Passover Extra 4/22

Passover Extra:  by Paul Wilbur, Messianic songwriter, worship leader, and author:

Passover

     Today, Friday, April 22, 2016, we have the honor and privilege of celebrating Passover. But if today is such a glorious day, why does it feel like an ordinary time to most people? Can it be that much of the world doesn’t understand the importance of celebrating this great point in history and what it truly means? Perhaps they think it’s just a Jewish celebration. But the truth is, God has established a yearly calendar of celebrations, and He invites us to set time aside from our busy lives and celebrate His victories over His enemies—who attempted to destroy His Kingdom and our families.

     Many Kingdom people today, especially if they are not Jewish, do not see the Passover as part of their own history. Therefore, they don’t identify with the covenant people who came thousands of years before them. Here’s the thing, if there is truly only one Kingdom with only one King, then we also have only one history (His story) as a people who belong to His Kingdom.

     Think about it, the story in Matthew 26:17-30 is the story of the Last Supper. In this Scripture, we find Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) celebrating Passover with his disciples. So if Jesus celebrated Passover, why don’t we think it’s important for all of us, as believers, to celebrate it? Is this a crazy question or did I just miss something?

     Jesus of Nazareth Himself became the Passover Lamb when He sacrificed Himself, for you and me, on the cross. He removed the final barrier between Himself and the world, even the sin of mankind. This is the perfect stage for the event itself, a time when a lamb was offered for the sins of Israel.

     Unleavened bread, or matzoh, is eaten exclusively during this time because it contains no yeast, which is the biblical symbol of sin. The first Sunday after the Passover is the Feast of First Fruits. As stated by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But Messiah has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” He is the first fruits of those who have been raised from the dead. What an incredible picture of the Lord’s grace and love, displayed for all to see. Why would any reasonable individual want to move these celebrations from their original context to a foreign land with pagan temples? And why in this modern era, with all our understanding and enlightenment, do we continue on this path? I keep asking myself these questions.

     I have a dream…that one day a group of highly respected pastors, teachers, and prophets will stand up and say, “Enough! After much prayer and deliberation, it seems good to us and the Holy Spirit that we embrace the celebrations of the Lord’s Feasts, as He intended all along, and we will begin this year with Passover.” May I live to see the day!

     Some of us call ourselves “People of the Word” yet we remain completely ignorant of the Word of God with respect to the issues I have raised, see my new award-winning book, “Touching the Heart of God”. I will tone down my rhetoric now and simply say that the reasons, and perhaps the best reason, for this attitude are due to centuries of disconnect and a severe lack of sound teaching about the King and His Kingdom.

     So I ask, where is our sense of humility and gratitude? Where is our passion for the holiness of the One who redeemed our fathers and us, by His own glory and goodness—the One who is faithful to fulfill every word that proceeds from His mouth? It seems to me that our ways could use a sober re-examination.

     Again, I don’t intend for this message to come across as accusatory, but more rather enlightening to those who have not yet understood the importance of celebrating Passover, as Jesus did. And my hope is that Jesus will be remembered and honored as our Passover Lamb, slain for us all. Isn’t our history of the Jewish exodus and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice and fulfillment of prophecies worth celebrating and honoring in such a way?