Weekly Readings – To Come

Week 4: Bo (פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא) – “To Come”

January 24, 2025

Torah Reading: Exodus 10:1-13:16

Messianic Significance: ✅ Contains Messianic Prophecy

The goal of this series is to pull out all Messianic references already prevalent in Weekly readings as well as holidays throughout a faithful Jews life.

Helpful Links

• https://www.hebcal.com/sedrot/bo
• Exodus 10:1-13:16
• Parshah In-Depth – Bo
• Life in the Blood

IMPORTANT NOTE ON JEWISH SOURCES

Unlike Genesis 49:10 (Shiloh prophecy), ancient Jewish commentaries do NOT explicitly interpret the Passover lamb as Messianic. The Targums, Midrash, and Talmud focus on the historical deliverance from Egypt, not on Messianic typology.

The interpretation of the Passover lamb as pointing to Messiah is primarily a Christian perspective, seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover symbolism. This is important to acknowledge honestly.

PRIMARY BIBLICAL TEXTS

Exodus 12 – The Passover Institution

• Full Chapter: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+12&version=ESV
• Key Verses:
  • Exodus 12:3 – “Take a lamb for each household”
  • Exodus 12:5 – “Without blemish, a male a year old”
  • Exodus 12:6 – “Keep it until the fourteenth day”
  • Exodus 12:7,13 – “Put blood on doorposts… I will pass over you”
  • Exodus 12:46 – “You shall not break any of its bones”
  • Leviticus 17:11 – “Life (Soul) of the flesh is in the blood”

NEW TESTAMENT CONNECTIONS

John the Baptist’s Declaration

• John 1:29 – “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”

Paul’s Teaching

• 1 Corinthians 5:7 – “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed”

Peter’s Description

• 1 Peter 1:19 – “With the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot”

Crucifixion Fulfillment

• John 19:33-36 – “Not one of his bones was broken”

Passover Regulations and Practice

1. Wikipedia – Passover Sacrifice
   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_sacrifice
   • Comprehensive overview of historical Passover practices
   • Includes Talmudic regulations (Mishnah Pesachim)
   • Note: Rashi taught the sacrifice was only offered once in 40 years of wilderness wandering (see Screenshot below)
2. Jewish Practice – Rabbinic Requirements
   • Minimum 10, maximum 20 people per lamb (Rabbinic tradition)
   • Lamb selected on Nisan 10, sacrificed on Nisan 14
   • Must be consumed entirely that night
   • Source: Mishnah Pesachim (Talmudic tractate on Passover)

JEWISH PERSPECTIVE ON THE LAMB

The Lamb as Egyptian God

1. Beit HaShoavah – Jewish Perspective
   • https://beithashoavah.org/2025/04/the-lamb-of-god-in-exodus-a-jewish-perspective-rooted-in-tradition/
   • Key Jewish Teaching:
     • Midrash Shemot Rabbah 16:2 – Egyptians worshipped the lamb (Aries/zodiac)
     • Killing the lamb was an act of defiance against Egyptian idolatry
     • Mechilta de’Rabbi Ishmael – It tested Israelites’ courage
     • Zohar (Bo 36b) – Blood symbolized destruction of Egypt’s spiritual power
     • Jewish view: Lamb was NOT a sin offering, but a celebration of liberation
     • Jewish tradition: Redemption came through Hashem alone, not a mediator
2. Rashi’s Commentary (11th Century)
   • Available at: https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Exodus.12
   • Exodus 12:23 – Blood was a sign for Israelites’ allegiance, not to appease God
   • Focus on obedience and faithfulness, not substitutionary atonement

