Holy Thursday April 2, 2026
“The Passover” Exodus 12-13
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
The events of this evening, Holy Thursday, have their origins in the Book of Exodus, at the Passover meal. “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us the eat the Passover.’” (Luke 22:7-8)
The Passover was rooted in the great needs of the people of Israel. They had become slaves in Egypt and were mistreated for hundreds of years. There was no future for them and their children and for the generations to come, in that country or in that situation. They sensed hopelessness and were in a desperate situation.
Where do you go when all hope is lost, and situations are too hard and heavy? I hope you go to God. Everything about the meal that night was a reliance about what God would do for them. God was going to use a substitute for them for their redemption and deliverance. They were to take a lamb, a year old, one without any blemish and sacrifice it. Then they would take the blood from the lamb and cover the entrance to their house with the blood. Blood would go over the doorposts and the top of the door. All those who lived in that house were covered by the blood of that lamb.
You see, this was the 10th and final plague that God was to bring upon the gods of Egypt. God had shown His power again and again to Pharaoh and those who trusted in Egypt’s false gods. He told them that His people, the people of Israel, were going to leave slavery and experience the freedom of living in their Promised Land.
But Pharaoh wouldn’t budge. To this request for freedom Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)
So God acted. Those households who were covered in the blood of that sacrificial lamb were saved. The angel of death passed over them. Those who were not covered by the blood faced the death of their firstborn. On that night, the night of the Passover, Israel was saved and they began their exodus from Egypt.
Did you know that the Hebrew calendar changed that night? That event changed how the Jews count days. In Exodus 12 God said, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.” (Exodus 12:2) A day of deliverance, a day of grace, a new day for them changed their yearly calendar. It was a day rooted in a substitute for their sin. It was a day rooted in blood. It was a day immersed in faith.
Jesus, on that Thursday, told His followers that they had to eat the Passover meal. And during that meal the thoughts of substitute, blood and faith became center. And now it wasn’t just any lamb, now it was the Lamb of God, who would give His life for them. We read in Matthew’s biography of Jesus’ life, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)
Tonight we celebrate that fulfillment of the Passover Lamb – who is Jesus. John the Baptizer would say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Isaiah would say, “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7) In the Revelation of St. John we read about the saints in heaven, “Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they and where did they come from?’ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:13-14)
What do you do when you come to this meal? What do you receive at this altar? This is the Lord’s Passover – completed in Jesus Christ. In Corinthians Paul says that very thing, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (I Corinthians 10:16)
In John 6 Jesus speaks about this gift in this way, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58)
What you see in the Old Testament Passover and then the New Testament Supper is:
The substitute. (The lamb; Thee Lamb)
- The blood.
- The faith.
They actually had to take the blood from that lamb and put it on the sides and the top of the front door of their homes. That took faith. I notice some of the words that you speak quietly when you take the sacrament. One gentleman says, “Thanks be to God” every time he receives the meal. Another says, “Thank you, Jesus.” One man would have tears in his eyes. This last Sunday I repeated the words, “For me…For me.” I needed to say that this meal was given to me, personally.
You know the Aaronic Benediction, don’t you? You have it placed on you every Sunday. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his face upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) Here’s what I find quite interesting, “It’s a personal pronoun, not plural. It’s you, not you all. Singular you denotes a focus that’s individual and intimate, particular and personal. God’s care is cosmic and universal – to be sure. Yet to emphasize the value God places on you, He employs singular you six times in this benediction. It’s you, you, you, you, you and you! ‘I will bless you!’” (Reed Lessing, “Deliver Us”, Page 151) “This is my body, given for you.” “This is my blood, shed for you.”
On that Thursday evening Jesus took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around His waist and began to wash and dry His disciple’s feet. They were about to receive the Passover meal and Jesus was preparing them to receive it properly. But when He came to Peter, Peter objected. He said to Jesus, “You shall never wash my feet.” And Jesus responded, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” And Peter, knowing his need, said, “Not just my feet but my hands and my head as well.” (See John 13:8-9)
Today, on this most blessed Thursday we need Jesus to wash us and feed us and bless us. Every single one of us. And He will and He does. Amen!!
