As Passover approaches, Christians are called to focus intensely on Jesus Christ and the depth of our relationship with Him. God, through the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 11, emphasizes the necessity of participating in this solemn memorial of Christ's death with careful preparation. Each individual must thoroughly examine himself, acknowledging the immense cost paid on his behalf. This examination, as intended by God, is not for self-condemnation but for an honest evaluation of our relationship with the One who sacrificed for us, to whom we owe complete allegiance. In the critical hours before His crucifixion, Jesus provided profound guidance for this self-examination. In John 15:11-19, He instructs His disciples on the night before His sacrifice, emphasizing the command to love one another as He has loved us. He declares that the greatest love is to lay down one's life for friends, naming His followers friends rather than servants, for He has shared all He heard from His Father with them. Jesus chose them out of the world to bear lasting fruit and to love one another, despite the world's hatred, mirroring the hatred He faced. This unique relationship among the brethren, separated from the world to Christ, is a vital aspect of the judgment described in I Corinthians 11:31. As we prepare for Passover, a key element of our evaluation must be whether we are truly fulfilling the responsibilities of God's friends in our relationships with one another. God has ordained that we produce fruit through loving relationships within the Body of Christ, distinct from the world, fostering a friendship that binds us to Christ and sets us apart.

The Passover, properly understood, is not a sin offering but a form of the peace offering, distinct yet following its general pattern. Known also as a thanksgiving or fellowship offering, the peace offering acknowledges sin through the symbolic transference of placing hands on the animal and sprinkling blood on the altar, but it is a sweet-smelling sacrifice, pleasing to God. Unlike the sin offering made outside the camp, the peace offering pictures the effect of atoned sins, allowing peaceful fellowship with God. It represents God, the priest, and the individual sharing a meal in harmony, satisfied not just by food but by the peace among them, including the Most High God Himself. The Passover celebrates the relationship between God and the individual being on good terms, a cause for extreme gratitude. In Genesis 14:18-20, Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, brings out bread and wine, officiating a fellowship meal with Abraham. His words focus on Abraham's blessed condition due to God's favor, not on sin, emphasizing the relationship and peace between Abraham and God, with sins in the distant background. In Exodus 12:5-11, the Passover lamb, without blemish, is eaten all at once, mirroring peace offering instructions, with blood as a sign of favor in God's eyes during judgment. The focus is on the shared meal and the state of favor with God, not on payment for sin, despite the gravity of surrounding events. Each household was tremendously blessed to be connected with the Creator God, in a privileged state while Egypt faced devastation. At Christ's final Passover in Luke 22:14-20, His fervent desire was for fellowship with His disciples, not focused on their sin or His impending crucifixion. Though His shed blood acknowledges sin, the meal with bread and wine signifies acceptance by God, imparting spiritual strength and eternal life through peace and fulfillment in fellowship. Christ's teachings in John 13-17 echo themes of love, peace, joy, and union with the Father and Son, without mentioning sins, highlighting the shared grace and overcoming of estrangement. Remarkably, this fellowship occurred before the sacrifice for sin was accomplished, as God counted their sins covered based on the forthcoming work of Jesus Christ. Thus, there is no duplication between the Passover and the Day of Atonement. While Atonement pictures the payment and complete removal of sin, the Passover is a feast celebrating the fellowship and intimacy now shared with God, emphasizing the broader scope of Christ's work on our behalf.

The Passover, as observed in the New Testament, bears a striking resemblance to a peace offering. A peace offering symbolizes the offeror, the priest, and God sharing a meal in peace and secure fellowship, an occasion of thankfulness for God's actions and the acceptance of the offeror by God. It conveys a sense of well-being, reflecting that all parties are on good terms. In this context, death is present, but it does not symbolize the payment for sins; rather, it represents a life given for the sake of fellowship and gratitude. A living being is sacrificed to provide the occasion for people, priests, and God to symbolically fellowship over a meal. The peace offering's sense of well-being ties directly to the Passover, with the Hebrew word for peace closely related to "shalom," encompassing the presence of all that is good and the absence of all that is not. Peace, in this sense, is more than the absence of conflict; it includes internal calmness, freedom from fear, anxiety, or tension, and a feeling that all is right in one's world. Jesus Himself expressed a fervent desire to eat the Passover with His disciples before His suffering, setting aside the anticipation of pain to enjoy an environment of peace made possible by a relationship with God on good terms and the abundance that flows from the Father. He desired this occasion not for physical food, but for the fellowship and what God provided through it. As a sacrificial meal, the Passover unites us with God and with others who partake of it, becoming one through sharing the one bread, which is Christ. This fellowship is a primary effect of the Passover, aligning participants with the true God and distinguishing it from pagan practices that align with false gods or demons. Our observance of the Passover demonstrates our desire to be one with Him, showing through our actions where our loyalty lies. The bread and wine of Passover symbolically join us with Christ, making us one with God and with fellow believers in thankful and peaceful fellowship. Moreover, the Passover as a type of peace offering carries the theme of acceptance by God, such that He shares a meal with man. Our acceptance is based on Christ's sinless life, and we partake of that perfect life at Passover. Just as bread strengthens physically, the bread of life strengthens us spiritually by partaking of the sinless life of the Creator. The peace offering also imparts a refreshing strength to the people, enabling them to serve and fulfill what God requires of them. Similarly, the Passover, when observed properly, provides the spiritual strength needed to carry out God's will, as exemplified by Christ, who, after the Passover supper, served by washing the disciples' feet and completed His service on the stake. Christ desired the Passover feast before His suffering to receive what God provided through it, enabling Him to finish the work His Father had given Him to do. The Passover is a solemn yet joyful celebration of peace, well-being, and acceptance by God because of Jesus Christ. It is a memorial of Christ's death that sealed the covenant, as well as a grateful observance of our spiritual abundance and hope due to God's faithfulness. God's mercy underlies the fellowship He initiates through the Passover, focusing on ongoing communion with the Father and the Son, and with those who partake of the one, living Bread.

