Easter vs. Passover?

Passover primarily points to Christ’s sacrificial death, but it sets the stage for the Resurrection—showing that deliverance leads to new life. It’s like the shadow of the empty tomb begins at the doorposts in Egypt.

We have to acknowledge that Easter is not Passover. One celebrates the deliverance of ancient Israel, the other commemorates the resurrection of Christ. So while Passover contains a powerful foreshadowing of the sacrifice and death of Christ, it doesn’t speak to His Resurrection. Don’t get me wrong. It is no coincidence Jesus celebrated His Last Supper as a Passover Seder. And His death and resurrection occurred during the very Pesach holiday that had been foreshadowing His suffering for almost 1500 years. But Passover isn’t Easter. And so because the early Christians felt it important to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, and we can certainly understand why, they really the only had two choices for doing so.

One on hand, they could have opted to change the nature of Passover as commanded in the Torah and expand it to include a celebration of the Resurrection as well. And in that case, 14 Nisan would be the date for celebrating it. And I’ll be honest, that option makes a lot of sense to me. The only downside is that it disconnects the celebration of the resurrection from the day of the week on which God raised Jesus. Because 14 Nisan falls on a different day of the week every year. (This year it’s on a Monday, I think.) On the other hand, the early church could have chosen to do what they did and separate the celebration of the Resurrection from the observance of Passover. And, while some may protest celebrating Easter on any date other than 14 Nisan, the Council’s decision was neither unbiblical nor illogical.

In the end, Scripture doesn’t require a celebration of the Resurrection, so being dogmatic on the date of Easter doesn’t seem wise or profitable to me. The particular date of observance is far eclipsed by the importance of the event being celebrated. Our focus this time of year should be on the victorious work of Christ, our Messiah, who walked out of His grave that historic Sunday morning, defeating death and sin and reconciling mankind to God.

#easter
#passover
#apologetics
#heisrisen

DONATE TO OUR MINISTRY

OUR LINKS

[ianfranks]

Isn’t the feast of first fruits a celebration and a foreshadowing of the resurrection? As Paul stated that the Messiah is our first fruit?

[BenBushJr]

Wouldn't it make sense to celebrate the resurrection 3 days and three nights after passover, at the end of the third day?

[RockNM]

The Afikomen represents Jesus Christ. For many years I never understood its symbolic meaning as the broken body of Jesus who was resurrected from the dead. For those who don't know what "afikomen" means I urge you to look it up. Jesus is the afikomen of the Passover seder.

[htebazileeilsel]

I call it "Fulfilled Passover"

[nmail]

I love your show. You have taught me so much over the years

[kimartist]

Passover consecrates the firstborn to the Lord.

"... (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord')."
~ Luke 2 : 23

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.... And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, in order that he might be preeminent in everything."
~ Colossians 1 : 15 & 18

"... to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven."
~ Hebrews 12 : 23

Passover is how we become born again & inheritors of all God promised to Abraham (i.e. only firstborns can inherit from the father).

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."
~ Revelation 1 : 5ff

"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
~ Romans 6 : 3-4

[TheBlindamerica]

The redirection should be celebrated in Feast of First Fruits. All of the Spring Feasts point to (and remember) the first coming of Yeshua.

[cghrios]

JESUS SAID DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. HE IS THE LAMB HE IS OUR REDEEMER.
HE DIED IN OUR PLACE.
Easter is the celebration of the rabbit and eggs.
We need to do Passover because it belongs to Christ not the Jews or gentiles.
We do it because we see His sacrifice as our gift of Grace salvation and love.
Not as Jews or Catholics celebrate.
But because we are new creatures when we left sin behind and came into a new covenant with Jesus.
His death and resurrection is Holy to us Christians.
We have to partake as he commanded us to do.

[LionBehavior]

I hope that my comment stays up sir in hopes of obtaining the truth in all sincerity. Here is why we shouldn't celebrate this man made tradition or follow after the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. You say that Messiah rose on the historic day Sunday, as most of the world does. Also the Catholic Church and those who follow after it says that Messiah was crucified Friday evening but this is in opposition to what Jesus tells us from his own mouth about this event.
Matthew 12:39-40
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas;
40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus (who cannot lie) says he would be in the grave three days and three nights but man has made up his own timeline in saying Jesus died good Friday evening and rose Sunday morning which is 2 days and 1 night.
It's unbelievable to see the whole world (with exception of those in the know) blindly follow after this Friday night Sunday morning tradition, because all we have to do is read his own words to see that this practice or celebration is contrary to the truth.
This is explicitly why man and his traditions should not be followed after because it is what man thinks is right, but it isn't. Man may think that his traditions are good because they are celebrating Jesus, but the Lord tells us specifically how to serve him and we must not deviate from his word. Peace