Many people have asked us why we celebrate Passover... it is the actual day in which Jesus was crucified.
Jesus was, is, and always will be the Passover.
He encompasses every aspect of its form start to finish. John wrote, "Jesus is the LAMB of God that takes away the sins of the world".
Jesus is a Lamb; he is the Fulfillment of the Passover Lamb.
Passover is about keeping something worth preserving. There is something wonderful that can be found in celebrating Biblical Truth.
Passover is celebrated from sundown to sundown. It starts at sunset on March 29th this year and ends at sunset on March 30th. Customarily, we eat Passover dinner when Jesus would have eaten his... we will eat dinner this year at sundown on Passover (March 29, 2010).
For dinner we always have three things: Lamb, horseradish (bitter herbs), and 3 pieces of unleavened bread (matzah). There are usually 2 vegetable sides. We also partake in communion. None of our dishes have yeast in them.
The Matzah, a flat cracker of bread, striped with narrow lines, and pierced with small holes is eaten in remembrance of Jesus, by whose stripes we are healed.
Yeast leavens, or puffs up, just as pride & sin inflate our hearts. We eat unleavened bread, bread without yeast, to remember Jesus who was without sin.
Traditionally (in Old Testament), three peaces of bread were served at Passover, as a reminder of the three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Today, the Three matzos represent the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. Just as in Jewish tradition, one peace is broken, however, in this case it represents Jesus’ broken body. Just as leaven represents sin, unleavened bread represents Jesus, who was born without sin. We partake of bread to symbolize our acceptance and gratitude for the Messiah's broken body.
Bitter Herbs is usually fresh ground horseradish, however sometimes romaine lettuce or a plate of bitter vegetables such as radishes and parsley are served instead. The main purpose of Bitter Herbs is to bring tears to the eyes.
Traditionally, bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of the cruel slavery of the Israelites to Pharaoh and to recall the bitterness of our relentless, ugly bondage to sin. Today, bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of sin, and a life without Jesus. We eat the bitter herbs with the matzah to remember how Jesus, our Bread of Life, has paid the price and absorbed our bitter sins.
The Lamb speaks of redemption and forgiveness.
Among Israel, the lamb was sacrificed every year for Passover to atone for the sins of the past year. It also is a reminder of the original Passover lamb from which whose blood delivered Israel from death & slavery.
For us, the Lamb is symbolic of Jesus, who was sacrificed for the sins of the world. The blood of the Lamb of God delivered all who believe from death and the bondage of sin.
When my family took an honest look at traditionally Christian celebrated holidays, we recognized that none of them are a 100% true celebration of Biblical Truth.
For us, we can honesty say that Passover has quickly become the most anticipated holiday of the year. I believe the reason for this is TRUTH... when we worship God in Spirit as well as Truth, He shows up!
