Passover

"Should Christians celebrate Passover?"

The celebration of Passover is in remembrance of the time in Israel’s history when the Lord moved through Egypt destroying the firstborn of all people and animals (see Exodus 11 and 12.) This was the final of the ten plagues God visited upon Egypt designed to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave the country and their captivity. The Israelites were commanded by God to take the blood of a male lamb—one without blemish—and smear it on the doorposts of their houses. When the Lord saw the blood, He would “pass over” that house. This is a foreshadowing of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus, whose blood would cover the sins of those who believe in Him, causing God’s judgment to pass over them. Ever since that night, Jews have celebrated the Passover in remembrance of God’s grace to them.

There has been an explosion of interest in adapting the Passover festival to Christianity. Various organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, have long promoted Christian Passover services as a means for Messianic Jews to retain their cultural heritage while professing their Christian faith. They have also used the Christian Passover as a means to communicate to Christians the Jewish religious heritage that they value. Many of the rituals associated with the Passover Seder have application to the Christian faith, and a Christian celebration of the Passover provides a unique way to bring the story of salvation to the ceremony.

Whether or not a Christian celebrates Passover would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Like all the Old Testament Jewish Feasts, the Passover Feast was a foreshadowing of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that we should “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (NKJV). Christians are no longer bound to observe the Passover feast the way the Old Testament Jews were, but they should not look down upon another believer who does or does not observe the Passover or other special Jewish days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Passover, it is beneficial to study it and could be beneficial to celebrate it if it leads to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection. The Passover is a wonderful picture of Christ’s atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin. That is something we should celebrate every day of our lives.

And It Was Passover 2013

The Passover of The Lord
Christ's blood shed for our accord



For the History of Passover; please read:

http://intothekingsgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/history-of-passover.html



Also Read: "The Art of Foot Washing"

http://intothekingsgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/lost-art-of-foot-washing.html

When Israel left Egypt
God said to celebrate,
For He would 'deliver' them their firstborn sons
and to Him they'd dedicate.

He passed over them
when He saw the blood,
As it showed Him their OBEDIENCE
in doing what they should!

For Pharaoh had refused
to let God's people go,
Now he would be reaping
exactly what he did sow.

Yet today we celebrate
our deliverance from SIN,
For the Blood of JESUS
covers every stain within.

As we have obeyed His call
and taken JESUS as our Savior,
So He could 'bring us out'
of all our  sin behavior.

Now, remember, as you celebrate
what EASTER'S all about,
The observance of The 'LAMB' of God
Who frees you of all DOUBT!

Doubts about your 'salvation'
and doubts about His Love for you,
As God sent CHRIST for this very purpose
if your search for HIM is really true.

Now BLESS His Holy Name
and please do not forget,
He has 'forgiven' you
and paid your final debt.                                                              

Creation to Eternity - Part IV.

God - The Book Part IV.
Creation To Eternity


Prophets Describe the Savior

After forty years in the desert, the Israelites, known also as Jews, entered the promised land of Canaan. Although the inhabitants of Canaan knew of God's mighty miracles for the Jews, they rejected Jehovah as God, and fought against the Children of Israel. But God protected the Jews as they resettled in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Once a year the appointed High Priest went behind a sacred veil which separated the people from the Holy presence of God.
 
The Lord ordained priests to oversee the animal sacrifices and to lead in worship. There the priest represented the whole nation before the Lord.

After many years, the Israelites crowned a king, David, whom God called,  "A man after my own heart."

God spoke to the Jews through David and other godly men, called prophets, reminding them to be holy as a witness to all nations. When the Israelites sinned, the Lord warned Israel through these prophets, that if they continued to sin, He would allow a foreign nation to overrun their country.

In spite of these warnings, Israel was disobedient and rebelled against God, rejecting His laws and killing the prophets who testified against them.

Finally, after eight hundred years of rebellion, Israel was taken out of her own land and was made captive in the nations of Assyria and Babylon.

But God continued to speak through prophets during the Jews' captivity. Some of the messages were calls to repentance, while others were prophecies about the Savior who would come to rescue sinful mankind.

The prophet Micah foretold the exact city where the Savior would be born and described His eternal nature saying, "Out of Bethlehem shall the one come who will rule in Israel, whose existence is from old, from everlasting."

God even revealed that the coming Savior would descend from the royal line of David. Through the writings of the prophet Malachi, the Lord described a special messenger who would announce the coming Savior and prepare the people to receive Him.


Prophets Describe the Savior (Part 2)


Zechariah prophesied, "O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, your King comes to you: He is righteous and has salvation; humble, and riding on the foal of an donkey."

