Should Christians Celebrate the Passover?

Passover. I know a lot of Christians who are interested in Passover (the word actually means "to cover" in the same way we say we are "covered" by the blood of Christ.) These followers of Jesus want to know about the Old Testament roots of our faith. After all, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was Jewish. The majority of our Scriptures are Jewish or written by Jews. In fact, when Paul says, "All scripture is God-breathed..." [2 Timothy 3:16] he is refering to the Old Testament.

Additionally, God is doing a great work among the Jews and Israelis around the world in our day, bringing them to an understanding of Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah. I've been told there are more Jewish believers in Jesus today than in all the last 19 centuries combined. Combined with the emergence of Modern Israel and the relity that Jesus was Jewish, it only makes sense that so many followers of Jesus should be interested in Judaism and its relationship to Christianity.

Strangely, I've also been hearing some teaching from Christian Ministers that rejects this desire to explore the Old Testament and biblical Faith (which is very different Hasidic Judaism), and I'd like to address that idea for a few minutes. The pursuit and study of Old Testament realities is portrayed as a rejection of grace and falling from sonship back into slavery. This teaching is based on the assumption that one cannot explore Jesus' culture without being bound by the Law that He was born under as well. It understands two very different covenants: (1) The covenant of God to create sons (read 'children who are heirs' both male and female) for himself  and (2) the covenant of the Law regarding the legislation of attitudes and behaviors. In particular, this teaching seems to focus on the rejection of the Passover.

As regards the idea of followers of Jesus being refered to as "sons of God", Jesus speaks informatively to Peter in Matthew 17:24-27:

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the [temple] tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the [temple] tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free."Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

It seems that Jesus is including Peter in the category of "sons". Since the context is regarding the Temple tax, the implication is that Jesus as well as Peter (and presumably anyone else who is in Christ) is a "Son of God." So, even if the term may seem strange to us, it is biblical. What's more, it is critical to understanding what Passover is really about!

Now, this Anti-Passover view does have some good points. It recognizes that Jesus is the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8] (note: some translations are very different though I'm sure the point is still true) and that God's original intent for Israel was to make them a kingdom of priests (or sons) [Exodus 19:3-6]. The point of these passages is that the covenant of Jesus predates the mosaic law (cf. Gal 3:17), and it is that covenant (the covenant of sonship) that God desires for His people. Moreover, it is the covenant that Christians live under because we are "in Christ." For this reason (being sons under grace rather than slaves under the Law), the particular teacher I was asked to listen to rejects Christian participation is Jewish practices, especially Passover. But, this seems merely to create one form of bondage out of fear of being caught up in another form of bondage and neither fear nor bondage have any place in Christ. Wouldn't it make more sense in light of New Testament teaching to suggest that Christians may participate in anything that draws them closer to God?

There seems to me to be great value in the Passover. It is the context for Jesus creating the Lord's Super. It portrays the sacrifice of Jesus. It reminds us of the power of God over all other 'gods'. It is established at a critical point in the history of God, between the promise of deliverance and its fulfillment. Also, I can easily see how a Christian could view the Passover as a memorial after the fact as well as an ancient prediction of the Messiah who has now appeared. Thus, far from being a rejection of Jesus, the Passover meal is a clear portrayal of the identification of Jesus as the Lord's Messiah. In fact, I can't understand how a believer in Jesus could view the Passover in any other way.

In reflecting on these extremely diverse reactions to the Passover, it occurred to me that the issue upon which these different Christians either embraced the Passover or rejected it was their understanding of the Passover itself. Therefore, I came to the point of asking myself a surprising question: Is the Passover truly Jewish? Or, is it for all of God’s people? Is it part of the Law or a reminder of God’s Grace?

If the Passover is part of the Law, then perhaps the Anti-Passover perspective has some weight. After all, there is a potential bondage if one believes the work of God's grace can be perfected through legalism. Thus, Paul says, "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" [Galatians 3:2-3] And, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." [Gal. 5:1] However, if the Passover is not part of the Law, then this conversation is closed and we must explore the actual implications of their relationship.

Are you all tracking with me so far? There are two views in contention here: (1) The Passover has value for Christians because of its relationship to Jesus, or (2) The Passover should be shunned by Christians because it is part of the Law and leads to bondage. (Those aren't the only possibilities of course, just the two we're talking about.) So, our two choices in answering the title question are as follows:

"Should Christians celebrate the Passover?

Either, "Yes, because it is about Jesus."

Or, "No, because it is about legalism."

Of course, to say that every believer who participates in the Passover does so in order to secure their salvation is ridiculous. That presumption was the first big issue I had with the teacher I heard. There are some modern-day Judaizers (those who say you aren't really saved from your sins unless your faith becomes Jewish) and the danger of their teaching is very real. In fact, some live right down the highway. But, I think they are in the minority.

So, how do we know whether the Passover is part of the Law? Well, it's actually fairly simple. Let's see when both Passover and Law are introduced.

^"Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance." - Exodus 12:14

The Passover is introduced as God prepares to bring His people out of Egypt (between the promise of deliverance and the fulfillment of that promise. The next chapters play out the narrative of that event and the Exodus from Egypt. The 10 Commandments are generally thought of as the heart of the Law (more on this in a moment), and they are not introduced until chapter 20, six chapters later! 

So, the Passover is established in chapter 12 and the Law begins in chapter 20. Therefore, it seems the Passover (ch. 12) is not part of the Law (ch. 20). It precedes the Law and falls into another category of divine directive. Well then, if the Passover is not established as part of the Law, what function does it serve? In other words: If the Passover wasn't created for those under the Law, who was it created for? It is is created for God's Chosen People (that means you, Christian!), apart from any consideration of the Law.

Additionally, the Passover is perpetual while the Law is temporary:

Galatians 3:19 says, "Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made."

(Note: The seed is Jesus, the fulfillment of God's original covenant.)

Exodus 19:3-6 follows the Passover narrative and contains the following coversation between God and Moses:

"And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.  Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Notice what God intends to do with Israel: God is calling Israel to be "a kingdom of priests" in the context of "all the earth." He wants to use them all (no matter what tribe they belong to) as priests. It sure sounds like this is more like the sons of God idea than some form of legalism.

Now, did that actually happen? Did all of Israel become a priesthood to the nations? No. They did not. So, what happened? Without spending too much time on it (this post is already really long), they let fear rob them of the destiny God had for them. This was their transgression, but the verse may also refer to transgression in general. The Law shows us how far we have fallen short of God's design for us. It's important, but it isn't designed to last forever. The Passover is a perpetual rememberance of God's promised deliverence.

Therefore, I submit that this was part of God's intent in establishing the Passover. It is a memorial for those who are called to be part of God's "special treasure," his children. It is not part of the legal hedge God used to protect Israel from destruction until Jesus finally came. Thus, not only is the Anti-Passover movement unbiblical, it fails to understand the basic realities concerning the relationship (or lack of relationship!) between the Passover and the Law.

Now, you may do with it what you wish, but I believe the celebrating the Passover is a beautiful way to celebrate Jesus and all that he has done as we (like the ancient Israelites) wait in readiness between the promise of final freedom and the dawn of deliverance. In fact, it's probably a better choice than participating in some of the national or religious holidays (holy-days) that are much more prominent in our culture! (But, I've already talked abotu taht in other blogs.) :-) Passover is about Jesus, what's not to celebrate about that?