Behold the Passover Lamb

Why Christians Worship Jesus as God

How often have you heard the term Passover Lamb, and how often have you heard the question: “Why are you worshipping Jesus? He is not God.”? These two ideas – the Passover Lamb and the deity of Jesus – lie at the heart of the Easter message. In this long-form Easter reflection, let’s explore how Jesus Christ is revealed as the Passover Lamb and why Christians rightly worship Him as God. We’ll journey from the New Testament back into the Old, looking at how the Word became flesh (John 1:1–14) and how key Old Testament figures like Noah, Abraham, Joseph (and events like the first Passover in Moses’ time) foreshadowed Christ. We’ll see the origin and purpose of the Passover (Exodus 11–12) and how it pointed to Jesus’ sacrificial death. Finally, we’ll rejoice in how Christ fulfilled the role of the sacrificial Lamb through His death and resurrection, securing our redemption, hope, forgiveness, and eternal life. May this Easter meditation deepen your awe and draw your heart to worship the risen Lamb of God.

The Word Became Flesh – Jesus Is God Among Us (John 1:1–14)

The Gospel of John opens with a profound declaration of who Jesus is. It does not start with a baby in a manger, but with the Word existing from all eternity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, KJV​). John makes it unmistakable – this “Word” shares in God’s very nature. A few verses later, he explains an astounding truth: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, CSB​). In other words, Jesus is the Word who “was God” and who took on human nature. The eternal Son of God stepped into time and humanity; God became man while remaining God. This is what Christians call the Incarnation.

John 1:14 goes on to say, “we observed His glory, the glory as of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus, the Word made flesh, revealed God’s glory and character in a way we could see and touch. He is fully God and yet fully man – uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a holy God and fallen humanity.

Why is this important to the question “Why are you worshipping Jesus? He is not God”? Because the Bible plainly shows that Jesus is God. If Jesus were merely a prophet or a teacher, worshiping Him would indeed be wrong – God alone deserves worship. But John and the other apostles understood Jesus to be divine. After Jesus’ resurrection, for instance, the apostle Thomas addressed Him in awe, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28, KJV​). Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for calling Him God; He accepted it, because it is true. Christians worship Jesus because He is God – God the Son, worthy of the same honor as God the Father (cf. John 5:23).

At Easter, we celebrate that God Himself, in the person of Jesus, came to save us. The title “Passover Lamb” will help us understand how He saved us. In the very first chapter of John, another figure, John the Baptist, points to Jesus and exclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, KJV​).

 Why call Jesus “the Lamb of God”? To answer that, we must go back into the story of Scripture and see how God prepared us to recognize Jesus through foreshadowing in the Old Testament.

Foreshadowing of Christ in the Old Testament

Long before Jesus was born, God was laying down symbolic previews of the coming Savior. The lives of many Old Testament figures and the events of Israel’s history contain foreshadowing (also called “typology”) – hints and patterns that point to what God would ultimately do through Christ. Let’s look at a few key examples:

Noah: Salvation Through the Ark

In the days of Noah, the world was judged with a great flood (Genesis 6–8). Yet God provided a way of salvation for Noah, his family, and the animals: the ark. The ark was a huge wooden vessel that Noah built by God’s instruction. When the flood came, those inside the ark were kept safe through the judgment waters. The ark, in a sense, took the beating of the storm while its inhabitants remained unharmed. After the flood, Noah and his family stepped out into a new world – a sort of new beginning for humanity.

Foreshadowing: Noah’s ark is a powerful picture of Christ. Just as the ark saved Noah’s family from death, Jesus saves those who come into Him (by faith) from the judgment of sin​ - rlhymersjr.com. The ark had one door, and all who entered were secure – Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9, NKJV). In Christ, we safely ride out the storm of God’s judgment and emerge into new life (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Abraham: “God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”

Consider Abraham, the father of faith. God tested Abraham in Genesis 22 by asking him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. This request was shocking, yet Abraham obeyed, trusting God’s goodness and promise. As father and son walked up Mount Moriah, Isaac noticed they had wood and fire for the offering, but no animal. “My father,” Isaac asked, “where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied with words full of faith and prophetic weight: “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8, KJV​).

 At the last moment, as Abraham raised the knife, the Angel of the Lord stopped him. Abraham then saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns, and he sacrificed the ram instead of his son (Genesis 22:13). Isaac’s life was spared, and Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.” (Yahweh-Yireh)

Foreshadowing: The near-sacrifice of Isaac vividly foreshadows God’s own sacrifice of His Son thousands of years later. In this drama, a father was willing to give up his beloved son, and the son willingly lay down on the wood of the altar – just as Jesus would later carry the wood of the cross and willingly lay down His life (John 10:17–18). Abraham’s words, “God will provide Himself a lamb,” proved true in a deeper way than he could have imagined: God provided Jesus, the Lamb of God, as the sacrifice for our sins. And just as the ram died in Isaac’s place, Jesus died in our place – a concept we call substitutionary atonement. On the very mountain range of Moriah where Abraham was tested (tradition holds it to be the area of Jerusalem), God’s own Son would be offered up for the sins of the world.

Joseph: From Suffering to Saving

The story of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37–50) is another rich parallel to Christ. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. He was dearly loved by his father, but his brothers grew jealous and hated him. They sold Joseph into slavery for twenty pieces of silver, and Joseph was taken to a foreign land (Egypt) and made a servant. Though innocent, he later was falsely accused and thrown into prison. It seemed Joseph’s life was ruined. But God was with Joseph and, in time, raised him out of prison and exalted him to a position of great authority in Egypt – second only to Pharaoh. By God’s wisdom, Joseph stored up grain during seven years of plenty, which later saved countless lives (including his own family) during a severe famine. When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt begging for food, they unknowingly bowed at Joseph’s feet, just as Joseph had dreamed in his youth. Joseph forgave them, saying, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20, ESV).

Foreshadowing: Joseph’s life is often seen as a picture of Jesus. Jesus, like Joseph, was the beloved Son of His Father, sent to His brethren but rejected and betrayed for silver (Jesus was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 26:15). Jesus was innocent yet falsely accused and handed over to Gentiles. He suffered immensely – even unto death – but afterward God highly exalted Him (Philippians 2:8–9). Joseph’s suffering and wisdom led to physical salvation (from starvation) for his family and many others. In a greater way, Jesus’ suffering and wisdom (the wisdom of the cross) led to spiritual salvation for all who trust in Him. Joseph forgave those who wronged him and recognized God’s redemptive purpose; Jesus, from the cross, prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Both Joseph and Jesus turned evil into good by God’s power. When we see Joseph’s story, we catch a glimpse of Christ’s forgiveness, sovereignty, and saving grace.

We could examine many other examples (“types of Christ”) in the Old Testament – David’s battle with Goliath, the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses, the prophet Jonah’s three days in the fish, and so on. But perhaps the clearest foreshadowing of Jesus is found in the Passover lamb itself​ - learn.ligonier.org. It is in the story of the first Passover, during Moses’ leadership, that God gave a sign so unmistakable that the New Testament writers directly connect it to Jesus. To understand why Jesus is called “our Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7), let’s revisit that first Passover night in Egypt, when we join again to read Part 2.