Palm Sunday - Migdal Eder

When God threw Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, he killed an animal to make clothing to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:21). Blood is shed to cover their sin.

In Gen 22, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. The child says to his father, "The fire and wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answers, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering."

But God stops Abraham from killing Isaac and does indeed provide a lamb to be slaughtered for atonement.

While slaves in Egypt, God commanded the Hebrews to slaughter a lamb for each family and place the blood on the sides and top of the door thereby signaling that the angel of death was to pass over their homes.

John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." (Jn 1:29)

The is the red thread through Scripture of God's Redemptive plan for us. It is shed blood that covers our sin. God himself will provide the lamb for atonement. The slaughter of the lamb provides the blood which causes the wrath of God to pass over our sins.

The lamb that God provides? Jesus Christ.

That is what Christians remember this week of Christ's Passion. The reason he came. The reason he died.

An interesting note provided by Alfred Edersheim in "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah". Jewish tradition held that the Messiah was not only to be born in Bethlehem but was to be revealed Migdal Eder, the "tower of the flock." This was not the watchtower of the ordinary flocks but were the flocks destined for Temple-sacrifices. These Temple-sacrifice flocks would have been being brought to the Temple for the Passover sacrifice at the same time Jesus was making his way to the east gate and the Temple.

As Edersheim states, "Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak."