On this Palm Sunday — what the Jews called “Lamb Selection Sunday” — Pastor Josh White reminded us that God has always been in the business of preparation. Looking at Exodus 12, John 14, Hebrews 11, and 1 Corinthians 2, he walked us through three preparations God made for His people, each pointing us toward the ultimate hope we have in Christ.
1. God Prepared the First Passover — deliverance from Egypt
God gave Israel clear instructions through Moses: on the 10th day of Nissan, every family would select a lamb. Four days later — on the 14th — they would sacrifice it at twilight. The blood on the doorpost would cause the angel of death to “pass over” that home.
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt at night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments.”
— Exodus 12:12
What struck Pastor Josh was how God appointed these feast days before the events happened. These weren’t celebrations of past history — they were forward-looking, pointing to something greater. The original Passover delivered Israel from physical slavery; it was also a picture of the ultimate deliverance to come.
2. God Prepared the Body of Jesus — the true Passover
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the very day Israel was selecting their Passover lambs. And on that same week, Jesus would become the ultimate Lamb — one without blemish, sacrificed once for all.
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
— John 1:29
Pastor Josh referenced Hebrews 10, which tells us the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins — it required a perfect, permanent sacrifice. That’s exactly what Christ provided:
“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said… ‘Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me.'”
— Hebrews 10:5
The first Passover saved Israel from the angel of death in Egypt. The true Passover — Christ’s death on the cross — saves all who believe from the penalty of sin and gives them the hope of resurrection life.
3. God Is Preparing an Eternal Home for Us
Pastor Josh reminded us that God’s preparation doesn’t end with the cross. Right now, Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us:
“In my Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
— John 14:1-3
This should change how we live today. We prepare for homes on earth — houses, apartments, retirements — but all of that ends at death. God, however, is preparing something eternal:
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:9
Pastor Josh also pointed to Hebrews 11, where the heroes of faith “desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” And in 2 Corinthians 5, we learn that God is preparing not only a home — but a glorified resurrected body for us, like Christ’s.
So What?
On this Lamb Selection Sunday / Palm Sunday, the invitation is to remember what God has prepared. He prepared the exodus from Egypt as a picture of freedom. He prepared the body of Jesus as the final sacrifice for sin. And He is preparing right now an eternal home and a resurrected body for all who trust in Christ.
As we approach Easter, let us remember: the same God who delivered Israel, who sent His Son to die in our place, is the same God who has promised to bring us home to be with Him forever.
Scripture References
- Exodus 12:1-14 — The original Passover instructions
- John 1:29 — John the Baptist declares Jesus the Lamb of God
- John 14:1-3 — Jesus prepares a place for His disciples
- Hebrews 10:4-10 — The body prepared for divine sacrifice
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 — The incredible future God has prepared
- Hebrews 11:13-16 — The heroes of faith looked for a heavenly country
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 — Our mortal bodies replaced with resurrection bodies