Passover

A.                  When celebrated?

In our Gregorian calendar, March – April 

B.                  Reference to Passover in the Torah

Exodus 12: 1-14, 43-48

1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying
2. “This month will be the beginning of months for you:it will be the first month of year for you.
3. Speak to the whole congregation of Israel saying, On the tenth day of this month they will take for themselves – each man- a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house.
4. And if the household is too little for the people, each man according to how much he eats will make your count for the lamb
5. Your lamb will be without blemish, a male of the first year. You will take it out from the sheep or from the goats.
6. And you will keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will kill it at twilight
7. And they will take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, in which they will eat it.
8. And they will eat the flesh roasted with fire and unleavened bread in that night. They will eat it with bitter herbs.
9. Do not eat it raw or sodden at all with water but roasted with fire, its head with its legs and with its entrails.
10. And do not let anything of it remain until the morning. And that which remains of it until the morning you will burn with fire.
11. And this you will eat it with your loins girded your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand. And you will eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
12. For I shall pass through the land of Egypt this night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt both man and beast and I shall execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I AM the LORD!
13. And the blood will be as a token for you upon the houses where you are and when I see the blood, I shall pass over you and the plague will not be upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt
14. And this day will be a memorial for you and you will keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You will keep it a feast by an ordinance forever”

 

43. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No stranger will eat of it.

44. But every man’s servant that is bought for money when you have  circumcised him, then he will eat of it.

45. A foreigner and a hired servant will not eat of it.

46. It will be eaten in one house, you will not carry out any of the flesh abroad out of the house, nor will you break a bone of it

47. All the congregation of Israel will keep it

48. And when a stranger sojourns with you and keeps the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised and then let him come near and keep it and he will be as one that is born in the land for no uncircumcised person will eat of it.

C.                  Y’shua fulfills the Torah

See * below. First some interesting points

Some interesting points: -

1.       The Israelites complied with the ritual in complete obedience. This act of obedience this choosing to rest in God’s protection reflected their faith and by their faith they were saved. By God’s grace, they were instructed to apply the blood of the lamb for their salvation from judgment on their family in which the first born will be killed. Salvation by faith by God’s grace is not a new thing of the New Testament.

*Now, “Y’shua fulfills the Torah”: -

1.       Y’shua is the Lamb of God

John 1: 36

“You must now behold the Lamb of God”

He was pre-determined to be the lamb of God.

Acts 2:22-23

Men of Israel, listen to these words! Y’shua of Nazareth, a man who was proven among you by God, in miracles and wonder’s and signs which God did through him in your midst, just as  you yourself know you killed this One who was given up by the before determined purpose and foreknowledge of God when you nailed Him by lawless hands which will be good to read again or write down (or just read this One Man Bible version for a change!)

Isaiah prophesied in the known Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53

1. Who would have believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2. For He grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He had no form or splendor and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of pains and having known about sickness, disease and as one from whom men hide their face. He was despised and we esteemed Him not.
4. Surely He has borne our sickness, our pains: He carried them, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.
5. But He was wounded because of our transgressions bruised because of our iniquities  the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and we have been healed by His wounds
6. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned each one to his own way and the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Him.
7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet He did not open His mouth like a lamb which is brought to the slaughter and like a sheep is mute before her shearers.
8. He was taken away from rule and judgment and who will recount His life? For He was cut off out of the land of the living. He was stricken because of the transgression of My people
9. And one made His grave among the wicked and His tomb among the rich although He had done no violence nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10. But it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. He has put Him to grief: if His very being with consider it a recompense for guilt. He will see His seed. He will prolong His days and the pleasure of the Lord will succeed in His hand.
11. He will see of the travail of His soul and will be satisfied. By His knowledge My servant will justify the righteous before many and He will bear their iniquities.
12. Therefore I shall divide Him a portion with the great and He will divide the spoil with the strong because He has laid open His very being to death and was numbered with transgressors and He took off the sin of many and many intercessions for the transgressors.

Yesaya 53

53:1
Siapakah yang percaya kepada berita yang kami dengar, dan kepada siapakah tangan kekuasaan TUHAN dinyatakan?

53:2
sebagai taruk ia tumbuh di hadapan TUHAN dan sebagai tunas dari tanah kering. Ia tidak tampan dan semaraknyapun tidak ada sehingga kita memandang dia, dan rupapun tidak, sehingga kita menginginkannya.

53:3
Ia dihina dan dihindari orang; seorang yang penuh kesengsaraan dan yang biasa menderita kesakitan; ia sangat dihina, sehingga orang menutup mukanya terhadap dia dan bagi kitapun dia tidak masuk hitungan.

53:4
Tetapi sesungguhnya, penyakit kitalah yang ditanggungnya,dan kesengsaraan kita yang dipikulnya, padahal kita mengira dia kena tulah, dipukul dan ditindas Allah.