Passover centers on Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world, embodying a human sacrifice of the most sublime quality. At Passover, the focus is on the payment for sin through His sacrifice, highlighting the grace of God to justify us through Christ's blood. This monumental sacrifice must be fittingly remembered, ensuring that it does not become a mere ritual or pious habit, which would diminish its significance if Christ is not truly honored with understanding and appreciation. The purpose of Passover is not merely to recall historical events but to grasp the profound meaning of Christ's death. To take Passover worthily, we must examine ourselves, discerning the Lord's body, and seriously consider its meaning to avoid treating His death unworthily. Despite this self-examination, the focus remains on the payment for our sins and the means by which we are forgiven, concentrating on the elementary precepts of our salvation and the pivotal role Jesus Christ plays in it. Passover forces us to confront our weakness against Christ's strength, our need against His abundance, and our sinfulness against His perfection. The theme of Passover is the awesome cost of salvation, manifested in the sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose sinlessness was not mechanical but filled with sympathy, empathy, compassion, kindness, and concern for the helpless slaves of sin. This understanding should evoke revulsion that our sins caused such an injustice as His death, while also inspiring appreciation, indebtedness, and thanksgiving by turning away from sin.

Passover, as a profound expression of peace offering, underscores our deep sense of obligation to God for the immense sacrifice made on our behalf. This season reminds us of Christ's death, the supreme example of unselfish, sacrificial service and love, freely given by the Father and Son out of beneficent goodwill for our well-being. When we partake in the Passover service, we are instructed to do this in remembrance of Him, ensuring that His sacrifice remains central in our minds, filling us with wonder and awe at the price paid for our redemption. This remembrance is not meant to be a burden but a motivation to love, addressing the debt we could not pay ourselves. Our fellowship during Passover is primarily with Christ, a communion and act of devotion where He is both the host and symbolically the feast itself, reinforcing the foundation of all loving relationships. As we approach this season, we are encouraged to seek a deeper understanding of our own nature in contrast to what Christ was, did, and is, fostering an awe-inspiring sense of indebtedness that realigns our attitudes and directs us toward godly love.

The peace offering, as described in Leviticus 3:1-5, reveals a profound teaching through its ritual. The offerer brought the offering to the altar, laid hands on it, and slew it, while the priest sprinkled the blood upon and around the altar. The animal was then cut up, with God's portion, primarily fat and the two kidneys, placed on the burning burnt and meal offerings. The priest received the breast and right shoulder, and the offerer took the remainder to eat within one or two days, depending on the type of offering, with any leftovers burned on the third day. This process symbolizes satisfaction for all parties—God, priest, and man—as they share the same meal, depicting peaceful communion and fellowship. Placed atop the burnt and meal offerings, the peace offering connects directly to them, illustrating the effect of perfect devotion to God and man, resulting in peaceful satisfaction, the fruit of keeping the two great commandments. The peace offering further shows man, as represented by Christ, accepted, fed, strengthened, and satisfied through sacrifice, emphasizing that sacrifice is the essence of love, whether to God or man. It highlights the role of sacrifice in acceptance before God, spiritual feeding, strength, and satisfaction. Devoted individuals sacrifice for those they love, indicating devotion to God through the burnt offering and devotion in service to man through the meal offering. The peace offering represents the consequence of such devotion, producing peace, harmony, abundance, prosperity, good health, thankfulness for blessings, and deliverance from difficulty. This offering, likely the most commonly made, serves as a daily reminder to give thanks, praise, and blessing to God for His abundant mercy and providence.

As we approach Passover, it is fitting to reflect on God's new creation, which begins with the creation of the new man, of whom Christ is the Firstfruits, the first and preeminent. This new creation will culminate in His building a new heaven and a new earth, where unity, not division, defines the environment of fellowship and peace. Christ's sacrifice serves as a type of peace offering, restoring fellowship between God and man, and between man and man, whether Jew or Gentile. Through His faithful obedience to His Father, the two members of the Jew/Gentile pairing become one, creating a spiritual amalgamation. This unity reflects God's method of breaking down the dividing wall of partition, utterly destroying distinctions with the same fervor He will display in creating a new heaven and a new earth. God has already established an environment of peace and unity, building fellowship between Him and us, and He will continue to construct His new creation until all is reconciled and united in peace.