Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread

We started the class with a short review of Sabbath. I said that just b/c we are not obligated to keep Sabbath (Saturday), it is still wise to take a day off and pick a day to assemble together with other believers. Then we moved into Passover & Unleavened Bread. The reason we did these 2 together is b/c they are celebrated together. Passover is a 1 day celebration and the Feast of Unleavened Bread is celebrated for a week following passover. Passover celebrates the night that God's wrath 'passed-over' Jewish houses in Egypt and the Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrates how God helped Israel escape (The exodus) from Egypt the following morning. Here are the notes and references:


Holy Daze: Confronting the Confusion of Sacred & Secular Festivals & Feasts
Part 2: Passover & Unleavened Bread

What did the Passover mean to Israel? (Actual 'Passover' event is recorded in Exodus 12)
1. It commemorated the day God’s wrath passed-over Jewish households
2. On the 10th of the 1st month, each head of household was to obtain a lamb. The lamb was to be 1 year old, w/o defect, and cared for until the 14th (note: Jewish months are different from ours, this correlates to our 'Easter' time) Exodus 12:3-6a.
3. The lamb was to be slaughtered at twilight of the 14th day of the 1st month. Exodus 12:6b
4. Blood from the lamb was to be put on the doorframe of each household. Exodus 12:7
5. They were to eat all the meat along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. They were to eat it quickly, dressed ready to run. Exodus 12:8-11
6. It was mandatory to commemorate this day (punishment was excommunication). If for some reason you were unable, you could commemorate it 1 month later. Numbers 9:1-13.

What did the Feast of Unleavened Bread mean to Israel?
1. It was a week long festival to be celebrated after Passover (15th –22nd)
2. On day 1, they were to remove all yeast from their homes, assemble & do no work
3. Each day of the festival was to include offerings made by fire. Numbers 28:16-25.
4. On days 7, they were to hold a sacred assembly and do no work

How did these Holy Days Evolve Through Jewish History?
1. Though Moses & Joshua kept them as priorities, they were neglected during the period of the judges and only restored by some of the later Kings. See Joshua 5:10-11.
2. Hezekiah & Josiah were 2 kings who put these days back on the calendar. At this point, observance was centralized at Jerusalem and some details were changed. See 2 Chronicles 30:1-5 & 35:1+18.
3. Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. and the people were exiled. But 70 years later they were permitted to return and this returning group kept these the Passover/Feast. See Ezra 6:19-22.
4. The Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread were being kept in Jesus day, centralized in Jerusalem. In fact, the main reason we know the length of Jesus’ ministry is because of the number of times the Passover is mentioned in the Gospel of John. See John 2:13+23, 6:4, 11:55... thus, Jesus ministry happened amidst at least 3 passovers, so most scholars think his ministry was about 3 years in length (baptism to resurrection)

What do Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread mean for Christians?
1. These days were meant to remind the Israelites that God had delivered them from their enemy (Egypt). As Christians, we are to celebrate the fact that God has delivered us from our enemy (Sin/Death). God delivered Israel from Egypt via the Passover. God delivered us from sin/death via the cross of Christ. The lamb paid the price for Israel. Jesus is the lamb of God for us.
2. The New Testament specifically teaches that Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
3. We are to keep the feast by living lives of truth and sincerity (1 Corinthians 5:8)