CHRISTIAN TYPOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS

Scholarly Commentaries

1. Enduring Word Bible Commentary – Exodus 12
   • https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/exodus-12/
   • Key Typological Connections:
     • Lamb becomes part of family (4 days) = Jesus examined
     • Without blemish = Pilate’s declaration
     • Blood forms cross shape on doorpost
     • Personal household sacrifice = personal faith
     • Quote: “Passover shows early origin – no temple, no altar, no priest: but representation, if not substitution, is clearly implied”
2. Stephen Sizer – Christ in Exodus
   • https://stephensizer.com/2011/09/christ-in-all-the-scriptures-exodus-and-the-passover-lamb/
   • Seven Ways Passover Points to Christ:
     1. Must be a lamb (John 1:29)
     2. Male (Luke 1:31-32)
     3. Without blemish (1 Peter 1:19)
     4. Examined four days (Nisan 10-14 timeline)
     5. Killed “between the evenings” (3-5pm) – exact time Jesus died
     6. Bones not broken (John 19:36)
     7. Blood applied personally
3. Chosen People Ministries – John 12 and Exodus 12 Parallel
   • https://chosenpeople.com/the-lamb-of-god-john-12-and-exodus-12/
   • Timeline Connection:
     • Jesus entered Jerusalem on Nisan 10 (Triumphal Entry/Palm Sunday)
     • Examined by religious leaders for 4 days
     • Crucified on Nisan 14 (same day Passover lambs were sacrificed)
     • Quote: “Just as the first Passover lamb was brought into each household on the tenth of Nisan perfect and without blemish, so also Jesus came into the house of Israel”
4. Scott LaPierre – Christ Our Passover Lamb
   • https://www.scottlapierre.org/christ-our-passover-lamb/
   • Important Warning:
     • “If we read every passage in the Old Testament related to Passover… but we fail to see Christ, then we have made the same mistake the religious leaders made”
     • John 5:39 – “You search the Scriptures… and it is they that bear witness about me”
     • Eternal life comes from knowing the Christ of the Scriptures, not just knowing Scripture

HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT

The Timing – Nisan 10-14

1. Alfred Edersheim – The Temple: Its Ministry and Services
   • Classic work by converted Jewish scholar
   • Describes Passover practices in Jesus’ day
   • Notes: 256,000 lambs sacrificed in one year
   • Stream of blood flowing from brazen altar
   • Reference in multiple commentaries
2. Jewish Calendar and Passover
   • Passover begins on Nisan 14
   • Jesus’ Triumphal Entry: Nisan 10 (John 12:1 – “six days before Passover”)
   • Crucifixion: Nisan 14 (same day as Passover sacrifice)
   • Timeline matches perfectly

THE FOUR-DAY EXAMINATION PERIOD

Why Four Days?

• Family Inspection Purpose
  • Ensure lamb was truly without blemish
  • Lamb became part of family (cherished and mourned)
  • Made sacrifice deeply personal
• Jesus’ Four-Day Examination (Nisan 10-14)
  • Examined by Pharisees – Matthew 22:15-46
  • Examined by Sadducees – Matthew 22:23-33
  • Examined by Herodians – Mark 12:13-17
  • Examined by Pilate – Luke 23:4,14,22 (declared “I find no fault”)
  • Examined by Herod Antipas – Luke 23:15 (found nothing deserving death)
• Source: https://www.thetabernacleman.com/post/666-satan-shoes-culture-wars-and-passover-exodus-12-1-14-terry-harman-d-min-phd

BLOOD ON THE DOORPOSTS – CROSS SYMBOLISM

The Pattern

1. Exodus 12:7 – “Take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel”
   • Two sides (left and right)
   • Top (lintel)
   • As blood dripped from top, it formed cross shape
2. Hyssop Branch
   • Used to apply blood (Exodus 12:22)
   • Same plant used at crucifixion – John 19:29 (“sponge full of sour wine on hyssop”)
3. Source: Multiple commentaries note this visual connection

NOT A BONE BROKEN

Old Testament Command

• Exodus 12:46 – “You shall not break any of its bones”
• Numbers 9:12 – Repeated in second Passover instructions
• Psalm 34:20 – “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken”

New Testament Fulfillment

• John 19:31-36 – Roman soldiers didn’t break Jesus’ legs
• Specifically noted as fulfillment of Scripture
• Happened even though breaking legs was standard Roman practice to hasten death

Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/exodus/12.html

THE PURPOSE OF BLOOD – ATONEMENT

God’s Clear Statement on Blood and Atonement

Leviticus 17:11 – “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

• Full passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+17%3A11&version=ESV
• This is God’s explicit statement that blood makes atonement
• Blood must be on the altar
• The life is in the blood
• Atonement requires sacrifice

