New Testament Reading: Luke 2:22–35

“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:22–35, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 13:1-16

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.’ Then Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year. ‘When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.’” (Exodus 13:1–16, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

I think the best way to consider our text for today is by asking three questions. One, what does it say? Two, what did it mean for Old Covenant Israel. And three, what does it mean for us today? 

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What Does The Text Say?

The first question is rather easy to answer. What does the text say? Here in Exodus 13, we first of all find instructions for the consecration of the firstborns of Israel, of man and beast. And secondly, we encounter even more instructions regarding the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In fact, our text begins and ends with instructions regarding the consecration of the firstborns, and in the middle, we find instructions regarding the feast. 

As you can see, these things are all intertwined. In this passage, and in the previous one, many words are devoted to instructions regarding the observance of the Passover festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborns. What do all of these rituals share in common? They memorialize some aspect of the historical event wherein the LORD rescued Israel from bondage in Egypt through the outpouring of the tenth plague as he shielded his people from harm. 

We have already learned about the Passover festival. It was to be observed on the 14th day of the first month of the year according to the Hebrew calendar, the month of Abib. On the 10th day of the month, the Israelites were to select a lamb or goat without blemish and they were to set it aside, one per household, or one per multiple households if the households were small. In the evening on the 14th day, the lamb or goat was to be killed, some of its blood was to be spread on the doorposts and header of the door of the home, and then roasted simply over fire. The whole animal was to be consumed, and it was to be eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. This was a kind of reenactment of what happened on the night that the tenth plague was poured out on the Egyptians, and the Hebrews were spared. The LORD passed over and shielded all of the homes that had the blood of the lamb applied to its doorposts. The yearly Passover festival was to function as a yearly reminder of that event. 

We have also learned about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast was also to be observed yearly by Israel. It also began on the 14th day of the first month of the year, but this feast would last for seven days, through to the end of day 21.  On the first day, the Israelites were to remove all leaven from their homes. Leaven is a substance (typically yeast) that is used to make bread rise. Just a little bit of it affects the whole batch of dough. None was to be found in the Israelites homes. And from the 14th day of the month through the 21st day of the month, the Israelites were to eat only unleavened (flat) bread. This was to remind them of how they prepared their bread with haste on the day before the tenth plague was poured out, and how they walked out of Egypt with their dough unleavened. They relied upon that bread to sustain them as they journeyed out of Egypt and into the wilderness. On days one and seven of this festival the Israelites were to hold a holy assembly. In other words, the people were to come together to offer sacrifices to the LORD and to worship. So, in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we have a kind of reenactment of the original event. The Israelites were to do this every single year (once they were in the land promised to them). And they were to do this together as a people. They were to observe this festival at a fixed time, and they were to assemble together on the first and seventh days. The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were so tightly linked that they can be considered two aspects of the same festival. Both were memorials of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. We considered instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 12:14-20, and we find more here in 13:3-10.

Now, something new is introduced to us in this passage. Before and after the instructions regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we find laws concerning the consecration, or setting apart, of the firstborn males of Israel, both of man and of beast. In 13:1 we read, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.’” (Exodus 13:1–2, ESV). And in verse 11 we find Moses instructing Israel concerning this consecration, saying, “‘When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.” (Exodus 13:11–13, ESV)

So what is this about? 

It is another positive law. 

All firstborn male animals were to be sacrificed to the LORD. 

Unclean animals, such as donkeys, were to be redeemed. This means that a  substitute was to be provided, a life for a life. A lamb could, which was considered a clean animal, and therefore suitable for sacrifice, was to be offered up in place of the unclean animal. Notice that I have introduced the categories of “clean” and “unclean” to you without telling you what that means. In brief, in the law Moses many distinctions will be made between things “clean” and “unclean”, things “common” and things “holy”. I’ve already warned you that we are entering into that portion of scripture that describes that time where many positive laws were imposed upon the people of God for a particular time, in a particular place, and for a particular purpose. And here is yet another example: In Old Covenant Israel under the Mosaic Covenant, a distinction was made between things clean and unclean, common and holy. Here in this passage, we learn that all of the firstborn male animals were to be consecrated to the LORD. The clean animals were to be sacrificed to God in worship, but the unclean were to be redeemed. A price was to be paid for them. A substitute was to be offered up. And the same was true for the firstborn sons of Israel. All of Israel’s firstborn sons were to be consecrated unto the LORD. And because they were human beings made in the image of God, and not animals, clean or unclean, every firstborn son of Israel was to be redeemed. 

