Table Manners: What the First Passover Teaches Us About the Lord’s Supper

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Ever wonder why we take Communion the way we do?

Senior Pastor David Rose walks us through Exodus 12 to show how an ancient Passover meal directly connects to one of the core practices of the Christian life. The bread and cup aren’t just ritual, they remind us of Christ’s sacrifice and call us to prepare ourselves spiritually.

This meal continues to shape how we live as believers and where we place our hope.

Key Takeaways

  • Communion builds unity among believers regardless of background (Exodus 12:1-4, 28).
  • Spiritual preparation is essential for meaningful participation (Exodus 12:5-10, 18-23).
  • The Lord's Supper should create urgency in our Christian walk (Exodus 12:11).
  • Observing the Lord's Supper promotes celebration (Exodus 12:12-16)
  • These elements serve as powerful teaching tools for future generations (Exodus 12:17, 24-27).

Further Study

  1. In Exodus 12:3-4, God instructs families to share the Passover lamb if a household is too small. How does this foreshadow the communal nature of Christ’s sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10:16-17), and in what ways should this shape how you view and participate in communion with your church family?
  2. Take a minute to consider Exodus 12:5’s requirement for an unblemished lamb. How does this deepen your understanding of Christ as our perfect sacrifice (1 Peter 1:18-19)? How does this impact your daily pursuit of holiness, knowing you’ve been purchased at such a price?
  3. Exodus 12:11 commands the Israelites to eat in haste, dressed for travel. How does this connect to Christ’s calls for spiritual readiness (Matthew 24:44) and Paul’s imagery of spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-17)? In what areas of your life might God be calling you to greater urgency in your faith?
  4. Considering Exodus 12:14’s command to remember this day as a memorial, how does this parallel Christ’s words “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19)? What practices could you develop to make Communion more meaningful than mere routine?
  5. In Exodus 12:26-27, God provides a framework for parents to explain the Passover to their children. How might you apply this pattern of question and answer to explain the gospel and Communion to others (1 Peter 3:15)?
  6. Considering Exodus 12:22-23’s description of the blood on the doorposts, how does this deepen your appreciation of Christ’s protective blood over your life (Hebrews 9:22-24)? How should this reality affect your daily confidence and conduct?

The Gospel

If you have questions about what it means to be a Christian, we would love to talk with you about it.

Reach out

Just as the Israelites faced death in Egypt, we all face spiritual death because of our sin. Pastor David reminds us that we can’t save ourselves. We need someone to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

In Exodus 12, God provided a way of escape through the blood of an unblemished lamb. This pointed forward to Christ, the perfect Lamb of God. Just as the Israelites had to place blood on their doorposts in faith, we must trust in Christ’s shed blood for our salvation.

Pastor David reminded us, “If we pay for our sin, we stay dead. Because He paid and because He was innocent, we can live.” Jesus lived the sinless life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserved to die. His broken body – symbolized in Communion’s bread – bore our punishment. His shed blood – represented by the cup – purchases our freedom from sin’s slavery.

Just as the Israelites had to personally apply the blood to their doorposts, each person must personally trust in Christ’s sacrifice. For those who haven’t yet believed, the elements are simply little pieces of bread and a cup of juice. But for those who place their faith in Christ, these symbols represent life-giving truth – that Christ has paid our debt, freed us from sin’s bondage, and brought us into God’s family.

This new life in Christ begins with:

  • Realizing you’re dead in sin and need to come to life
  • Confessing your need for forgiveness
  • Trusting Christ alone for salvation
  • Being transferred into this new life filled with the spirit

The Gospel offers what every human idol promises but never delivers – true freedom, lasting hope, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Just as the Passover marked a new beginning for Israel (Exodus 12:2), trusting Christ marks the beginning of new life – from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from separation to communion with God. The invitation remains open to all who would trust in Jesus as Savior.

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God has placed great value on stopping to remember. And that's what this meal is for us today. It is the time for God's people who are in Christ to remember what he has done.