Why Passover?

Why Passover?

by Matt Steel

 

Why do we celebrate the Christian Passover when most of the Christian world celebrates Easter? Because what we received from the foundational members of the Church of Jesus Christ—the church He formed initially with the disciples, which then grew in great numbers on the day of Pentecost and beyond—was a practice centered on Passover. We practice the Christian Passover because these founding members of the Church talked about nothing else; they pointed only to Jesus and His role in this ancient and deeply transformative celebration.

 

But you might be thinking, "where are the proofs for this?" Well, the first one that comes to mind is Luke 22:14–20 (NKJV):

 

“When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

 

This was Jesus instituting a new way of observing Passover. Notice He was not instituting a new holy day; He was transforming an ancient holy day that was given first to Israel all the way back in Exodus 23, right after they had escaped Egypt. This was itself the first actual complete Passover—when the God who came as Jesus passed over the land of Egypt and struck the firstborn of Egypt so that Israel might be set free from sin and bondage.

 

Why, with all the rich history and meaning for us as Christians, would Jesus have instituted a new day for remembering His sacrifice? He was the fullest example of an innocent firstborn, called out from the land of Egypt and sacrificed for our liberation from sin and death. Remember, Jesus and His family lived in Egypt until Herod, the king in Palestine who wanted to kill Jesus as a babe, was finally dead.

 

John the Baptist declared in John 1:29 (NKJV):

 

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

 

The Passover Lamb, rich in meaning and symbolism, was a powerful testimony of what Jesus was about to become—our full and complete Passover Lamb. This is what the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 (NKJV):

 

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

 

There was no reason that Jesus would change the holy day, rename it, or indeed replace it with something that had no relation to the long story of salvation that God has been telling and painting for us as He brings about our redemption and liberation.

 

Jesus did not replace Passover or rename it; He revealed its long-hidden, deeper meaning. All the Jewish practices, Israelite practices, and biblical practices long written down were, in fact, just shadows of what was to come. Passover—even the liberation of the people of God from Egypt—was always only ever about pointing to Jesus, our Passover, the true Lamb of God sacrificed for us, so that we could pass over from death into life.

 

Jesus didn’t replace Passover; He deepened it and enriched it with His own story. He took Passover out of the hands of an elite few Jewish and Levitical leaders and gave it to all of us who believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He was sacrificed for us so that we could become alive in Him—new creatures in Him. So we could live with Him for all eternity. So He could heal us of all the spiritual and emotional wounds we carry. So He could free us from the prison of shame and despair. And so He could take us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

 

Galatians 5:1 (NIV) tells us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” And he began this process at Passover, changing it to its fullest and original purpose, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

If you would like to learn more about Passover and Unleavened Bread and the deeper significance please join us this Passover season or come visit our church any Sabbath and we would be happy to share with you more about how Jesus is our Passover Lamb and the Bread from heaven.