This passage seems to suggest that a lamb could be offered up as a substitute for the firstborn sons of Israel. Perhaps that was true for a time. But in Numbers 18:14ff detailed instructions are given to the priests of Israel concerning the consecration of the firstborns and the price of redemption. There we read, “Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Numbers 18:14–17, ESV). Here we see that the price of redemption for the firstborn of man and of all unclean animals was set at five shekels in silver. We should remember that Jesus Christ was consecrated as a newborn, he being the firstborn of Mary. In Luke 2:22ff we read, “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’)” (Luke 2:22–23, ESV). Joseph and Mary were poor, and so they offered up a pair of turtledoves instead, which was a provision made for the poor in the law of Moses found in Leviticus 12:8.  

So we have simply considered what the text says. In our passage for today, we find more positive laws pertaining to the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and laws pertaining to the consecration of the firstborn males of Israel, of man and of beast.   

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What Did It Mean For Old Covenant Israel?

Now we must ask, what did this mean for Israel? In other words, what did these laws communicate to them? What was their meaning or message? Certainly, they had significance. These positive laws were not imposed upon Israel arbitrarily by God. No, these laws were added for a purpose. They signified things, just as positive laws always do. Remember, positive laws are not inherently moral. They are added in connection with the making of covenants to signify certain things, i.e. don’t eat from this tree here, circumcise your male children, baptize those who believe, and partake of this and this in remembrance of me. These are positive laws. They are not binding on all. They were added to Old Covenant Israel in the days of Moses for a time and purpose. Now here I am asking, what did they communicate? 

I think the best way to answer this question is to consider what these rituals communicated to Israel concerning the past, present, and future. Now, to be clear I am speaking of their past, present, and future, and not ours. We must put ourselves in the place of Israel after the Exodus and before the resurrection and ascension of Christ. What did these rituals communicate to Old Covenant Israel concerning their past, present, and future?

Concerning the past, these festivals and rituals reminded Israel of their redemption from Egypt. 

The yearly Passover feast was a kind of reenactment of the night when the tenth plague was poured out, the firstborns of Egypt being put to death while firstborns of the Hebrews and all others who took shelter under the blood of the lamb were shielded from the judgment of God. The Feast of Unleavened Bread functioned as a kind extension of the Passover, reminding Israel of their hasty exodus from Egypt the following day. And the consecration of the firstborn males of Israel reminded them of how God spared their firstborns while pouring out his judgments upon Egypt.

Each of these three was, in its own unique way, a memorial to the Exodus event in all of its complexity.  They were to remind Israel of the past. 

The Passover has already been called a memorial. And listen to what our text says in verse 8 concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread. “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8–9, ESV). Something similar is said in verse 13 concerning the consecration of the firstborn males: “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:14–16, ESV). In other words, this ritual, like the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was to function as a perpetual reminder to Israel of what God did for them in the past. That is what is meant by “It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes…” These things were perpetual reminders of the Exodus event. 

It is important to know and to remember history. We can gain a lot of wisdom from history. But this event was to be remembered by Israel because this event — their redemption from Egypt — defined them as a people and nation. And so they were to observe these festivals and these laws to commemorate what God has done for them in the past. Not only were they to do these things in front of their children, and not only were they to teach their children to obey these laws and to observe these rituals themselves, they were also to explain the significance of these rituals to their children.  

Rituals become dead rituals when their significance is forgotten. Israel was to keep the festival and consecrate their firstborn males to remember what the LORD did for them to redeem them from Egypt. They were to teach the next generation about what God had done so that they would know and believe. 

These positive laws were added and imposed upon Israel to cause them to remember the Exodus. And I think it is important to remember that the Exodus story began, not in the days of Moses, but long before that in the days of Abraham. Indeed, the Exodus story begins, not with Exodus chapter one, but in Genesis chapter one. Are you following me? Or to put it another way, these festivals and rituals that were given to Israel in the days of Moses were meant to remind Israel, not only of the Exodus event itself but of the backstory too. The backstory is very important, brothers and sisters. The Exodus event makes sense only against the backdrop of the story of Genesis —  that is, the story of creation, man’s fall into sin, and the promise of redemption for the world through the offspring of Abraham. Here I am saying that these festivals and rituals imposed upon Israel were intended to perpetually remind them of all of that — the Exodus event and everything that led up to it. They were to teach it to their children so that they would know their history, and even more importantly, believe in the promises of God that were instructed to them through their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — promises pertaining to the salvation of the world through faith in the Hebrew Messiah.  

Present

Not only did these positive laws have significance concerning Israel’s past, they also had significance for their present. There is a lot that can be said about this. I’ll say just enough to get us thinking in the right direction. 

In brief, these positive laws pertaining to the observance of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborn males, were meant, not only to remind Israel of the past, but to communicate to them in the present that they were a holy, set apart in the world as the LORD’s special possession. To use Paul’s language, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:4–5, ESV). These positive laws that were added and imposed upon the Hebrews under the Old Covenant were intended to remind Israel of its privileged place in the world. Everything in the world belongs to God, but they were his in a special way, for the LORD chose them and set them apart. He redeemed them from bondage. He made them into a holy nation — a nation to be governed by his holy law. A nation to that would have the glory of God dwell in the midst of her. A nation devoted to worship. A notion instructed with the word of God and the promises of God concerning the Savior of the world. 

