Where is it mentioned?
Exodus 12:14 - This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute. 15 You must eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day you must remove yeast from your houses.
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16 You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day and another sacred assembly on the seventh day. No work may be done on those days except for preparing what people need to eat - you may do only that.
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17 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread because on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent statute.
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18 You are to eat unleavened bread in the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 Yeast must not be found in anyone's houses for seven days.
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THE EXODUS STORY
Exodus 12:24-42
"Keep this command permanently as a statute for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as He promised, you are to observe this ritual. When your children ask you, 'What does this ritual mean to you?' you are to reply, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and spared our homes.'" So the people bowed down and worshipped. Then the Israelites went and did this; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. Now at midnight the Lord struck every first-born male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock. During the night Pharaoh got up, he along with all his officials and all the Egyptians, and there was a loud wailing throughout Egypt because there wasn't a house without someone dead. He summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, "Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites, and go, worship Yahweh as you have asked, Take even your flocks and your herds as you asked and leave, and also bless me." Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, "We're all going to die!" So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders. The Israelites acted on Moses' word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing, And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians' sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians. The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds. The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been driven out of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves. The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord's divisions went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor for the Lord, a night of vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.
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46 - 49 - It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones. The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may participate; he will become like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. The same law will apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.
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Exodus 13:6-10 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory. On that day explain to your son, 'This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' Let is serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord's instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
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Exodus 34:18 - Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib as I commanded you. For you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib.
Exodus 34:25 - Do not present the blood for My sacrifice with anything leavened. The sacrifice of the Passover Festival must not remain until morning.
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Leviticus 23:5 - The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month.
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6 The Festival of Unleavened to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.
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Numbers 9:2 - The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. You must observe it at its appointed time on the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; you are to observe it according to all its statutes and ordinances. So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.
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Numbers 9:14 - If a foreigner resides with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreign resident and the native of the land.
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Numbers 28:16 - The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month. On the fifteenth day of this month there will be a festival; unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days. On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work.
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25 On the seventh day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not todo any daily work.
Deuteronomy 16:1 - Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib.
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3 You must not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship - because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry - so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt. No yeast is to be found anywhere in your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day is to remain until morning.
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Deuteronomy 16:8 - You must eat unleavened bread for six days. On the seventh day there is to be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God, and you must not do any work.
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Ezekiel 45:21 - "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you are to celebrate the Passover, a festival of seven days during which unleavened bread will be eaten....
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Matthew 26:2;4-5 - You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill Him. "Not during the festival," they said, "so there won't be rioting among the people."
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Matthew 26:17-19 - On the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare the Passover so You may eat it?" "Go into the city to a certain man," He said, "and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover at your place with My disciples.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
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Mark 14:1-2 - After two days it was the Passover and the Festival of Unleaved Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a treacherous way to arrest and kill Him. Not during the festival," they said, "or there may be rioting among the people."
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Luke 22:14-20 - When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. Then He said to them, "I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God," Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.
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John 11:55-12:23 - The Jewish Passover was near, and many went up to Jerusalem form the country to purify themselves before the Passover. They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple complex: "What do you think? He won't come to the festival, will He?" The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it so they could arrest Him. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. Sot hey gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil-pure and expensive nard-anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of oil. Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, "Why wasn't this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?" He didn't say this because he cared about the poor but because he was thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. Jesus answered, "Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me." Then a large crowd of the Jews learned He was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus the one He had raised form the dead. Therefore the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus. The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet Him. They kept shouting: "Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One-the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written: Fear no more, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a dinkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify. This is also why the crowd met Him, because they heard He had done this sign. Then the Pharisees said to one another, "You see? You've accomplished nothing. Look-the world has gone after Him!" Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, "Sir, we want to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus replied to them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
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John 13:1 - Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
John 19:14 - It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about six in the morning. Then he told the Jews, "Here is your king!"
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Acts 20:6 - but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread. In five days we reached them at Troas, where we spent seven days.
What does it look like?
The holy day, Passover, announces the arrival of spring on the Jewish calendar. The day is a historic reference to God's deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt as recorded in Exodus. Passover is a holy day commemorating God's deliverance of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. Yet it also holds a greater prophetic picture of God's plan for world redemption. That being said, it is perhaps the most elaborate feast. The Torah says the people should remove any leavened products from their households (Exodus 12:15). This was to remind them that they had to flee Egypt so quickly that the bread in their ovens did not have time to rise.
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Passover, like most of the biblical holy days, features special, meaningful foods. The seder, or "order" of the service is based on the directives given in Exodus 12. God told the Israelites the evening shall be commemorated by eating three things: lamb (Messiah's sacrifice), matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs. If no lamb shankbone is available, a roasted turkey or chicken bone may be substituted. A Kharoset (sweet apple/nut mix) has been added as a wonderful reminder of the of the sweetness of our redemption. Additionally, parsley, a green vegetable, speaks of life. All of these should be "Kosher for Passover" and purchased beforehand.
