Question:
Why don't Christians celebrate Passover?
ModerateOrthodoxConservative
2010-04-28 12:28:20 UTC
I am a Christian but in my reading of the Bible I see the passages where we are commanded to celebrate it and nothing later that actually negates that.
Fifteen answers:
Lone Ranger,Christian Israelite
2010-04-28 13:05:40 UTC
They do not celebrate it because they have been taught, falsely, that it is a Jewish Holiday and does not apply to them as gentiles. However, it is plain that Paul taught the Corinthian Chruch, a group of gentile converts, to keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.



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.



That is purely a Festival of Unleavened Bread sermon! (Leviticus 23:6)



Further, he tells them to celebrate the Passover (Leviticus 23:5) with the new symbols of bread and wine as instituted by Christ on the night He was betrayed:



1 Corinthians 11:17-29 KJV (17) Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. (18) For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. (19) For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (20) When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. (21) For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. (22) What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (23) For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (24) And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (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. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.



The above also contains a warning about the attitude we should have in taking that bread and wine. This is NOT communion, this is a once yearly memorial of the Messiah's death.



Paul even used a High Day (Atonement Leviticus 23:27) to show the time of year that he was sailing on one of his Missionary journeys:



Acts 27:8-9 KJV And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea. (9) Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,



It is plain from Colossians 2:16 that Paul was teaching his gentile converts to observe the Sabbath, Festivals, dietary laws, and new moons. the real proof of this is the inclusion of "new moons". there would have been no need to teach about "new moons" except to make sure the congregations he established were able to determine the correct dates of the Festivals for themselves. Passover is 14 days after a new moon. Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) starts on the new moon.



Colossians 2:16 ESV Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.



Why was this written? It is because Paul was teaching pagan, gentile converts to observe Torah and to persevere in the face of persecution from the pagan communities in which they lived. It is not written to absolve folks from doing these things, Paul's letters are for encouragement to observe God's Law.



Contrary to popular beleif, the Festivals and Sabbath existed before the Sinai covenant was given to the Children of Israel (including the Jews and a multitude of gentiles that had attached themselves to Israel when they left Egypt).



On the 4th day of creation, the Festivals were ordained:Genesis 1:14-19 GNB Then God commanded, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin; (15) they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth"---and it was done. (16) So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. (17) He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, (18) to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. (19) Evening passed and morning came---that was the fourth day.



On the 7th day the Sabbath was ordained:



Genesis 2:1-3 ESV Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (2) And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. (3) So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.



Edit: Easter is NOT Passover:

http://www.coghomeschool.org/site/cog_archives/booklets/THE%20PLAIN%20TRUTH%20ABOUT%20EASTER.htm



Edit: Anyone who thinks Christians are not Israelites or descendents of Abraham have not really studied the subject. We are both. Some of us in the spiritual sense only, some in both a physical descent and spiritual sense.



Buddy, above, is a good example.
James M
2010-04-28 21:29:40 UTC
Those who think the Passover is Jewish are mistaken. In fact the Last Supper is a Passover Seder. Jesus died during the Feast of Unleavened bread.



So a Christian, beliving in Jesus' death and ressurection should be able to see this in the Passover meal. It is because of this that there is an increase of the number of Gentile Christians actually celebrating the Passover (someone said Messianic Jews).



Yet, others (Hi Hogie) are correct in saying that there is no law requireing any Gentile to celebrate it. Yet, there isn't any law with tell them that they can't either. I think it would be great for both Jews and Christians to celebrate it as well as all of the feasts in the Bible. Obviously the Passover is a significant festival to both Jews and Christians.



By the way: The Passover is very distinct from the celebration known as Easter.
?
2016-04-14 13:55:52 UTC
The Passover was to celebrate the destroying angel passing over the people of Israel at the time of the plagues in Egypt. I think most Christians don't celebrate Passover because they see it as part of the OT law- done away with at Jesus' death, since he was what the entirety of the Law of Moses symbolized. It seems that we've replaced it with Easter- a celebration of Jesus' raising from the grave.
Buddy_Lee_Hombre_de_accion
2010-04-28 12:34:03 UTC
People mistaken "Jewish" with "Israelite". It's an Israelite custom, not a Jewish one. Jews are Israelites, not all Israelites are Jews.



