The Passover Movie

Have you ever wondered why Cecil B. DeMille’s movie, The Ten Commandments, always seems to come on TV during the Easter season? What could it possibly have to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? Actually, a lot more than you might think.

After doing a little research, I discovered that not only was Mr. DeMille Jewish, but that the movie is slated to air each year during the week of Passover. Is it possible that this movie was Cecil B. DeMille’s way of obeying a commandment from God? Let me explain.

Before God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He gave them precise instructions regarding the Passover. He told them to kill an unblemished lamb, roast the meat, and put the blood on the doorposts of their homes. They were commanded to eat the lamb, which represented their salvation; eat bitter herbs, which represented slavery; and eat unleavened bread, which represented the haste with which they fled. He told His people that He wanted them to celebrate and retell the story of the Passover each year as a reminder of His deliverance. I wonder if the movie is Cecil B. DeMille’s way of making sure that the story is retold every year at Passover just as the Lord commanded.

Two-thousand years after the exodus, the Messiah sat at a Passover table eating the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread. At the end of the meal, after the story of the Passover was retold, Jesus held up the bread that was traditionally hidden until the end of the meal and which represented the Bread of Life who was to come, and said, “This is my body.” He also took the cup of wine, which was known as the Cup of Redemption, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” And just as the Father established the Passover as a time of remembrance, the Son reiterated that when He said, “When you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”

Now, another two-thousand years later, Jews and many Christians are preparing to celebrate the Passover again this week. The story of the Passover and exodus from slavery will be retold as people celebrate God’s faithfulness and salvation. And in Christian homes, the story will come full-circle because of Jesus who is our salvation. Believers who celebrate the Passover see Jesus as the Passover lamb; they eat the bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery to sin; they eat the unleavened bread which represents the Bread of Life; and drink the cup in honor of the One who redeemed us with His own blood. They will recount the story of the exodus from slavery to Egypt as well as our exodus from the slavery of sin.

So, get ready. Passover began yesterday evening at sundown. The celebration will last a full week. Sometime during this next week you can expect to see The Ten Commandments on TV. Let it serve as a reminder to you of God’s salvation. Both stories are significant to us as God’s children. In fact, they are so intertwined that we can see they are truly the same story…the Redeemer is the Lord and the people saved are those who put their faith and trust in Him. What an awesome God we serve. He is the God of Salvation, and He commands us to remember His faithfulness from generation to generation.