The Reason for the Season

Verse: Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him." - John 14:6-7

Topic:  Why should Christians care about Passover?

Personal Piece:  This week has been a bit of a roller coaster for me.  My plans have kind of gone through the ringer which always means that it's time to step out of the way and let God step in.  So I could definitely use some prayer in these coming weeks as I wait for God's answer as to whether or not I really should move to Kansas City.  I don't know what's going to happen in these next 3 months or so but I know that whatever happens God is in control and I won't be able to deny it.  In the meantime this is a perfect week for me to take some real time with Jesus.

Thought of the Week:  This week I have been really diving into the Passover both Old and New Testament practices as well as modern traditions and wow has it been eye-opening.  This week, I've learned far more than I could ever share in such a short blog post but I'll see what I can do.

Let's start with the first Passover.  Many of us have probably read the story of Moses and know about that final night in Egypt but there is so much more to it.  The first thing I learned that blew my mind was the act of putting the blood on the door.  At the time, there was an ancient practice of sacrificing an animal in the doorway of ones home and in some cases smearing the blood on the doorpost.  This act was believed to be an invitation for ones deity to enter the home.  Many Christians are familiar with the idea that the blood in the Exodus account was a way of keeping the Angel of Death out but it was far more than that.  It didn't just keep death out of their homes.  It invited Yahweh in, just in the same way that Yeshua's blood invites Yahweh into our hearts.

As the years went by, a very complex system of preparing the lamb was developed.  From the moment these lambs were born they were set apart and cared for with the sole intention of dying on the day of Passover.  Jews from all over would travel to Jerusalem to be part of this special holy-day.  For five days prior to Passover the priests would examine the lambs and make sure that they were completely flawless, for everyone knew that only a flawless lamb was worthy enough to take away ones sins.  The five days preceding what has become known as the Last Supper the pharisees tested Jesus, questioning him to be sure that he truly was the worthy sacrifice he claimed to be.

That night he broke bread with his disciples in remembrance of the Israelite deliverance from Egypt and in so doing turned Passover into something so much more.  He had celebrated 33 Passovers up to that point, but in that moment the true purpose of Passover was fulfilled.  There of course is so much more to tell about how Jesus fulfilled each of the traditional preparations of the Passover Lamb but I just don't have the time for all that.

What very few people realize is that Passover was actually the preparation day for a much larger Jewish holiday.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long occasion.  In remembrance of the Israelites quick departure from Egypt the people ate bread with no yeast in it and spent the days before Passover removing all the leaven from their house as a sort of cleansing ritual.  Over time yeast came to represent sin so it was fitting that Jesus would die and be buried at the start of the feast in which the people removed 'sin' from their homes.

The week ended with a third holiday in which the Jewish people presented the first fruits of their harvests to Yahweh.  It was believed that if Yahweh accepted the first fruits that he would accept the entire harvest.  That year First Fruits fell three days after Jesus' burial, in other words the day that he rose from the dead.  In essence Jesus was the First Fruit of the harvest of souls and his resurrection showed that Yahweh had accepted the first fruit offering and therefore had accepted the entire harvest of souls that would come after.

All of this is so mind-boggling and yet it hardly scratches the surface.  Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life and the First Fruit of the Spirit.  And this is just three of the seven biblical feasts that the Jews celebrated.  As Christians it can be easy to write off the Jewish feasts as outdated or irrelevant to our faith but I believe they are the crux of our faith.  Passover tells of new birth, Unleavened Bread teaches us to put off the old and set ourselves apart from the world, and First Fruits teaches us to put on the new and consecrate ourselves unto God.  Whether celebrating Jesus this season through a traditional Easter service or trying something new this year by celebrating Passover, there is no better time then to remember who Jesus is and what he did.

Digging Deeper: If you are interested in learning more about Passover and the other Jewish holidays check out "Celebrating Jesus and the Biblical Feasts" by Dr. Richard Booker.

Challenge: Whether you are celebrating Passover or Easter take the time to meditate of the sacrifice of Jesus this week.  This holiday season is a time for putting off the old and putting on the new so take some time to meditate on what that means for your life.  Whether it be preparing a traditional Sedar meal for your family, inviting some friends over for a time of worship, volunteering to help someone in need, taking a special communion, watching a Passover movie, painting eggs (which actually does have strong symbolism for Judaism and is a main part of the Passover meal) or even doing an Easter hunt (the Jews would do a leaven hunt prior to Passover and even hide crumbs around the house for children to find).  Whatever you choose to do this season, make sure Jesus is the Reason for the Season.