The Passover is the story of God going to the extreme to reveal His love for His oppressed people, freeing them from bondage in Egypt. His last plague in Egypt was to strike down the firstborn, but He spared the lives of those who partook in His plan. He instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a perfect lamb and smear its blood on their threshold. The Spirit of God passed over those who trusted in the blood of the lamb and their life was spared. In the Gospels, Jesus is understood to be that same God who came to free His people from the bondage of sin and death. He is identified as the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. We are called to trust in His sacrifice; death has passed over us because of His blood.
In the painting, we look at the precious feet of Jesus, who came from above, nailed to the cross. His blood streams down and is then smeared around the doorway. The door is just large enough for a human to squeeze through yet small and narrow. He calls us to partake in His plan, to smear the blood of the Lamb, to enter the narrow doorway, to carry our cross and follow HIm. Inside the door is Jesus, full of light and glory, inviting us in. His hand is extended, calling us to come home.
This One God in this great story, both Exodus and the Gospels, calls us home to freedom. He doesn’t stand far off and tell us to make the journey but He came to us to make the way. God hears your cry and He offers to carry your burden. He desires that all people experience His peace, that all people are set free and find their way home. Jesus doesn’t show us the way, He is the Way!