The ManicaPost
Pastor Peter Madondo and Pastor Lee Fore
The well known Easter, originally known as Passover in the Hebrew word Pasach, referred to as The Passover Feast.
It is mentioned in Exodus 12, that the feast was celebrated during the same week Jesus was crucified. We will take a journey with you of what took place at the Passover Feast in Exodus 12 and relate it to the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection in the New Testament.
Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and His creation of the Israelite people. The festival of Passover begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of a seven-day celebration which includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The highlight of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means “order,” because of the fixed order of service), which is a time to rejoice and celebrate the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished through the exodus.
What every Christian needs to know about the Passover as many prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, knowing the cultural Jewish soil on which Jesus walked is important to a mature and growing Christian faith. Here are a few steps for help along the Passover journey. Jesus and the apostles were celebrating Passover at the Last Supper, because they were Jewish men with Jewish observances: ”This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord – a lasting ordinance.” (Exodus 12:14 )
“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying ‘go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’” (Luke 22:7-8 +22:7-8)
There is a question that most people ask, Should Christians Celebrate Passover? Some might debate whether or not it is appropriate for a Christian to celebrate Passover.
Whether one chooses to do so or not is a decision for the individual Christian to make.
While Passover remembers the Jews deliverance from slavery, it also is a depiction of Christ’s atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin.
The end result is certainly worthy of a Christian’s consideration and could provide needed “bread for the journey” — unleavened! The Passover Holiday will begin on the evening of Friday, April 19th and end on Monday, April 22nd. Without the resurrection of Christ from the dead, we have no ability to obtain salvation or relationship with God. But since Christ died and rose again, we can obtain fellowship with Him. And we can take the Good News of Jesus Christ to others who need Him, too. Because of the resurrection, we take mission trips, start Christian schools, build Gospel-believing churches, and run Christian camps.
