In Exodus 11 and 12 God works out the details of the final plague. The Israelites gather their things and ask their neighbors for objects of silver and gold. Moses tells Pharaoh that every firstborn in Egypt will die at midnight: slaves, officials, even animals will not be spared except for the Israelites. Pharaoh still does not relent and Moses leaves in anger.

God gives the people of Israel specific instructions on what they must do. They are to take a lamb without blemish, kill it and place the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their houses. Then they shall roast the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. There are to be no leftovers of meat, whatever is left is to be burned. They should be ready to move quickly. At midnight the Lord passes over all of the buildings in Egypt. The ones that have the sign of blood on them are spared, but in the ones that do not have the sign the firstborn dies. The people of Egypt cry out in mourning and Pharaoh tells the people of Israel to leave Egypt.

This becomes the feast of Passover which still celebrated every year by Jewish people. Each year the question is asked “What do you mean by this observance?” and the story is told of how God freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. This is the feast that Jesus observes with his disciples when he establishes the Lord’s Supper. He is the spotless Lamb of God who saves us from death, from our bondage to sin.

In Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable about a king who holds a wedding banquet but all the invited guests refuse to come so the slaves go out into the streets and invite everyone they find to the banquet but in the end only the ones who are ready for the banquet are able to come.

Jesus came to save Israel but many in Israel refused to follow him, particularly those who had been trained in the Law. They should have recognized him as God’s chosen one but they did not. So he opened the way for others to enter the kingdom of heaven and those who are prepared will come.

The Pharisees try to trick Jesus by asking questions that will cause him to make enemies of the state or religious followers, but Jesus will not be tricked. Instead he asks them a question they dare not answer and silences them.

In asking him to judge which is the greatest commandment Jesus answers. “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  With these two commandments Jesus summarizes the Ten Commandments and all of the other laws and teachings of the prophets. If we love God with every part of our being, we will desire to obey him and be faithful to him. If we love ourselves we will value ourselves as god values us. If we love our neighbors as ourselves we will do nothing to hurt others. This is the fulfillment of all of scripture.