Apr
12
Sunday Sermon: Happy Easter, Happy Passover
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories
Warning: This is primarily a community and political blog, but on some Sundays we wander into religious territory. If this might offend you, you may want to skip this post.
(4/12/09 by Dve Emerson) Many Christians don’t realize that the “Last Supper” Jesus celebrated with his disciples on “Good Friday” was actually a traditional Passover Cedar.
Not only were Jesus and all twelve of his disciples Jewish, so were all but one of the authors of the New Testament (Luke). Anti-semites who claim to be “Christian” are quick to focus on the role of Jewish religious and political leaders in the death of the radical preacher who they only saw as a threat to their power, but they are forced to skip over the Jewishness of the entire chain of events and of Jesus himself.
Somehow, the Gregorian monks thought a “Christian” calendarmight be an improvement on the Jewish calendar that Jesus himself observed. What’s worse, in developing their new calendar they didn’t even match the biggest events of Jesus life with those events place on the Jewish calendar, or else Christians would celebrate Good Friday on the first day of Passover every year, and Jesus resurrection 3 days later. Of course, those days would begin at sundown, not midnight.
Interesting thought. At least this year Easter comes on the last day of Passover, so their is some connection.
The Gospel writers obviously saw a deeper significance to the juxtaposition of Passover with the death of the one who was proclaimed by his cousin, John the Baptist as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
Both Passover and Easter proclaim God’s love for His people and His power to deliver. Both give great cause for celebration to those who believe. Interestingly enough, both are based on the written account of actual eyewitnesses. There is strong evidence that Moses himself recorded the events of the first Passover (Exodus 12:1 – 13:16).
We also have the eyewitness account of the first Easter by a young Jewish boy who was there, who later became known as John the Apostle:
The Resurrection
20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ [1] head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, [2] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
–John 20:1 – 22, English Standard Version
Both Easter and Passover proclaim a message of hope based on God’s love, and power. I pray that your Easter and your life may be blessed by and overflow with such hope and the joy that it brings.
Related posts:
- Jesus’ advice on Passover & Easter entertaining
- “Sunday Sermon:” What “one thing” is needed?
- Sunday Sermon: “This is the day. . .”
- Wishing you a joyous Easter
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One Response to “Sunday Sermon: Happy Easter, Happy Passover”
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Dave, Happy Easter to you and thank you for the Easter/Passover post.
To any Christian who has never participated in a Messianic Passover Seder or a traditional Passover please think about doing it next year.
It can bring new meaning and understanding to your roots as a Christian.