Do not let anyone judge you with regard to a religious festival … these are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
~ Colossians 2:16-17
Passover
Jesus died at Passover.
Perhaps if the event were remembered by Christians at Passover every year the church might have had more success in reaching Jews with the good news of their Messiah. In addition, the church would have been edified by understanding the roots of the faith and the riches of the grace of God in His purposes for Israel.
About 300 years after Jesus, Christianity changed from being the faith of an oppressed minority into the religion of a triumphant empire. The Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian and the church moved to a place of partnership in the political order.
Soon after this a teaching developed that God had replaced Israel with the church. The Jews were no longer a chosen people, it seemed.
New festivals were decreed. Christmas was established as a date for the birth of Christ. In the mountains of the Bethlehem area it is too cold in late December to have flocks under the stars by night, as the New Testament relates, so this was certainly not the time of Jesus' birth. The mid-winter date was selected to draw pagans away from their feasts ÔÇô and symbols, such as Christmas trees and, later, Santa Claus, have pagan origins.
In like manner, Passover was rejected as a memorial date for the death and resurrection of Christ, precisely because it was Jewish. A new calendar around the worship of Aostre or Ishtar ÔÇô hence Easter ÔÇô was ordained. Modern-day elements, such as bunnies and eggs, are fertility symbols, again of pagan origin.
It is small wonder that the Bible says, about ritualistic observances:
"You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my time on you."
~ Galatians 4:10-11
For these reasons the sooner true Christians do away with observing the rituals of Christmas and Easter the better. The birth of Christ and especially His death and resurrection should be celebrated daily in the heart of every believer.
Turning the annual Jewish Passover into a substitute for Easter is not an option, but understanding how Jesus fulfilled the types and shadows in the Passover is instructive.
The Last Supperby Leonardo da VinciRenaissance high art, mostly sponsored by the church, created a non-Semitic image of Jesus and the disciples in a European setting. This visual distortion of the truth affects the way many Christians think. It is no surprise that God said: "Make no graven image"
Exodus 20:4-5
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them …
Shalom John,
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we arehealed." (Isaiah 53: 5)
Tonight, the Biblical Festival of Passover (Pesach) begins, coincidingthis year with Good Friday.
On Sunday, as Passover continues, Believers will celebrate the resurrection ofYeshua on Easter.
Friday at sunset, the eight-day celebration of Passover begins.Jewish people will mark the beginning of this prophetic holiday,which foreshadows the salvation wrought for all mankindby Yeshua, with a ceremonial meal called the Seder, in whichthe story of deliverance from slavery in Egypt is retold.
Around the world, as the Jewish People commemorate their exodus from slavery in
Egypt, and celebrate the saving power of the God of Israel, Believers in Yeshua(Jesus)-both Jewish and Gentile-will celebrate freedom from slavery to sin.
This freedom, the salvation of Israel and all mankind, was accomplished throughthe death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), as thesacrificial Passover Lamb.
"Messiah was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He willappear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who arewaiting for Him." (Hebrews 9:8)
Though Yeshua endured an agonizing death to atone for the sin of the world,He rose again on the third day. Because He was completely sinless, deathcould not hold Him. Had He not borne our sins, He wouldn’t have died at all.
In fulfillment of Scripture, Yeshua became our guilt offering, paying the pricefor sin once and for all.
"though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspringand prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand."(Isaiah 53:10)
While the guilt offerings on the altar of the Temple could only cover sin,Yeshua's death and resurrection actually removed sin for all time.
As Yochanan (John) said when he saw Yeshua coming to him at the Jordan River,"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)
The Passover Lamb: When being Passed Over is a Miracle
"Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast-as youreally are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Passover is rich in lessons for all Believers in Yeshua.
Were you ever passed over as a child when the sports team was being chosen?For a child, being passed over could be devastating. Likewise, as adults,being passed over for a promotion, raise, or a prestigious role can be very frustrating.
But being "passed over" during the first Passover was a miracle of deliverance.
During the very first Passover in Egypt, so that God's judgment of Egypt wouldpass over, the children of Israel were required to choose an unblemished lamb,kill it, and place its blood over the doorposts and lintels of their dwelling places.
The Signs on the Door, by James Tissot
Today, 3500 years later, we are able to celebrate the Passover in all of its'prophetic fulfillment.
We have the opportunity to place the blood of the perfect, chosen Lamb of God,Yeshua, over the hearts and homes, so that by faith, we too will be spared fromthe Divine judgment due to fall on this world. This too is a miracle of deliverance.
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are; andwhen I see the blood, I will pass over you [pasachti], and there shall noplague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12:13)
In Hebrew, the word for I will pass over is pasachti ├Ä├▓├ìÔòØ├Ä├▒├ì┬®├Ä├¡├ì├Ç├Ä├╣├ìÔûæ├Ä┬¼├ìÔöñ├ìÔòØ├Ä├û, which comesfrom the word pesach, which means to hop, to skip over or spare, and to pass over.
The Angel of Death and the First Passover
John, our salvation was wrought at such a great price.
The Messiah died in our place and paid the price for the sins that wecommitted.
And despite celebrating the Passover year after year, so many Jewishpeople do not know Yeshua!
Please click to bring Yeshua (Jesus) to the Jewish People now at Passover
Jewish men and women flock to the Western (Wailing) Wall on Pesach (Passover).
