Passover

                Once again watch the time frame and the punishments. Exodus. 12 : 1 - 51. Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying : On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.

                And if the household is to small for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count of the lamb . Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male form the first year. You may take it form the sheep or from the goats.
 
             Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day ( Not the fifteenth ) of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ANd they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

                Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water , but roasted in fire its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it; with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.

                For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

                You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you.

                No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.

                In the first month, on the fourteenth day ( not the fifteenth ) of the month at evening. you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened , that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.

                Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. ANd you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. ANd none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two door posts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

                And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, What do you mean by this service ? Then you shall say, It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households. Some of the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

                And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night , he , all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

                Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said , Rise and go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, We shall all be dead. So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

                Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold , and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

                Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds a great heard of livestock. ANd they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought our of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

                Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years on that very same day it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt . It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

                And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: No outsider shall eat it. But every man's servant who is brought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of it bones, All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger sojourns with you and wants to 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 a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.

                On law shall be for the native born and for the stranger who sojourns among you. Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so that did. So it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

                Did you notice all of the things that I have underlined . It said, that the Passover shall be a memorial meaning once a year that it should be observed . How long will this Passover last , it will last throughout your generations meaning from generation to generation. Then if that wasn't enough , it goes on to say , an everlasting ordinance . On the first day there shall be a holy convocation and on the last day a holy convocation ( High Holy Day ) .

                Now you are going to say to yourselves here he goes again relating things that only pertain to the Jewish people . This time you are right. Because the Old Covenant was a Jewish covenant. In order to become a part of that Old Covenant you had to become circumcised in order to take  part in the Passover . You have just read it for yourselves . But the New Covenant is through and by Jesus Christ. I will now show you in the New Testament where , Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and King, is our Passover.
 
                Matthew. 26 : 26 - 29. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take eat; this is My body. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.

                Mark. 14 : 22 - 25. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, Take, eat this is My body. Then He took the cup, and when he had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ANd he said to them, This My blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom God.

                Luke. 22 : 14 - 20. And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying,  This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

                There are a number of things in which to remember in this scripture . One : when the hour had come ! The start of the original Passover . The next day was when the Jewish people kept their Passover the fifteenth . Two : With fervent desire !  Jesus had a longing desire to keep the Passover . Three : Do this in remembrance of Me ! We are to do this once a year on the Passover in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour , and it is to be on Passover. Not once a week , not once a month , not once every three months , not once every six months , like most of the churches out there do today . It is to be once a year and on Passover . Four : New Covenant ! This is the new covenant which we are under , not under the old covenant where you had to be circumcised .

                Now we will see how we are suppose to keep the Passover from John and Paul.

                John. 13 : 21 - 30. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

                And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus , knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

                Then He came to Simon Peter. ANd Peter said to Him, Lord , are you washing my feet ? Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this. Peter said to Him, You shall never wash my feet ! Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head ! Jesus said to him, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you .
                For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, You are not all clean. So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, Do you know what I have done to you ? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then , Your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, 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.

                Most assuredly , I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them, I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me. Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

                So as you can see that Jesus Christ is our Passover , and we are also in the New Covenant in Christ. We will now see how Paul had warned the people who were coming into the church and taking the Lord's Supper or Passover unworthily. Here Paul will give us the time in which we are to observe the Passover beyond a shadow of a doubt . Notice also that Paul uses the phrase Chruch of God also called the New Testament Chruch .

                1 Corinthians. 11 : 17 - 30 . Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What ! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in ? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing ? What shall I say to you ? Shall I praise you  in this ? I do not praise you.

                For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: That the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, Take eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me, ( once a year on Passover ) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

                Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

                So now you can see why I believe that Jesus Christ is our Passover. And that we should keep His new covenant. Yes, I keep the Passover each year, I afflict my soul before receiving the bread and wine. Yes I do the foot washing. Why ? Because I do it in the remembrance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus commands that we keep this feast. That we afflict our souls. That we partake in the ceremony of bread and wine. And in the foot washing. You have read it for yourself. Yes the jewish people still believe in the Old Covenant, because they don't believe in Christ. But you would be amazed at how many Jews do believe these very same Scriptures that I am showing you. Remember your Bible tells of all the people that were converted back in those days. Jew's and Greeks alike .

                Remember it wasn't only Gentiles and foreigners who believe, it was Jewish people also. ANd there are just as many today as there were back then, maybe even more.

                You might be saying, How can he believe all these things which most of it is not Christian , or the rest of the churches don't follow this , or it is Jewish . Well here is why I believe it .

                John . 6 : 44 - 58. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets. And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned form the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.

                The Jews therefore quarrelled among themselves, saying, How can this Man give us His flesh to eat ?

                Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the SOn of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.

                1 Corinthians . 5 : 7. Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened . For indeed Christ , our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

                1 Peter. 2 : 21. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps .

                Will you keep the Feast of Passover this year ? Will you follow His steps ? Will you walk as Christ walked ?
 

 
May the Father & Jesus Christ be with you always