What's the big deal about Passover?

Some of you might be wondering: here she goes again, talking about yet another Passover Seder, and she isn’t even Jewish.

And you would be right in saying so, I am not Jewish, I am a complete gentile, and I’m proud of that because that is how God made me. Just as God chose Israel for a purpose, so did He choose us as Gentiles (the ‘church’), and that is beautiful.

I don’t claim to be Jewish, and I do not believe that I am bound by laws, but I do believe that there is much value and significance in all of scripture. I believe in the power and saving grace of Jesus the Messiah, and He set me free from the bondage of sin and death that I so deserved.

I also find much joy in understanding the beauty of scripture from beginning to end. We see so much in the Old (Tanach) and New (Brit Chadashah) Testaments that is confirmed, fulfilled, or yet to come.

I think it’s a special thing when God shows us through the power of His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) just how much the mystery of the Messiah is seen and revealed throughout the ‘whole’ of scripture… even from the book of Genesis.

So, with that being said, I love going to Messianic Passover Seders. It makes me realise even more the context, the mindset and why God said all that He said. It shows JESUS.

It also reminds me what we are looking forward to in the days to come, and in eternity. It reminds me that God is in all the details. In the details of covenants, in the details of the plural form of the word ‘one’ in Hebrew (Echad). He is in the details of the parting of the Red Sea, He’s in the details of the story of Esther, even though His name isn’t even mentioned once in the book itself, He’s in the details of Paul’s story of faith… from a man who persecuted believers, to a man who was persecuted for His faith.

He is in the details of ‘the last supper’, which is a Passover meal shared with Jesus and His disciples. Jesus says and calls out the one who will betray Him… Judas (Matthew 26:17-25). This passage also shows us the connection between the passover meal and what we know today as communion… What a beautiful reminder that God has woven His story so magnificently together, showing the unity and consistency of Jesus as the fulfillment - THE Passover Lamb (Matthew 26:26-29).

If we don’t stop and think more about the story of the Passover, we simply miss the profound moments in which God reveals Himself in the Old Testament (in the Exodus story), long before the New Testament was here. We see God ever-present from the beginning of time, making a way for Israel and foreshadowing the coming of His Son (Exodus 12). How? you ask… becasue of the blood… the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts.

If we don’t stop and look at the Passover:

• We miss seeing that Jesus didn’t drink the last cup of the Passover (Matthew 26:26-29).

• We miss seeing the importance of the blood on the door posts in Egypt (Exodus 12).

• We miss seeing the meaning of the Matza… why is it pierced, stripped? … (Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 53). Why is everything, including the Matza, unleavened? (Exodus 12:39; Deuteronomy 16:3; Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7; Matthew 16:6-12). Another thing to note, leaven also symbolises sin (1 Cor 5:7-8). Not to mention that the Matza Tash bag has three pieces of Matza. Can you guess why? The Father, The Son (Messiah as the middle Matza), and The Holy Spirit. There is so much I could add and share about understanding the Matza Tash bag, but I would really encourage you to explore this for yourself, and perhaps I will spend a bit more time on this in a later blog post. It truly is very fascinating…

Ultimately, we miss seeing the miracles of God bringing Israel out of Egypt, while also knowing one day, all of humanity would have the opportunity to be set free not only from a land but from sin… from the enslavemnet of sin. Jesus fulfilled the Passover and became the suffering servant (Isaiah 53) that we might have eternal life. God gave His One and only Son… (John 3:16-21).

These are only a few out of many beautiful insights from the Passover feast that I have found tremendously helpful in understanding the importance of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. And I hope it can encourage you, too, that God is in all the details.

He is in the details of the Passover, of Communion, and the Marriage Feast (Revelation 19:6-9).

Thank You, Jesus, that You are the perfect sacrificial Lamb who took upon Yourself the sin of the world so that we might have life. 🤍

May we believe this with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

With love,

Your sister,

Jessie