This privileged position was not to create pride in Israel, but humility, for it was only by God’s grace. The stories that we find in Genesis regarding the call of Abraham and the lives of the patriarchs communicate this. It was by God’s grace that Abraham was set apart along with his offspring. Abraham did not deserve it. And the Exodus story communicates the same. The Hebrews’ redemption from Egypt was by God’s grace. It was not Moses who delivered them, nor did the Hebrews deliver themselves. They were powerless to do so. The LORD delivered the Hebrews according to his might. As the people of Israel observed the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and as they consecrated the firstborn males, they should have remembered all of that history, and that history should have cultivated humility in their hearts in the present, along with a sense of gratitude towards God, and responsibility as it pertained to the nations. 

Under the Old Covenant, the Hebrews people were graciously set apart as holy unto the Lord and for a purpose. These positive laws that were added and imposed upon them in the days of Moses were to remind them of their identity. These rituals communicated something to them regarding their special place in the world. They belonged to the LORD in a special way. They were being used by him for a special purpose. They needed to remember it. 

Future

These rituals — the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborn males — also communicated something concerning the future. This is a little difficult to see if we have our noses buried in this text leading us to lose sight of what came before and what comes after. But if we are careful to read this portion of scripture in the light of all the rest we are able to see how these positive laws not only reminded Israel of the past and of who they were in the present, they also anticipate the work that God would do in the future through the promised Messiah.  

We must admit that the message concerning the work that Messiah who was to come would do was a bit mysterious in that Old Covenant era. No one knew exactly who the Messiah would be or how he would accomplish our salvation. But enough light was given so that the faithful in Israel could believe. The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ came to the Old Covenant saints in different ways: through the promises of God, through prophecy, and through types. The promises and prophecies are rather easy for us to identify and understand. God spoke to Abraham, for example, and promised to bless the nations through one of his offspring. And God spoke, for example, through Jeremiah the prophet quite clearly concerning the coming New Covenant. Those who lived under the Old Covenant were always looking forward to something, therefore. They were awaiting the day when the Messiah would come to do his work and to establish his eternal kingdom, etc. The promises instructed to Abraham, and the prophecies which followed made it clear that the LORD still had work to do in regards to the accomplishment of our redemption. Even Moses spoke to Israel saying,  “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—” (Deuteronomy 18:15, ESV). So even Moses directed the attention of the people to the future to someone greater than him who would accomplish something greater than he accomplished. 

The promises and prophecies of the Old Covenant make this clear. But here I am saying that the historical event of the Exodus along with the rituals that were given to Israel to commemorate that event — these had a prophetic and forward-looking quality to them. We call them types and shadows because they said something about the future, not through words, but through events, images, and figures. 

Perhaps the most obvious example is the blood of the Passover lamb. The LORD could have distinguished between the Hebrews and the Egyptians in any way that he wished. In fact, the LORD knows who are his, and so no sign was needed. But the LORD determined to use a sign to mark the Hebrews (and all who wished to identify with them by faith) off from the Egyptians. Why a sign? Answer: to signify or symbolize something. And why this sign? Why the blood of a lamb or goat on the doorposts? All who believe in Jesus Christ will agree it was to signify why Christ would do to save his people from their sins eternal damnation. He would shed his blood for us. He would die in our place. All who have the blood of Christ applied to them and received by faith will be cleansed and thus shielded from the just wrath of God. 

But consider this: we are able to identify this symbolism clearly and interpret it rightly only as we consider the blood of the Passover lamb in the light of the rest of scripture. If the Passover lamb were the only sign given, then its light would be very dim indeed. But tell me, do you remember how the LORD clothed Adam and Eve after they fell into sin and were ashamed of their nakedness? They tried to clothe themselves, but the LORD himself clothed them with animal skins. In other words, blood was shed, a sacrifice was made, and a covering was provided for Adam and Eve. And do you remember that story where Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac to test his faith? Abraham obeyed the LORD knowing that the LORD would provide a way out. And what did the LORD do? He provided a substitute for Isaac. A ram was caught in the thicket to take Isaac’s place.  And consider the entire sacrificial system that was added under the Mosaic Covenant. What I am saying is this: we find a theme in the Old Testament scriptures. The wages of sin is death. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. God is gracious. He will provide a substitute. The New Testament is clear: This was all about Christ, our substitute. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV), said John as he prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah.

