The 7 Feasts of Israel - Passover
Exodus 12:1-13
February 27, 2022
Today we’re going to begin a new series of sermons which will take us up to Easter. It’s probably a series most people have not craved. I know that’s not a ringing endorsement for what I’m going to be preaching on, but I think and hope you will find this interesting.
As most of you know I grew up Jewish and went to Hebrew School for 5 years and celebrated many of the Jewish holidays. Well, there’s 7 major Jewish feasts, commonly called the 7 Feasts of Israel. They are mandated for the Jews to follow them and they are listed by God in Leviticus 23.
Beginning today and going for the next 6 weeks, we’re going to look at these 7 feasts. But it’s more than looking at what these feasts are and what the represent to the Jewish people, we’re also going to see how these feasts point us towards Jesus. I believe each one will point us to Jesus.
So, how will this benefit us? Great question. Here’s the honest answer . . . I’m not sure. But this I do know, I can’t ask you to do 52 different things per year. Honestly, 1 or 2 may be more than enough. So, my hope is that you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the OT and see how it really does point us toward Jesus.
I hope you will also see that we cannot have the NT without the power and teaching of the OT. In reality the OT is the root of our faith. We don’t have 2 separates Gods, but we have one God who fulfilled all of the promises of the old covenant.
So, as we remember and learn from the OT, we will hopefully see where our NT faith fits in. What are the 7 feasts? In order . . . they are . . .
Passover
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Feast of First Fruits
Feast of Weeks - Pentecost
Rosh Hashonah - Feast of Trumpets
Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement
Feast of Tabernacles
We’re going to take them in order and I’ll give you the historical significance from scripture, talk about the holiday, maybe interject a personal story, and help us to see where Jesus fits in to each feast.
There’s an interesting progression in the feasts that I’ll talk about as we move along. Note that the first 3, Passover, unleavened bread and first fruits overlap. It’s almost impossible to talk about one without including the others. Passover is literally one day, which is followed by unleavened bread for 7 days, which is immediately followed by first fruits.
So, let’s get into Passover, which may be the most popular and famous of all the Jewish holy days.
In Exodus 12 we read - - -
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.
4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.
13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. - Exodus 12
In a nutshell that’s the story of Passover.
The Israelites were held as slaves in Egypt. They cried out to God, and God sent Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. But Pharaoh's wanted to keep the Israelites enslaved. Ten plagues came upon the Egyptians. It’s all in Exodus. It culminated with the death of every firstborn male child. Ultimately, after this plague, Pharaoh let the Israelites leave, then attacked them and was destroyed. But our focus is on how the Israelites escaped through the Passover.
In Exodus 12, God gave Moses specific steps the people were to take so they wouldn’t be struck by this final plague. 4 days prior to the Passover they were to select a year old lamb which was without blemish. Some believe the 4 days was to allow the family to find one and to care for the lamb, thus making it a personal sacrifice.
Then on the 14th, the lambs were killed and the blood was applied to the top frame and the doorposts of each home. The blood made it possible for God's judgment to "pass over" them - - hence PASSOVER.
A couple of things to note about Passover. As mentioned in Exodus 12:2 - -
2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
In many respects, Passover started the Jewish year. Also, remember the Jewish calendar is not the same as ours. They have a lunar calendar. So, Jewish holidays occur on different days every year on our calendar. That means Passover generally occurs in late March or April.
You may not be aware of it, but we use the lunar calendar to determine Easter. Easter is the first Sunday after the full Moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. If the full Moon falls on a Sunday then Easter is the next Sunday.
Growing up, we celebrated Passover with a Passover Seder. We had a special meal and read through a special prayer book, and even had a sip or two of Mogen David wine! It was all part of the celebration as we recalled the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. If you were to do a full blown Seder, the meal would last for a few hours. Usually ours lasted for about 30 minutes, for reasons I won’t get into.
It’s important for us to remember that for the Jews, the purpose of the Passover Feast, for the first century Jew as wells as the modern Jews, would have been to recall with sorrow and joy, what God did for His people in their deliverance from Egypt.
We now have the opportunity to go beyond where the Jews are, and we can see Jesus in the story.
