我们今天读到的这一幕是很形象的，如果你以前没有读到过，可能会感到震惊。藉着将羔羊的血涂在门框上，以色列人免了一场死亡的瘟疫。耶和华看见他们的门上有血，就越过了他们。但灾害夺走了所有埃及人长子的性命。整个埃及都在哀号，因为心硬的法老不听神透过摩西发出的请求：“让我的百姓离开！”
从很久以前的那天开始，犹太人每年都庆祝逾越节。耶稣和门徒们最后的晚餐是在逾越节期间，这并不是巧合。祂对他们说：“我很愿意在受害以先，和你们吃这逾越节的筵席。我告诉你们，我不再吃这筵席，直到成就在神的国里”（路 22:15-16）。
那天的晚餐，耶稣向门徒们表明，饼和杯代表了祂的身体和血，是为他们奉献和倾倒的。第二天，祂就作为“除去世人罪孽的神的羔羊”舍弃了自己的生命（约 1:29）。
作为逾越节的羔羊，耶稣将我们从罪的奴役中释放出来（约 8:34）。因为祂为我们的罪受了刑罚，所以罪的审判越过了我们。因着相信祂，我们拥有了靠主喜乐生活的新生命，直到永远。
神啊，求帮助我们去分享这位逾越节羔羊——我们的救主基督的爱和怜悯。阿们。
出埃及记 12:1-13
1 耶和华在埃及地晓谕摩西、亚伦说：
2 “你们要以本月为正月，为一年之首。
3 你们吩咐以色列全会众说：本月初十日，各人要按着父家取羊羔，一家一只。
4 若是一家的人太少，吃不了一只羊羔，本人就要和他隔壁的邻舍共取一只。你们预备羊羔，要按着人数和饭量计算。
5 要无残疾、一岁的公羊羔，你们或从绵羊里取，或从山羊里取，都可以。
6 要留到本月十四日，在黄昏的时候，以色列全会众把羊羔宰了。
7 各家要取点血，涂在吃羊羔的房屋左右的门框上和门楣上。
8 当夜要吃羊羔的肉，用火烤了，与无酵饼和苦菜同吃。
9 不可吃生的，断不可吃水煮的，要带着头、腿、五脏，用火烤了吃。
10 不可剩下一点留到早晨，若留到早晨，要用火烧了。
11 你们吃羊羔当腰间束带，脚上穿鞋，手中拿杖，赶紧地吃。这是耶和华的逾越节。
12 因为那夜我要巡行埃及地，把埃及地一切头生的，无论是人是牲畜，都击杀了，又要败坏埃及一切的神。我是耶和华。
13 这血要在你们所住的房屋上做记号，我一见这血，就越过你们去，我击杀埃及地头生的时候，灾殃必不临到你们身上灭你们。
"Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." — 1 Corinthians 5:7
The scenes in our reading for today are quite graphic, and they may be shocking if you haven’t encountered them before. By painting the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their houses, the enslaved people of Israel were spared from a plague of death. Seeing the blood on their doorways, the Lord passed over them. But the plague took the lives of all the Egyptians’ firstborn sons. There was wailing throughout Egypt because the hard-hearted Pharaoh would not listen to God’s plea through Moses: “Let my people go!”
The Jewish Feast of Passover has been celebrated every year since that day long ago. And it’s no coincidence that Jesus’ last supper with his disciples was during the Passover feast. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16).
At that supper, Jesus showed his disciples that the bread and wine of the meal symbolized his body and blood, given and poured out for them. And on the next day he gave up his life to be sacrificed as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). As the ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus freed us from being slaves to sin (John 8:34). Because he took on the punishment for our sin, the judgment for sin has passed over us. Believing in him, we have new life to live with joy and trust in the Lord forever!
O God, help us to share the love and mercy of Christ, the Passover Lamb, our Savior. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
