In the time of the Second Temple there was a large watchtower, called the Migdal Eder (Watchtower of the Flock) and it was under the shadow of this watchtower, on the hills surrounding Bethlehem, that all the sheep and lambs for sacrificing in the Temple were born. Much of the pasture in the Judean Hills was owned by the Temple authorities and used to raise, among others, the Korban Pesach lambs. No Korban Pesach lamb was born without the shepherds knowing of it. And one night, a group of those shepherds were visited by a host of angels. "In the countryside nearby were some shepherds spending the night in the fields, guarding their flocks, when an angel of ADONAI appeared to them, and the Sh'khinah of ADONAI shone around them. They were terrified; but the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, because I am here announcing to you Good News that will bring great joy to all the people. This very day, in the town of David, there was born for you a Deliverer who is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know: you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding trough." (Luke 2v8-12 CJB) It is no small coincidence that Yeshua, who was to be the ultimate Korban Pesach, was born in Bethlehem, under the shadow of the Migdal Eder, like all other lambs raised for sacrifice in the Temple. The shepherds who visited Him were the Keepers of the Flock and it was important that they saw Yeshua so soon after His birth, because all Korban Pesach lambs were born under their care. "Speak to all the assembly of Isra'el and say, 'On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb ... for his family, one per household - Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year ... You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra'el will slaughter it at dusk." (Exodus 12v3, 5-6 CJB) A male sheep is at its prime when it is a year old. And men are at their prime when they are in their thirties. Yehsua was thirty when He began His ministry and three years later He was entering Jerusalem, what we now call the Triumphal Entry. And Yeshua was totally without blemish or fault, the perfect sinless sacrifice. At the same time that Yeshua was entering Jerusalem the Korban Pesach lambs were being brought into the city by another, much smaller gate. Often the lambs being brought into Jerusalem drew an audience; the crowds would come to see the Korban Pesach lambs ... but that year they flocked to see Yeshua. "You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra'el will slaughter it at dusk." (Exodus 12v6 CJB) Dusk. Isn't that a lovely word? Not quite dark, but not quite light. Dark enough that it is not light, but light enough that it is not dark. It is almost a battlefield where a struggle takes place to see whether light or dark will be supreme, will rule. And it was dusk when Yeshua hung on the cross and fought the battle of life and death, good and evil, light and dark. "You are to sacrifice the Pesach offering, in the evening, when the sun sets, at the time of year that you came out of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 16v6b CJB) "It was now about noon, and darkness covered the whole Land until three o'clock in the afternoon; the sun did not shine ... Crying out with a loud voice, Yeshua said, "Father! Into your hands I commit my spirit." With these words he gave up his spirit." (Luke 23v44-46 CJB) I still think it is remarkable the way G-d planned the timing of Yeshua's death down to the very last minute, so that at three o'clock in the afternoon the Korban Pesach lambs were gathered in the Temple and killed for sacrifice and at the same moment, Yeshua drew His last breath and became the Ultimate Sacrifice, bringing atonement for all our sins and shedding His blood to be a sign for all who will accept it that we are His. Amazing! "They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you - when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you." (Exodus 12v13 CJB) You could say that when each one of us accepts Yeshua as King in our lives and asks forgiveness for all of our sins, His blood is put on us, so that Satan sees that we belong to G-d and will not have the power to harm us. "Also the parokhet in the Temple was split down the middle. Crying out with a loud voice, Yeshua said, "Father! Into your hands I commit my spirit." With these words he gave up his spirit." (Luke 23v45-46 CJB) The parokhet was the large, beautifully woven curtain that hung in the Temple to separate the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark was and where only the High Priest was allowed to go once a year, on Yom Kippur. There is a great deal of significance placed on the curtain being split when Yesua died, but I think that the truest one is that it showed that Yeshua has opened the way for us all to approach G-d for ourselves, through our High Priest, Yeshua. We all know the story after this! Yeshua was placed in the tomb and left over Shabbat. Yeshua died on Thursday; Thursday evening the first seder would have been celebrated throughout the land of Isra'el. Thursday to Friday was the first day in the tomb. Friday evening was the beginning of Shabbat and there would not have been time for a visit to the tomb; Friday to Saturday was the second day in the tomb. Saturday was Shabbat, so there would have been no visit to the tomb; Saturday to Sunday was the third day in the tomb ... And on Sunday, the day after Shabbat, Yeshua rose from the grave, bringing eternal life for all who trust in Him! "When Shabbat was over, Miryam of Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya'akov, and Shlomit bought spices in order to go and anoint Yeshua. Very early the next day, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. They were asking each other, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?" Then they looked up and saw that the stone, even though it was huge, had been rolled back already. On entering the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right; and they were dumbfounded. But he said, "Don't be so surprised! You're looking for Yeshua from Natzeret, who was executed on the stake. He has risen, he's not here! Look at the place where they laid him." (Mark 16v1-6 CJB) Glossary:
Korban Pesach - the Passover Sacrifice that was observed every
Pesach from the time we left Egypt until the Temple was destroyed Parokhet - the curtain that hung between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Exodus 26) Yom Kippur - the Day Of Atonement (Exodus 23 & Leviticus 16) Copyright N. Allen - MET |