Israel had to realize that in God’s sight they also merited judgment and death, even as Egypt did. Their only deliverance was by placing the blood of God’s appointed lamb between themselves and God. They had no other immunity from the plague, from death. Being the descendants of Abraham gave them no protection: only the substitutionary blood could do that.”[2]
So, the fundamental difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians is found in this sobering reality: the Lord sovereignly decided to bestow grace on the Israelites, and He sovereignly decided to bestow judgment on the Egyptians. All had sinned; all had fallen short of the glory of God; all deserved to be ruined by God’s wrath. But the Lord demonstrated His sovereign decision to bestow grace on the Israelites by giving them, and only them, the gift of an atoning sacrifice, the gift of a lamb to interpose its blood between the holy judge and the sinful Israelites. As Israelites were sitting in their respective households, they should have contemplated and said something like this: ‘We are sinful people who deserve to be struck down like the Egyptians. Thanks be to God for the blood of the lamb, by which we are saved.’ As Christians gathered around the Lord’s Table, we should contemplate and declare the same thing: ‘We are sinful people who deserve to be struck down like everyone else. Thanks be to God for the blood of the lamb, by which we are saved.’
Verses 29-32
While the Israelites were safe under the blood of the lamb, the Egyptians had no such protection:
“At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”” (Exodus 12:29-32)
Verses 40-41
Having been prepared for action, the Israelites did indeed arise and depart from the land of Egypt:
“The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:40-41)
Verses 24-27
Now notice that the original Passover event was to be commemorated with an annual observance:
“You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.” (Exodus 12:24-25)
The point of “[observing] this rite” and “[keeping] this service” is to remember – to remember the gracious salvation that the Lord had freely bestowed upon them. Each household was to celebrate and remember the grace in which they stood. Moses gives Israelite households a concise question and answer by which they can teach the meaning of the annual Passover festival. The children say, “What do you mean by this service?” (Exodus 12:26) Dad answers, “It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.” (Exodus 12:27)
After receiving this instruction before the original Passover event, “the people bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 12:27) So should we, because we are the recipients of a great salvation that we don’t deserve and could never earn. When God’s gracious salvation is received properly and humbly, it doesn’t lead us to feel entitled; instead, salvation causes us to be grateful and give glory to the Lord who, in mercy, saved us.
REMEMBER THE LORD’S GRACIOUS GIFT OF SALVATION
Building upon this Passover foundation in Exodus 12, let’s dig deeper into the act of remembering the Lord’s gracious gift of salvation. One indispensable key to spiritual health is remembering what God has done for us. The Israelites needed to remember where they had come from, how they had become a free people, and what that freedom required of them. Just consider a brief catalogue of questions and answers that narrate Israel’s redemption.
A Short Catechism Narrating Israel’s Redemption
Question: O Israel, what were your people in time past?
Answer: We were slaves in the land of Egypt.
Question: What happened to your people’s Egyptian overlords?
Answer: The Lord humiliated Egypt with many plagues, struck down all their firstborn of both man and beast, and destroyed their army in the Red Sea.
Question: What happened to your people?
Answer: The Lord made a distinction between us and the Egyptians; the Lord passed over our houses; the Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt, led us through the sea, and brought us into the promised land.
Question: Why did the Lord pass over the houses of your people?
Answer: Not because of any merit of our own, but because the blood of a sacrificed lamb was applied to the doorframe of our houses. We were spared by God’s grace through faith in the blood of the lamb.
Question: For what purpose did the Lord bring your people into the promised land?
Answer: That we might keep His statues and observe His laws, just as Psalm 105:45 says.
Deuteronomy 6:20-25
Now let’s pause right here. I’d like to put the question and answer from Exodus 12:26-27 side by side with the question and answer from Deuteronomy 6:
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’ (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
Two Sides of the Precious Coin of Redemption
The Exodus 12:26-27 question and answer, and the Deuteronomy 6:20-25 question and answer, are two sides of the same coin – the two sides of the same precious coin of redemption. The emphasis of the Exodus 12:26-27 question and answer is God’s gracious act of salvation in and of itself: “It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover”. This is our foundation. But this foundation has a larger purpose. God’s purpose in saving people isn’t so that saved people merely breathe. God’s purpose in sparing people isn’t so that spared people merely exist. And so, the emphasis of the Deuteronomy 6 Q & A is the impact that God’s gracious act of salvation must have in our everyday lives. God’s purpose is and has always been that His redeemed people flourish in practical righteousness: we stand in awe of the Lord and demonstrate our love for Him by keeping His testimonies, statutes, and rules, all of which are truly for our good always.
Whenever we come to the Table, it is fitting that we remember both sides of this redemption coin: first and foremost, we remember what the Lord graciously did for us at the cross; and secondly, we also remember His saving purpose to transform our lives into reflections of His character.
A Short Catechism Narrating Our Redemption
Question: O Church, what were your people in time past?
Answer: We were slaves to sin and captives in the domain of darkness.
Question: What happened to these vicious overlords called sin and death?
Answer: The Lord of life had all the rights and privileges of the firstborn of heaven. And yet, as God’s chosen Lamb, He entered into the realm of sin and death, and was struck down as a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of His people. By His death on the cross, He atoned for sin and emptied death of its power. By His resurrection, He opened wide the gate of salvation for all who would ever call upon His name.
