The Stay At Home Order of Passover

by Victor Chen

When we first received news of the “Stay at Home” order, we wondered what would happen to Easter. As best as we could, we tried not to go there. The thought of not being able to gather for Easter was unthinkable.

And yet here we are.

Easter is a big deal. If the resurrection didn’t happen, then we are all fools (1 Cor. 15:17). Easter is the reason why we gather on Sunday and not on the traditional day of Sabbath on Saturday. So it’s sad that we won’t be together to celebrate the first Lord’s Day on Easter.

But as I studied the events of this Holy Week, I realized that a “stay at home” order was given to God’s people. In fact, they were to celebrate this every year and “stay at home” to commemorate what happened that fateful night. Jesus even celebrated it on His final night with His friends. 

What was this “stay at home” order given by God? 

It was the Passover.

While slaves in Egypt, God’s people stayed in their homes one night and marked the outside of their homes with the blood of a lamb. The Lord would then bring death to the first-born of every household as judgment on Egypt, but would “pass over” the homes marked by the blood of a lamb. God commanded His people to commemorate this night with the annual celebration of this “Passover”. (Exodus 12:21-27)

So maybe staying at home for this Holy Week and Easter may not be such a bad thing after all. 

We get to remember how the Lord passed over our sins, we who are covered by the blood of the Lamb. We get to remember how the Lamb of God this week walked to His death, like a lamb led to the slaughter. We get to remember how He was silent before His accusers, pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and how by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-9). We get to rejoice that the Lamb of God has overcome.

We get to celebrate this in our homes, where Passover was originally celebrated.

Maybe home is not a bad place to start after all.