Beth Immanuel

Theme of Passover

Passover is a very special appointment in the Lord’s calendar found in the Bible. It commemorates God’s miraculous act of taking His people out of slavery and into freedom. It was instituted on the night that God freed the Children of Israel, who were enslaved by the Egyptians. With severe plagues and great miracles He brought His people out from their oppression so that they could serve and worship Him. Tradition teaches that each of us should feel as if we were personally freed from slavery in Egypt.

Passover was permanently marked in God’s calendar as a special time for Him to meet with His people. He gave us commandments that show us how He would like us to observe this occasion. These commandments teach us about God and His plan for our redemption.

The main commandments of Passover include:

• removal of leaven and leavened items from our homes (Exodus 12:15, 13:7)
• abstaining from eating leavened foods (Exodus 12:15, 13:3)
• roasting and eating a lamb sacrifice (Exodus 12:8, Deuteronomy 16:2-3; since the Temple is not standing, we cannot perform this commandment as prescribed)
• eating matzah, unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8, 16:3)
• eating bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8),
• and telling the story of the Exodus (Exodus 12:25-27, 13:8,14-15).

Today, in addition to the removal of leaven from our homes, we observe the commandments of eating the special foods and telling the story by gathering together with friends and family for a celebratory meal, called a seder(Hebrew) literally, "order"; an ordered event, especially the meal eaten on Passover.

Significance for Followers of YeshuaThe Hebrew/Aramaic name of Jesus of Nazareth. (lit, "salvation")

As disciples of Yeshua we have even more reason to celebrate this special season. As we know, the biblical holidays “are a shadow of things to come, and the substance is of Messiah.” (Colossians 2:17)

Most people know that the Master’s death occurred during Passover, and His resurrection during the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Surely this is no coincidence. The message of Passover, that we have been transferred from slavery to freedom, has meaning to us in a very intense way. We recognize our bondage to sin, and that in Yeshua’s death and resurrection He brought us freedom from sin and the ability to serve the Creator as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6).

Also of note is that the Messiah’s last meal with His disciples was a seder meal. The bread that He broke, representing His body, was the bread of affliction, the matzah eaten at the seder meal. The after-supper cup, which He lifted and called the new covenant in His blood, was the third cup of the seder, called the Cup of Redemption or the Cup of Blessing (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16). When Yeshua said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” what was He doing? He was sharing a seder meal with His friends, which not only included bread and wine, but also bitter herbs, telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt, and the recitation of the Hallel, the praise psalms (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26). All of these bear witness to the redeeming work of Yeshua, and that is why He instructed us to celebrate Passover in remembrance of Him.

Biblical References to Passover

[This information adapted from Nave’s Topical Bible.]

• Passover Instituted (Exodus 12:3-49; 23:15-18; 34:18; Leviticus 23:4-8; Numbers 9:2-5,13,14; 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8,16)
• Commandment for the very first Passover (Exodus 12:21-28)
• Passover in the second month, for those who couldn’t observe the first (Numbers 9:6-12; 2 Chronicles 30:2-4)
• Passover lamb killed by Levites, for those who were ceremonially unclean (2 Chronicles 30:17; 35:3-11; Ezra 6:20)
• Strangers (gentiles/converts) are authorized to celebrate(Exodus 12:48,49; Numbers 9:14)
• Passover observed at the place designated by God [ultimately Jerusalem, making this one of the three pilgrimage festivals] - (Deuteronomy 16:5-7)
• Passover observed with unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8,15-20; 13:3,6; 23:15; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 9:11; 28:17; Deuteronomy 16:3,4; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7; Acts 12:3; 1 Corinthians 5:8)
• Penalty for not observing Passover (Numbers 9:13)
• Passover observed in the millennial kingdom (Ezekiel 45:21-24)
• Observation of Passover renewed
  • By the Israelites upon entering Canaan (Joshua 5:10,11)
  • By Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:1)
  • By Josiah (2 Kings 23:22,23; 2 Chronicles 35:1,18)
  • After the return from Babylonian captivity (Ezra 6:19,20)
• Yeshua observed Passover (Matthew 26:17-20; Luke 22:15; John 2:13,23; 13)
• Yeshua in the Temple courtyard during Passover (Luke 2:41-50)
• Yeshua’s death at the time of Passover (Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:1,2; John 18:28)
• Comparison of Messiah to the Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
• Yeshua’s last meal was a Passover seder (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20)
• Romans released a prisoner on Passover (Matthew 27:15; Mark 15:6; Luke 23:16,17; John 18:39)
• Peter was imprisoned at the time of Passover (Acts 12:3)