000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

84 Proper 18 [23]/Year A
Each family eats the Passover in its home, as Jews still do. Parents, children,
grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles in the extended families of
ancient Israel gathered for the celebration. Observing the Passover in this
fashion means that the experience of the children is shaped by ritual prior
to their becoming adults. The Passover and its rich meaning becomes part
of them. God’s redemption of Israel and of all people from bondage shapes
the character and outlook of a people. In the Passover the participation of
children is highlighted and brings great joy.
We note, also, that Passover is a “means of grace,” given by YHWH,
and it is also the people’s response to YHWH’s unconditional love. Not a
commandment, the keeping of which will justify Israel, it is a gift from
YHWH who has already elected Israel.
Preachers should be disturbed by verses 12–13, in which YHWH says
“I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings
and animals.” What do we make of a destroying God? First, let us not minimize
the destructiveness of the plagues inflicted (at least in the narrative)
on Egypt—not only Pharaoh and others responsible for Israel’s suffering
were hit by the plagues, but all the little people who had no say about the
system of absolute dictatorship in which they live. And when the plagues
are described as killing all the fish in the Nile (7:21), ruining the land
(8:13–14), killing all the livestock and wiping out all the vegetation (10:17),
and slaying every firstborn, we know they faced a widespread disaster.
Yet, all this made no difference to the powers-that-be in Egypt, as the
story of the exodus makes clear. Why did God do it (if God actually did)?
Recall that when Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh “Thus says the LORD,
... ‘Let my people go,’ . . . Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should
heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let
Israel go” (5:1–2). The question is: Who is sovereign in history, Pharaoh
or YHWH? Pharaoh’s stupidity is noted more than once in the text.
Perhaps the best way to read the plagues account is more as a historical
parable than a strict recording of events, a parable with a lesson: the
fate of authoritarian dictatorships hostile to freedom and well-being is
always destruction. The New Testament tells many stories of destruction.
There are banquet parables in Matthew which result in people
being thrown into the outer darkness to weep and gnash their teeth
(Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30, for example). And we have Luke’s parable
of the nobleman who gave ten pounds to each of ten slaves to “do
business with” while he was gone, and who said to those who failed to
succeed in this task, “but as for these enemies of mine who did not want