Passover/Pesach (פֶּסַח)

Shalom,
 
                The Passover (Pesach [פֶּסַח] in Hebrew) was instituted by God as a yearly memorial of the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It commemorated the night in which the Lord passed through Egypt, destroying the firstborn of each family that had not applied the blood of the paschal lamb to the doorposts and lintels of their houses. This was the last of the ten plagues which God had inflicted on Egypt, and it was the event which caused Pharaoh to relent and release the people from the bitter slavery they had endured for so many years (Exodus 12).
For centuries after that time the Jewish people obeyed the commandment of God and observed the Feast of Passover on the fourteenth day of Abib (Nisan), the first month of the religious year. Under the full moon, all the families of the nation of Israel remembered the supernatural deliverance wrought by God, as if they were also personally delivered from Egypt. In an unbroken line from the first Passover (over 3400 years ago), the Jewish people have kept the commandment that God gave them to observe this festival forever.
Since Jesus was a devoted and observant Jew who diligently obeyed the commandments of God, he maintained the tradition of Passover observance throughout his life, as he had been taught it by his godly parents. Indeed, in each of the three years of his ministry, Jesus observed the Passover (John 2:23; 6:4; 13:1). Then on the night of his last celebration of the Passover, Jesus instituted a new memorial for Passover observance among his disciples.
The continuing observance of Passover was enjoined upon the church by Jesus, himself: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Paul further urged Passover observance upon the church, including the Gentiles, in his exhortation in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8: “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us observe the festival . . . with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Even after the church abandoned its connection with Judaism around the end of the first century, a large part of the church continued to observe Passover with communion on the very day of Passover until the eleventh century.
While Jews remained faithful through the centuries to the present day to observe the Passover as God had commanded, the Christian church abandoned this practice in favor of Good Friday and Easter celebrations that have continued to the present. Throughout this time, however, a remnant of Christians continued to maintain connection with the Jewish roots of their faith by remembering the Passover each year.
In recent time, Christian celebration of Passover has increased, making it possible for Christians around the world to reconnect with the foundations of their faith in the Hebrew Scriptures. Church-induced fears of legalism have been replaced by the joy of celebrating what God commanded “forever.” There are many ways in which believers can enjoy this enriching part of their biblical heritage. Christians may join with their Jewish friends (or connect with the Jewish community in their area) to share in an authentic traditional Passover Seder meal.
The Passover Seder tray helps to organize the various elements of the Seder, most of which Jesus himself used. Christians as well as Jews can see images of God’s deliverance from slavery. Matzah (unleavened bread) is essential to the celebration for both Jews and Christians as God prescribed unleavened bread. A special bag for thematzah holds the three pieces of unleavened. A Kiddush Cup is important for sharing the wine. A PassoverHaggadah (either a traditional Jewish haggadah or a Christian haggadah) is helpful, along with other symbols such as the menorah, the shofar, the timbrel (tambourine), the tallit (prayer shawl), and banners.
For detailed information about the Passover,read Our Lost Legacy: Christianity’s Hebrew Heritage andChristian Celebrations for Passover by Dr. John D. Garr or go to www.HebraicCommunity.org to connect with theStability series and other teaching materials about virtually any subject relating to Christian celebrations of biblical festivals and Christian use of biblical and Jewish symbols.

Dr. John Garr
Hebraic Christian Global Community