53:5
Tetapi dia tertikam oleh karena pemberontakan kita, dia diremukkan oleh karena kejahatan kita; ganjaran yang mendatangkan keselamatan bagi kita ditimpakan kepadanya, dan oleh bilur-bilurnya kita menjadi sembuh.

53:6
Kita sekalian sesat seperti domba, masing-masing kita mengambil jalannya sendiri; tetapi TUHAN telah menimpakan kepadanya kejahatan kita sekalian.

53:7
Dia dianiaya, tetapi dia membiarkan diri ditindas dan tidak membuka mulutnya seperti anak domba yang dibawa ke pembantaian; seperti induk domba yang kelu di depan orang-orang yang mengunting bulunya, ia tidak membuka mulutnya.

53:8
Sesudah penahanan dan penghukuman ia terambil, dan tentang nasibnya siapakan yang memikirkannya? Sungguh, ia terputus dari negeri orang-orang hidup, dan karena pemberontakan umat-Ku ia kena tulah.

53:9
Orang menempatkan kuburnya di antara orang-orang fasik, dan dalam matinya ia ada di antara penjahat-penjahat, sekalipun ia tidak berbuat kekerasan dan tipu tidak ada dalam mulutnya.

53:10
Tetapi TUHAN berkehendak meremukkan dia dengan kesakitan. Apabila ia menyerahkan dirinya sebagai korban penebus salah, ia akan melihat keturunannya, umurnya akan lanjut, dan kehendak TUHAN akan terlaksanan olehnya.

53:11
Sesudah kesusahan jiwanya ia akan melihat terang dan menjadi puas; dan hamba-Ku itu, sebagai orang yang benar, akan membenarkan banyak orang oleh hikmatnya, dan kejahatan mereka dia pikul.

53:12
Sebab itu Aku akan membagikan kepadanya orang-orang yang besar sebagai rampasan,dan ia akan memperoleh orang-orang kuat sebagai jarahan, yaitu sebagai ganti rugi karena ia telah menyerahkan nyawanya ke dalam maut dan karena ia terhitung di antara pemberontak-pemberontak, sekalipun ia menanggung dosa banyak orang dan berdoa untuk pemberontak-pemberontak.

2.                 Y’shua’s life on earth leading to His crucifixion was at the time of Passover.

(a)                The 5 days proceeding the crucifixion

In Exodus 12:3 the Lord commanded that on the 10^th day of the (month of Nisan- March/April in our Gregorian calendar) the Israelites were to take for themselves each man – a lamb for a house. This lamb was to be “tested” to ensure that it is without blemish. It was to be kept until the 14^th day (Passover) of the same month when the congregation of Israel will rule it.

Y’shua went into Jerusalem on the 10^th day of the month of Nisan. Remember Passover is celebrated on the 14^th. Y’shua was in Bethany 6 days before the Passover; John 12:1 and in Jerusalem the next day ie the 10^th day (John 12:12-13). The Jews there observed him and tested Him for the period

Matthew 21:23, 22: 15-17, 22:23 – 40

Even Pilate tested Him

John 18: 33-37

He could answer them perfectly. Pilate could not find any fault in Him.

(b)               Crucifixion on the 14^th (on the Passover)

(c)                His bones were not broken Exodus 12:46. It was usual for the crucified to have their legs broken to hasten death Y’shua died before this could be done

John 19:36

Psalm 34: 21 “He keeps His bones, not one of them is broken”

(d)               Crucified among 2 criminals

Luke 23: 41-43

Isaiah 53:9

“And one made His grave among the wicked and His Tomb among the sick…”

2.              He was and is our Passover Lamb, the Old Testament was and is pointing to. The sacrificial system in Leviticus where sins were forgiven spoke of forgiveness of unintentional sins. See some eg (Leviticus 4:2, 4:13, 4:20, 4: 22, 4:26, 4:27, 4:31, 4:32, 4:35). Hence not all sins were covered and people remained under the curse of the law – ie sin = death. The Passover Lamb saved us from ALL sins intentional and unintentional through the system which God set up for forgiveness of sins. [1]

– the sacrificial system ( He was wounded for our “transgressions” ie)

– sin committed with intention of angering God. Worst sins can be forgiven by His blood.   

- encompasses intentional sin. What freedom it is to know that He has removed All sins ( no need to scramble to decipher which sin is covered or to be anxious if we have complied with all laws to be saved [we cannot be good enough for God]. Let us celebrate the Passover and remember its significance the immensity of Grace and love in this gift. It is a “God approved” feasts. It is biblical* [2]

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[1] The debt we owe to God because of our sin is death. Leviticus 25 sets up the stage for allowing one to be redeemed. We may redeem ourselves if we have the means – pay back our debt which is death or our kinsman redeemer (Y’shua) will redeem us. He certainly has the means.

[2]  Is Christmas in the bible? Easter (name of fertility God) in the bible?