Well, we are in Exodus 12:21–28, and I want to name this passage with one word, “Hyssop.”
Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
There are two things that are particularly important and striking in this passage. This is another one of those passages where you only get the best out of it if you are inquisitive and approach the passage like an archaeologist. Let me focus on verse 22, “Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.” Is there anything in this verse that gets your attention or makes you wonder? Is there any detail that seems curious or perhaps unneeded? Well, for me, it's the detail of the hyssop branch. Why in the world is it good for me to know that the Israelites were directed by God to use a certain kind of branch to dip into the lamb's blood and paint it on the doorpost of their house?
Well, remember the Bible says that every part of Scripture is profitable; it's all there for a reason. Well, there's a very significant reason for this detail. It's meant to demonstrate to us that the Bible is not a collection of stories but one story–the great unstoppable and eternal story of redemption! You may be asking, “How does the name of a branch do that?” Well, in John 19:29, John records that it was a hyssop branch that was used to give a drink of sour wine to Jesus. You can argue that very early in the story of redemption and at the culmination of the story of redemption, you find a hyssop branch connecting the whole story of redemption. Hyssop acts as a very important symbolic link between the Old and New Testaments and points us to the unity of God's story.
This branch does something else. It reminds us that Jesus is, in fact, the Passover Lamb. His blood provides the ultimate means of escape from sin and judgment. But I want to point to one other striking thing in this passage. The Israelites were instructed to tell the story of their redemption from slavery year after year after year, and to whom? To their children! God wanted the identity of the young children of Israel to be rooted, not just in their family, not just in their individual identity and place in the family, but in their identity as the children of God, the objects of his great redeeming power. In the same way, we should never ever stop telling our children the story of the rescue that's ours in the person and work of the Lamb, the Son of Man, the Son of God–Jesus!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why is the Bible not just a collection of stories, but primarily one main story? Who is the central character in the story of the Bible? Why is it so important to recognize who he is as the central character and how you can know him personally?
2. How has this study of the hyssop branch made a helpful connection for you as you think about the Old and the New Testament? Even though it may not resonate as much with the modern reader, why is the symbolism so powerful as you think about the reference to hyssop in the Old Testament passage we just read and the connection to Christ on the cross in the New Testament?
3. How can you, like the Israelites, tell the story of your redemption from the slavery of sin to the next generation growing up behind you? What are some purposeful steps you can implement in your life and home that help root young children in their identity as children of God? Think of some ideas you can fold into your daily family life, write those ideas down, and start to apply them today (if possible).
4. In what ways can you purposefully and simply connect the mention of hyssop here in this Old Testament passage to the beauty and work of Christ on the cross? Why is it so important to both communicate and live out the gospel in front of your children?
For Younger Children:
1. What do you think is the main point of the entire Bible? Who is the main character? Why does the main person in the Bible matter to you personally? How is he affecting your life right now?
2. In what ways does the Old Testament help us understand the work of Christ in the New Testament? How can we see his sacrifice predicted to us in the Old Testament story of the Passover from Exodus 12?
3. Why do you think the detail of the hyssop branch is important in this story?
For Older Children:
1. Who is the main character in the New Testament? Who is the main character in the Old Testament? What do you think the overarching theme is of the entire Bible?
2. Why does Christ and his sacrifice on the cross matter to you personally right now? How is Jesus affecting and changing your life today?
3. Why does the story of the Passover matter to you and me personally? Why do you think the detail of the hyssop branch is important in this story?
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