King David described how the Savior Himself would know in advance that one of His close friends, with whom He ate bread, would betray Him.

And Zechariah even recorded that the price of the betrayal would be thirty pieces of silver.

'Jesus was whipped, tortured, and then crucified, for our sins".
  
Through the prophet Isaiah, God foretold that the coming Savior would be tortured, by whipping, and that His face would be spat upon.

David described the method of execution as "piercing the Savior's hands and feet, yet not breaking any of His bones."

That the Savior would say, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?", and that onlookers would laugh and ridicule the Savior, saying, "He believed that the Lord would deliver him."

David also wrote that "the Savior's bones would be out of joint and in His thirst He would be given vinegar to drink," and that the Savior's persecutors would "divide His clothes among them, and gamble for His
robe."

Isaiah said that onlookers would be "astonished" when they saw how the Savior's face was disfigured from the torture.

The prophecies in God's book even describe how one day, David's descendants, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, would "look at the Savior whom they had pierced."

And all this was written in the Scriptures many hundreds of years before the Savior came.


The Ministry of Jesus Christ


After seventy years of captivity, the Lord allowed His people to come back to the land of Israel. Only a small group chose to return, but they as well as Jews elsewhere, still lived under the rule of other nations...

Five hundred years later, when Rome ruled Israel, two young Jews named Joseph and Mary, both descendants of the royal line of David, planned to marry. But before they came together, Mary became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Joseph, Don't worry about taking Mary as your wife: for the child in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child is the Son of God. And when she gives birth to this son, you must name Him 'Jesus', which means Savior, for He will save His people from their sins."

This happened as the prophet Isaiah had foretold, The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will bare a son, and they will call Him Emmanuel, which means God with us."

In a city called Bethlehem, Jesus was born in a stable. 

Joseph and Mary had to travel to the city of Bethlehem for a census and to pay taxes. And while there, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son whom they named Jesus. So, as prophesied, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a descendant of King David.

And in the same country, there were shepherds watching over their flocks at night. And the angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very frightened. Then the angel said, "Don't be afraid: for I bring good news of great joy, for all people. Today a Savior was born for you which is Christ the Lord."

And the child grew, becoming strong in spirit; and the grace of God was on Him. Jesus matured, increasing in wisdom and in favor with God and man.


Jesus Grows in Grace and Spirit


Now when Jesus was about thirty years of age, a man named John the Baptist came preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, saying, "Repent: Prepare yourselves for the Lord."

John was the messenger the prophets had foretold would announce the coming of the Savior. Then Jesus came to the Jordan river to be baptized by John. And when John saw Jesus coming, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world."

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up out of the water, and the heavens opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and light on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Then, after Jesus spent forty days in the desert, Satan, who had successfully tempted Eve in the Garden, tried ways of tempting Jesus - but Jesus would not sin.

Finally, Satan took Jesus to an especially high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Then Satan said, "All these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Jesus answered, "Get away from me, Satan: because God has written that, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve."

While Jesus, the son of God, lived on earth in the form of a man, He was tempted in all the same ways we are, yet He never sinned.

So, where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. This showed that Jesus indeed could be the Savior of mankind--the lamb sent from God.

Jesus revealed himself as the promised Savior in many ways, including performing countless miracles. At a wedding feast, He changed water into wine. He healed a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years.

Jesus cured a man with Leprosy, saying, "Be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him.  A man full of leprosy - an untouchable - saw Jesus and fell on his face, saying, "Lord, if You want to, You can make me clean."

Jesus then reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "Be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him.

Jesus brought sight to a man who had been blind from birth.

One woman, who for twelve years had a disease which doctors could not heal, reached out and touched Jesus' robe. He turned, saying, "Daughter, be comforted. Your faith has made you well; go in peace."

Those suffering from different kinds of diseases were brought to Him, and He healed them all.

Jesus called twelve men together, asking them to follow Him. He gave them power and authority over devils, and He sent these disciples out to preach about the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

His fame went everywhere, and great crowds came together to hear Him teach and to be healed of their diseases.

When a gathering of five thousand people needed food, Jesus prayed over a young boy's lunch of bread and fish. The food was miraculously multiplied, so that it fed the whole throng, with twelve baskets left over.

But the people kept asking for more proof that Jesus was from God. They said, "Our forefathers ate manna in the desert. It is written in the Scriptures, He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

Jesus replied, "The bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

The people said, "Lord, give us this bread all the time."

Jesus answered, "I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; he that believes on Me shall never thirst." Jesus prophesied that He must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and then be raised from the dead on the third day.

