Passover in Canaan (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings

This Sunday’s Old Testament reading continues the theme of exploring Israel’s salvation history leading up to the birth of Jesus. Here, leadership of Israel has passed on from Moses to Joshua. He leads the people from the wilderness to Canaan. There, he has all the men circumcised, which had somehow been neglected during their wilderness wanderings (Joshua 5:1-8). After this, the Passover is celebrated in the Promised Land for the first time.

The Passover was only mentioned twice before this. The first time was just before Israel left Egypt (Exodus 12-13), and the second was in the second year of their wandering, while they were in Sinai (Numbers 9).

Each of these three instances represents a transition to the next stage of Israel’s spiritual journey: The first from Egypt to Sinai, the second from Sinai to the Wilderness, and the third from the Wilderness to the Promised Land. This third Passover also represents the passing of the mantle of leadership to Joshua, who becomes the new Moses for the people.

We see how God has faithfully led the Israelites up to this point, even though they were unfaithful in not trusting God in the wilderness and not keeping circumcision. This is a great example of how His mercy is greater than our failings, and He continues to lead us to salvation despite them.

Also, we see in Joshua a type of Jesus as the one who leads us out of the wilderness of sin, and in the Passover a type of the Eucharist. Thus, the New Covenant is foreshadowed in the Old, which gives us a greater appreciation of the unity between the two.

J. Luis Dizon