This Do in Remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians 11:25 (KJV)
²⁵ After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Christians will recognize that 1 Corinthians is referring to the ordinance of communion. Some churches do this every week during the church worship service, while other churches observe this practice once a month, or twice a year, or even once a year. Needless to say, Christianity has seemed to have gotten the idea down pat.

However, Christianity has forgotten the context of when Yeshua made this statement. Let's go back to Luke to find that context.

Luke 22:13-19 (KJV)
¹³ And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
¹⁴ And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
¹⁵ And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
¹⁶ For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
¹⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
¹⁸ For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
¹⁹ And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 

These verses were uttered at the Passover Seder just before Yeshua's death. When Yeshua commanded His disciples to "remember Him," the disciples would have realized that the next time that they would be in this situation would be a year from then at the next Passover Seder. But why would Yeshua tie communion to Passover? Why can't the churches just decide on their own when and where they want to observe communion?

The annual Passover Seder was instituted by God as a memory device.

Exodus 12:14 (KJV)
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.

What were the Israelites to remember on subsequent Passovers? They were to remember how God delivered them out of Egypt and how He redeemed them and made them His people. The Passover and the Exodus are types of the salvation that Yeshua provided in His own death and resurrection. Our remembering Yeshua and His provision of salvation by observing communion connects us to the Exodus and the Passover. This is how God works!!! The blood of a lamb kept the Israelites from death and the blood of the Lamb of God (Yeshua) keeps believers from eternal judgment and death.

Can churches do their own thing and observe communion as they want? The story of Cain and Abel, the laws in the Torah, and the history of Israel's faithlessness all point to God's desires for correct worship. At the very least we are missing out on the connections that God has provided.

Passover in the Millennial Kingdom

This week's Torah portion is Exodus 10:1-13:16.

In this week's portion we find the account of the Passover, the event, that in many ways, defines the Jewish people. God intended this to be so. He commanded that afterwards the Passover would be kept as a reminder of the event and the Jewish people have faithfully carried out God's command.

Exodus 12:42,47-50 (KJV)
⁴² It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
⁴⁸ And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
⁴⁹ One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
⁵⁰ Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

What is interesting to note is that it was not only Jewish people who kept the Passover, but any stranger that sojourned among the Israelites. This meant that all the mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38) that came out of Egypt and stayed with the Israelites were expected to keep the Passover. There was one stipulation, though, and that was that all the males had to be circumcised. It didn't matter if you were Jewish or not. The whole congregation was under the same law.

Since then Christianity has pretty much maintained that circumcision and the observance of the Passover are only obligations for the Jews. Yet, this poses a problem for Christians in the future if they want to participate in the Passover.

Ezekiel 44:9 (KJV)
⁹ Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

Ezekiel is talking about a time future when the Temple will be rebuilt. Likely this is referring to the Millennial Kingdom that Yeshua will establish on the earth after His return. No uncircumcised man, Jewish or not, will be allowed into the Temple. This is where God will dwell again and believers will want to participate in that Temple worship. Being banned from entering would be devastating!

Ezekiel 45:21 (KJV)
²¹ In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

Again, Ezekiel is referring to the Passover and when that will be observed in the Millennial Kingdom. As believers wouldn't we want to observe the Passover, too?

Even Paul seemed to be in agreement when he stated:

1 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Although Paul was comparing leavened bread with malice and wickedness, and unleavened bread with sincerity and truth, he wasn't telling them that the Passover was some spiritual allegory. He told them to observe the Passover IN THE CORRECT RIGHTEOUS MINDSET.

Circumcision and the Passover are not just for the Jews, but for all the believers who call upon the name of Yeshua.

"I Will....."

Our Torah portion this week is Exodus 6:2-9:35.

As we have seen, God has provided sign posts along the way to point us in what direction the future will take us. These examples are called the feasts of God. Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) physically occurred during the days of Moses, but alluded to the days of our Messiah Yeshua. He died on Passover, was in the grave during the first part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He rose on the Feast of First Fruits, and the Holy Spirit was given on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). However, the fall feasts have yet to be fulfilled by Messiah. They are the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Atonements, and the Feast of Tabernacles. (Messiah was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, so this one is actually partially fulfilled.) As believers we need to pay close attention to when these feasts occur each year. Is it possible that this is the year when we will hear the shout of the archangel and the trump of God on the Feast of Trumpets?

