Easter: The Passover Lamb

If we all are sinners, then each one of us needs a Redeemer. It means that man is not the “end-all-be-all” or the “center” of the all that is. It also means that we are special and unique and that God wants a relationship with us. It means there are absolutes and standards after all. A lot of people do not want to believe in such things.
Last night, Mike and I were watching the movie, The Passion of the Christ, which we have both seen dozens of times. What was strange though, is how it struck me this particular time. I was faced with the reality of the movie, and found new meaning in it's symbolism that I have never noticed before. For example, Simon declares to the crowd that he is the innocent man forced to carry the cross of this criminal. Yet by the time Simon reaches the top of Calvary, he realizes that Christ is the innocent man and that our sins are the cause for these events. We relate to Simon because many times in our own lives we are “forced” to carry the “cross” of unemployment or health disorders or family crises. We do not want to be burdened with these sufferings. Yet after bearing our cross, we learn more about who we are as persons and how we are there to help others through their difficult times.
What struck me more than anything was the flashback of Jesus falling as a child and the anguish Mary felt as she tried to protect Him from the pain. This stirred inside of me, the raw emotion of a mother’s love for her child. I began to think of Abigail and how much God loves her more than I ever could. It was nearly impossible to imagine that truth. This emotion is conveyed throughout the movie in Mary right up to the end when she holds the body of Christ at the foot of the cross. I was amazed at her ability to perform this role in the movie.
When juxtaposed with the purpose of Christ’s suffering and death to redeem mankind, there had to be the blood. Only this blood was a cleansing blood. This blood was the blood of the Passover lamb covering the lintels and doorposts of those who would be saved. This blood was the blood of the New Covenant, which would be poured out for remission of sins. Indeed the Book of Revelation speaks of the saints whose robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb. As if to remind us of the preciousness of His blood, there is the scene during which Mary is on her hands and knees wiping up His blood after the scourging. The symbolism is profound and troubling at the same time.