Question: What is the meaning of this Communion service?
Answer: It is the Lord’s Passover: the bread represents His body that was sacrificed for us, the cup represents His blood that was shed for us. The Father executed judgment on His Son in our place, thereby vanquishing the power of sin and death for our sake. When the Father sees the Mediator’s precious blood interposed between Him (who is holy) and us (who are sinful), He does – as it were – pass over us, removing our sentence of condemnation and declaring us to be righteous in His sight.
Question: Why does the Father pass over you?
Answer: Not because of any merit of our own, but because the Lamb of God shed His blood and thereby obtained for His people all the benefits of God’s gracious salvation. We are gloriously saved by God’s grace through faith in the blood of the crucified Lamb.
Question: For what purpose did the Father bring your people into the kingdom of His beloved Son?
Answer: That we might keep His statues and observe His laws, just as Psalm 105:45 says.
COMING TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
Remember all that Jesus is for us
The Lord’s Supper is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind meal. The Lord Jesus Christ is the host of the meal. Our Lord is the Lamb of God – the One who takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb is the host of the meal. He invites us to come and gather around Him and remember. The Lamb is the sacrifice: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Lamb is also the meal. Remember, the Israelites applied the blood of the lamb to the doorframe (the lamb is the sacrifice), and they also ate the meat of the lamb as an actual meal (the lamb is the meal). We feed on Christ, spiritually speaking. He is our life, our nourishment, and our strength.
As the Lamb is the host, we remember that our own individual track record would never qualify us for a place at the Table. Entitlement and individual accomplishments have no place at this Table. We either come at His gracious invitation, or else we are trespassing on holy property.
As the Lamb is the sacrifice, we remember that we are a guilty people. There is nothing that we could do to successfully atone for our sins. Sin involves us in breaking the perfect law of a holy God; sin renders us unclean and unfit for any good work; and sin exacts such a price that we couldn’t pay it if we had a thousand life-times to do it – in fact, a thousand life-times would only drive us deeper into debt. Jesus alone is the Righteous Redeemer whose perfect sacrifice answers the perfect law of a holy God.
As the Lamb is the meal, we remember that we are a weak and needy people. We need bread, provision, strength. The Lord is this bread – the bread of life – who nourishes and sustains His people. Jesus says regarding the bread, “Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) Jesus says regarding the cup, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28)
Remember how Jesus transforms our lives
The Lamb who is the host, the sacrifice, and the meal, is the Lord who instructs us how to live. He says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) And Communion itself is a powerful teacher that shows us how to live as Christ’s redeemed people.
Before Jesus inaugurated the very first Lord’s Supper, which itself was a fulfillment of and transposition of the Passover feast, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. On a practical level, the foot-washing emphasizes humbly serving others; on a spiritual level, the foot-washing emphasizes forgiving others. Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)
So, let me conclude this message with seven practical lessons that we should take away with us whenever we come to the Table.
1) When we come to this Table, we remember that our Lord and Teacher has humbly and gladly served us. When we leave this Table, we go forth to humbly and gladly serve one another.
2) When we come to this Table, we remember that our Lord donned the form of a servant in order to meet our deepest needs. When we leave this Table, we go forth considering it a great privilege to meet a portion of each other’s needs: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:16-17) Let the grace and gravity of Communion open your heart to your brothers and sisters.
3) When we come to this Table, we remember that our Lord and Savior has forgiven us a great debt. When we leave this Table, we go forth to forgive one another, lay down our grievances, set aside all bitterness, and walk in peace toward each other.
4) When we come to this Table, we remember that our Lord invites the whole community of believers to share the meal together. We don’t come to the Table as lone rangers, but as members of God’s family. When we leave this Table, we go forth to welcome one another in the same way that the Lord has welcomed us (see Romans 15:7).
5) When we come to this Table, we remember that the Lord who loves His people doesn’t show favoritism on account of our personal, cultural, or economic advantages, and He doesn’t despise anyone on account of personal, cultural, or economic disadvantages. When we leave this Table, we go forth to practice a truly Christ-centered community: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, save, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, [put on] compassionate hearts….” (Colossians 3:11-12)
6) When we come to this Table, we remember that our Lord paid dearly for our many sins. Treating sin lightly is simply not an option for anyone who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good. A crucified-for-sin King teaches you to love Him, and hate sin. We must learn to speak honestly about sin, which is so egregious that the death of the King is the only way out of it. When we leave this Table, we go forth to live a holy life.
7) When we come to this Table, we remember that in the face of great injustice and unjust suffering, our Lord “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:22-23) In all this, Christ “[left] you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) Therefore, when we leave this Table, we go forth to patiently endure evil.
Brothers and sisters, eat and drink the Supper of the Lord, and let His gospel shape your life.
As the apostle Paul said to the Galatians: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5)
ENDNOTES
[1] Rousas John Rushdoony, Exodus (Commentaries on the Pentateuch). Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2004: p. 138-139.
[2] Rousas John Rushdoony, Exodus (Commentaries on the Pentateuch). Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2004: p. 139.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rushdoony, Rousas John, Exodus (Commentaries on the Pentateuch). Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2004.