From our reading of Exodus this week we see that the Exodus is meant as a kind of sign post as well. A summary of what God was accomplishing can be found in Exodus 6.

Exodus 6:6-8 (KJV)
⁶ Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
⁷ And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
⁸ And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Notice the number of times that God has said, "I will ...." These are the things that God would accomplish by the Exodus. They are:

          I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
          I will rid you out of their bondage.
          I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments.
          I will take you to me for a people.
          I will be to you a God.
          I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to                      Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage.

Often we read these statements without realizing how they apply to believers today. Just like the feasts of God, these "I wills" have been and will be fulfilled by our Messiah Yeshua.

          Yeshua will bring us out from under the burden of sin.
          Yeshua will rid us out of the bondage of sin.
          Yeshua will redeem us with a stretched out arm and with great judgments.
          Yeshua will take us for a people.
          Yeshua will be to us a God.
          Yeshua will bring us in unto the land.

When Yeshua died on the cross and rose from the dead, He defeated sin and death. When we trust in Yeshua He saves us from the burden and bondage of sin. We become free to follow and obey Him. One day Yeshua will return and will redeem us with a stretched out arm and with great judgments against Satan and the systems of the world. We will be His people and He will be our God. Finally, He will bring us into our eternal home in the new earth where we will experience everlasting life with Him.

This should bring us great joy!!! But are there other lessons and examples in the Exodus that point to Messiah Yeshua? Let's not treat the Exodus as only a good Bible story, but let's dig down deep and discover the riches that God has for us there.

Let's Celebrate!

It's getting to be that time of year again. We will soon be in the midst of all the hype, decorations, store displays, and sales that surround the coming of Christmas. Although there are some who despise the commercial aspects of the season, most are truly excited to enter into the special peace and joy that Christmas represents. We love the traditions, the smells, the gifts, the sounds, and the time of family sharing that come with the holiday. God made us that way!

But God didn't give us Christmas to satisfy those cravings. Christmas developed around a date that was traditionally celebrated as the birth date of a number of pagan deities. The date of December 25th was specifically chosen in order to co-opt a pagan holiday and somehow turn it into the celebration of the Son of  God's birth. Unfortunately, no matter how you dress up and change the language of pagan idolatry, that day remains corrupted.

But God didn't leave us without days of celebration! In His Word He gave us many feast days to celebrate over the course of the year. All we need to do is turn to Leviticus 23. Here we find the days that we are commanded to observe.

Leviticus 23:1-2 (KJV)
¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

The following are listed: the seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath, Passover, the feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, the feast of Weeks (or Pentecost), the feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonements, and the feast of Tabernacles (booths).

Each one is unique and serves various purposes for celebration. But it is the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot in Hebrew) that reminds us most of the joy and peace of Christmas.

Leviticus 23:34,40-43 (KJV)
³⁴ Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
⁴⁰ And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
⁴³ That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

This week of celebration comes on the heel of the days of repentance, which is culminated by the Day of Atonements. We are confronted by our failures, our sin, and our wretchedness before God. But then we put up our sukkot (our tent-like booths with branches for roofs). We truly and joyfully celebrate that God forgives His people. We gather with family and friends. We eat and maybe even sleep in our sukkot, watching the stars overhead through the roof. We party and thank our dear God for His blessings and love.

And guess what? It is very likely that Yeshua was born on the first day of the feast of Tabernacles (which falls in September or October). Isn't this when we should celebrate His birth? Plus, when we look to God's future fulfillment of the fall feasts, we find that the feast of Trumpets represents Yeshua's return, the Day of Atonements represents the day of judgment, and the feast of Tabernacles represents the wedding feast of Yeshua and His bride (Israel).

Compare this with Christmas and we find it a poor substitute for the celebrations that God has commanded in His Word. God wants us to celebrate, but let's celebrate what He has provided for us!

Will it Be Today?

Matthew 24:27 (KJV) 
²⁷ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:30-31 (KJV)
³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:36 (KJV)
³⁶ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 24:42 (KJV)
⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (KJV) 
¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Could this be the day in which Yeshua returns?

Devout believers have been patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting for His return since His ascension back into Heaven roughly 2000 years ago. What, exactly, are we expecting to see? Some of the sights and sounds that will accompany His return are:

          Hearing a shout from the archangel.
          Hearing a trumpet from God.
          Seeing Yeshua coming from the clouds.
          Seeing dead believers rising up to the clouds.
          Seeing alive believers rising up to the clouds.