Most of the religious and political leaders rejected Jesus' teaching. However, one, a Pharisee called Nicodemus, came to Jesus at night, seeking truth.

Jesus told him, "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus asked, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?"

Jesus explained, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You should not be so amazed that I said, "You must be born again."

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus scolded him for teaching others about religion when he didn't understand spiritual truths himself. Then Jesus explained spiritual birth. "For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son,
that who ever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; He sent Him so that the world might be saved.

The real condemnation is this: light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. He who believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he who does not believe on the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God remains on him."

Finally Nicodemus understood and believed.

To a foreign woman, Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water that I give shall never thirst; it shall be a well of water within him, springing up into everlasting life."

The woman said, "I know that the Messiah will come, who will be called Christ. When He comes, He will tell us everything."

Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am that Messiah."

Later, Jesus taught the people, saying, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and follow Me. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the wealth of the whole world and loses his own soul?

Watch out! Beware of greed: for a person's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he owns, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting, and said, "What are we going to do? This man is performing so many miracles. If we let Him continue, everyone will believe on Him: and then the Romans revoke our right to control the people."

Meanwhile, Jesus taught with great authority. He went into the temple and threw out the merchants who were inside, buying and selling. He said to them, "It is written in the Scriptures, My house is the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves."

And He taught saying, "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who believes on the Son may have everlasting life, and I will raise up from the grave those who believe. But there are some of you who do not believe. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that did not believe, and who would betray Him.

So there was a split among the people because of Him. Among the chief rulers, many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess their belief since they were afraid they might be expelled
from their religious meeting places. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Jesus taught, saying, "I am the light of the world: whoever follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  Most of the religious leaders looked for a way to destroy Jesus, but could not find one, because all the people were anxious to hear Him when He spoke.

Jesus continued teaching in the Temple, saying, "I am the light of the world: whoever follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

And He said to those who believed on Him, "If you continue living as I tell you, then you are indeed My disciples. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I am the door; if any man comes to God through Me, he shall be saved. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any man snatch them out of My hand."

After three years of teaching, Jesus instructed His disciples to bring Him a certain young donkey, one that had never been ridden, and He sat on it. Then as He rode toward Jerusalem, a huge crowd began to rejoice and loudly praise God for all the mighty works which they had seen.

They called out, "Hosanna! Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest."

But when Jesus neared the city, he looked at it and cried over it because the people still did not recognize him as the promised Savior.

Satan entered into Judas, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, and Judas betrayed Jesus.   

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, and Judas conspired with the chief priests and captains about how he might betray Jesus. They were glad, and agreed to give him thirty pieces of silver to inform them of a time and a place they could capture Jesus when there were no crowds around Him.

Jesus knew that His hour to die had come, so He gathered His disciples together for a Passover dinner. As they ate, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to them, saying, "Take, eat: this is My body, broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me."

And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, he gave it to them; and they all drank. And He said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I say unto you, I will not any more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it again with you in My Father's kingdom."

Jesus said, "Don't let yourselves be upset: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions, and I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again to get you, so that you can be with Me. And you know where I am going and you know the way to get there."

But Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where you're going, so how could we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father except through me."

That evening, Jesus also warned the disciples of difficult times to come. He said, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me before it hated you. He that hates Me, hates My Father also."

History of Passover

~ Passover ~

Perhaps the best known of the Jewish holidays, the splendid festival known as Passover has a rich and fascinating history.

The origin of Passover relates back to over 3,000 years ago, when Jacob, a Hebrew, came to Egypt along with his twelve sons. Canaan, the land where they dwelt was struck by a severe famine. Jacob pleaded with the Pharaoh to allow them to live in Egypt. The kindly Pharaoh granted them the permission and allowed them to live in the Land of Goshen, the eastern part of the Nile Delta in Egypt. Jacob and his sons went there and started to live in peace. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, even rose to acquire the post of viceroy over Egypt and the manager of Egypt's grain stores. Many years later, Jacob and his sons died but their heirs never went back to their land. For many years, the Hebrews resided and made their living in Goshen. They dwelt there in relative harmony with the native Egyptians.

But their rapidly growing population, in the eyes of the Egyptian royals, posed a threat to the empire. The new Pharaoh, unlike his ancestors, was harsh on the Hebrews and viewed them always with suspicion. He had forever seen them as outsiders and thought that the huge number of foreigners could join an enemy force and bring down the Egyptian empire any time. To keep them subjugated and quash their will, the Pharaoh enslaved the entire Hebrew population and forced them to build two new cities that were to be the centers of food supply for the Egyptians. Though he managed to do that alright, the population of the Hebrews could not still be kept under check. So the Pharaoh ordered his men to throw all newborn Hebrew boys into the waters of the Nile.

