The Passover Takeover

We as westerners can be prone to assume that Jesus and the apostles cared nothing for the history of their people. The attitude often portrayed is that the seven God ordained festivals, which included the three gatherings in Jerusalem once a year meant nothing to them; it was just dead religion. This could not be further from the truth, and is a bias that has been handed down for many hundreds of years. Its perpetuation has ignorance to blame more than anything. Many Christians are pig headed about this, although many are beginning to see the beauty in the festivals that was intended.

The Hebrew Scriptures were God’s instruction to those of the past (and us today as well). It is to misunderstand the New Testament’s (NT) purpose when a conclusion is made that it is “changing” anything that God had previously said or revealed.

Christians sometimes use the pseudologic that since the Passover is not explicitly mentioned after the Messiah (which is not true) and the disciple’s celebration (sedar) that it is proof it was destroyed. It is an argument from silence and utter nonsense. It would be like arguing that Peter must have divorced his wife since she is only mentioned once and nothing is spoken of her again. Paul did speak of Passover and observing “the feast” (1 Cor 5) as well as keeping other festivals (Acts 18:21) and vows according to the Torah (Acts 21:24).

The Passover was commanded as a statute “forever” (Ex 12:14, Lev 23:14). Did God change His mind (this is not article about the word olam)? This would also make Jesus and the disciples breakers of God’s instruction (Torah).

Jesus and his disciples were Jews, why should we assume they were doing anything other than what God had commanded the Hebrew people? Jesus told his disciples to “watch” with him. He did this because the Scriptures also said that watching was a part of the Passover “throughout all their generations” (Deut 16:1-8, Ex 12:42).

The NT writers didn’t spend their time telling us every time someone celebrated a festival (although we are told of some) because it was like, “duh”, where do you expect a Jewish male to be on Passover, Shavuot or Ingathering? We can’t go into the NT assuming God had abolished anything and look for “proof” that He did not. This is complete backwards thinking. Why would we assume He abolished anything? Why did Jesus say, “Don't assume that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah - not until everything that must happen has happened. So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:17-19). When did “complete” (Greek word pleroo, meaning to “fill up”) turn into “abolish”? There is major difference.

If everything God commanded in the OT is really abolished, then someone should really inform God (and Messiah), because the Prophet Zechariah prophesied of a Day and a Kingdom that would make “nations that came against Jerusalem…go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths. Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, rain will not fall on them. And if the people1 of Egypt will not go up and enter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague the LORD inflicts on the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt and all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths” (Zec 14:16-19). This has not happened yet. For anyone not familiar with these festivals, the Festival of Booths (ingathering, tabernacles) is the last festival of the Biblical calendar before it starts again in Abib (fourteen days before Passover).

It is quite humorous that Christians who say they want so badly to be like Jesus have no trouble celebrating Easter which is known to have pagan origins from fertility gods/cults, but yet scream “abolished” should someone mention celebrating or observing Passover. Is this not ridiculous? Whether someone chooses to celebrate Passover or not is not the point, at least realize that this is something that God ordained and He has not destroyed or abolished it.