“And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”—Exodus 12:7

While the angel of death was passing through Egypt, each family of the Hebrews was to eat the lamb, that they were commanded to roast whole. This lamb was to be without disease or blemish of any kind. It was to be eaten with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs. This was to keep in their minds the cruel bondage they had suffered in consequence of their sins in forgetting God, and breaking His commandments. Eating bitter herbs was to remind them that they would reap the fruit of their doings however unwelcome it might be to them. The eating of the bitter herbs was also for the purpose of raising an inquiry in the minds of their children as to the reason of their doing this, and then the parents should relate to them their sufferings in Egypt and the wonderful power of God in their deliverance on that memorable night when they were hurried out of Egypt, by the Egyptians themselves….

The striking of the door-post with the blood of the slain lamb was to represent the blood of Christ to which they were to look forward.

Fifteen hundred years after this night, Jesus, the antitype of the paschal lamb, died upon the cross for the sins of the world. The lamb without blemish represented the spotless Lamb of God, without the taint of sin. As the houses of Israel were to be sprinkled with blood in order for the avenging angel to pass over them, so it will be necessary for us to repent of our sins and avail ourselves of the virtue of the blood of Christ to guard us from the avenging angel of God in the day of slaughter. Through Christ alone is our pardon to be obtained. His blood will protect us from a sin-avenging God.

While the institution of the passover was pointing backward to the miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews, it likewise pointed forward, showing the death of the Son of God before it transpired. In the last passover our Lord observed with His disciples, He instituted the Lord’s supper in place of the passover, to be observed in memory of His death. No longer had they need of the passover, for He, the great antitypical Lamb, was ready to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Type met antitype in the death of Christ.—The Youth’s Instructor, May 1873.

Further Reflection: How many times should I accept Christ’s atoning sacrifice for my sins?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“Behold, a sower went out to sow.”—Matthew 13:3

In the East the state of affairs was so unsettled, and there was so great danger from violence that the people dwelt chiefly in walled towns, and the husbandmen went forth daily to their labor outside the walls. So Christ, the heavenly Sower, went forth to sow. He left His home of security and peace, left the glory that He had with the Father before the world was, left His position upon the throne of the universe. He went forth, a suffering, tempted man; went forth in solitude, to sow in tears, to water with His blood, the seed of life for a world lost.

His servants in like manner must go forth to sow. When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” (Genesis 12:1). “And he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message from God, “Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him. Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered. In toil and tears, in solitude, and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown.

“The sower soweth the word.” Christ came to sow the world with truth. Ever since the fall of humanity, Satan has been sowing the seeds of error. It was by a lie that he first gained control over men and women, and thus he still works to overthrow God’s kingdom in the earth and to bring people under his power. A sower from a higher world, Christ came to sow the seeds of truth. He who had stood in the councils of God, who had dwelt in the innermost sanctuary of the Eternal, could bring to humans the pure principles of truth. Ever since the fall of humanity, Christ had been the Revealer of truth to the world. By Him the incorruptible seed, “the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever,” is communicated to men and women (1 Peter 1:23). In that first promise spoken to our fallen race in Eden, Christ was sowing the gospel seed. But it is to His personal ministry among humanity and to the work which He thus established that the parable of the sower especially applies.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 36-38.

Further Reflection: What seed can I sow for the kingdom of God today?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
      —Isaiah 40:11

Christ applied these prophecies to Himself, and He showed the contrast between His own character and that of the leaders in Israel. The Pharisees had just driven one from the fold, because he dared to bear witness to the power of Christ. They had cut off a soul whom the True Shepherd was drawing to Himself. In this they had shown themselves ignorant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of their trust as shepherds of the flock. Jesus now set before them the contrast between them and the Good Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real keeper of the Lord’s flock. Before doing this, however, He speaks of Himself under another figure.

He said, “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” The Pharisees did not discern that these words were spoken against them. When they reasoned in their hearts as to the meaning, Jesus told them plainly, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Christ is the Door to the Fold of God. Through this door all His children, from the earliest times, have found entrance. In Jesus, as shown in types, as shadowed in symbols, as manifested in the revelation of the prophets, as unveiled in the lessons given to His disciples, and in the miracles wrought for the sons of men and women, they have beheld “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and through Him they are brought within the fold of His grace….

The Pharisees had not entered by the door. They had climbed into the fold by another way than Christ, and they were not fulfilling the work of the true shepherd.—The Desire of Ages, 477, 478.

Further Reflection: If Jesus is the door of the fold of God’s flock, what is my role as an undershepherd working for and with Him?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”—Matthew 3:1, 2

Amid discord and strife, a voice was heard from the wilderness, a voice startling and stern, yet full of hope: “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” With a new, strange power it moved the people. Prophets had foretold the coming of Christ as an event far in the future; but here was an announcement that it was at hand. John’s singular appearance carried the minds of his hearers back to the ancient seers….

John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and called the people to repentance. As a symbol of cleansing from sin, he baptized them in the waters of the Jordan. Thus by a significant object lesson he declared that those who claimed to be the chosen people of God were defiled by sin, and that without purification of heart and life they could have no part in the Messiah’s kingdom.

Princes and rabbis, soldiers, publicans, and peasants came to hear the prophet. For a time the solemn warning from God alarmed them. Many were brought to repentance, and received baptism. Persons of all ranks submitted to the requirement of the Baptist, in order to participate in the kingdom he announced.

Many of the scribes and Pharisees came confessing their sins, and asking for baptism. They had exalted themselves as better than other people, and had led the people to entertain a high opinion of their piety; now the guilty secrets of their lives were unveiled. But John was impressed by the Holy Spirit that many of these people had no real conviction of sin. They were timeservers. As friends of the prophet, they hoped to find favor with the coming Prince. And by receiving baptism at the hands of this popular young teacher, they thought to strengthen their influence with the people.

John met them with the scathing inquiry, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance; and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”—The Desire of Ages, 104-106.

Further Reflection: If scribes and Pharisees during Jesus’ time could lose all conviction of sin, how can I avoid this fate in my life?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.—Hebrews 2:9

In these perilous times, when a form of godliness is popular in the world, and a profession of Christianity is fashionable, only a few will discern the living way of self-denial and cross-bearing. “Watch and pray” is the injunction of Him who endured temptation in our behalf. Christ knows our danger, for He has contended with our powerful foe. He knows that our enemy is on the track of all who are striving to do the right. With all his specious arts and devices, Satan seeks to ensnare the servants of God, and turn them from Christ into the broad path that leads to destruction. He watches our going out and our coming in, and, although unseen, he works earnestly and diligently, seeking to destroy those who are ignorant of his designs….

Through the influence of the evil one, even the religion of Christ has been perverted to the minds of many who profess to know and obey the truth. But no matter how high is your profession, you will not stand the test unless you are doers of the word of God. Those only who have a living, abiding principle in the heart, who will not turn aside to do anything that has even an appearance of evil, who will not venture to tarnish the soul with impurity, are washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. The washing of the robes of character must go on from day to day, that at last we may be found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but blameless before Him with whom we have to do. This work of purifying ourselves even as He is pure must be taken up individually. We should examine our motives, our actions, in the light of God’s holy law. We should ever ask, “Is this the way of the Lord?” Every earnest, sincere seeker will be answered of the Lord. The petitions of honest inquirers are always heard by the Author of our salvation. He has promised, “The meek will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way.” Angels of God are watching to see the development of our character; they are weighing moral worth; and may the great day of God reveal the fact that we have not been weighed in the balances and found wanting.—The Signs of the Times, May 25, 1891.

Further Reflection: When today will I examine the motives behind my actions?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names