For many days, nothing but cries and wails could be heard from Hebrew households as their infant boys were killed with unfailing regularity. The Pharaoh's men followed his orders to the word. They raided every Hebrew home to check for any newborn male and brutally slaughtered it if they found any.

One day Thermuthis, one of the Pharaoh's daughters, saw a tiny boat floating on the river while she was bathing with her handmaidens. Curious, she ordered them to bring it to her. Her surprise knew no bounds when she found the boat to be only a small craft of bulrushes coated in pitch with a newborn baby boy inside. The princess took pity on the infant and upon the insistence of a little girl Miriam, ordered a Hebrew woman Jochebed to look after the baby. Little did she know that Jochebed was actually the mother of the infant and Miriam, his sister. The whole thing was a ploy by Jochebed to save her baby from the marauding soldiers of the Pharaoh.

Some years later, the princess adopted the child and gave him the name of "Moses", meaning "one who is drawn out" or "one who is pulled out" as the princess really brought him out of water. Little did the princess or the people of Egypt know at that time, least of all Jochebed, that the little boy was born to be the deliverer of the Hebrews.

Moses ended being brought up into the Egyptian royal family, his identity unknown to them. On reaching adulthood, however, he came to know who he was really. He went to see how his brethren who were enslaved to the Egyptians were faring. Angered by the brutal treatment meted out to the people of his race, in a fit of rage, Moses killed an Egyptian slave master whom he had seen beating a Hebrew and buried his body in the sand, supposing that no one saw it or even those who knew about the incident would be disinclined to talk about it. But he soon discovered from a higher authority that the affair was known, and that Pharaoh was likely to put him to death for it.

To avoid punishment, he made his escape over the Sinai Peninsula. He escaped to the desert, joined a group of shepherds, and became a shepherd himself. He married Zipporah, a shepherd woman, became a father and lived the life of a shepherd for forty years.

One night, as he was leading his flock, Moses was imparted supernatural powers by God Jehovah and commanded to be a deliverer of the Hebrews. By God's orders, Moses returned to Egypt with his elder brother Aaron and approached Pharaoh Rameses II, son of the previous Pharaoh. He delivered to the Pharaoh God's demand that the Israelite slaves be allowed to leave Egypt for 3 days for the purpose of observing a holiday of worship and prayer in the wilderness for Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. When the Pharaoh refused, Moses and Aaron went away to return again the following morning. They showed him a miraculous sign of warning - Aaron's staff turned into a serpent. Pharaoh's sorcerers, using trickery, performed the same feat, but Aaron's serpent turned back into a staff after swallowing the staffs of the magicians (Exodus 5:1 - 5:9, 7:8 - 7:13).

The Pharaoh, however, remained unimpressed. He refused to read the signs. His refusal brought to the land of Egypt the famous ten plagues, an account of which is found in the chapters 7-12 of Exodus. By God's command and with his assistance, Moses inflicted the plagues to force the Pharaoh to release the Jews from slavery. The plagues wreaked havoc on the Egyptian households, but the Israelites were unharmed every time. The tenth and the last plague was the deadliest of them all. It resulted in the death of the firstborn of every Egyptian family, including that of the Pharaoh. But under instruction from Moses, the Israelites marked the doorposts of their dwellings with the blood of a spring lamb, so that God could identify them easily and spare their families and pass over their houses.

The festival of "Passover" commemorates this sparing of Jewish lives by God. The name of the holiday comes from the fact that God "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In Hebrew, it is known as Pesach (meaning "passing over" or "protection").

Following the tenth plague, there was widespread uproar in Egypt. Without any delay, the Pharaoh summoned Moses and his brother Aaron; he implored them to get out of the land of Egypt taking all the Israelites with them, whom he had kept as slaves. He allowed them to take their cattle and even all that they needed in their safe passage to another land.

As the good word was brought to them, the Hebrews made preparations to leave Egypt immediately for they feared that the Pharaoh might change his mind and stop them from leaving afterwards. In their haste, they could only take unleavened bread with them, called Matza, which is a part of celebration even today. By Moses' order, they took along enough food and water with them and even borrowed from the Egyptians their jewels of gold, silver and raiment who obliged readily. Such was the effect of the Lord's power on their minds that the Egyptians who had until then treated the Israelites as dirt, paid them respect now. They also feared that they might incur God's wrath further if the Israelites had to stay back. They lent them all such things that they required for their journey and wished them a safe passage.

