Examining the Paschal Lamb

During the last week of our Savior's life there was significant preparation for Passover. The Lord Himself emphasized this event in the Gospel of Luke, where He says, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22: 15). 

The events are described in Exodus chapter 12 and speak of the preparation necessary.

"In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house . . . And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening" (Exodus 12: 3,6).

So what happened between Nisan (the first month) 10th and 14th?

Extensive care was taken to examine the paschal lambs to make sure they were the very best and free from all blemishes.

Ray Watson makes an interesting observation:

"1 Corinthians 5:7 states that Christ is our Passover lamb, and was sacrificed for us. It is likely that Jesus, as the Passover lamb, was being crucified at roughly the same time as the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple. 
The Passover lamb had to be without blemish. Before it could be was slain, it had first to be examined and approved by the temple priests. It was examined for four days, from the tenth day of the first month to the fourteenth day of the first month, after which it was offered. I don’t know all the details of what was involved in examining the lamb, but you can be sure if it took 4 days it was a pretty stringent examination. The spiritual significance of this, is that Jesus – as our Passover Lamb – was examined on our behalf, and we don’t have to undergo that stringent examination. There is a passage of scripture (1Corinthians 11) which makes reference to a man examining himself during the Lord’s Supper to see if he is worthy. But this is often misapplied and removed from the context in which it was given. (Refer to the notes on "Breaking Bread & The Lords Supper" associated with a communion song I wrote that relates to this issue.) 

Here is a link to the full article.


Notice how the temple priests in the above quote would examine the paschal lambs during Passover week. Also notice how the lambs were being slain in the temple at the same hour as Jesus yielded His mortal body. All three Synoptic Gospels report the voluntary death of the Savior as being at the "ninth hour," or 3:00 in the afternoon. Josephus reports this to be the same time as the paschal lambs being slain.

But getting back to these temple priests, notice how they examine the Lamb of God probably three to four days before the Crucifixion.

As Jesus comes to the temple before Passover he is thoroughly examined. Matthew records, 

"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21: 23).

Jesus turns the table on them by asking them a question they refuse to answer. He says He will not answer the question, because they didn't answer His, but then indirectly gives the answer in the parable of the two sons. By the way, Jesus is that first Son who sacrificed His own will in favor of His Father's. The other son was Lucifer.

But the temple priests and Pharisees are not finished. They examine Him and cross-examine Him with more questions. In the next chapter they ask, "Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?" 

By their own zeal to entrap Jesus they are actually, in a back-handed way, testifying of the reality of His Messianic role, and fulfilling Old Testament typology that He is in fact the true Lamb of God.