To Celebrate or Not to Celebrate

Should Christians celebrate Passover? This is a legitimate question to which much of the Church and most of Judaism have said no. But the answer for believers must be what is given in Holy Scripture.

Should Christians celebrate Passover? When we remain faithful to the Bible, the answer is clear and unequivocal: “Because Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; therefore, let us observe the festival [Passover and Unleavened Bread] ... with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). This directive is from a Christian apostle who even then was still a Jewish rabbi, and it was given to Gentiles. What could possibly be more apparent?

The next question is, How should Christians observe the Passover? Again, the Bible gives a clear answer. What better example could we have than that of our Lord Jesus Himself? According to the Gospels, He celebrated the Passover with His Disciples in the traditional Seder that the sages had prescribed for His time. The core of the modern Seder predates the time of Yeshua and was the order which He employed in the Last Supper. Christians are free to imitate Jesus’ way of life at any time; however, they are bound to no specific ritual for their salvation. Freedom in the Messiah permits great flexibility of practice.

Should any remain confused, Paul gives the liturgical order for recognizing Yeshua’s sacrificial death in the Passover celebration: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is given to you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

This article is excerpted from the book, Christians Celebrations for Passover, by Dr. John D. Garr. used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Dr. John D. Garr has pioneered research, writing, and teaching on the Hebrew Foundations of Christian Faith for more than thirty years.  His international ministry has enlightened believers of various communions, teaching them the historical and theological emergence of Christianity from the matrix of biblical Judaism.  John and his wife, Pat, with the support of their sons, John, Timothy, and Stephen, work to promote the Restoration Foundation and Hebraic Heritage Christian School of Theology.