Passover of the Heart

Howard E Marchbanks, III

03/26/2016

We keep the Passover. Jesus and his disciples kept the Passover.
Jesus didn’t do away with the Passover but changed the symbols.
We will look at the changes to Passover, the symbols of Passover and some scripture to verify our current day practice.

Passover has changed from the first one recorded in Exodus 12.  Those changes are recorded in Deuteronomy 16 and the New Testament Gospels.

Jesus made a change to the Passover symbols because the events were beginning to be fulfilled.

We will see that Jesus is the Lamb, and he is Passover.

Revealed to the Israelites at the time of their deliverance from Egypt, as recorded in Exodus chapters twelve and thirteen, Passover observance involved each household sacrificing an unblemished lamb on the 14th day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar (Abib or Nisan) and eating it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. In addition to the meat, herbs and unleavened bread, the Passover also came to traditionally include wine.

The lamb had to be a male. It could be taken from the sheep or the goats.

The people were going to take this lamb, according to Exodus 12 verse 3 on the tenth day of the first month.

The original Passover was centered on an animal and what they would do with this animal was absolutely fundamental to the concept of "passing over".

These Hebrew slaves in Egypt wanted to be "passed over”. The did not want the plague from God to come upon them and they wanted be free from their slavery. These ideas were primary on the minds of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.

(Exodus 12:3 KJV)  Speak you unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

V.6 " And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." (Haarbayim – at even, twilight, evening, hā·‘ar·bā·yim) 

V.7 "And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."

V.8 "And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs, they shall eat it."

There was no physical, Levitical priesthood in the time of Exodus 12 during the first Passover, but the in the time of Deuteronomy 16 there was an organized priesthood, so the Israelites began to keep the Passover under new regulations.

The main focus of attention remained the lamb. They still had to eat this lamb. Why? Because every bite they took was supposed to help them remember what happened during the Exodus.

The Passover was kept year after year, century after century.

The Israelites and succeeding Jewish communities kept the Passover as a celebration of the past, remembering freedom from bondage in Egypt. They would look backward at the example of Egypt and not forward to their ultimate freedom.

(Deuteronomy 16:1 KJV)  Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

(Deuteronomy 16:2 KJV)  Thou shall, 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.

Notice how the Passover is a celebration and also an animal, a specific sacrifice. 

Notice this change, "the place where He chooses to put His name." Suddenly it was supposed to be done in a specific place. Wherever they set the tabernacles, there they did the Passover; eventually, they had a temple in Jerusalem.

At the time of Jesus, at the time of Herod’s temple, people were coming by the hundreds of thousands to sacrifice their Passover lamb. For Jews to be able to go to the temple was a once in a lifetime event. Jewish people may still say in the 21st century, “next year in Jerusalem”.

Why? Jerusalem was the place God put his name.   Notice what it says, Deuteronomy 16 Verse 5, 6, & 7

(Deuteronomy 16:5-6 KJV)  Thou may not sacrifice the Passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God gives thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the Passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou came forth out of Egypt.

(Deuteronomy 16:7 KJV)  And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

Think about what a major change that was from the Exodus 12 Passover that ordered them to eat the Passover lamb in their own homes. Now they are told they were not allowed to eat it in their own homes.

You are to go back home after the sacrifice. This is a major change from the book of Exodus.

It is interesting that the Passover wasn’t done away with when the Sinai Covenant was instituted, but just administered and regulated differently.

It went through a change. Why? They had gone from God working through these families in an individual way to God working with a nation.

The lamb’s blood, placed at that time around the Israelites’ doorways, enabled the people to be “passed over” (spared) when God in just judgment slew the firstborn of Egypt. The lives of the Israelite firstborn were thus redeemed (bought back or ransomed) by the blood of the lamb.

The Old Testament Passover blueprint provides the plan for a much greater redemption—by a much greater sacrifice. “For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us”

(1 Corinthians 5:7).

Jesus Christ is referred to as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.

The speaker, here in the gospel of John chapter 1, is John the Baptist. He is remarking about his cousin—Jesus Christ. We know that this took place after John baptized Jesus.

(John 1:29 NIV)  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Think of how important the death of Jesus Christ is.

This one death of this one man  —A sacrifice of a life that was a sinless life

Became capable in the eyes of God of equalizing and "making of no account" all of the sins of all of mankind for all of the time that mankind has been sinning!

When we eat the unleavened bread at Passover, we symbolize partaking of the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice as well as Christ living in us.

John 6:53-54  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 eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

As for observing the Passover today, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11 that the Church is to “come together” to “eat this bread and drink this cup.” And he confirmed here that we are to observe this memorial when Jesus did with His disciples, “on the same night in which He was betrayed at the beginning of the 14th of Abib” at the same time of year.

(1 Corinthians 11:23-26 KJV)  For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.   For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.

He didn’t say "Do this in remembrance of your ancestors coming out of Egypt".
Jesus Christ said. "Do this in remembrance of Me…."
The Passover was about killing an animal.

