2 Kings 23 Explained: Josiah, the Passover, and the King Who Points to Jesus
2 Kings 23 Explained: Josiah, the Passover, and the King Who Points to Jesus
What does an ancient king destroying idols have to do with Jesus Christ?
More than you might think.
2 Kings 23 looks like a story about Josiah cleaning up Judah. He tears down idols, destroys pagan altars, removes false worship, and restores the Passover. But underneath the history is a much bigger picture.
The Bible keeps pointing toward a King who would do what Josiah could only begin.
Josiah could remove idols from the land. Jesus removes idols from the heart.
Josiah repaired the temple. Jesus called His own body the true temple.
Josiah celebrated the Passover. Jesus became the Passover Lamb.
That is what makes this chapter so powerful. Josiah is a good king, but he is not the King the people ultimately need. His story creates a shadow. Jesus is the reality.
Chapter Summary & Context
2 Kings 23 moves quickly:
- Josiah gathers Judah and reads the Book of the Covenant before the people.
- He renews the covenant to follow the Lord.
- Idols, pagan priests, altars, and objects of false worship are destroyed.
- Josiah fulfills the prophecy concerning the altar at Bethel given centuries earlier.
- The Passover is restored in Jerusalem.
- Josiah dies in battle against Pharaoh Neco.
- His son Jehoahaz becomes king, but Judah continues moving toward judgment.
The chapter ends with a painful truth: even the reforms of a righteous king could not permanently change Judah's heart.
Something greater was needed.
How This Points to Christ
The first major connection is the destruction of idols.
Josiah did not simply tell the people to stop worshiping idols. He destroyed the places where those idols had been honored. He went after the entire system of false worship.
Jesus goes even deeper.
He does not merely tell us to stop serving sin. He gives us a new heart.
This reaches back to Deuteronomy 6:4–5, where Israel is commanded to love the Lord with all the heart, soul, and strength. Josiah renews that covenant outwardly, but Jesus fulfills it perfectly inwardly. He loved the Father without divided loyalty and then calls His people to follow Him.
Then comes the Passover.
This is where the chapter suddenly becomes much bigger than Josiah.
The Passover remembered the night God delivered Israel from Egypt. A lamb died, its blood marked the doorway, and judgment passed over the household.
Now look at Jesus.
John the Baptist sees Him and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29).
Paul later says, “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The Passover was never merely about an ancient escape from Egypt. It was a picture pointing forward.
The lamb died so another could live.
Jesus dies so sinners can live.
The blood of the Passover lamb marked the door.
The blood of Christ covers those who belong to Him.
And there is another astonishing detail.
Josiah restores the Passover at Jerusalem, the place where sacrifices were offered. Centuries later, Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples in Jerusalem—and then becomes the sacrifice.
The shadow meets the substance.
Josiah also discovers the Book of the Law and reads it before the people. This reminds us that God's Word exposes what is wrong and calls people back to God.
But Jesus is more than a reader of God's Word.
Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14).
Josiah can point people toward obedience. Jesus creates the obedience His people could never produce on their own.
And finally, Josiah dies.
His reforms were powerful, but they could not save Judah permanently. Soon after his death, the nation continued toward judgment.
That is the great contrast.
Josiah was a faithful king who died.
Jesus is the perfect King who died and rose again.
Josiah could cleanse the temple.
Jesus cleanses sinners.
Josiah could restore a feast.
Jesus fulfills the feast.
Josiah could renew a covenant.
Jesus establishes the new covenant in His blood.
The chapter leaves us waiting for a King whose work cannot be undone.
That King is Jesus.
Key Scriptural Connections
- Genesis 3:21 → Jesus' covering — God provides the first covering for human shame, pointing forward to Christ, whose sacrifice provides the final covering for sin.
- Exodus 12:13 → Jesus the Passover Lamb — The blood of the lamb caused judgment to pass over Israel, while Christ's blood brings salvation from sin.
- Deuteronomy 18:15 → Jesus the greater Prophet — Moses promised a coming Prophet like himself, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, who speaks God's Word with final authority.
- 2 Kings 18:4 → Jesus and the bronze serpent — Hezekiah destroyed an object that had become an idol; Jesus later uses the bronze serpent as a picture of His own saving death in John 3:14–15.
- Jeremiah 31:31–34 → The New Covenant — Judah repeatedly broke the old covenant, but God promised a new covenant written on the heart, fulfilled through Jesus.
- John 1:29 → The Lamb of God — John directly identifies Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 → Christ our Passover — Paul makes the connection explicit: the Passover sacrifice was pointing toward Christ.
- Luke 22:20 → The New Covenant in Jesus' blood — During Passover, Jesus announces that His blood establishes the covenant Jeremiah had promised.
FAQ & Takeaway
Why is Josiah important if Jesus is the true King?
Because Josiah gives us a picture of righteous kingship while also showing its limits. Even a good human king could not permanently rescue God's people.
Why is the Passover so important in 2 Kings 23?
Because it points directly toward Christ. Israel remembered deliverance through the death of a lamb, while the New Testament reveals Jesus as the final Passover Lamb.
What should we take away from Josiah's reforms?
Do not settle for cleaning up the outside. The gospel goes deeper. Jesus does not simply ask us to remove sinful things from our lives. He transforms the heart and brings us into a new covenant with God.
2 Kings 23 leaves us with a longing for a King whose victory will never collapse.
That King has come.
His name is Jesus Christ.
Closing Call to Action
If Josiah's Passover points toward Jesus, what other Old Testament details have been quietly pointing you toward Him? Share your thoughts below, send this chapter to someone studying the Bible, and subscribe to Among His Verses as we keep uncovering Christ throughout Scripture.
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