The Problem: No Temple Since 70 AD

1. Historical Fact:
   • Second Temple destroyed by Romans in 70 AD
   • No temple = no altar
   • No altar = no place for blood sacrifice
   • Animal sacrifices have not been performed since then
2. Timeline Significance:
   • Jesus crucified: ~30 AD
   • Temple destroyed: 70 AD
   • Gap: 40 years (one biblical generation)
3. Source: Jerusalem – Livius
   • Comprehensive history of Second Temple destruction

Jewish Responses to Atonement Without Temple

1. Rabbinic Judaism’s Answer:
   • Prayer replaces sacrifice (based on Hosea 14:2)
   • Good deeds (tzedakah) make atonement
   • Repentance (teshuvah) brings forgiveness
   • Study of Torah substitutes for sacrifice
   • Yom Kippur observance without blood
2. Key Rabbinic Sources:
   • Talmud Berakhot 26b – Prayers correspond to daily sacrifices
   • Pirkei Avot 1:2 – “World stands on Torah, service, and acts of kindness”
   • Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah – Maimonides on repentance
3. Source: The Significance of Blood in Ancient Judaism | My Jewish Learning
   • Explains modern Jewish approach to atonement

The Uncomfortable Questions

1. Does prayer/good deeds fulfill Leviticus 17:11?
   • God specifically said “blood… on the altar”
   • Can human action replace divinely prescribed method?
   • Why would God give detailed sacrifice instructions if they could be replaced?
2. Why was the Temple destroyed exactly when it was?
   • 40 years after Jesus claimed to be final sacrifice
   • Before genealogical records could prove future Messianic claims
   • Timing seems prophetically significant
3. Hebrews 9:22 Connection:
   • “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”
   • New Testament echoes Leviticus principle
   • https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+9%3A22&version=ESV

Christian Interpretation

1. Jesus as Final Passover Lamb:
   • One sacrifice, once for all (Hebrews 10:10)
   • His blood makes atonement permanently
   • No more need for repeated sacrifices
   • Temple destroyed because sacrifice system was complete
2. Paul’s Teaching:
   • Romans 3:25 – “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood”
   • https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A25&version=ESV
3. Hebrews Connection:
   • Hebrews 9:11-14 – Christ entered heavenly sanctuary with His own blood
   • Hebrews 10:1-18 – Extended teaching on why Christ’s sacrifice ends the system
   • https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+9%3A11-14&version=ESV

Scholarly Discussions

1. Jews for Jesus – Atonement Today
   • Does Atonement Really Require Sacrifice? – Jews for Jesus
   • Discusses rabbinic substitutes for sacrifice
   • Presents Christian perspective on final atonement
2. One For Israel – No More Sacrifices
   • Life is in the Blood – ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry
   • Historical analysis of temple destruction timing
   • Theological implications

The Central Question

If God said in Leviticus 17:11 that blood makes atonement, and the temple where blood could be offered was destroyed in 70 AD and hasn’t been rebuilt for nearly 2,000 years, what is God’s provision for atonement today?

Two possible answers:

1. Rabbinic Judaism: God accepts prayer, repentance, and good deeds as substitutes
2. Messianic Christianity: God provided the final sacrifice in Jesus before the temple was destroyed

The question every person must answer: Which interpretation aligns with Leviticus 17:11?

THE PASSOVER MEAL ELEMENTS

Three Required Items:

1. Lamb/Goat – The sacrifice
2. Unleavened Bread (Matzah) – Bread of haste; also symbolizes sincerity (1 Cor 5:8)
3. Bitter Herbs (Maror) – Reminder of bitter bondage in Egypt

How They Point Forward:

• Lamb = Christ our Passover (1 Cor 5:7)
• Unleavened bread = Body broken for us (Luke 22:19)
• Bitter herbs = Remember what we’re saved from

Sources:

• https://www.torahclass.com/lessons/old-testament/exodus/lesson-10-ch12/
• https://www.bethelripon.com/daily-devotion/2025/1/22/day-1045-our-passover-lamb-exodus-12-vs-1-14

MIDRASH ON PASSOVER (Jewish Interpretive Texts)

Available Sources:

1. Midrash Shemot Rabbah (Exodus Rabbah)
   • Chapter 16:2 – Egyptians worshipped the lamb
   • Focus: Act of courage and defiance
2. Tanchuma (Midrashic collection)
   • Bo 4 – Discusses how slaying the lamb shattered Egyptian morale
   • Fulfills Exodus 11:7 – “Not a dog shall sharpen its tongue”
3. Mechilta de’Rabbi Ishmael
   • Halakhic midrash on Exodus
   • Emphasizes testing Israelites’ courage after enslavement

