Was the Biblical Holy Day of Passover only an ancient Jewish rite, or did Jesus Christ command His disciples to keep it in remembrance of Him, until His second coming?
There are certainly many different answers floating around the world today in response to these questions! What does the Bible say? Did Jesus really weigh in on the matter in scripture, and did He give us instructions on how we should observe an annual memorial of His death and/or resurrection?
”Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” – Jesus Christ (John 6:53-54)
It seems pretty clear from these verses that unless we partake of the Body and the Blood of Christ, following Jesus example and clear instructions, we will not have eternal life, and Jesus will not raise us up at the last day (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 / 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 / Revelation 20:1-6). But exactly how and when did Jesus instruct His followers to do this?
Today, many people keep Easter, and still others keep Passover. What’s the difference between the two, and how does one decide which to observe? Is one a holiday for Christians and the other a Holy Day for Jews?
Some tell us that we should ask, “What would Jesus Do? (W.W.J.D.)”, to find the answers to questions like these. Then we hear of terms like the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist or Communion; are these different names for the same thing? It can all seem pretty confusing sometimes; with different groups of people all doing different things, in different ways, for different reasons (Matthew 15:7-14 / Mark 7:5-9, 13).
I decided some years ago, instead of asking a speculative “What would Jesus Do” question, that would let me fill in the blanks with my own imagination; I became interested in referencing the historical text, God’s Word - the Bible, to ask instead, “What Did Jesus Do (W.D.J.D.)?” I didn't want to make the Word of God of no effect because I was keeping a vain tradition (Mark 7:13)! I wanted to do eveything the way Jesus showed His disciples how to do it!
”For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” – Jesus Christ (John 13:15)
”If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” – Jesus Christ (John 13:17)
In fairness, I have to admit to an overriding prejudice I have in this matter. I believe the Bible is the Holy, Infallible, Inspired Word of God. That it is God breathed, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17); and that applying the Holy Scriptures to any question we may have, is able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith, which is in Jesus Christ (see 2 Timothy 3:15).
When we give a name to the precious occasion of “actually” partaking of Christ; a review of scripture should be in order. Some basic passages are: Matthew 26:1-2, 17-30; Mark 14:1-2, 12-26; Luke 22:1-2, 7-20; John 13:1-17: and 1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 23-34. We can also see in the Old Testament, the proper title for this observance is “The LORD’s (Yahweh’s) Passover (Exodus 12:11, Leviticus 23:5, Numbers 28:16) or “the Passover unto the LORD” (Numbers 9:10, Deuteronomy 16:1, 2 Kings 23:21, 2 Chronicles 35:1). Our Messiah, Jesus Christ; the Yahweh of the Old Testament, is the “LORD” spoken of here!
Reviewing these scriptures makes it clear that our Messiah ate the Passover meal (lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread) with His disciples, as prescribed, by Him, in Exodus 12:1-14. Paul told the Corinthians to eat at home before coming together to take the bread and the cup (1 Corinthians 11:20-22, 34).
After the Passover meal, Jesus Christ took one of the pieces of unleavened bread and attached a special significance to it. It would represent His Body, given for us. Then Jesus took one of the Passover cups filled with wine, and attached special significance to it also. From this point forward, the wine would represent His Blood, shed for the remission of our sins. Then Jesus began to wash His disciples’ feet (John 13:4-5), and commanded them to thereafter wash one another’s feet (John 13:12-17).
Are we following Jesus’ Example today?
I never really understood how so many different people could read the same Bible, being led by the same Holy Spirit of God, and come up with so many different religions and practices - all to worship the same God.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The Bible tells us plainly that The Spirit of God reveals and clarifies these things to people who are obedient to Him. They did not make educated guesses about the Messiah, prophecy, or scripture. What they predicted and preached about was not a matter of them arriving at some interpretation of events they saw in their own day.
We also have the example of Jesus Christ, himself, specifically instructing His followers to partake of the Body, and The Blood of Christ; and to wash one another’s feet, as an annual memorial to show the death of our Lord - until He comes again and re-establishes the Kingdom of God on this earth, and partakes of the Passover again, with us (Matthew 26:26-29)!
The Bible also has a very stern warning to those who take the Body and Blood of Christ in an inappropriate manner (without examining themselves, being hungry, drunk, or outside of the annual Holy Day memorial Christ established. See 1 Corinthians 11:1-34), and says that many members of the Body of Christ are weak, sickly, and even die because this sin!!!
“Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:9-10)
The next time someone says “that’s just your interpretation of scripture,” instead of quoting 2 Peter 1:20 to them, invite them to investigate which interpretation (understanding, or reading) of the Bible is the right one.
”These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Do other scriptures, support or contradict “your” concept? Is the Holy Spirit giving you understanding of these scriptures? And finally… when you read your Bible, ask what Jesus Christ said on the matter? “W.D.J.D.”, What Did Jesus Do?
”Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24: 14-15)
What kind of God do you worship?
A God who changes Sabbath to Sunday, corrects His "mistakes" of bad laws and makes new laws to replace them? Or is your God one that progressively reveals Himself to mankind through meaningful object lessons, through physical ordinances intended to convey spiritual lessons, that become more and more significant as time goes on?
No, Jesus Christ did not destroy the Passover law, He fulfilled it! (Matthew 5:17). Christ IS our Passover! (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus is the object and purpose of the Lord's Passover meal. The new symbols point specifically to Him. He is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). The true Passover sacrifice was planned before the creation of man. That is why it is absurd to say that the Christian ordinance is something new. Christians today, who keep the Passover, are following the example of Jesus Christ, in the Old Testament, and more importantly, Jesus Christ’s example to His disciples in the New Testament. Christ, as our Passover sacrifice, is the spiritual reality of the physical type, a clearer picture of God's unchanging purpose.
Passover observed by the New Testament Church?
Far from having no further meaning to Christians, the Passover Holy Day was kept by the early New Testament church (Acts 12:4). It is correctly translated "Passover," not "Easter" (Easter being the name of a pagan god, “Ostera” or “Eostre” which was the Anglo-Saxons’ goddess of Spring / in Babylonia she was called “Ishtar”, and identified with the Planet Venus. God had some pretty strong Words about using a pagan god's name like "Ishtar" or "Easter" in our worship of Him [see Exodus 23:13 & Dueteronomy 12:3).
The Apostle Paul used the Passover as an object lesson to the Corinthians (1Corinthians 5:7) in order to teach them how to follow Christ and purge sin from their lives.
But one of the most convincing proofs that the Holy Days are to be kept today; is that they were kept by the early New Testament Church!!! Notice the statement of Polycrates of Asia Minor in the late Second Century A.D., who gave this defense of the Truth against Victor, Bishop of Rome, who was excommunicating true believers who continued to keep the Passover:
"As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away. For in Asia great luminaries have gone to their rest, who shall rise again in the day of the coming of the Lord . . . . I speak of Philip, one of the twelve apostles . . . John, moreover who reclined on the Lord's bosom . . . then there was Polycarp. . . . these all kept the PASSOVER on the fourteenth day of the month, in accordance with the gospel, without ever deviating from it, but keeping to the rule of faith," (from Ante-Nicene Fathers, volume VIII, pages 773-774).
”Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
How scrupulously do we observe the right day? Do we even know which day that is? Did it ever change? Are we still teaching the Faith once delivered?
The Quartodeciman Passover Controversy was a battle to preserve and follow the example of Jesus, and the Apostles, in the mainstream churches.
This controversy involved three events: the controversy between Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, and Anicetus, the bishop of Rome, that occurred around the year 155 A.D.; the more heated controversy between Polycrates, the bishop of Ephesus, and Victor, the bishop of Rome, that broke out around 195 A.D.; and the decree of Constantine following the Nicene Council in 325 A.D.
Scholars disagree about the controversy's details. They do agree that its arguments revolved around whether the primary Christian spring festival (Exodus 12:11) should happen on Nisan 14 (the Passover day) or annually on a Sunday (the popular day favored by early Romanism, in amalgamation with the very ancient pagan spring festival, to the goddess of the spring. It was fixed on the Sunday immediately following the 14th day of the paschal moon. This “holiday” worshipped the queen of heaven or the sun god, at sunrise).
In time, the Quartodeciman Passover controversy became the issue of when to partake of the bread and wine, on every Sunday as the Catholics did, or annually on the fourteenth as the Quartodecimans (and the early Church of God) did (Deuteronomy 12:1-4, 28-32).