There is symbolism which points us to Jesus during the Passover meal. This part is not from the Bible, but I really believe is relevant for us to see how even the Jewish rabbis of antiquity pointed us towards Jesus.
During the meal there are 3 pieces of matzo, that is the unleavened bread, which isn’t very tasty. They are put in a pouch or in linen. The leader removes the middle one from the linen bag and breaks it in half. The smaller piece is put back in with the other 2 pieces of matzo. The bigger broken piece is put in a napkin and is hidden. It’s for the kids to find.
This is called the afikomen.
After the meal the kids are sent to find the broken half-matzo. When they return, the one who found it gets a reward.
There’s a blessing and it’s then eaten.
The word afikomen means “that which comes after.” When you think about what’s happening, there are 3 pieces of matzo, because there are 3 members of the Trinity.
Why is the second piece broken in two with one part left with the other two matzos, while the other half is hidden? It symbolizes the fact that Jesus laid aside His deity and took on flesh. The half that remains represents deity and the other half which was hidden represents the humanity of Jesus. As God the Son, left the glory of heaven and came to earth to take on flesh, only to be broken on the cross for our sins.
The part which is hidden and then found represents the burial and resurrection of Jesus!
When you read the Gospels, for example in Matthew 26, Jesus and the disciples are having the Passover supper and what does Jesus do?
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” - Matthew 26
Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal.
When you think about the blood put on the doorposts and lintel, which is the top beam - - - they represent the cross and if you assume that blood dripped from the lintel to the ground, you have this picture . . .
It’s a reminder of what the blood of Jesus does for us. Scripture tells us - - -
7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. - 1 Corinthians 5:7
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. - 1 Peter 1:19
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! - John 1:29
8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. - Revelation 13:8
7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth. - Isaiah 53
So, we see these images over and over in the Bible. Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for us. He went to the cross so we would not have to. Just as the lamb had to be without blemish, in essence without sin, so was Jesus. We just saw how Peter said that of Jesus, He was like that lamb, without blemish of spot. Jesus was sinless, He was the only perfect One who could have been our atoning sacrifice.
Again, we see this in other scriptures . . . as Peter spoke about Jesus - - -
22 Who did no sin . . . - 1 Peter 2:22
15 Jesus was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. - Hebrews 4:15
An interesting side bar to all of this . . . although Passover involved every household having a lamb, notice that God never refer to lambs (in plural) but always to a lamb (singular).
The Israelites were told that on the night of the last plague the Lord would pass over the homes of those who put the lambs blood on the doorposts and lintel.
As the Jew set the basin of lamb’s blood at the threshold of their door, and began sprinkling it, they were marking out the cross.
The difference between the Egyptian and Jew was not in their behavior or in their nature - both were sinners - the difference was in the blood.
The blood made a difference. The cross made a difference.
If it wasn’t for the blood of the lamb, if it wasn’t for the blood of Christ none of us could be saved.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us - - -
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. - Hebrews 9:22
In Jesus Christ God has provided for our salvation a sacrificial Lamb. A perfect Lamb, a Lamb without blemish or spot. That the lamb has been provided and his blood spilt does not in itself make you saved. You see the lamb must be received and the blood must be applied.
So too with Jesus. It is not enough for me to know that Jesus shed His blood for the remission of sins. The fact that the Savior is provided is not enough. He must be received. There must be an act faith. I must exercise faith. I must by faith apply the blood of Christ to me and shelter beneath it. I must place it between my sins and a Holy God.
Every single one of us has sinned, and as a result of that sin, we deserve, death. But just as He did in Egypt nearly 3,500 years ago, God has provided a way for us to be spared from eternal separation.
That first Passover, God spared His children from the penalty of death when they responded to Him in faith and took the blood of the lamb and placed it on their doors. It was not their works, or what they did, that earned favor with God. Instead, God gave grace. His unmerited favor given to all who by faith say YES to the Lamb of God.
For those who heard God’s word and obeyed it based on their faith and trust in Him, God spared them from the penalty of death. It’s true for all of us. We can see who God is . . . but we must say YES to Him, by faith you have been saved through the blood of the perfect lamb and then the Lord passes over us and extends the hope of eternal life with Him.