Note: None of these explicitly connect Passover to Messiah

HONEST ASSESSMENT

What Ancient Jewish Sources Say:

• ✅ Passover was deliverance from Egypt
• ✅ Lamb represented defiance of Egyptian gods
• ✅ Blood marked allegiance to God
• ✅ Personal household sacrifice
• ❌ NO explicit Messianic interpretation in Targums/Midrash/Talmud

What Christians See:

• ✅ Seven specific details match Jesus’ crucifixion
• ✅ Timing matches perfectly (Nisan 10-14)
• ✅ New Testament authors explicitly make connection
• ✅ John the Baptist, Paul, Peter all identify Jesus as Passover Lamb

The Question:

Can seven specific details (lamb, without blemish, four-day examination, blood saves, eaten in haste, bones not broken, household sacrifice) all matching Jesus’ death and resurrection be coincidence?

Or was God writing prophecy so detailed that when Messiah came, the pattern would be unmistakable?

RECOMMENDED READING ORDER

For someone new to this topic:

1. Start: Read Exodus 12 in full
2. Then: Read John 12 (Jesus’ Triumphal Entry to crucifixion)
3. Compare: Enduring Word Commentary (Christian perspective)
4. Contrast: Beit HaShoavah article (Jewish perspective)
5. Decide: Does the pattern point to Jesus, or is this Christian overlay?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For Further Study:

1. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 – Paul’s direct teaching on Christ as Passover
2. Hebrews 9-10 – Extended discussion of sacrifice and fulfillment
3. Leviticus 23:4-8 – God’s instructions for keeping Passover forever
4. Luke 22:7-20 – Jesus institutes communion at Passover meal

Talmudic References:

• Mishnah Pesachim – Entire tractate on Passover laws
• Available at: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Pesachim

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Last Updated: January 2026

Next Study: Vayikra – The Sacrificial System (March 21, 2026)

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January Summary: The Foundation of Messianic Hope Statistics for January 2026:

• Total Weekly Readings: 5
• Readings with Messianic Content: 2 (40%)
• Torah Portions with Messianic Prophecy: 2
• Haftarot with Messianic Prophecy: 0

Key Messianic Themes Proclaimed This Month:

1. Shiloh Prophecy – Scepter from line of Judah
2. Passover Lamb – The Substitutionary Atonement

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Why This Matters

January’s readings establish the foundational messianic promise: that Messiah would come thru the line of Judah, and that He would be the Substitutionary Atonement for everyone’s sins that accept that they needed that sacrifice in their live to cover for their sins and allow them to approach the throne of grace with boldness. This isn’t hidden theology or secret teaching—it’s read publicly in synagogues every year.

Jewish congregations hearing these passages are encountering:

• The promise of a specific descendant who will bless all nations
• Isaiah’s prophecies of the Servant and coming comfort
• The foreshadowing of substitutionary sacrifice

These aren’t Christian inventions overlaid on the text. They’re part of the ancient Jewish Scriptures, read continuously for millennia.

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What’s Coming in February?

Next month, we’ll explore the messianic prophecies in December’s Torah cycle, including:

• Yitro Haftarah – Jethro – Child is born, prince of peace (Isaiah 6:1-13) – February 7, 2026
• Mishpatim Haftarah – Judgments – David never lacks a man on throne (Jeremiah 34:8-22, 33:25-26) – February 14, 2026

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Join the Journey

This is the first video in a 12-month series exploring messianic prophecies in the weekly Torah and Haftarah readings. Each month, we’ll examine what Jewish congregations actually hear during their Sabbath services—not what’s excluded, but what’s included.

Subscribe to stay updated as we journey through the entire Jewish year, discovering the messianic hope proclaimed every Shabbat.

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Additional Resources

📅 View This Year’s Complete Torah Reading Schedule – See all weekly portions with dates

📖 Torah & Haftarah Reference Tool – List of all Torah, Haftarah, Special Events that contain Messianic Prophecies

✉️ Subscribe for Monthly Updates – Get each month’s post delivered to your inbox

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All Scripture references from the Old Testament / Tanakh have been provide by Sefaria.org