I celebrate Passover. I don't delude it with all sorts of Christian concepts, add bunnies and eggs to it, or anything like that. I observe the feast that God commanded and spend that time remembering what happened on that solemn evening.



My family lays claim to being part of the tribe of Joseph. We have an interesting take on the Biblical accounts of Egypt and Assyria. They are still similar, just a little different. For example, our family claims that not all Israelites left Egypt at the same time and that many of us were allowed to stay in Assyria. We were some of the people who stayed in Assyria.



The apostles observed Passover after Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. So did someone forget to tell them that they shouldn't observe Passover?
anonymous
2010-04-28 12:48:01 UTC
We actually do- however in English we don't call it by it's proper name we call it Easter.

The feast of the Resurrection in Greek is some thing along the lines of Pascha or paskha, depending on how it is transliterated. In Latin the word is similar- and in Spanish and Italian is Pasqua.

It derives from the Hebrew word Pesach which is the Passover. The Jewish calendar is lunar and begins with the new moon since Passover happens in the middle of the month it always starts on a full moon and as Christ rose on a sunday the Christian date was established. Pascha is suppsoed to fall as close to the first sunday after the Jewish passover as possible but due to revisons in the calendars used this is not always the case.
puzzled
2010-04-28 13:06:12 UTC
We are not descendants of Abraham - Moses. We are not Israelites. We are the Gentiles of The Old Testament. All that you read in The Old Testament was for the Jews and their flight from Egypt. Jesus was a Jew and celebrated the ways of the Old Testament until He made a New Covenant with us at "The Last Supper" which we as Christians now follow! It was at the Passover Meal that He made all things new in which we celebrate by taking part in "The Eucharist!"

He was the Pastoral Lamb that would be sacrificed so did we all may enter "The Kingdom of Heaven" through our belief in Him. We are not subject to the Laws and Ways of the Israelites, but, to a New Covenant for all people. His Death and Sacrifice brought us a New Beginning!
skepsis
2010-04-28 12:43:28 UTC
According to Christian teaching, the events commemorated by the Passover (the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt) are superseded by the Christian event of Jesus' death and resurrection, which freed Christians from slavery to sin. Christians claim that the Passover sacrifice anticipated the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. So Passover is replaced by the observance of Maundy Thursday (roughly based on the seder), Good Friday and Easter.
missleslie
2010-04-28 12:36:43 UTC
I wish we did. Thats what it says but even Gods people don't always listen to a direct request. I have been to a Christian passover led out by Messianic Jews and it was great..I never forgot it. It would be a great time to celebrate Jesus as the passover Lamb. If you lived near to me..We could celebrate it. Thanks for the suggestion..I am all for it!!!!!! Love in Our Lord Jesus Christ...missleslie
Giggly Giraffe
2010-04-28 12:35:51 UTC
Good Friday (before Easter) is the Passover with Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the earth.



Jesus celebrated the "Last Supper" as Jewish people did on the Pass over on Holy Thursday. So every time we go to Mass we celebrate the Passover in the form of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, & blessed Easter (His resurection).
catholic199_returns
2010-04-28 14:44:30 UTC
" Jesus - Lamb of God?



by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio

















This reflection on the Lord Jesus Christ as the spotless Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world can be read anytime as an aid to Catholic Bible study or mediation on the sacrament of the eucharist. But it is especially appropriate to use during Holy Week and especially the sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil since it illuminates the meaning of the last supper and passion accounts of the gospels, especially John.







The Protestant Church is all about the Bible; the Catholic Church is all about the Sacraments. Right?