The cup of Elijah is drank in the rejoicement that the prophet Elijah has come to announce the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Each reading participant will need a Haggadah, a structured order of service developed into a booklet that retells the history and significance of Passover. A Messianic one can be purchased for the occasion:
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All this reminds us that, from a Jewish perspective, theology is not only taught, it is lived. This is one more reason I believe all people - Jews and Gentiles, adults and children - can learn so much by celebrating the feasts.
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The first two nights of Peach (the 15th and the 16th of the Hebrew month of Nisan) are separated by the feast of "Unleavened Bread" in the Scriptures (Leviticus 23:6), but has been combined in modern observance. Through symbolisms and celebration, God's children are reminded of the great redemption of the first Passover.
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The spirit of the law to remove all leaven from our houses is symbolic of the spiritual cleansing of our hearts (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). In that spirit of freedom, adapt the preparation to a comfortable degree. For some, this may mean all of the cleaning in order to remove any possible fragments of leaven. For others, it may mean a cursory cleaning to merely symbolize the truth of Passover. Let every person be convinced in his own mind (Romans 14). ​
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The search for the leaven is like a hide-and-seek game for the children after sundown on the fourteenth where the leader of the house purposely hides some leaven (bits of cookie or bread). Then the leader takes a feather, a wooden spoon, and a lighted candle to search for the final leaven. The spiritual lessons are that leaven (sin) must be cleansed from our dwellings (and hearts). The light of the candle (the Word of God) illumines our sin (Psalm 119:11). The leaven is scooped onto the wooden spoon for removal (like the wooden cross of the Messiah). The following morning, this last bit of collected leaven is burnt outside the home (in a can or bag) to symbolize its final destruction. The symbolizes Messiah's destroying sin "outside the camp." and making freedom from the power of sin available for all who believe. These customs may seem strange to the uninitiated, but the deep spiritual truth will be evident to discerning believers in Yeshua. Even something as unusual as this can become a meaningful ceremony for those whose hearts have been cleansed by the Messiah.
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Passover officially arrives as the sun sets on the 15th of Nisan. The first night may be celebrated as a congregation and to reach out to those who need to hear the message of redemption. The second night may be spent at a smaller home seder with family and close friends. However you choose, I encourage you too make plans to celebrate this wonderful festival!
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Remember the symbolism. It is not just spring cleaning; it is to remind us of our need for spiritual cleansing and repentance. Even something like eating matzah crackers for a week can be an uplifting experience as we are reminded of the meaning of the holy day.
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Passover is mentioned in the Gospel accounts (Luke 2:41, John 5:1, 6:4), as well as after Jesus' ascension in the book of Acts (Acts 12:3-4). This tells us that if Jesus came to obey the Law so we don't have to, none of his apostles were informed of it.
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Obviously, the most famous account is the last Passover celebrated by Yeshua and His Jewish disciples in an upper room (Matthew 26 and Luke 22). Among the traditional items mentioned are the lamb (Luke 22:8), bitter herbs (Matthew 26:23), the washings (John 13:1-15), the four cups of wine (Matthew 26 and Luke 22), and matzah (Matthew 26:26). The lamb reminds one of the means of redemption, the blood of the sacrifice. In this case, Messiah became our Passover (John 1:29). The bitter herbs speak of terrible bondage to an oppressor. Not surprisingly, it was in the bowl of bitter herbs that Judas, a man who came to a bitter end, dipped his matzah. The hand and foot washings typify the need for cleansing before approaching a holy God.
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Each of the four cups of wine teaches an important lesson. According to ancient rabbis, these four cups are based on the four promises given to the children of Israel in Exodus 6:6-7:
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Therefore, say to the Israelites, "I am the LORD and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptian. I will free you from being slaves to them and will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God...
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Each of us in Messiah can commemorate our redemption from our own personal time in slavery to the enemy, and the mighty acts that the LORD committed in order to take us as His own and to make Himself our God.
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The four cups include the Cup of Sanctification where we are sanctified by the yoke of the LORD, His commandments, once we are brought out from the yoke of slavery from the enemy; the Cup of Praise (sometimes called the Cup of Plagues), because we praise the Holy One who has done such mighty acts; the Cup of Redemption, which is a special memorial of Messiah Yeshua through all generations. For believers in Yeshua, this cup symbolizes the spiritual redemption found in Messiah's sacrifice; and the Cup of Acceptance, or Praise, as a wonderful symbolic truth of God accepting His people. It is around this fourth cup that some of the Hallel psalms are sung.
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Slaying the lamb at Passover foreshadowed the greater redemption found in God's appointed lamb, the Messiah. What a special joy to celebrate this feast of redemption, for those who have truly experienced redemption in Yeshua the Messiah, the Savior of the world!
It is my prayer that Passover will become a source of joyful celebration as believers experience Messiah our Passover in an intimate and practical way. Let us therefore celebrate the feast as in 1 Corinthians 5:8:
Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Why should I care?