This Passover is about death.

The Exodus Passover, the Passover in Deuteronomy, and the New Testament Passover are all similar.

They are about death and about saving life.

A living being dies so one created in the image of God may live.

The bread is His body.

You eat the symbol of a lamb at the Passover when you eat the symbol of the Lamb of God.

That symbol is unleavened bread. That’s His body that you’re eating symbolically at the Passover service.

At the New Testament Passover service, we show our unity, our koinonia, our fellowship with Christ and with each member of the Body of Christ, the Church and our willingness to live by the Word of God.

(1 Corinthians 10:16 KJV)  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

The blood of the Lamb is important. This blood had to be put on the doorposts and this blood was placed so people could see it on the doorposts.

There was the blood was at the temple; basins of blood. This blood flowed so people could see it during sacrifices at the temple. The blood was a visible sign that a life was given. An innocent life was required to atone or clean the sinner.

This symbol of this blood is specific in the way that the Bible describes how it is used.

(Revelation 1:5 KJV)  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

If we cut ourselves and bleed on our cloths it becomes the color of blood?

Our cloths are washed in blood.

Wine, symbolically the blood of Jesus, washed our sins away.

When we are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ we are redeemed from our empty way of life.
(1 Peter 1:18 -19 NIV)  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

The annual service is to also include the ordinance of foot-washing, as established by Jesus at the same Passover observance.

After setting an example of being a servant by washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus Christ stated:

“You also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you … If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them”.

John 13:14-17

We participate in the foot washing to illustrate Jesus Christ’s willingness to unconditionally serve and love us.

We participate in the foot washing to illustrate how to serve one another.

Jesus commands that we humble ourselves and follow His example.

All three elements are to be part of the annual observance of New Testament Passover.

The foot-washing

The unleavened bread

And the wine

The New Testament Passover as shown by the example of Jesus Christ should be observed only once a year after sunset at the beginning of the 14th day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar. This is established by the Word of God.

This observance is so important in God’s sight that He gave a provision in that if a person is prevented by unavoidable circumstances from keeping the Passover on the 14th day of the first month, he may observe it one month later on the 14th day of the second month. The United Church of God continues this practice today.

Numbers 9:1-14
There are also instructions for those who must keep the Passover at home due to sickness, infirmity, or utter logistics that make it impossible to gather with a congregation.
See our pastor or an Elder for more information or search our website for an article and video by one of the members of the Council of Elders under the search term “Passover at home”.
There is something else very important about Passover and we remember and practice this during Passover every year.

We still believe there is a certain type of circumcision that is still required to take of the bread and to take of the wine under the New Covenant Passover.

Let’s go to Colossians 2 Verse 11 ; speaking of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:9-12 For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The point he’s making is that you still have to be circumcised; but it’s in the heart. Circumcision of the Heart
Now you say, "Where did we get Circumcision of the Heart?

In Deuteronomy we are told " (Deuteronomy 30:6 KJV)  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live.

Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

This is why we are so strict that you should not take New Testament Passover unless you are baptized.
The Church actually believes there is a law of circumcision that is still in existence today.
The old physical circumcision was a type of the greater spiritual reality being the Circumcision of the Heart.
We must be circumcised in the heart and the expression of that circumcision is to be baptized, have hands laid on you, and receive God’s spirit.

Summary

When we are baptized, we receive God’s spirit; we are now a participant in the New Covenant.
As a participant in the New Covenant, we must seek to keep the Passover in the way that the Passover said to keep it. And so we meet on the night that he met.
We eat bread and drink wine just like Jesus Christ Messiah instructed us on that last night.
We do it in remembrance of Him as the Passover.
That is why that bread and that wine are so important.
We are taking in, symbolically, the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The Passover is still on the 14th of Abib after thousands of years. The date didn’t change. How God regulated it to be kept changed because now we know that Passover lamb was a type of the very Son of God who was sacrificed for us.

The Exodus Passover, the Deuteronomy Passover, and the New Testament Passover all reflect God’s work in doing His plan of salvation. They are steps showing the same thing.
The bread and the wine still symbolize eating a Passover- the Sinless body of Jesus Christ the reality we look forward to.
We don’t need to always look back at Egypt and that example because we know what that was meant to represent, and it was meant to represent Jesus Christ
When we eat the unleavened bread at Passover, we symbolize partaking of the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice as well as Christ living in us.
We get together that night and we eat that symbol of His body to represent His death.
When we are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ we are redeemed from our empty way of life.

The Passover was changed dramatically because we live under the New Covenant that allows us to take that bread and take that wine as a symbol of the Passover Lamb, who is Jesus Christ.

For us, this New Covenant becomes really real.

We understand Christ as the Passover; the bread and the wine; and our slavery to sin.

We participate in the foot washing to illustrate Jesus Christ’s willingness to unconditionally serve and love us and to serve one another.

Jesus commands that we humble ourselves and follow His example.

So as we approach the Passover for this year, meditate on all these grand types.