A Christian View of Passover

In days gone bye the gospel song, “When I see the blood I will pass over you” was frequently sung in churches. This song is based on the historical event recorded in the TANAKH (Old Testament) that we call “the Passover” or “Pesach” as it is called in Hebrew. The biblical account of this festival is recorded in the Book of Exodus. This event took place about 3,200 years ago. Since then the people of God in the Old Testament [the Torah/Tanakh] were commanded by God to perpetually observe the Passover in remembrance of their deliverance and exodus from slavery in Egypt. (See Exodus chap. 12) Annually through the centuries the Jews, God’s ancient covenant people, have obeyed God’s command by faithfully observing the Passover. Yeshua [Jesus], as an observant Jew, kept the Passover each year.

It is believed that it was during a Passover meal [Seder] that Jesus took the unleavened bread and the wine and instituted what we know as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. The Jews now observe the Festival of Passover as a week long observance. Passover includes eating only foods that have been declared kosher by the rabbis. No form of yeast is to be found in observant Jewish homes during Pesach which is tied in with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We now refer to this unleavened bread as ‘matzo.’

Christians are not required to observe the Hebrew festivals. See: Colossians 2:13-17. Living in the Dispensation of Grace (Rom. 6:14) Christians have been freed from the rigid legalist observance of the Old Covenant including the dietary restrictions (Acts 10:9-16) as well as the ceremonial practices spelled out under the old Law. See the New Testament Book of Hebrews.

When Christians observe Pesach they seldom observe it as fully as do the Jews. It should be noted that every time Christians break bread in communion they are looking upon the One who is the true Passover Lamb. The apostle Paul wrote,

“Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificied. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) NRSV

An increasing number of churches are observing the Passover meal [Seder] either during Holy Week or during the actual Festival on the Jewish Calendar. Those observing the Seder are reinstating it to make its symbolism of Christ more meaningful to Christians. The symbolism and ancient traditions associated with the Pesach speak to Christians in a powerful way. Yeshua [Jesus] is seen in the Seder observance. How our Jewish friends do not see Yeshua in the symbolism of the meal can only be attrib-uted to the fact that the hearts of people outside of a personal relationship with Yeshua see only in part. The apostle Paul stated, “. . . the god [Satan] of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) NRSV

There are two major lessons portrayed for Christ’s followers in the Seder. These are:

1. Passover portrays the freedom that believers now have ‘in’ Christ. Passover symbolizes freedom from bondage and slavery. Someone has said, “Freedom has both limitations and responsibilities. Freedom by itself, does not auto-matically solve life’s problems. The Israelites could not fulfill their religious destiny as slaves. Physical slavery was not only an abomination, it was also, spiritual bondage.” What a powerful lesson for we who were dis-enfranchised under the Law. In Christ, because of

grace, we’ve been freed from the bondage of sin as well as from meaningless, legalistic, ritualistic religion. What a blessing to know that: "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10) NIV As Gentile believers we are now free to be the people God calls us to be, (i.e., the reconciled people of God.)

2. The slain lamb and shed blood of Passover of old were but a shadow of what was to come. Yeshua is the Lamb of God. He was slain, his blood shed as a covering to atone for the penalty of our sin. In Christ we have received full forgiveness. Paul wrote,

“In him [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in ac-cordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) NIV

It is through the atoning shed blood of Christ that we have eternal life. Christ alone is the atonement for sin. “What can wash away my sin. . .nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Though Christians are not obligated to observe Passover, yet sitting down together at the Seder table is a meaningful and symbolic observance. At the table we identify with our spiritual roots in Judaism and the completed covenant as believers living in and under the New Covenant. We look beyond Egypt and the wilderness experience of our spiritual ancestors. As God’s reconciled redeemed children, we now revel in our new found freedom that has been secured for us by YESHUA [Jesus) Mashiach [Messiah/Christ]. As disciples of Christ we are the recipients of God’s Grace. It is by grace through faith in the Passover Lamb that we are saved. God’s offer and way of salvation is declared in Ephesians 2:8-9,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” NRSV

We are now new creations in Christ. We read in verse 10 of this passage the work that
God is now doing in our lives,

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” NIV

Later in this same passage we read this wonderful promise,

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13) NIV

We offer handbooks further exploring our Christian roots in Judaism: “Our Spiritual Roots in Judaism” and “Israel: Jews, Mus-lims and Christians.”