Won't this be amazing!

The difficult part is that we do have to wait for this event. Matthew 24:42 says that we are to "watch." This indicates that we are to actively be on the lookout for Yeshua's return. Yet, no one knows the day or hour when this will happen as it says in Matthew 24:36 and 42. But do we have any clues?

Did you know that God's calendar presents us with some very strong evidence? The Bible points to Yeshua's birth being on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succot). Yeshua was crucified on Passover. He was in the grave during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He rose from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits and the Holy Spirit was given on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). However, there is no event that corresponds to the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah) or the Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur),

Doesn't it seem likely that these feasts will also be accompanied by events? And did you notice that the name of the next feast is the Feast of Trumpets? (Actually in Hebrew, it is called the Day of Blowing.) Oddly, enough, there is a Jewish idiom that describes that day as "The day that no man knows." This has to do with the fact that the feast day cannot really be known until the first sliver of the moon appears to indicate that the seventh month of the Biblical year has arrived. That first day of the seventh month is the Feast of Trumpets.

Leviticus 23:23-25 (KJV)
²³ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁴ Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
²⁵ Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

If God is consistent something wonderful will happen on a Feast of Trumpets. Yeshua will return! Will it be this year? We don't know, but it behooves us to be watching!

(Many who follow the traditional Jewish calendar will begin celebrating Yom Teruah this evening, Sunday, September 13, 2015. Others wait for the moon's appearance in Jerusalem. That could place the beginning at sundown on September 14 or 15th.)

Fulfilled and Destroyed? or Fulfilled and Obeyed?

Matthew 5:17-20 (KJV)
¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Like many Christians I read and reread this section of Scripture without really understanding what it was saying. The words themselves are relatively simple, yet because of translation issues and historical theology, the plain meaning of the text has been lost to the majority of Christians today.

Yeshua sat on a hill with his disciples around Him (Matthew 5:1). He began to teach starting with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Then He spoke about believers being salt to the Jews and light to the Gentiles (see http://eclecticchristian.blogspot.com/2015/05/salt-and-light.html) Next He told His listeners that they were not to think that He had come to destroy the Torah or the Prophets (the whole Word of God), but that He had come to fulfill them (verse 17). The religious leaders of Yeshua's day constantly accused Yeshua of violating the Torah of God, but if that were really the case and Yeshua had actually violated a single commandment of the Torah, Yeshua would not have been sinless and would not have been qualified to die on mankind's behalf. There would be no salvation nor eternal life for anyone!! What Yeshua objected to was the religious leaders' misinterpretation of the Torah and their elevating the Oral Law to the status of the Word of God. Yeshua was guilty only of violating the man made rules that the religious leaders had, that often conflicted with the Torah.

To strengthen His statement, Yeshua declared that the Torah would not pass away until heaven and earth passed away (verse 18). Since heaven and earth are obviously still present, the Torah cannot have been done away with. However, the last part of verse 18 seems to imply that the Torah would pass away when it was all fulfilled. The conclusion by many is that despite the continued presence of heaven and earth, Yeshua fulfilled the Torah and it has passed away. Logically, this conclusion doesn't make any sense, especially when verse 19 is read. According to traditional Christianity Yeshua fulfilled the Torah, so that believers now are free to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, ham is permissible as food, and the holy days like Passover and Yom Kippur can be ignored. Yet, verse 19 says that anyone who breaks one of the least commandments or teaches men so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Obviously, the breaking of the Sabbath, food laws, and Holy Days comes with a stiff penalty.

The problem in this section that has led to much misunderstanding is the word fulfill, which is used to translate two different Greek words. In the first occurrence in verse 17, the Greek word behind fulfill is pleroo. This word means "to fill to the full" or "to complete." Therefore, Yeshua completed (or did) (or obeyed) the Torah and showed mankind how to do likewise. The second Greek word that is translated as fulfill in verse 18 is the word ginomai, which means "to occur" or "to happen." In other words the Torah would not pass away until everything (meaning the whole of history stated in Scripture - Genesis to Revelation) had happened.