The first fifteen Judaeo-Christian bishops who administered the Church of Jerusalem, up to 135 A.D., practiced the Quartodeciman (14th) Passover, basing themselves on a document known as the Apostolic Constitutions, which states:
"You shall not change the calculation of time, but you shall celebrate it at the same time as your brethren who came out from the circumcision. With them observe the Passover." (From Sabbath to Sunday, Chapter 5)
Was it only Jewish converts to Christianity that continued to keep the old tradition of Passover, which was eventually replaced in the new church by Easter? Not at all!
Jesus Christ said, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [petros], and upon this rock [Petra] I will build my church; and the gates of hell (the grave) shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus Christ was the Rock of the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Foundation of the New Testament Church! He said His Church would never die, and He would always remain its Leader (Matthew 28:20)!
That means the same Church of God, established on the Holy Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47), was never destroyed, watered down, or replaced; but continued to grow, and proclaim the Truth, despite the best attempts at infiltration and the most severe persecution Rome could dish out!
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven (the knowledge of how to enter the Kingdom of God, or the way of life a Christian must live to achieve Salvation.): and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)
King Constantine of Rome, who presided over the Council of Nice, attempted to commandeer the above scripture to pollute the True Church of God with the teachings, holidays, and practices of “Sun Worshippers”, and export their false doctrine to the known world. Constantine thought too highly of himself, and paid no attention to what the Author of Christianity had to say on the matter (see Matthew 5:18). Christ rebuked lawyers for hiding or suppressing these keys of knowledge (Luke 11:52); for doing the same thing Constantine did, and hindering people from entering God’s kingdom! )
Christ will keep a future Passover with His Church!
Does the Christian observance of Passover only point us backward to the accomplished events of Christ's death? To think so, is to absolutely deny the plain scriptural facts. Jesus has not observed His last Passover! He will eat and drink it anew with His true followers in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, and Luke 22:15-18).
"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."(Luke 22:15-18)
This latter passage is clear Biblical proof that Christ will eat the Passover, again with His true followers on earth, in the Kingdom of God, after His Triumphant Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:12-58).
Also, not until then, will the Passover be totally fulfilled. Passover has not yet been fulfilled in its entirety! It also pictures a future event: our deliverance from eternal death and the marriage supper of the lamb (Revelation 19:9).
Ancient Israel partook of the Passover. Today, those who follow Christ (John 10:26-30), are likewise to partake of the Passover - to partake of Christ. This is a very critical matter of utmost importance to our spiritual survival!
That is why God instituted the Law in Numbers 9:6-13. When someone, who through no fault of their own, missed the Passover of the 14th day of the first month; they could then partake of it on the 14th day of the second month. It was that important to God!
Unless God specifically annuls His statutes, they are still binding on us today.
”Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.” – Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:17-18)
I thank God that He has revealed His Truth, and His plan for mankind to those who are called by His Name. I thank God for sending His Son to die for us while we were yet still sinners, and for blessing us with the awesome privilege of partaking of the Body and the Blood of Christ, each year on the first month of God’s calendar, on the night our Savior was betrayed.
Passover looks back on the Mighty Hand of God delivering His people from Egypt, and from their sins. Passover also was instituted by Christ, as an annual memorial of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God; for us to celebrate and partake of Him, throughout our generations until the second coming of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, Passover points us, each year on a day chosen of God, to the total fulfillment of the Kingdom of God on this earth! Those who keep His Holy Days are sanctified / set apart and marked with the Sign of God (Exodus 31:13 / Exekiel 20:12)!
”And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the City.” (Revelation 22:12-14)
For God and My Country,
Bob Brown
One Nation Under God U.S.A.
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Keep The Passover with us this year!
If you are a baptized disciple of Jesus Christ, and a Member of One Nation Under God U.S.A., we invite you to keep the Passover Holy Day with us this year, as Jesus himself instructed us to.
Location: Naples, Florida, U.S.A.
Date: Thursday, 05 April 2012
Fellowship begins at 6:30 pm / sunset is at 7:46 pm
Please contact your local chapter or call (239) 353-1303 for more information.
”But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:26-30).
Comments:
I really enjoyed your teaching on Pesach (Passover). I only wish more Christians would pay attention to this. Excellent research!!! Keep up the work!
- In His Service, Rabbi Jem Golden, One Nation Under God U.S.A. member since 2010