As expected, the Pharaoh soon changed his mind, and before long, he was in pursuit of the runaways with a large army. He was determined to bring the Jews back. The Hebrews had traveled for 40 days and nights, and were just at the northern tip of the Red Sea, when they saw the emperor's army advancing towards them. Shut in between the Pharaoh's army and the sea, the Israelites despaired and asked for help from Moses. It was then that a miracle happened. The book of Exodus records that by God's command Moses held out his staff towards the sea. A fierce wind blew all night. At daybreak, the waters of the Red Sea stood divided with a patch of land in between so that Moses, with the Hebrews could pass safely across on dry ground. When the Egyptian army attempted to follow, God made the waters to return upon them and drown them. It is not known whether the Pharaoh met the same fate as his soldiers for the Egyptian records do not chronicle such an event.

The Jewish people still hold this day dear to their hearts and they still thank the Lord for saving their ancestors the way he did.

In the days before Passover, the house is prepared. The house is searched for any trace of yeast products (chametz), and the whole family is involved in the search. All products made from yeast are eaten or removed from the house, or given away to Non-Jewish people. All the dishes, silverware, pots and pans are changed for a set that is used only for Passover.

In remembrance of the hardships their ancestors faced in slavery, the Jewish people hold a feast called the 'Seder' on the first night of Passover (first two nights in Orthodox and Conservative communities outside the land of Israel), a custom that has been practiced ever since the Hebrews were free from the slavery.

The word 'Seder' stands for 'order' and signifies the order of historical events recalled in the Passover meal as well as the meal itself. The Seder is celebrated by each participant to relive the Exodus as a personal spiritual event. The Seder is of a religious nature with a carefully prescribed ritual that makes the dinner quite unlike family dinners held on civil holidays. The ritual is laid out along with the main story of Passover being retold from the 'Haggadah', a special book that is followed during the Seder. The table is set with the finest china and silverware to reflect the importance of this meal.

While the main story of Passover is read by Jews the world over, local customs and traditions have changed over time, so that the festival has been adapted to reflect the life and routine of individual communities.
As the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt took place in the spring, Passover is always celebrated in the spring. Passover is celebrated for 8 days (7 for Reform Jews), and always begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. The first day commemorates the escape of the Jews from the tenth plague while the remaining seven days mark their liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt.

In Israel, Passover is celebrated for seven days, with the first and last days observed as legal holidays and as holy days respectively. All the Jews abstain from work and observe these two days with special prayer services and holiday meals. The Seder is held on the very first day. The five days in between are known as "Chol HaMoed" (meaning "festival days"). It is a time for family outings and picnic lunches of matzo, hardboiled eggs, fruits and vegetables, and Passover treats such as macaroons and homemade candies. While modern Israeli Jews observe a seven-day holiday wherever they are, Diaspora Jews observe the festival for eight days, the only exceptions being the Reform and Reconstructionst Jews. The Jews outside Israel conduct the Seder twice, on both the first and second days of Passover.

The "Passover" festival is also referred to as "Chag he-Aviv" (the Spring Festival), "Chag ha-Matzoth" (the Festival of Matzahs), and "Zeman Herutenu" (the Time of Our Freedom). It is the first of the three major Jewish festivals (the other two are Shavu'ot and Sukkot) with both historical and agricultural implication. Agriculturally, it marks the beginning of the harvest season in Israel. The primary observances of Passover are related to the Exodus from Egypt after 400 years of slavery.

The Bread of Life...

"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" Mark 14:22-24

During the Passover ceremony, three pieces of unleavened bread, or matzah are brought out in a special covering. This is known as a Unity. The middle piece of matzah is removed, broken, and hidden away. This hidden piece of bread is known as the Afikmen.

Later on, during the meal, the Afikmen is brought forth from it's hiding place, is blessed, and is broken and eaten. This is the piece of bread that Jesus broke and distributed to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."

This bread was the middle piece of three, as in, Father, Son, Holy Ghost! This bread was broken and hidden away, just as Jesus' body was broken and hidden in a tomb! This bread is known as the Afikmen, which means, "I have come"!

In the order of the Passover ceremony, a cup of wine known as "The Cup Of Redemption" is blessed and passed around for all to drink. This is the cup that Jesus offered to his disciples, saying, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,"

For 3500 years, the Jews have unknowingly foreshadowed Christ's death in their Passover ceremony, and for 2000 years we have continued as Christians to do this in remembrance of our Lord and Savior. What a beautiful ceremony Passover is! What a beautiful ceremony Communion is! What a beautiful thing our Lord has done in connecting them forever, through Jesus Christ!