I have heard commentators try to get around the sensible meaning of this text by saying that verses 17 and 18 refer to the ritual laws, that Yeshua fulfilled them and that they are done away with. Then verses 19 and 20 refer to the moral law, that these should not be violated. However, in verse 19 the word "therefore" connects verse 19 to verse 18 and there is no hint that the subject of the sentence had changed. Also, there is no place in Scripture where God's commands are divided into ritual versus moral law. This is a man made construct that isn't Biblically based.

The religious leaders of Yeshua's day were accusing Yeshua of destroying the Torah. Let's not do the same thing today by saying that the Torah has been fulfilled and has passed away.

Do You Belong to "The Way?" Part 2

Previous:

From the book of Acts there is strong evidence that the apostle Paul continued to be Torah observant even after Gentiles were added to the body of Messiah. They called themselves "The Way," and were also referred to as Nazarenes. 

Acts 24:5 (KJV)
⁵ For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

However, most readers will still believe that Paul and the assemblies he began were not Torah observant. His writings have been interpreted from an anti-Torah position for so long that belief in a Torah observant community seems impossible.

Yet, it is in reviewing quotes and history from later periods that it is evidenced that "The Way" practiced their faith by Torah observance.

"To-day there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of the East a heresy which is called that of the Minæans, and which is still condemned by the Pharisees; [its followers] are ordinarily called 'Nasarenes'; they believe that Christ, the son of God, was born of the Virgin Mary, and they hold him to be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to heaven, and in whom we also believe. But while they pretend to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither." (Jerome, Epistle 79 to Augustine, written in the fourth century). ("Minaean" comes from "minim" meaning "heretics.")

Notice that Jerome stated the Nazarenes were orthodox in their beliefs, but were heretics because they "tried" to be both Jewish and Christian. Also notice that the assemblies were located "in the East."

"We shall now especially consider heretics who... call themselves Nazarenes; they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament, but they also use in a way the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings... so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Nazarenes do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and to the customs of the Jews, except they believe in [Messiah]... They preach that there is but one [Elohim], and his son [Yahshua the Messiah]. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets...They differ from the Jews because they believe in Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies." (Epiphanius; Panarion 29; translated from the Greek; written in the fourth century).

Notice from this quote that the Nazarenes and the Christians appear to be two different groups.

Read the following quote from Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, regarding the observance of Passover among the assemblies of Asia Minor:

"We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord's coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead ? All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren throughout the world, and have gone through every Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For those greater than I have said ' We ought to obey God rather than man'...I could mention the bishops who were present, whom I summoned at your desire; whose names, should I write them, would constitute a great multitude. And they, beholding my littleness, gave their consent to the letter, knowing that I did not bear my gray hairs in vain, but had always governed my life by the Lord Jesus" (Eusebius. The History of the Church, Book V, Chapter XXIV, Verses 2-7 . Translated by A. Cushman McGiffert. Digireads.com Publishing, Stilwell (KS), 2005, p. 114).

Clearly, at some point in time, the body of Messiah split into two separate groups, that of "The Way" and that of the Christians (those who today are not Torah observant).

"They (Nazarenes) are characterized essentially by their tenacious attachment to Jewish observances.  If they became heretics in the eyes of the (Catholic) Mother Church, it is simply because they remained fixed on outmoded positions.  They well represent, (even) though Epiphanius is energetically refusing to admit it, the very direct descendants of that primitive community, of which our author (Epiphanius) knows that it was designated by the Jews, by the same name, of ‘Nazarenes’.”  [First Century expert Marcel Simon, Judéo-christianisme, pp 47-48.]

Without a doubt "The Way" was the church of the first century. They were Torah observant. Doesn't it seem right, then, that today, the true followers of Yeshua should also be Torah observant? How would you answer the question, "Do you belong to "The Way?" Perhaps Christianity needs to seriously rethink the Scriptures and return to truly being "The Way."

How did it become so different? Stay tuned for some historical insights in part 3.

Next:

The Resurrection of Yeshua and First Fruits

On this coming Sunday Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. This is in commemoration of Yeshua's resurrection from the dead. Unfortunately, this date is not chosen based on Scripture, but rather on a formula standardized in the fourth century that determined Easter was to be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. In Scripture we read nothing about the vernal equinox or full moon, instead Yeshua's resurrection is based on when Passover and the Feast of First Fruits occur.

