Passover to Pentecost – Passover        Week 1 Day 1

“Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Exodus 13:1 (NIV)

Passover is a foundational stone of the Jewish faith; for the Christian it is an historical event that shows Jesus and His redemptive work for our salvation.  The importance of this day is reflected in Exodus 12: 13 when God commanded, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come” and Luke 22:15 when Jesus said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”   The initial story is found in Exodus 12.

Passover, for the Jew, represents physical redemption from bondage and the path to spiritual liberation when they given the Laws of God at Mount Sinai.  In that redemption several things that occurred:

• All of the Egyptian gods were judged (12:12).
• The final plague occurred
• A mass movement of people started.
• The Egyptian people gladly gave away their wealth and possessions to slaves.
• God’s timing of events and love for Abraham’s descendants was made evident.
• God established rules for participation in Passover.

Leviticus 23 is where the “appointed feast” is explained.  The Feasts of the Lord start with Passover and is then followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.  Passover starts the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Fristfruits begins the Feast of Weeks which starts the day after Passover.  This is the time after Jesus’ resurrection to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the Church.

Over the next seven weeks we will look at references to this period of time in the Old and New Testament and the things that Jesus did before his Ascension, and we will explore more about the start of the Church in the Book of Acts.  Some of my references will be from Messianic websites as well Jewish websites.  If you look on the Jewish sites I am sure you will find things that are not pro-Christian.  Please do not be offended!  I wanted a Jewish prospective about the Feast and they provide an excellent resource.

So, “To look at things differently will improve your vision or make you shut your eyes.”