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“If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate; he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it.” [Exodus 12:48 HCSB]
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Open door policy
Exodus 12:48 introduces a shocking proviso: aliens can partake of the Passover celebration. Of course, they have to first become Jews. That’s why they must be circumcised. This is a remarkably unique provision in the ancient world. Anyone could become a part of Israel and receive full redemption as pictured in the Passover. No other ancient peoples allowed anything like this kind of complete acceptance. It shows that the YHWH relationship is what matters, not race. If you trust in the God of grace revealed through His word to Abraham’s family, then you are in.
The door must be marked with blood
However, an imposition is sometimes pressed on to this text today. This part of Moses’ Law is often misused by people who likely mean well. They call for modern countries to take in refugees and cite the Passover acceptance as a biblical precedent. While scripture commands that compassion be shown to all in need, one can’t claim that Exodus 12 says to give all of a society’s benefits to an alien.
If one really wants to apply the OT standard, then those who are allowed in must become citizens and repudiate their old life in order to receive full benefits. That’s why verse 45 excludes the temporary resident. The uncircumcised are not vested in the community. To receive full benefits of the Passover, the alien must trust YHWH and join His covenant community which is open to all.
The door leads to heaven
Of course, the most important application of this has nothing to do with earthly nations, but rather with God’s heavenly kingdom. The Apostle Paul magnificently builds on Israel’s Passover, displaying how inclusive salvation comes to all who believe in the ultimate Passover Lamb. He writes to the majority Gentile church in Ephesus:
At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world…When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away [Gentiles] and peace to those who were near [Jews]…So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household. [Ephesians 2:12, 17, 19 HCSB]
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