Passover (Pesach) And Unleavened Bread (Matzoh)

The Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread

(Leviticus 23:4-8)

1. Since we are discussing the seven original annual Jewish Feasts, we should begin with a Jewish joke.

2. It was a sweltering August day when all three Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker, "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry." Ford looked skeptical, but their threat to offer it to the competition kept his interest piqued. "We would like to demonstrate it to you in person."

After a little cajoling, they brought Mr. Ford outside and asked him to enter a black automobile parked in front of the building. Hyman Cohen, the middle brother, opened the door of the car. "Please step inside, Mr. Ford."  "What!!!" shouted the tycoon, "Are you crazy? It must be two hundred degrees in that car!!"  "It is," smiled the youngest brother, Max, "but sit down, Mr. Ford, and push the white button." Intrigued, Ford pushed the button. All of a sudden a whoosh of freezing air started blowing from vents

all around the car, and within seconds the automobile was not only comfortable, it was quite cool.

"This is amazing !" exclaimed Ford. "How much do you want for the patent?"

Norman spoke up, "The price is one million dollars." Then he paused. "And there is something else. The name 'Cohen Brothers Air-Conditioning' must be stamped right next to the Ford logo!" Ford, an infamous anti-Semite, retorted "Money is no problem, but there is no way I will have a Jewish name next to my logo on my cars!"

They haggled for a while and finally settled. Five million dollars, but the Cohens' last name would be left off However, the first names of the Cohen brothers would be forever emblazoned upon the console of every Ford air conditioning system. Even today, whenever you enter a Ford vehicle, you will see those three names clearly printed on the air conditioning control panel:  NORM, HI and MAX. (source: www.haruth.com/Jhumor5).

2. The Seven Levitical Feasts set forth a template for God’s plan of redemption. By way of review, Passover sets the tone for the reality that Christ died for our sins. Unleavened Bread, to make us holy. First fruits, Christ is resurrected, the first fruits of them that sleep. Pentecost, the beginning of the main harvest season and giving of the Law, in NT the coming of the Holy Spirit. Trumpets speaks of the rapture when the trumpet will sound. Yom Kippur speaks of the repentance of end time Israel. Tabernacles speaks of the Millennial Kingdom.

3. The feasts can be divided into three: 3 early spring feasts, one late spring feast, and three fall feasts.

4. The first three feasts overlap and occur over an 8 day period. Modern Jews may refer to all three feasts together as “Passover.” Today we are going to look at the first two feasts, and it is easy to combine them together. But this is a deep subject, so I am trying to address what I believe to be the most important matters. Although pastors are often characterized by being long winded, part of the discipline of preaching to determing what to include and what to leave out, enough info without the dreaded TMI, too much information.

5. During the time of the first three feasts, the Jewish people cannot eat bread with a riser in it; instead, they eat Matzo which is like a large cracker with no yeast, baking powder, or other riser.

MAIN IDEA: Passover is about redemption and foreshadows that Christ died for our sin; Unleavened Bread foreshadows the reason Christ died for our sins is – to make us holy.

I. Passover: Christ Died for OUR Sins (Leviticus 23:4-5, I Corinthians 5: 7, 15:3).

A. The details for Passover are provided in the TORAH (Leviticus 23:4-5, Exodus 12:3-14).

1. Based on the DELIVERANCE of Israel from Egypt, out of bondage into freedom

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast…

“This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover….On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD .