He Wants to Save (Jonah 1:1-4:11)

The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce My judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the LORD by sailing to Tarshish. (Jonah 1:1-3 NLT)

Sometimes our problem with God is not that we fear His wrath.  Sometimes we don't like His love.  I know that sounds strange, but think about it for a moment.  Whenever we do something wrong, we don't want God to give us what we deserve.  We want His love, mercy, and grace.  Whenever someone wrongs us, though, we want God to be fair and pour out his wrath.  We want them to get what they deserve.

But the LORD hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. "How can you sleep at a time like this?" he shouted. "Get up and pray to your god! Maybe He will pay attention to us and spare our lives." Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. "Why has this awful storm come down on us?" they demanded. "Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?" Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the LORD. "Oh, why did you do it?" they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, "What should we do to you to stop this storm?" "Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault." Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn't make it. Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah's God. "O LORD," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin. And don't hold us responsible for his death. O LORD, You have sent this storm upon him for Your own good reasons." Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the LORD's great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him. (Jonah 1:4-16 NLT)

The problem with that perspective is that it only works when we see things as God sees things.  We don't always see right and wrong the way He does.  Often times we will redefine right to match what we think and do and redefine wrong as something we don't like.  God, however, is the one who actually gets to define right and wrong - not us.

Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 NLT)

When people rebel against God by doing wrong (this includes both "us" and "them"), then the rebel only has two choices available: run and be punished or repent and be saved.  God is merciful to those who admit they were wrong and ask to come back home.  He will punish, but He wants to save.

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the land of the dead, and LORD, You heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, 'O LORD, You have driven me from Your presence. Yet I will look once more toward Your holy Temple.' "I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to You with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone." Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. (Jonah 2:1-10 NLT)

Jonah learned this lesson the hard way.  His self-righteous indignation wasn't enough to prove his case to God.  Running from God didn't work either.  As much as Jonah hate the sin of the Ninevites, God also hated the rebellion of Jonah.  Jonah's sin was just as bad as the sins being committed in Nineveh.  God's response to both of them were the same.  He would punish, but He wanted to save.

Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you." This time Jonah obeyed the LORD's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: "No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change His mind and hold back His fierce anger from destroying us." When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, He changed His mind and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened. (Jonah 3:1-10 NLT)

Isn't it great that He wants to save.  Jonah and the big fish not only shows us God's desire to save, but it also reminds us that His plan to offer salvation to everyone will not be stopped.  In Spirit form, Jesus preached to the people in Noah's day.  Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh.  Those who ignored Him were punished.  Those who turned back to Him were saved.  It really is that simple.

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that You would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, LORD! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen." The LORD replied, "Is it right for you to be angry about this?" Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. (Jonah 4:1-5 NLT)

You see, God doesn't judge people by your standards or by mine.  His plan does not adjust itself to match your plan or mine.  We only experience A Garden Walk in this life when we adjust ourselves to Him.  When we don't, we lose the fruit of His Spirit.  We struggle.

And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. "Death is certainly better than living like this!" he exclaimed. Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?" "Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!" Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" (Jonah 4:6-11 NLT)

Jonah's story is not finished.  We leave the book with Jonah struggling inside.  Will he look at things the way God does, or will he rebel and stay angry.  The choice is his.  The two paths, however, remain the same.

God's desire to save is so great, that He sent His only Son to make sure the plan got done right.  Just as Jonah was in the fish for three days, Jesus was in the tomb for three days.  Jesus gave up his very life so you and I could be saved.  Then the choice is ours.  The paths, though, stay the same.

Which path will you choose?  Will you fight God, redefine right and wrong, or simply not listen to Him?  Or, will you recognize your rebellion, admit you were wrong, and turn back to Him?  The choice is yours.  It always was.

The New Temple (1 Kings 8:1-21)

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the City of David. All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. (1 Kings 8:1-2 NIV)

Walking with God has always been a frightening proposition.  God is the Creator of all that is seen and unseen. No one and nothing is as powerful as God.  When we do things in rebellion against God, we don't exactly want Him around.  We're afraid He will strike us down.

You're not alone in this.  Adam and Eve covered themselves in The Garden.  Jonah ran away.  The Israelites told Moses to go talk with Him and bring the message back.  They didn't want to face God themselves.  That's why God was "confined" to a pillar of fire/smoke, a special tent called a tabernacle, and eventually the special building called the temple.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.  When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:3-11 NIV)

The Most Holy Place was a room within the temple where the LORD would dwell.  The ark of the covenant contained a reminder of their encounters with God - the ten commandments given to Moses at Mt. Sinai.  This would be the place to encounter God.  When construction was complete and the Ark was in place, God's glory filled the entire temple to show His approval.  Soon, though, He would be "confined" to only one room of the temple - the Holy of Holies.  A curtain would protect sinful people from encountering the Glory of God.

Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever." While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 'Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.' "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, 'You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood--he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.' "The LORD has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt." (1 Kings 8:12-21 NIV)

When Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain was torn from the top down - "releasing" God to fill the temple, and the world, once again.  The ark reminded us of the covenant God made with Moses and the Israelites.  Jesus' death reminds us of God's new covenant with all of us.  He promises to forgive if we will simply return.  Not only that, He promises to sent His Spirit to take up residence in His new temple: our bodies.  We will never again be separated from God.

How about you?  Do you want to be in the presence of God?  Have you returned to Him so you will be saved?  Is your body a temple for His Spirit?

The Snakes (Numbers 21:4-9)

It's one thing to be thankful for food when you are starving or water when you are dehydrated.  It's something completely different to be thankful for food when you've always had it to eat.

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" (Numbers 21:4-5 NIV)

Manna and quail had become old miracles.  The Israelites weren't happy with the same food on the menu every day.  They had stopped being thankful.  They didn't like what the LORD had to offer any more.

Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. (Numbers 21:6 NIV)

Sometimes we do the same thing.  We become complacent with what God provides for us today.  We start to see his provision as being old, boring, and not miraculous at all.  We start wanting more - more variety, more quality, more quantity.  We're not satisfied with what God offers anymore, so we go after more.  Then we're surprised by God's response.

The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. (Numbers 21:7 NIV)

All sin is rebellion.  It's no small thing to tell God, "I don't want what you have to offer."  What a slap in the face.  We shouldn't be surprised, then, when we get what our rebellion deserves.  You cannot fight against God and win.

The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. (Numbers 21:8-9 NIV)

When we realize our rebellion and turn back to Him, though, God is faithful to forgive our sin.  He welcomes us back home with open arms.  He provides a way for us to be saved.  The Israelites learned this lesson when a bronze snake was lifted up in the desert.  Looking at the bronze snake healed them.  They were healed from the consequences of their rebellion.  They would live.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." (John 3:14-15 NIV)

Our "bronze snake" is a little different, but the results are the same.  When we look upon Jesus lifted up on the cross, we are also healed from the consequences of our rebellion.  We will live.

What about you?  Do you tell God, "I don't want what you have to offer?"  Do you turn back to Him if you have?  Do you trust Jesus to heal you from the consequences of your rebellion?

True Bread (Exodus 16:1-35)

Imagine the LORD breaking you out of Egypt - releasing you from slavery.  Imagine watching as the ten plagues affect your enemies, but not you.  Imagine receiving the Passover instructions, eating the meal, leaving town, watching God protect you from the Egyptian army.  Now imagine walking through the Sea of Reeds with water like walls on either side of you, then watching that same water crash down on Pharaoh's army.  Now imagine feeling the sense of relief.

Imagine the next day.  The sun comes up.  You look around.  You are free...and in a desert.  Nothing but sand and rocks are around as far as the eye can see.  The water you walked through is filled with salt, so there is no water to drink.  You're thirsty.  You're hungry.  You're tired.

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." (Exodus 16:1-3 NIV)

When these stories are told, we often give the Israelites a hard time for their attitudes and rebellion against God.  But it's actually quite easy to imagine a scenario where we do the same.  Maybe because we've complained about situations that are much less dire than these.  Without food and water, they would die.  In a desert, it would happen quickly - only a matter of days.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'" While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud. The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. (Exodus 16:4-13 NIV)

The LORD understood what they needed and He provided.  He always does.

When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. (Exodus 16:14-21 NIV)

Perhaps the next time I take a drink of water, coffee, or any other beverage, I should remember that He provides it for me.  Perhaps the next time I take a bite of food, I should be grateful to The One who provided it for me.  Otherwise, I'm living with the same attitude the Israelites had.  I'm being proud or complaining or both.  All good gifts come from the LORD.

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much--two omers for each person--and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any." Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out." So the people rested on the seventh day. The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. (Exodus 16:22-31 NIV)

God provided bread so His chosen people, whom He set free, would live.  God provides the bread of life to us today - so that we will be set free, and live.  Jesus is that bread of life - the true bread that brings life.

Do you see that?  Have you received that?  Is Jesus your bread of life?

Significant Symbols (Exodus 12:1-30)

Imagine being a slave in Egypt.  You and your fellow Israelites have been in slavery for a long time now.  You really don't know any other way of life.  You are oppressed, beaten, and have watched people close to you as they are killed.  You work all day building and night time brings collapse rather than rest.

Now, this man, Moses, is talking to the Pharaoh and negotiating for your release.  He says the LORD sent him.  He sure seems to have a connection with God, because plague after plague has been affecting the Egyptians but not you and your family.  Tonight seems to be different, though.  Everyone seems to think this is the night you will be released.  "I've heard that one before," you think to yourself.  Nevertheless, you wait for instructions.  What else can you do?

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Exodus 12:1-7 NIV)

The instructions seem strange to you.  Eating from your own livestock doesn't seem too strange.  You've done this before.  Smearing blood on the doorpost is a little odd, though.  That's something new.  No, the really strange part is the setting of a calendar.  We already have a way to mark days and seasons and years.  Not only that, the instructions don't seem to tell us how to escape Egypt tonight.  They tell us how to commemorate this night every year.  Something about this night is going to be different.

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire--with the head, legs and internal organs. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. (Exodus 12:8-11 NIV)

Now the instructions make more sense.  We're preparing to get out of town.  We get dressed for the trip and eat the meal in our traveling cloths.  The meal has little prep work, gets eaten quickly, and has no clean-up for tomorrow.  There are no "leftovers" to get preserved with salt for the next day and all the clean-up gets thrown into the fire.  We're getting ready to leave.

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13 NIV)

This will be a night you remember for the rest of your life.  You will hear the crying and wailing from the homes where children die.  You and your household, however, will be safe.  The blood of the unblemished lamb was over your door.  It kept you and your family safe from death.  This night, death will pass over you and your family.  You will live.

"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do. "Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread." (Exodus 12:14-20 NIV)

The Festival of Unleavened Bread and the Passover would become a time of celebration every year.  It would be a reminder of the power of God (who set you free) and the love of God (who cared about you).  Every year, you would celebrate this festival and this meal to remember that God saved your life and set you free.

Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (Exodus 12:21-23 NIV)

The people who lived through that first Passover night would not forget it their entire lives.  The annual festival and meal would teach their children and their children's children about that night as well.  The Passover Seder would make sure of it, as you recount the events of that night.  This tradition would be passed down from generation to generation for hundreds and hundreds of years.

"Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. (Exodus 12:24-27 NIV)

Jesus participated in these festivals and meals.  Jesus knew the significance of the Passover.  Not only that, Jesus showed how these symbols would become significant to not only the Israelites, but to all of us.

Jesus became the Passover lamb whose blood covers our doorpost and protects us from death.  Jesus was unblemished (without sin) and qualified as a pure spotless lamb.  Jesus was having a Passover meal with his disciples when he changed the meaning of the bread and the wine - telling them that the bread was his body and the cup was his blood given up for all of us.  He would take the death we deserved.  That Passover meal became what we refer to as the last supper.  In this meal he began a New Covenant between us and God that would last forever.  This covenant allows death to pass over us because the blood of our pure spotless lamb covers us.  We will live.

The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. (Exodus 12:28-30 NIV)

How about you?  Is the blood of the lamb on your doorpost?  Are you protected from death by the blood of Jesus?  Does he save you and your household from death?