1) The True Christian Passover Pesach
Each year since 2009 it is mentioned that the American White House keeps the Passover. The ritual was initiated in 2009 by then President Barack Obama. Some Christian groups also hold Passover feasts. The problem is – have they read the Bible?
According to Wikipedia, candidate Obama had 3 Jewish staffers away from home on campaign. They kept the Passover. At the end of the Seder, when those assembled said the traditional wish, "Next year in Jerusalem", Obama added, "Next year in the White House". Many may be very happy with this - but let us consider further. Let us read,
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 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. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourns among you. (Exodus 12:40-49)
Is there anything there too hard to understand? If you wish to keep the passover you have to be of Israel, living all the time as a Jew and keep the whole covenant – the laws - all of them, as a Jew. Or you have to be a lifetime slave bought for money by a Jew (not 'ceremonially' bought either- as that is “hired”!). The command is clear, if you are a male, you have to be circumcised as a Jew.
Why did God say non-Jews can't eat the Feast of Pesach unless they live as Jews, 'as one born in the land'? Why is the law so detailed as to where the line is? There is even further detail.
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. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. (Numbers 9:10-14)
Some may say- “Well there you are, a stranger may keep it!”- but notice the caveat that refers back to the original law in Exodus – that they had to be living in the land, as one born in the land? Those Jews who could keep the Passover, but don't are cursed. What happens to those who keep the Passover but who don't do it according to the Law? It seems there was illness.
For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. (2 Ch 30:18-20)
So it may seem now that people may do what they wish with impunity, as it appears people are not struck down.
Pesach was historically appropriated in the early Christian era and changed to be called Easter, and many customs have been added since, again it seems without any clear and obvious divine punishment. But what if there is in fact a huge issue hidden in plain sight?
What is the Christian Passover feast?
- it turns out it was whenever people met on the first day to remember the death and resurrection of their Lord!
The memorial feast of the first day, to remember Christ's resurrection, is a re-enactment of Christ's last meal, a Passover or Pesach feast.
And he (Christ) said unto them (his disciples), “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:15-20)
It is no accident that the Jewish Passover features wine or Congregations seeking unleavened bread to remember Christ buy Jewish Passover Matzos! It is so related that Paul speaks of memorial gathering of the 1st day and the Jewish practice of removing leaven in one breath.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto satan (adversary) for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (1Cor. 5:4-9)
And that is it. Jews may have removed Leaven once a year- servants of Christ are to do it every week, and it moved up a notch, as it means not just bread but any corrupting influences. Paul deals with the principle of the matter.
You, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his stake; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Col 2:13-17)
Paul also made a ruling that precluded non Jewish Christians from keeping the Jewish Passover.
Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. (1Cor. 7:18-19)
But note that the tenor of Paul's ruling is that Jewish Christians had to keep on keeping the Passover! Remember to keep the Jewish feast you had to be circumcised but if you were a circumcised Jew and you didn't keep it you would be cut off!
There were a set of commandments under the covenant made with the Jews after the Passover at Sinai, then there was a new set with distinctions for those in Christ in the Covenant made in Christ. Paul argues that the Covenant in Christ came before the law (and before the first Passover of the Exodus).
This I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:17)
What if the meaning is lost?
You know how people are upset at appropriations of others' culture now? What then did the God of Israel think when Christians appropriated Pesach in the past? Is it still wrong to appropriate it now? It was wrong to appropriate it as by so doing it was changed and the meaning given by God lost, not least the meaning of leaven. Pesach is not centered about new life or freedom. It would be very foolish and ignorant of Christians to ignore the significance and meaning of the original Jewish Pesach as a national Israelite feast of deliverance out of bondage. Please consider what message is given here.
It shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:14-16)
I won't explain the answers to what this was about - as there are many answers, and I know my readers will think to work out what our Creator intended. That is what Pesach is about!
It's about the Future.. not the Past
Consider that Jews themselves do not now keep Pesach as appointed – though they are again in the land, and just why that is!
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. (Deuteronomy 16:2-3)
Consider further in this next answer to the first born son's question, how much of the answer is about the deadly mighty power of the God of Israel and the Holy Land given to dead ancestors, the location of whose bones were well known.
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
What was the purpose of the Jewish Passover? So that they remember they were to inherit the land where they could reject the laws of Egypt and keep fully, freely and perfectly the laws of Yahweh Elohim. A specific perfected land promised to their fathers who had to be resurrected to receive it! Why were any old strangers not to keep it? Because they were not keeping the laws of righteousness. Some may argue that a Christian is spiritually a Jew, and they may keep it - to which I will ask - what feast is being kept as the servants of Christ are commanded as a Memorial on the first day of the week, of every week?
If that is a Passover feast also, we might also ask the question does the stranger who does not understand its implications of removing leaven and the inheritance of the Saints partake of that feast of bread and wine? Those who did not keep the Jewish passover correctly were plagued. Those not keeping the weekly passover memorial of Christ correctly also face consequences.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (1Cor 11:28-29)
People may look about and wonder that nobody is struck down. It seems we can all do what we wish. But what is the point of both the Jewish Passover and the memorial feast of bread and wine in Christ? Health in this life here, or eternal perfected health the specific perfected land promised to the fathers of Israel in their resurrection? Consider what being 'cut off' from eternal health means. Would the word 'damnation' fit?
Rather than closing discussion we will open it - showing there is much detail in discerning the 'Lord's Body' and considering the Jewish Pesach. It might be asked whether analysis of the detail of Jewish practice added over years of exile is much more useful than analysis of the various practices of Easter? We might ask, who is the firstborn saved and what did it point to? What is the recompense of the reward Moses sought in faith?
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. (Hebrews 11:26-28)
Let us consider the huge issue lying in plain sight – Pesach is not about the past as many may think, but rather about the future. It was about leaving bondage to the ungodly laws in Egypt and going into the land to keep God's laws - perfectly. Once in the land Pesach was about going into the land promised to the fathers of Israel.
For if Jesus (Joshua – same name) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:8-9)
This point was underlined in the Jewish exile, where the refrain of Pesach was with reference to Elijah who proceeds the Messianic Davidic kingdom which was to be, “next year Jerusalem.”
Also every week the servants of Christ gather to keep their Lord's Command a memorial of his last Passover meal they may well read Christ's words,
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
For more Moses and recompence of the reward.
And why Easter is not Passover.
