This is the time of the year when Jews celebrate Passover and Chistians celebrate Easter. The Christian Easter is a modifed version of the Jewish Passover.
The first Passover celebration was in1445 BC, the night before Israel made their exit/exodus from Egypt. God declared that it would be a new beginning for them. This story is told in Exodus chapter 12. The Jewish people today still celebrate that night when they were spared from death by the blood of the Passover lamb and they were delivered from bondage and slavery to become a holy nation for Yahweh.
The night before His death, Jesus celebrated a Passover meal with His disciples. From that last supper with His disciples we have developed the tradition of what we now call Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, or the Sacrament, or the Eucharist. Two of the elements from this last supper or Passover meal --the wine and the unleavened bread-- in various forms are still used today by Christians. Some also include the footwashing that happened that night with our Lord's Passover/Communion celebration.
The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb. When John introduced Jesus He said, "Behold the Lamb!" (
John 1:29) Paul said: Christ, our Passover Lamb has been slain! (
1 Corinthians 5:7) Celebrating Passover is celebrating Jesus! As the Passover Lamb, He shed His Blood to redeem us from the enemy. When His Blood is "on the doorpost" of your life, God delivers you from the destroyer. So if you understand Passover, you automatically understand what Jesus Christ did.
On the original Passover night, everything pointed to Jesus Christ. Every father in Israel was told to stand at the door of his house with a basin containing the blood of the lamb. He was to dip a branch of hissop into the blood and smear the blood on the two doorposts of the house. Then he was to repeat the action and put the blood on the lintel over the door. If you can picture the motion he made with that blood-soaked branch of hissop, you'll see he was making the sign of the Cross!
On Passover night, every father in Israel made the sign of the cross in the blood of the lamb. And as result, the family experienced redemption from the power of the enemy! God's deliverance always comes by His Cross and by His Blood. That's what Passover celebrates. You see, it was not by accident that Jesus Christ died on Passover. God could have had Jesus die any time of year. But it was God's will for Him to die at Passover, so we would recognize that He is the Passover Lamb!
Passover is so important to God that He chose to have the most important event in history (the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) take place at Passover. God went to great lengths to connect the sacrifice of Jesus to Passover.
The Timetable of Passover
It's interesting to compare the timetable of Jesus' crucifixion with the Passover celebration. According to the Torah, at the time of Passover a number of events had to take place in a specific order, and at very specific times.
1. The Passover Lamb had to be selected on a specific day.
Exodus 12 instructs that the Passover lamb be chosen on the 10th day of 1st month. By the time of Jesus, only lambs from Bethlehem were considered eligible to serve as Passover lambs. So the lamb born in Bethlehem was chosen and brought into Jerusalem from the east (down the Mount of Olives) and entered the city through the sheep gate. On the 10th day of 1st month Jesus, the Lamb born in Bethlehem, came down the Mount of Olives and entered Jerusalem through the sheep gate. (This is called His "triumphal entry.") As He entered, the people waved palm branches and shouted "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Save us, Son of David!" By mass acclamation Jesus is designated as Israel's Messiah! The crowds had chosen their Passover Lamb!
2. The Lamb then had to be examined. The Torah instructed that once the lamb was chosen, it had to be carefully examined for blemishes. Only a perfect, spotless and unblemished lamb would suffice for the Passover. After arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple to teach. While there, He was approached by the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and the teachers of the Law. Each group posed difficult questions, trying to trap him. Essentially, they were looking for any blemish which might disqualify Him as Messiah. But no one could find fault with Him. He was without blemish.
3. The Leaven (impurity) must be cast out. Torah instructs that before the feast, all leaven (impurity) must be cast out of every Israelite home. Each mother took a candle and searched out impurity, removing it from her house. This regulation is still observed today. Passover is a time to cleanse every house. Every observant Jewish family carefully cleans their house before Passover. Every trace of impurity is removed. After Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He entered the Temple and cast out the moneychangers. He was following the Biblical instruction to prepare for Passover by cleansing His Father's house.
4. The Lamb is taken to the altar for public display. On the morning of the 14th day of the 1st month, when all has been set in order, the lamb was led out to the altar. At 9 a.m. that morning, the lamb was bound to the altar and put on public display for all to see. On the morning of the 14th day of the 1st month, when all had been fulfilled, Jesus was led out to Calvary. At 9 a.m. that morning, just as the lamb was being bound to the altar, Jesus was nailed to the Cross and put on public display at Calvary.
5. The Lamb was slain at a specific time. At exactly 3 p.m. the high priest ascended the altar. As another priest blew a shofar on the temple wall, the high priest cuts the throat of the sacrificial Lamb, and declared, "It is finished!" At 3 p.m. on that high holy day, at the moment the Passover lamb was killed, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "It is finished," and gave up His spirit. In Greek, "It is finished" is tetelistai! It means, "The debt has been paid in full!"
The Celebration of Jesus!
Do you see how God chose to connect Jesus with Passover? It's no wonder John introduces Jesus by saying, "Behold the Lamb!" It's no wonder Paul writes "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been slain!" Passover is all about Jesus Christ!
Do you see that Passover is all about Jesus Christ?
- He came as the Lamb of God!
- His Blood redeems us!
- By His Blood…judgment turned away!
- By His Blood…the power of the enemy is broken!
- By His Blood…we are released from bondage and oppression.
- By His Blood…we are set free to enter into God's Promise!
adapted from an article by Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler that appeared in The Elijah List on March 29, 2010
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