Yeshua is Prepared for Burial
"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus [Yeshua]. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away." (John 19: 38)
On Good Friday, Christians remember the horrific death that Yeshua suffered onour behalf.
Believers also read how Joseph (Yosef) of Arimathea and Nicodemus(Nakdimon) came to Pilate to ask for Yeshua's body.
Because Jewish burial customarily takes place within 24 hours, in keeping withJewish practice, they sought to bury Yeshua right away.
They also prepared Yeshua's body for burial with tahara, ritual purification.In this ritual, the body is cleansed, and then dried and dressed in takhrikhim,a simple white shroud (Mark 15:46-47).
"Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.Taking Yeshua's body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips oflinen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs." (John 19: 39ÔÇô40)
Although Yosef and Nakdimon carefully preparedYeshua’s body for burial, when the women came tothe tomb after High Shabbat had ended, it wasempty and the burial linen was left to the side.Yeshua had already risen from the dead.
When Yosef and Nakdimon performed the mitzvah of preparing Yeshua's bodyfor burial, they were performing the duties of the Khevra Kadisha-anorganization that ensures the body is correctly prepared for burial andprotected from desecration.
By wrapping Yeshua in linen, they were practicing the custom oftakhrikhim,providing the proper burial garment for the deceased.
Since the Sabbath was quickly approaching, there was insufficient time tocomplete the preparations before the holy day of the Passover began; therefore,Yeshua was placed in a sealed tomb until the close of the High Sabbath day.
Thus, Yeshua was buried in a rich man's tomb in fulfillment of the Messianicprophecy in Isaiah 53:
"He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death,though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." (Isaiah 53:9)
However, more important than how Yeshua was buried is that He rose from thedead and gained victory over death. Hallelujah!
Both spiritual and physical death has been defeated through Yeshua's victory,as Saul of Tarsus (Paul) said:
"But Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits [bikkurim]of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man [Adam],the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die,so in Messiah all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20ÔÇô22)
This is the 'Good News' that we want to share with all Jewish people, so thatthey can be sure of their place in the 'olam habah' (the world to come).
John, if you can help share this Passover Good News, click here now
Please help us reach the Jewish People, such as these ultra-OrthodoxJewish men in Israel, with the Good News of Yeshua.
If Death is the Result of Sin, How could Yeshua die Sinless?
Since Yeshua's death, burial and resurrection occurred in a Hebraic context,examining Jewish customs surrounding death, burial, mourning and resurrectioncan further our understanding of Good Friday and Easter.
Originally, God did not create mankind to suffer death.
The first book of the Torah, Bereshit (Genesis), reveals death as the judgmentof God upon mankind for their spiritual fall in the Garden of Eden.
After Adam and Chava (Eve) failed their test of obedience, God said:
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to theground [adamah], since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust youwill return." (Genesis 3:19)
When Adam and Eve sinned, all of mankind came under the curse of thebroken law. Yeshua redeemed us from that curse.
The name Adam was taken from the word for ground or earth–adamah, sincethe man (Adam) was taken from the ground (adamah).
This Hebrew word play reveals a spiritual truth: sin has brought physical deathto all of mankind and with it, a return to the earth (adamah).
Thus ends a person's physical existence on earth, with the soul separating fromthe body.
Yeshua's death, however, was not due to His own sin, since He was sinless. Hedied when He took upon Himself the sins of the world.
"But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Himis no sin." (1 John 3:5)
The gospels of Mark, Matthew and John report that Yeshua was handed overto the Roman soldiers, who clothed Him in a ragged scarlet cloak, jammed acrown of thorns on His head, and mocked Him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Resurrection: a Jewish Belief
Traditionally, the rabbis believe that every Jew will be resurrected andexperience spiritual life.
As is written in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), "The dust returns to the ground itcame from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
Chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews describes the great men and women of faith.Some women received their dead back to life again, while "others were torturedand refused to be released, so that they might gain abetterresurrection."(Hebrews 11:35)
The Tanakh (Old Testament) also describes a resurrection from the deadand subsequent judgment.
The Hebrew prophet Daniel gives an account of what will happen in the last days:
"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlastinglife, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2)
The empty tomb
Kria: The Jewish custom of Rending the Garments
"Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son manydays." (Genesis 37:34)
In Judaism, there are seven immediate family members who are expected toobserve a seven-day mourning period: the father, mother, daughter, son,brother, sister, and spouse.
These seven mourners participate in a special tradition.
To symbolize how death rips the fabric of life, their garments are symbolicallyripped just before the funeral.
In this tradition called kria, the parents and children rend the garment ontheir left, closest to the heart. Spouses and siblings tear their garments onthe right.
While this may seem like an odd tradition, it dates back to Biblical times(Genesis 37:34).
In fact, at the moment of Yeshua's death, the Heavenly Father also seemed toobserved kriain His grief over the death of His son of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.The earth shook and the rocks split." (Matthew 27:51)
Thankfully, Yeshua's death wasn't the final word.
Just as He promised, death couldn't hold Him (John 2:18ÔÇô22; Matthew 26:31ÔÇô32).
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for ourjustification." (Romans 4:25)
The sting of death is sin (1 Corinthians 15:56), and in Yeshua, death has lostits sting!
Therefore, we can live confidently without any fear of death or dying, as weknow that when we pass from this life, our lives continue eternally with ourloving Father in Heaven.
John, please click now at Easter/Passover to bring Yeshua to Israel and the World