The Lord taught the Israelites to observe the Passover once they entered into the Promised Land so they would always remember how the Lord killed every Egyptian firstborn to deliver them. Year after year, the Israelites observed the Passover, and they became more and more familiar with the Lord’s teachings on the firstborn—the firstborn belongs to the Lord, the firstborn must be redeemed, and redemption always required blood.
Then came one day many years later, a Passover unlike any other. Each Passover before then reminded the Israelites of the Lord’s deliverance from bondage at the grip of Pharaoh. The Last Supper would remind the world for all eternity of the Lord’s deliverance from a bondage far greater than Egypt. There was the Passover lamb at every Passover, but at the Passover that year, there was no lamb. How does one have a Passover without a lamb? The Passover Lamb was Christ. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
The OT Passover lamb was a type. It foreshadowed and pointed to a better and true Passover Lamb. In the same way the Passover lamb must be without defect, the Lord Jesus was without defect. In the same way there must be no bone broken with the Passover lamb, there was no bone broken of our Lord Jesus. Most significantly, in the same way the blood of the Passover lamb smeared across the doorpost caused the destroyer to pass over a house, the blood of the Lamb of God causes the Lord’s judgment to pass over the sinner and give him eternal life.
1 Peter 1:19 ...but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. John 19:32–33 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of you would ask me, “What does this have to do with the firstborn?” I am glad you asked. The Passover Lamb, Jesus, is called the “firstborn” in the Scriptures. As a matter of fact, the Bible calls Jesus the firstborn, not once, but over and over again.
Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren... Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Hebrews 1:6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” Revelation 1:5a ...and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
In the OT, the Lord called Israel his son, his firstborn. In the NT, Jesus is called the “firstborn”. There are many things we may say about Israel and Jesus that are the same by virtue of being the Lord’s firstborns. But there is difference between them, and this is extremely important. Even though we learned as early as in Exodus that the Lord went, and will go, to great lengths to protect his firstborn, Israel, he did not do the same for his firstborn, Jesus. In fact, at the cross, Jesus became the enemy of the Lord. He bore the full wrath unleashed by the Father.
Mark 15:34
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
In the tenth plague, the firstborn of the Lord, Israel, was redeemed with the blood of the Egyptian firstborns and the blood of the Passover lamb. We cannot say the same for the firstborn of the Father. There was no blood shed for Jesus. There was no redemption for Jesus. But even though this firstborn, Jesus, the Father did not redeem, he was the means of redemption. Jesus, as the firstborn of the Father, became the substitute for the Lord’s firstborn, Israel. The Lord’s love for his firstborn, Israel, was so great he would not withhold the sacrifice of Jesus, the firstborn whom he loved.
The story gets even better. In Christ Jesus, the Father claims his full right to his firstborn, Israel. Did you catch what I just said? Even though you and I are not firstborn of Israel, when we, by faith, accept the true firstborn Son of the Father as our Savior, if I may say it this way, we become firstborn of Israel. I would never say there is no difference between Israel and us, for as a minimum, Israel was entrusted with the oracles of God. But with respect to redemption, we are redeemed by the blood of the Passover Lamb in the same way as the firstborn of the Lord, Israel. The Father redeemed us not because we were righteous, lovely, or good. He redeemed us not because we were better than Israel. He redeemed us because of pure grace. Our sins are forgiven. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why shouldn’t we be, of all people, the most thankful on the planet?
Isaiah 53:6-7
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Let me say it again: you and I were not firstborn. By faith, we became firstborn. As the firstborn, we no longer belong to us. A redemption has already taken place, and it signals to us we belong to the Lord. We were bought with a price, and the redemption is complete. For this reason, we live our lives to the glory of our Father, who is in heaven. To him be all honor and praise, through and through.
1 Peter 1:18–21
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, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.