** Crusifixion of Christ **
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Is Passover only for the Jew?
In order to understand this question clearly we must first examine what the Passover was and what it represented.
Ex 13:4
4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
Deut 16:1
16:1 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.
Ex 34:18
18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
Lev 23:5
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's Passover.
At this point it is important to understand that the first month of the Jewish year is April (Abib) In the passages above we see that Abib .. which is the Jewish month of April, is the time of Passover.
Later in Mathew 26 we will see where Jesus Himself, while partaking of the Last Supper, was preparing Himself for the Passover, when He would be crucified.
The greatest question we ask ourselves is why would the Jewish nation be required by God to sacrifice an animal (lamb) on this day and yet the church is not required to do the same. This is the reason why most people think it is unimportant that we keep the celebration of Passover today.
The important thing to remember here is that the sacrifices of the old testament were a foreshadowing of the things which Christ Himself would fulfill in His ministry, as the son of man, He was also the Lamb of God, sent to redeem man from the bondage of sin in which man was enslaved through the fall of Adam in the garden of Eden.
Here we encounter the question of what the Passover represented to the Jewish nation, why should they observe this particular day of the year?
Deut 16:1
16:1 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.
The Lord told Moses that the children of Israel were to observe the Passover in remembrance to how He delivered them from the bondage they were held in by the Egyptians.
Ex 12:1-14
12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye 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:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: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.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.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste:
it is the LORD's Passover.12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations;
ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.The Lord explained to Moses that the people were to choose a lamb without blemish and separate it from the rest of the flock and to hold it until the 14th day of the month.
This is important, for the Lord Himself was separated from the flock of God's children and offered for sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The chosen lamb of the old testament which was sacrificed on the 14th day of Abib was in representation of the Lamb of God which would be separated from the flock of believers and offered as sacrifice for sin (one for all).
The blood of the sacrificial lamb was to be put on the mantle and door posts of each home where in the believers dwelt, again this was done in representation of that which was to come in Christ, for as the blood was placed on the house of the old testament believer, the blood of Jesus Christ is to be placed on the body of the new testament believer (through baptism)
showing he is in Christ and under His divine protection from the wrath of God to come.On the night of the 14th day of Abib when all were held bound in protection of their sanctified homes and covered by the shed blood of the lamb, the death angel of the Lord passed through Egypt, taking his death tole on the unprotected (uncovered, unsanctified) houses of the unbelievers, yet when approaching the believer's home and seeing the blood applied to their house, he passed over them without harm to those bearing the faith of protection in their lives. For only through faith, even in old testament days, were people sanctified through Christ, these Israelites believed in their heart that if they obeyed the word of God that He would protect them and save them from destruction at the hour of judgment, so it is today. It is by faith that through obedience to the word of God that in the hour of judgment we will be spared the death tole that those who are without the blood of Christ applied for the covering of sins in their lives will suffer.
Lastly, we see in this portion of scripture that the Lord gives a command to Moses, that they are to keep this celebration of Passover on the 14th day of Abib (April) for ever.
Num 28:16
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD.
Ex. 12:14
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations;
ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.It is clear so far that the Passover was definitely observed on a specific day, it is also clear that it was a day of remembrance of when Israel was delivered from bondage out of Egypt, it is as well, clear that by the obedience of the individual, through faith in trusting the Lord for deliverance, that the believing soul would escape the punishment of death placed upon those who would not accept and apply God's commandment to their life.
I believe too, that we see clearly here that the message which James the Apostle gave us in his writings through the Holy Spirit in James chapter 2 concerning the faith of Abraham has great gravity in our salvation, how that faith is not truly faith if it is not supported by our works.
James 2:14-24
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Those who simply professed a faith in God but did not apply the blood to their door posts and mantle were not saved in the hour of judgment from the death angel. And so it shall be in the day of judgment, when all shall stand before the Lord to give account for the things done in the flesh, those who have not by faith
obeyed the word of God and applied God's commandments of obedience to their life, will not be saved from the wrath of God in the Lake of fire.(Please, if we receive nothing else through this lesson, let us understand the importance of doing the will of God in our lives, and not just believing what He says is true.)
James 1:21-22
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Rom 2:13
13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Let us now look at the Lord's relationship in observing the Passover during His time of ministry here on earth. In the book of Mathew, we find the Lord at the end of His ministry on earth, teaching His disciples what it meant to love your brother and how important it is to place the needs of others before our self. This He was doing in part so as to prepare them for that which was about to come, His own sacrifice of selfless love toward others. Knowing that He was about to encounter the cruelest of treatment at the hands of those who did nor believe Him to be the Messiah. He wanted all that would believe to know and understand the fullest meaning of His death and what it meant to each of us. And so, in Mathew 26 the Lord explains to His disciples how that the feast of Passover was coming up in 2 days and that He would be betrayed by one who walked with Him in His ministry and that He would be put to death by crucifixion.
The reason it is so important for us to understand when the crucifixion was taking place is so that we might have a clear understanding of what His death meant to each of us as believers in who He is. As we stated before, all that took place in the old testament was a foreshadowing of that which Christ would fulfill when He came to be the sacrificial lamb of God for the remission of our sins. The lamb slain in the old testament on Abib (April) 14th was not only a reminder for Israel in their release from bondage to Egypt, but it was also a representation of the Lamb of God that would be sacrificed for the sins of all men and thus the release from the bondage of sin that we are all born in through the natural birth of the flesh which was the conception of lust in the body.
Rom 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:19
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
It is important that we understand that it is by no direct action on our part that we are born into sin (that is, born with a sinful nature), but that this sinful desire of the natural, or fleshly, man was passed on to each of us as descendents of Adam, the first man born of the likeness to God who knowingly chose to allow sin into his life. When he willingly made this decision, he made it not only for himself, but also for all those who would be born of his flesh, which is all mankind. This decision to allow sin in his life separated him from the fellowship of God, for when he sinned, he placed himself in a state of unrighteousness, and God clearly states that He is righteous and that He will not dwell in the presents of unrighteousness.
Ezra 9:15
15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: ...
Ps 11:7
7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Ps 116:5
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
Ps 119:137
137 Righteous art thou, O LORD,...
Rev 16:5
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, ...
2 Cor 6:14-18
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Yes my friends, it is clear by these verses of scripture that the Lord is truly righteous, and that He will have no part in unrighteousness.
So, the situation came before the Lord, just how could He have the fellowship with the children He gave life to now that they were separated by the very act of their own sinfulness (unrighteousness)?
Thus He set forth a plan to redeem those He had lost through this separation by sin, and so it is that He set a date in time when He would fulfill His plan of redeeming His own unto Himself once more. This is why I find it so important that we understand and acknowledge what the Lord so clearly wanted us to see in the scripture. We can easily see how that God deemed it so important that we know when and how we were redeemed (purchased, set free) from the bondage of sin which separated us from Him, that He went to great detail in revealing to us the actual month, day, and hour, in which we were purchased from sin and accepted once more in His very presence.