Theological Reflection on the Passover Narrative (Exodus 12:1 - 13:16)
The Passover account is an interesting read. The author of Exodus skillfully weaves the liturgy of the Passover around the actual narrative account of the first Passover. This reality invites us to read the Passover as though we are present in Egypt when God delivered his people from slavery.
1) The very fact that we have liturgy embedded in a narrative has implications for our reading of this text. This is not merely history as a testimony about the passage. This is a narrative about the past that invites its hearers/readers into the events themselves so that they can be experienced anew by the present generation who will then embody this Mosaic ethos for the world.
2) Event as it really happened cannot be strictly separated from event as actualized in the worshipping community. The God who destroyed the Firstborn of Egypt is the same who saves us today. The question of historicity does matter in all of this, but equally important is the question of significance in the present. Passover is not recorded for antiquarian reasons. It is kerygma that seeks to shape a community.
3) Passover as a ritual of conversion. By the time that the readers of Exodus arrive at Sinai with the original generation and hear the words, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself” (Exod 19:4), they have been converted to the people of God through participation in the Passover liturgy in which past, present, and future generations are intermingled into a one people of God.
4) Passover as ritual of confirmation. Since participation was limited to circumcised males, this implies some sort of commitment to the community of God’s people. Participation in the Passover celebration confirms and renews persons into a new reality.
5) Passover as Proclamation. The Passover is a form of proclamation and witness to the world by the people of God. As we will see, Israel will be called to serve God as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:4-6). Passover becomes a yearly festival in which the nation shuts down for a time to remember and reenact God’s deliverance of God’s people from Egypt. This serves as a witness to resident aliens and workers who are present. It is worth pondering that the Apostle Paul picks up this thread in 1 Cor 11:26 “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing/proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
What else might you add?
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