Not exactly. When it comes to personal Bible reading, Protestants often put Catholics to shame. But as far as Sunday worship goes, it is hard to find a more biblical service than the Mass. The readings are awesome enough, but even the prayers of the Mass are chock full of Scripture. Many lines spoken by priest and people are, in fact, direct quotes from the Bible. Consider, for example, what the priest says just before communion: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” That’s a direct quote from John 1:29 where John the Baptist says this as he points out Jesus to his disciples.







We are so used to calling Jesus the Lamb of God that we can miss the jolt that this must have given the first people who heard it.







Most Jews were expecting a Messiah who would be the Lion of Judah, a new David who would drive out the Romans through military heroism. It hadn’t occurred to them that the Messiah would be a Lamb.







Lambs are not exactly known for their prowess in battle. They don’t kill; they die. They were, in fact, sacrificed daily in the Jewish temple as an act of worship to God.







But there was a special sacrifice that happened every year in which lambs were featured most predominantly. It was the central celebration of the Jewish Year--Passover. This was the yearly remembrance of the greatest act of salvation in the Old Testament, the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. The final plague that would bring Pharaoh to his knees and the Israelites to freedom was the angel of death “passing over” Egypt to take the lives of Egypt’s most precious resource--their first-born sons.







What was to prevent the Israelites from suffering the same fate? The sacrifice of a perfect lamb, without spot or blemish. This Lamb was a substitute for the first-born of the Israelite family that offered the sacrifice. And a costly offering this was, since the wealth of a family was counted in terms of its animals.







The blood of the Lamb was to be smeared on the doorpost of the house and the family was to eat the flesh of this sacrificial animal in a special ritual meal.







We all know the end of that story. Pharaoh let the Israelites go, and the Israelites celebrated this event each year, with hundreds of thousands of Jews coming to Jerusalem to sacrifice their lambs and to eat the Passover supper in the Holy City.







It was no accident that Jesus was arrested and put to death during Passover. In the Gospel of John, Jesus breathes his last at the very same moment that the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple. The same Gospel is the only one to point out that Jesus legs weren’t broken to make sure he was dead, as was customary in crucifixions. Rather, the Romans employed an alternate verification method – a lance thrust to the heart (John 19:32). Why does John take pains to emphasize this? Because Scripture stipulates that no bone of the Passover Lamb could be broken (Ex odus 12:46).







All the words and events of the Old Covenant had great value, meaning and dignity in and of themselves. But they also pointed forward to a greater covenant, to a person who was the Word made flesh, to a Lamb who saved Israel from a deeper slavery than Pharaoh’s, to an event that would be the culminating moment in human history. The Word came as a spotless Lamb to offer the perfect sacrifice of love that would outweigh all human evil and therefore take away all sins. The Shepherd offered his blood for our sins and his body as our new Passover meal, to give his sheep the strength to become lambs like him who offer their lives for the life of the world (Romans 12:2).











http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/427/Jesus___Lamb_of_God_.html
Priรciℓℓα ✟
2010-04-28 12:40:14 UTC
Easter is the Christian way of celebrating Passover, because we believe that the symbolism of Passover is fulfilled in Christ's death and resurrection.
Hogie
2010-04-28 13:05:23 UTC
Passover is a requirement of the "old" covenant between God and Israel. Christians are not a party to that covenant. They are party to the new covenant that does not require the observation of days. Passover was a memorial of Israel's deliverance from Egypt and looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, which did occur.



.
imrod
2010-04-28 12:31:43 UTC
The Passover was a Jewish feast given to the Jewish people. I am a Gentile Christian and not a Jew. I find the passover fascinating and I wouldn't mind particpating, but it isn't my festival, it belongs to someone else. As Christians we are free when it comes to the celebration religious festivals.
ipuntkittens
2010-04-28 12:34:41 UTC
It's for Jews, not Christians. It'd be like a mexican celebrating St. Patricks day, you could do it; but what's the point.
d1rk@l1c10u5
2010-04-28 12:31:40 UTC
It's a Jewish holiday, celebrating something that happened to the JEWS.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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