Passover

The lamb and Jesus Christ as our sacrifical lamb are enduring symbols of the Passover

This article is about the Biblically commanded feast from a general and Christian perspective; for Passover in Judaism see Pesach
Passover (Hebrew פֶּסַח pesach "to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare") is a Biblical festival, one of seven of God's commanded Holy Days. Its name is derived from the night of the Tenth Plague, when the Angel of Death saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the houses of Israel and "passed over" them and did not kill their firstborn. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. Passover is the oldest continually observed feast in existence today, celebrated for some 3,500 years. Even today, more Jewish people observe Passover than any other high holy day, and according to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), more than 80% of Jews have attended a Passover celebration.

The Passover story

The original Passover marked the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, as described in chapter 12 of the book of Exodus. On the 10th day of the first month (Nisan in the Jewish calendar) they were instructed to set aside a young lamb without spot or blemish, which was to be kept until the 14th day of this first month, when they were to kill it in the evening. As soon as it was killed, the blood was to be sprinkled over the door posts of their houses, and the lamb roasted and eaten, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in haste ready to move out quickly. At midnight on the 14th the Angel of Death passed through the land, striking dead the firstborn of each family in Egypt. But those under the blood of the lamb were saved from death.

God made it clear that this day would be a memorial: "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." (Exodus 12:14). In the New Testament the apostles explained that the continuing annual Passover observance symbolized Christ. Paul referred to Christ as "our Passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7), and John wrote that John the Baptist recognized Christ as "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).

Jesus Christ and the Passover

Throughout His life and ministry Jesus observed the Passover. He also knew it depicted His suffering and death and told His disciples this. On the night of the 14th He sat down with His disciples to observe the Passover meal. During this supper He said to His disciples, "This do, in remembrance of me."(Luke 22:19)

Jesus and the Passover has been at the root of many serious misunderstandings between the Christianity and Judaism. Because of the persecution directed towards the Jews by the Romans, it was safer for Christianity to present iteself as a separate religion rather than as a sect of Judaism. Towards the end of the fourth century, the Church Council of Laodicea removed all connections between Jesus and the celebration of Passover. For their part, Judaism rarely, if ever, acknowledges the most famous and influential Jew who ever lived.For many centuries Jews observed Passover in secret, as many Christians and anti-Semites believed that Jews used the blood of Christian babies in the making of unleavened bread, and were fearful of the consequences.

The Angel of Death passed over

Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary notes about the sacrificial lamb and Jesus Christ:

• Christ is our Passover - Cor.5:7
• It was to be a lamb; and Christ is the lamb of God (John 1:29).
• It was to be a male of the first year in its prime (Exodus 12:5). Christ offered up Himself in the midst of His days.
• It was to be without blemish (Exodus 12:5) denoting the purity of the Lord Jesus - a Lamb without spot (1 Peter 1:19).
• It was to be set apart four days before (Exodus 12:3,6). It is very observable that, as Christ was crucified at the Passover, so He solemnly entered into Jerusalem four days before (commemorated by Christians as Palm Sunday on the very day the paschal lamb was set apart.
• It was to be slain, and roasted with fire (Exodus 12:6,9), denoting the extreme sufferings of Jesus. The wrath of God is as fire, and Christ was made a curse for us.
• It was to be killed by the whole congregation between the two evenings. Christ suffered at the end of the world (Hebrews 9:26) by the hand of the multitude (Luke 23:18) and for all His spiritual Israel.
• Not a bone of it must be broken (Exodus 12:46) - which is expressly said to be fulfilled in Christ (John 19:33,36)

On the 14th of Nisan, at the third hour of the morning (9 a.m. by Biblical reckoning), the high priest took the lamb and ascended the altar so he could tie the lamb in place. At the same time on that day, Jesus was crucified (Mark 15:25). At the time of the evening sacrifice (3 p.m.) for Passover, the high priest ascended the altar, cut the throat of the lamb with a knife, and said the words, "It is finished." (These are the words said after giving a peace offering to God.) At this same time, Jesus died (the ninth hour, 3:00 p.m., Matthew 27:46), saying "It is finished." (John 19:30)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Christ's shed blood makes possible mankind's access to the throne of God the Father. Originally, only the high priest could enter the area of the tabernacle known as the "Holiest of All" (Hebrews 9:6-10). The "mercy seat" positioned there represented God's throne. Leviticus 16 describes the ceremony that took place each year on another Holy Day, the Day of Atonement. At that time the high priest took the blood of a goat, representing the future sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat so the Israelites could be symbolically cleansed of all their sins (verses 15-16). Because the blood of Jesus Christ removes sin, making us pure before God, mankind can enjoy direct access to the Father (Hebrews 9:24).

Observance in the early Church

The New Testament records Christians continuing to observe the annual festivals at the times commanded by God. As a youth, Christ kept the Passover annually on the specified day (Luke 2:41), and He continued the practice with His disciples. The early Church as well continued to observe the other Holy Days at their specified times. For example, Acts records that Jesus' followers met to observe the Feast of Pentecost: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." (Acts 2:1)." Keeping the Passover each year reminds us that God is the forgiver of sin who grants us eternal life in His Kingdom through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Passover. This observance is a memorial of our Creator's continuing role in humanity's salvation.

Passover and Easter

See also Easter
The word "easter" appears nowhere in the early bible, and its use in later translations is a mistranslation or substitution of the Greek word pascha ("passover"). That the early Church continued to keep Passover as a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ on the 14th of Nisan is confirmed by the writers of the second century. Polycarp, a disciple of John the apostle, travelled to Rome to try to persuade the bishop of Rome to observe the 14th of Nisan as opposed to celebrating a feast of the resurrection several days later. Polycrates later in the 2nd century also contended with the Roman church in favor of the 14th of the first month, Jewish calendar. This controversy became known in Church History as the "Quartodeciman controversy."