Lamb Selection Day

Lamb Selection Day

Americans love parades. We tune in to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, the Plymouth Parade, Bowl Game Parades, and Ticker Tape parades. I have participated in several parades in my life. My social club in high school put together a kazoo band for our Homecoming float in my senior year. I also represented the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Sons of Union Veterans in numerous parades as a Civil War reenactor. Maybe you have heard this story about a WWII parade.

One day in 1943, thousands of our military were preparing to leave for Europe. The Army, the Navy, and the Marines prepared to load on the ships. The General decided to have a massive parade through New York City to seek prayer and honor for the men. Many of these brave men would never return home.

A little old lady was sweeping off her sidewalk, and she heard the crowd's commotion. She looked up, hearing the cadence of the soldiers.

She stood at attention and watched as the men marched by her.

She cried and put her shoulders back as she saw the red, white, and blue flag go by.

After a few minutes, the old lady put her broomstick on her shoulder and marched alongside the troops.

Someone yelled out of the crowd: OLD LADY! OLD LADY, GET OUT OF THE WAY! WHAT CAN YOU DO, OLD LADY?

The old lady yelled proudly back: I CAN SHOW ON WHOSE SIDE I AM! She kept on marching!

The Sunday before Easter is called “Palm Sunday” and commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem a few days before Passover and His crucifixion. We call this His “triumphal entry” because He was about to fulfill the will of His Father in His death, burial, and resurrection. According to Josephus, there were THREE MILLION people in Jerusalem. In many ways, His entrance into Jerusalem had a parade atmosphere, but Jesus showed whose side He was on.

Leviticus 23 contains the seven feasts of the Lord that His people celebrated throughout their history. The year Jesus died, the feasts of Passover, unleavened bread, and first fruits occurred three days in a row. He was crucified on Passover, in the grave on unleavened bread, and resurrected on first fruits as God’s first fruits from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).

Passover recalled the momentous event of God saving the Hebrews’ firstborns in Egypt by “passing over” the houses with the lambs’ blood on their doorposts and lintels. Following this tenth plague, Pharaoh permitted Moses to lead the people out of his country. The king changed his mind after the children of Israel departed and caught up to them at the Red Sea. God rescued them by parting the water and creating dry ground on which they walked. When the Egyptian army pursued, God closed the water, and they drowned.

The three feasts symbolize the events of the week of Jesus’ death (Passover), burial (unleavened bread), and resurrection (first fruits). Each of the feasts of God points to some aspect of Jesus. With that in mind, I want to look at Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem a week before His resurrection. Please remember that Jesus knew what He was facing as He approached the city.

Matthew 21.1-9 (NKJV):

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your King is coming to you,

Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

Hosanna in the highest!”

Passover occurs on the fourteenth day of the Jews’ first month, according to Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23. On the tenth day of the first month, Jews were to select their lambs for Passover. Listen to Exodus 12:3, 6 (NKJV):

3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.