How much do you know about Jesus Christ?

The Bible portrays Christ in a lot of different ways—as a Savior, a Military Captain, the Prince of Peace, the King of kings. But one of the most remarkable pictures of Christ is as a lamb.

When He began His ministry on Earth, the first time that the man called John saw Him, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Why would John the Baptist call this man “the Lamb of God”? That was a reference to an Old Testament rite that took place every spring, called the Passover. Anciently, God commanded this of the Israelites for the very first time when they were slaves in Egypt. Each family was to select their best lamb, an unblemished lamb. On a certain evening, they were all to kill their family’s lamb, spread its blood on their doorposts, roast the lamb with bitter herbs, and eat it. That blood protected them from being killed by a death angel that God sent to take the lives of all the firstborn of Egypt.

These Israelites learned a profound lesson in the fact that the blood of the lamb protects us from death.

Jesus Christ is called “the Lamb of God” because He was God’s best Lamb—He was unblemished—and God sacrificed Him as a Passover sacrifice. All those who come under the protection of that blood are spared from the death penalty that comes upon us for sin.

The picture of Christ as “the Lamb of God” points to the fact that He was beaten and crucified to pay the penalty for our sins—so that we could live.

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

A lot of Christians don’t think a whole lot about Jesus Christ—except at Christmas, when they think about His birth, and Easter, when they think about His resurrection.

But did you realize that neither of those celebrations is commanded in the Bible?

In fact, Jesus Christ Himself commanded only one annual observance to memorialize Him—and it wasn’t to remember His birth or His resurrection, but His death.

That is the Passover. Its observance is commanded in several biblical passages. Jesus Himself, the night before He was crucified, showed us how this annual memorial is to be kept by New Testament Christians—not with an animal sacrifice but with unleavened bread and wine, new symbols of His broken body and shed blood. After Christ died, the Church He founded continued to keep it every year.

I’ll be keeping it, along with other Bible-believing Christians, tonight—the beginning of the calendrical day on the Hebrew calendar marking Christ’s murder in a.d. 31.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Apostle Paul refers to Jesus Christ as “our Passover.” Today’s Christian Passover is an annual memorial of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ for all human beings.

The Passover season requires us to focus on the life and death of Jesus Christ. It is the time of year when we remember our personal Savior. Unless we have the blood of Jesus Christ on us, we will die in spiritual Egypt, or in bondage to our sins. Jesus Christ’s shed blood marks the beginning of our spiritual salvation. If we are going to follow Jesus Christ, we must come to understand His sacrifice fully.

John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He offered this precious Lamb in sacrifice, so we wouldn’t have to suffer the penalty of eternal death.

The place in the Bible where you read about the Lamb of God more than anywhere else is actually in the last book—the book of Revelation. The Bible ends with the picture of Christ as the Lamb! There are 24 references to Him being “the Lamb” in Revelation! In Revelation 13:8, Christ is called “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” In other words, from the beginning, Jesus Christ knew He would have to die to save mankind. And He did so willingly. It’s a tremendous demonstration of the love of God.

The Passover has tremendously beautiful and powerful meaning for today. It reminds us of the history of a people of promise—of miraculous protection from death, and redemption from sin—of the perfect, sinless life of the Son of God—which He then offered willingly as payment for the sins of humanity—the greatest act of love ever.

But Passover is only the first of seven biblically mandated festivals that collectively tell the story of God’s entire master plan, past, present and future. The deeper you study into these holy days, the more beauty and perfection you see. They show seamless cohesion between the Old and New Testaments and confirm that the God of the Bible does everything with purpose and design.

And what purpose He has for the plan that began with the perfect offering of Jesus Christ—the life and death of the Messiah! It is far, far greater, much more inspiring, than is generally realized. If you want to learn more about it, read Herbert W. Armstrong’s wonderful booklet on the subject, Pagan Holidays—or God’s Holy Days—Which?

It will help you come to know the Lamb of God—Jesus Christ—better than you ever have before.