 |
Passover Survey |
Dear Brethren,
Is
Passover only a Jewish holiday? Is it antiquated and obsolete as
far as Christians are concerned? The Catholic Encyclopedia speaks
of Passover mainly in terms of a very special festival meal for
Jews. They do not mention Jesus Christ as being associated with
Passover. Why is the world of Christianity so blinded to the truth
of Passover? It is Jesus Christ who clearly says that the
yearly observance of Passover proclaims the Lord’s death
until He comes. (1Corinthians 11:25-26)
Mankind desperately needs Passover. Jesus Christ says that if
Passover is not observed in its proper manner, damnation is the
result. “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that
bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks
unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself,
not discerning the Lord's body.” (1Corinthians 11:28-29)
The Scriptures are clear that unleavened bread must be eaten, but some
go out of their way to make sure that they violate the Passover
instructions of Jesus Christ by eating and drinking unworthily.
Only unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, fermented wine from
the grape, are to be used in the Passover service (Luke 22:18).
“They shall eat… unleavened bread. You shalt not offer the blood of
my sacrifice with leaven [bread].” (Exodus 12:8, 34:25)
Passover is the major first step and act of love in God's
salvational plan for mankind. A history of Passover reveals that
Passover was established prior to the creation of the world.
Passover is for all times: past, present and future:
1.
Passover in the distant past:
Passover was foreordained
by God before the world began. Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)
"Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in
Him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."
(Ephesians 1:3-4)
"In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began."
(Titus 1:2)
"With the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was
manifest in these last times for you."
(1Peter 1:19-20)
2.
Passover elements in Adam and Eve's day:
Because of the sin of Adam
and Eve, redemption became necessary for all mankind. God prophesied that
He would send the Redeemer / Savior to die and be resurrected, and to deal
with Satan. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel." (Genesis 3:15) "He was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities." (Isaiah 53:5)
3.
Passover elements in Cain and Abel's day:
"In process of time it came
to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But to
Cain and his offering He had not respect."
(Genesis 4:3-4) How did they know to bring offerings and sacrifices at a
particular time? Either Adam and Eve instructed them – or God instructed
them.
Cain did not present an
offering in accordance with God's instructions. Should he have bartered
with Abel for a lamb? Or, did he fail to bring the very best grain offering
– presenting God with a second-best offering? Whatever he did it was a
terrible affront to God.
Knowing as we do the
elements of Passover, Cain may have been meant to offer an unleavened loaf
of bread – picturing Jesus Christ as the "Bread of Life," while Abel's
offering pictured Jesus Christ as – the "Lamb of God."
4. Passover was central
in Abraham's day:
In Abraham’s time, at the exact time of the Passover, Jesus entered into a
unilateral Covenant Sacrifice. Animals were slain by shedding their blood –
then they were cut into halves from top to bottom and laid on the ground
with a little space between them. Jesus passed between those pieces to
confirm His covenant to Abraham and his descendants, which
could not be annulled.
By His covenantal
sacrifice, Jesus swore that He was offering His life to fulfil that
covenant. "It came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was
dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those
pieces." (Genesis 15:17)
5.
Moses received more specifics about Passover:
God said, "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the
tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for
an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls;
every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your
lamb shall be without blemish, a male of
the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And
ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day
of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of
the blood, and strike it on the two side
posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
"And they shall eat the
flesh in that night, roast with fire, and
unleavened bread;
and with bitter herbs they shall eat it... And thus shall ye eat it; with
your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and
ye shall eat it in haste: it is the
Lord’s Passover. For
I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods
of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to
you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I
will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the
land of Egypt. 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 12:3-14)
"Then Moses called for all
the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb
according to your families, and
kill the Passover... That
ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over
the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians,
and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and
worshipped... And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the
Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him
come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for
no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof... In the fourteenth
day of the first month at even
is the Lord’s Passover."
(Exodus 12:21, 27, 48, Leviticus 23:5 )
6.
2nd Passover instituted:
Passover is so important
that God has made provision for a make-up Passover – should the first
Passover be obstructed in some way. "The Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of
your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey
afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord. The fourteenth day
of the second month at even they shall keep
it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs."
(Numbers 9:9-11)
7. Josiah's Great Passover was near the end of the Kingdom of Judah:
"The king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover unto the
Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Surely there
was not holden such a Passover from the
days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of
Israel, nor of the kings of Judah." (2Kings 23:21-22)
8. Passover when Jesus was a child:
"Now His [Jesus'] parents
went to Jerusalem
every year
at the feast of the
Passover. And
when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of
the feast." (Luke 2:41-42)
9.
The four Passovers of Jesus ministry:
John uses the Holy Days of Christ’s ministry for a chronological outline of
his Gospel.
A. "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many
believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did."
(John 2:23) This is at the time of the marriage in Cana of Galilee where
Jesus changed water into wine; and when He said Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up.
B. The
second Passover took place just before Jesus' disciples were accused of
“harvesting grain” on a High Day. "It came to pass on the second
Sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his
disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their
hands." (Luke 6:1)
C. Jesus
fed the five thousand with five barley loaves, and two small fishes: "The
Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." (John 6:4)
D. Jesus’
last Passover before His suffering and death. "The Jews' Passover was nigh
at hand." (John 11:55)
10.
Jesus looked forward to the Passover:
"When the hour was come, He
sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. And He said unto them, With
desire
I have desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer."
(Luke 22:14-15)
11. Passover in Paul’s Day:
"For I have received of the
Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same
night [Passover] in which he was betrayed
took bread: And
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body, for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he
took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this
do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me."
(1Corinthians 11:23-25)
We are indeed a blessed
people to know of, and to be able to Participate in the New Testament
Passover as Jesus gave us instructions. Contrary to what this blinded world
believes, Passover is for our day, today! "As often as ye eat this
bread, and drink this cup, ye do proclaim the Lord's death
till he comes." (1Corinthians 11:26)
12. Passover in the World Tomorrow:
"This
is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you
in my Father's kingdom."
(Matthew 26:28-29)
***
Sermon: "Passover Survey"
| 
