The First Passover Meal

During the final and terrible plague upon Egypt, the firstborn children and even the firstborn of the livestock died as death passed through Egypt. Only those who followed God’s specific instruction to mark their doors were safe. As the angel of death passed over their homes, the Israelites ate the first Passover Meal. This last plague convinced Pharaoh to release the Jews they quickly left Egypt by night. Four hundred and thirty years of bondage were finally over.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Exodus chapters 11-12

Outline:

1. Moses and Aaron warn the Pharaoh a final time (Exodus 11:1-10)
2. The first Passover meal (Exodus 12:1-28)
3. Death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:29-30)
4. God’s people leave Egypt (Exodus 12:31-51)

Tips for teaching children:

• Reenact the Passover meal (complete with food).
• Consider the seriousness of the story by listing who we know to be the firstborn in their family. This could even include pets.  If the Passover was happening now, then we would certainly want to obey God’s instructions.
• A fun idea is to eat French fried potatoes (or anything else in long strips). After enjoying the snack then show the children how to form a door frame with the fries. To re-enact the Passover instruction, add ketchup (or tomato sauce) to the “top of the door frame.”

Tips for teaching adults:

• Plan and prepare to celebrate a Passover.  This should be done in an intergenerational setting that involves all families in the class (or church) from the children to the grandparents.  There are several written Passover cereomonys to choose from.  Here are a couple of links on celebrating the Passover as followers of Jesus:  https://messiahinthepassover.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Family-Messianic-Haggadah_Digital.pdf  and  https://www.celebratemessiah.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Celebrate-Messiah_Haggadah_2019_final-1.pdf
• Read Luke 22:7 – 30 and discuss how Jesus’ celebration of the Passover fulfils the Passover celebration

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  The Death of the First Born 

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org