Exodus 12:1-32

There were a total of ten plagues that came upon Egypt, and it was only after the last plague, the plague of the firstborn, that Pharaoh let the people of Israel go.  To prepare for this plague and to save the Israelites, God gave instructions about sacrificing a lamb, having a meal, and painting the doorposts so that the Lord would pass over their homes and not take the firstborn.  The Passover feast was celebrated yearly, and it’s during that feast that Jesus institutes a new meal, because a new, perfect lamb was about to be sacrificed to save the people.