Leviticus 23:5-6 (KJV)
⁵ In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
⁶ And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

The first month in the Jewish calendar begins on the new moon of Nisan which occurs sometime in March or April. This year it began on the evening of March 12, 2013. The 14th day corresponded to March 25, 2013. On that evening Jews and Torah observant Christians around the world began the celebration of Passover with a seder meal.

Prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. the Passover lambs were slaughtered on the 14th of Nisan. It was on this date that Yeshua was crucified as our once and for all Passover lamb. If Christians were to commemorate Yeshua's crucifixion, the anniversary was on March 25th of this year. How many Christians marked this date? How many erroneously will be going to "Good Friday" services on March 29th?

Leviticus 23:10-11 (KJV)
¹⁰ Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

These verses of Leviticus describe the Feast of Firstfruits. It occurs on the morrow after the sabbath during Passover (Unleavened Bread). It is very likely that Yeshua rose from the dead on the day of Firstfruits.

1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)
²⁰ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

But how many Christians celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits? 

Besides Christians celebrating the death and resurrection of Yeshua on incorrect dates, the overriding problem with Easter is its pagan origins. The name "Easter" comes from "Eastre" the Teutonic goddess of spring, although from ancient times spring has been celebrated by pagans. When the religious leaders wanted to Christianize the pagans, their traditions were absorbed in Christian practices to make the transition more comfortable and acceptable. This blending of the impure with the holy is detested by God and should never have been done, because it has left sincere and devoted Christians guilty of celebrating pagan feasts. 

2 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV)
¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)
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,

And no amount of focusing on the correct interpretations of Yeshua's death and resurrection can make a pagan holiday Christian. If Christians want to honor Yeshua's death and resurrection we need to follow the proscription of Scripture rather than pagan traditions. Let us remember Passover.

The Leavened Lump

I know that Passover is coming. I should be in preparation, but I keep putting it off. If I'm not careful, the feast will be upon me and I will be kicking myself for my procrastination, vowing that next year this will not happen again! But didn't I say that last year?

For Passover, I need to take out my Seder plate, afikoman bag, haggadahs, my recipes, and more! I need to do my shopping and the planning. Yet, while I am scrambling, in my procrastination, to get all these things collected and done, I will likely miss what is truly important in the feast.

Breathe. Sigh. First things first. What about the leaven? Before I worry about the Seder meal I need to clean my house of all leavening agents.

Exodus 12:15 (KJV)
¹⁵ Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

God has commanded that during the feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) there is to be no leaven (agents like yeast that make bread rise) within our homes. It is surprising where leaven can hide. Not only must we remove our yeast breads, but all the kinds of foods that contain yeast or other leavening agents. Hmmm, that box of onion soup mix contains yeast extract! Oh, no, my supplement of beta glucan contains saccharomyces cerevisiae! It all needs to go!

Yet, again, I find myself caught up in doing for doing sake. Paul's wise words pull me up short!

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV)
⁶ Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
⁷ Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

In addressing the Corinthians, Paul admonished them not to tolerate the sinful behavior of someone in their fellowship. Up to this point, the Corinthians had allowed the sin to continue and were prideful about their tolerance. Paul asked them if they understood that a little leaven would leaven an entire loaf of bread. In this statement Paul was using leaven as a symbol of sin. He was cautioning them about the result of leaving sin to "grow" and infect the entire Corinthian congregation (verse 6).

He then told them to get rid of the leaven, to get rid of the sin, so that their congregation would be a "new lump", Since Yeshua was their Passover sacrifice they were "unleavened." In other words because of Yeshua they were righteous as Yeshua has made all those who trust in His death and resurrection for salvation, righteous (verse 7).

Paul then encouraged the Corinthian believers to keep the feast of Passover, not with leaven (the real physical agents), nor with the "leaven," or sin of malice and wickedness, but with the "unleavened bread" of sincerity of truth (verse 8).

Passover was coming for the Corinthians, but they weren't ready. They were living in pride, tolerating sin in their camp. When the feast came Paul wanted them to deal with the leaven (sin), but not in malice or wickedness, but with sincere truth.

Doing and observing the Seder and all the days of Unleavened Bread is important, but we can't afford to forget the most important aspects of the feast. Before we worry about all the "things" involved in the feast we need to remember to remove the leaven, and not just the crumbs of the toast we had for breakfast, but the sin that exists in our hearts and lives as well. Let's be committed to fully observing Passover as God intended. What else have I forgotten?