The Passover feast reminded the Hebrews of the past, it reminded them of their identity in the present, but it was also forward-looking. It reminded Israel of the promises that were made to Adam and Eve, and to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, regarding one of their offspring who would bless the nations by providing redemption from sin, Satan, and the fear of death.

The law concerning the consecration of the firstborn sons did something similar. It reminded Israel of what their sins deserve. It reminded Israel of the grace that was available to them. They were made righteous through faith in the promised Messiah. And it communicated something to them about how their salvation would be accomplished, namely, through substitutionary atonement. They deserved to die (as do you and I), but someone would take their place. Every time a price of redemption was paid for a firstborn male of man or beast, this good news was pronounced to them.  

Listen carefully, brothers and sisters. The Exodus brought earthly deliverance. The Hebrews were rescued from Egypt. It did nothing, in and of itself, to accomplish spiritual and eternal deliverance. It was earth. And the Old Covenant that was instituted under Moses offered blessings and threatened curses as it pertained to life in the land. That covenant, in and of itself, did not provide for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal blessing. But the same grace that is available to you and I was available to them. Those who lived in that Old Covenant era could have their sins forgiven. How so? Through faith in the Messiah who presented to them through promises, prophecies, types, and shadows.  

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What Does It Mean For Us Today? 

We have considered what the text says. We have also considered what this text meant to Old Covenant Israel. Now let us take a moment to ask, what does this mean for us today?

First of all, it should be said that we are not obligated to observe the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or to redeem our firstborn sons with a substitute. These were laws given uniquely to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. They were positive laws imposed upon a particular people, in a particular place, and for a particular time. But this does not mean that we should ignore the scriptures that speak of these things. No! Much can be gleaned from them. In fact, these laws do reveal Christ to us. They help us to see him clearly and to understand his person and work. The illustration that comes to mind is that of a painting. Think of a painting that tells a story, if you know what I mean. Imagine a central figure, and then imagine the background. What is the purpose of the background except to draw attention to and accentuate the central figure, whoever it is. And the background itself can contribute greatly to the overall story that is being told. And that reminds me of what we are doing as we handle these Old Testament books. We are analyzing background images. We are considering what they communicate in and of themselves, but we are also considering how they relate to Christ, the central figure of the story of redemption. These stories and these rituals make Christ pop. That’s what I am trying to say. And so we should cherish them.  They are the word of God. “[N]ot an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18, ESV).

Secondly, everything that was said regarding the rituals of the Old Covenant having significance for the people of God for the past, present, and future, may be said of us too as it pertains to the New Covenant ritual, which is the Lord’s Supper. 

The Lord’s Supper is to remind us of the past. Above all, it is to remind us of how Christ accomplished our redemption from sin, the kingdom of Satan, and the power of death through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. But must not merely remember the event. No, we must also consider its significance. 

The Lord’s Supper is also to remind us of our present identity, calling, and purpose. 

What is the identity of those who have faith in Christ? I’ll quote Peter. He wrote to New Covenant Christians saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)

And what is our calling? I’ll continue with Peter: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11–12, ESV).

Our mission is to “…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [Christ has] commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV).

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are reminded that we belong to the LORD. We have been reconciled to him through faith in the Messiah. He is our God and we are his people, and all of this is by his grace alone. This should produce humility in us along with holiness. 

And the Lord’s Supper also speaks to us concerning the future. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day Sabbath we are reminded of the coming consummation of all things, the new heavens and earth, and the marriage supper of the Lamb that we will enjoy there when the all things are made new and glory of God fills all. 

Let us be sure to keep the festival in sincerity and truth, brothers and sisters. We must not allow it to become a dead ritual but must approach the Table thoughtfully with faith and thanksgiving in our hearts. 

Thirdly, parents and children may learn something from this passage today. 

Parents, teach your children the faith. You bring them to worship with you. They watch you partake of the Supper. Tell them what it means. They need to know what happened. But they also need to be urged to believe these things, to turn from their sins, and to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. 

Children, may I encourage you to be curious about the faith and to ask questions of your parent or parents? If you are here listening to my words now, you are blessed. You are being raised in the faith. But this does not mean that you have faith. That is something you must do. You must turn from your sins and place your faith in Christ. You are not born into that. Your parents cannot do that for you. You must do it. And so I am urging you to be inquisitive. You are truly blessed — you are in a privileged position — if you have a parent or parents, a grandmother, relative, or some other person who has faith in Christ and is raising you in the faith. Ask them questions. Talk about what you see and what you hear. Be curious. Did you notice what our text said about that? “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him…” (Exodus 13:14, ESV), etc. Ask. Be curious. Want to learn. And the Lord’s Day is the best day for that. This is a day for rest and worship. It is a day for talking about the things of the Lord. Children, take the opportunity. Learn from your parents, and believe upon Christ who died for the sins of his people.