In this hour of restoration, the Holy One of Israel is forging ahead using a variety of circumstances to bring His people into a fuller understanding of Him and His Word. The festival of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is being utilized as one of the principal magnets for restoring the Body of Messiah.
In this hour of restoration, the Holy One of Israel is forging ahead using a variety of circumstances to bring His people into a fuller understanding of Him and His Word. The festival of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is being utilized as one of the principal magnets for restoring the Body of Messiah. Yeshua described the reality that the true sheep will hear His voice, to various Pharisees and Disciples gathered centuries ago:
“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:14-16, NASU).
The Lord has never annulled the instruction for His people to remember the Exodus of Ancient Israel from Egypt. The Scriptures are very clear about this commandment, but as history and tradition have revealed, the replacement of a Passover observance by Easter via the Christian Church, has obscured the great blessings that come by obeying this remembrance (Leviticus 23:6-14). Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which take up eight days in the Spring, have been replaced by one day that recalls the resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua.
The problem is simply this: although the resurrection of our Messiah is of paramount importance in our spiritual understanding, and remembering it is certainly worthy of our time and reflection, it would be far better to follow our Creator’s plan for celebrating this awesome reality. He knows our hearts and proclivity to wander, and He commanded a time of remembrance that would engage our bodies, souls, and spirits over a period of several days, rather than just a few hours of recollection. As Believers today are being exposed to the Biblical admonition to observe Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the wisdom of following His ways becomes crystal clear. The Lord has been using the proliferation of Passover seders throughout the Christian world to ignite significant interest in Believers’ Jewish Roots, and bless many people in unfathomable ways.
For the past several decades, as the Messianic Jewish movement has gained momentum and exposure, the Holy Spirit has been moving upon many Believers from all types of evangelical denominational backgrounds, to participate in these annual convocations along with Jewish Believers. Dedicated Messianic teachers have been asked to conduct Passover seders in a variety of settings. When the Messiah’s work as the Lamb of God is properly conveyed, these presentations become quite an eye-opener to many who are seeking the ancient paths of the Patriarchs and Tanakh origins of our faith.
Testimonies abound from Messianic Believers about how the Lord used a Passover seder at a church to encourage further examination and investigation into other topics, such as observing Shabbat or the dietary laws. Over the past years, a rule of thumb that I have personally witnessed is that when ten new people are exposed to a Passover seder at a church, at least one of the attendees wants more information concerning the Hebraic or Jewish Roots of his or her faith. Now, the Spirit of God is amplifying the call to His people, and it appears that the percentages are increasing. Today, many Messianic fellowships and congregations often use these events for an outreach to their communities with varying degrees of success.
The firsthand evidence we have witnessed does suggest that many of those first exposed to a Passover seder have later been drawn into the Messianic movement. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul seems to suggest, that by using different events to preach the good news of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the lost will be found:
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’ However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?’” (Romans 10:12-16, NASU; quoting Joel 2:32; Isaiah 52:7; 53:1).
I believe it is up to the individual assemblies of Believers as to how they believe the Father would have them approach this blessed appointed time of convocation. Yet, Passover is a significant time that evangelical Believers can be exposed to the Messianic movement—and the Messianic community can provoke non-believing Jews to jealousy for faith in Messiah Yeshua!
Pesach and Our Jewish Brethren
While studying through the Torah portions on the annual Rabbinical calendar, you will discover that the Jewish Sages have augmented the importance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread with some instructive traditions. To the Messianic community of faith, the Jewish people, who were entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:2), continue to share their wisdom for approaching the Holy One and His precepts.
The remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt is one of the most important events in the annual life of the Jewish community. As the cyclical Torah portions have been synchronized over the ages, the passages which deal specifically with the Exodus just happen to line up with the months preceding Passover. This specific timing allows Torah teachers and students to study and prepare in advance for the yearly remembrance. By considering some specific passages during the Winter months before the month of Aviv/Nisan, hearts are being prepared for the seder meal, as Spring arrives and the Earth returns to a newness of life.
To complement these traditional Torah readings from the Book of Exodus, the Rabbis have recommended a set of Haftarah readings that fall on four designated Sabbaths for special consideration. These are labeled: Shabbat Shekalim, Shabbat Zachor, Shabbat Parah, and Shabbat HaChodesh. Interestingly enough, when you analyze the timing and the subject matters of these additional Haftarah selections,[1] you can discern that the Lord was indeed guiding the Sages’ selection in order to enhance the Passover season.[2]
Shabbat Shekalim
2 Kings 11:21-12:16
First, on the Sabbath that precedes or coincides with the New Moon initiating Adar, the month prior to Aviv/Nisan, Shabbat Shekalim (shekels) is celebrated. The Haftarah reading is 2 Kings 11:21-12:16, which is usually complemented by an additional reading of Exodus 30:11-16. The subject being discussed is the commandment regarding the Temple tax of a half-shekel, that in many ways serves as a form of a census of the Israelite males who are twenty years of age and older. If you will recall, the half-shekel tax is not to be burdensome, and is small enough to be affordable to all regardless of their economic status. By making this contribution, which was designated for the service of the Tent of Meeting, the contributors indicate their allegiance to the established order as determined by God.
When you contemplate the choice of the 2 Kings passage that deals with the reinstitution of this “temple tax” by the high priest Jehoaida, some other thoughts intrude. Here we discover that Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, ruled the Southern Kingdom of Judah for six years after the death of her husband Jehoram and her son Ahaziah. Many forget that the House of David’s rule over Judah was interrupted until Joash, the seven-year old son of Ahaziah who was protected from the murderous Queen Mother Athaliah, was crowned king. The wise high priest Jehoaida reestablished the half-shekel contribution as a way to determine who sided with the young king. In many respects, as the Jewish people reflect on this treacherous time and the steps that were taken by the Levites, they can be reminded of the constant perils that seek to destroy the heritage of the Patriarchs.
Shabbat Zachor
1 Samuel 15:2-34
In a like manner, on Shabbat Zachor (Remember), the Sabbath that precedes the celebration of Purim, the concept of remembrance is reinforced. The Haftarah portion that is read is from 1 Samuel 15:2-34, with an additional reading from the Torah (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). The reminder that the Amalekites are always going to seek to destroy Israel is discussed. The 1 Samuel passage deals with King Saul’s unwillingness to destroy the Amalekites as instructed by God. As you come to the end of the episode, the Prophet Samuel demonstrates the proper way to handle the demise of King Agag.
But, Agag’s fall does not occur—as some Jewish commentators have speculated[3]—until he sires a child who became the forefather of the wicked Haman, who centuries later seeks to destroy the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire. The Book of Esther, the basis for the upcoming Purim celebration, is contemplated as the realities of Amalek’s desire to destroy Israel are considered. Finally, the following passage from the Torah is discussed to emphasize the need to remember:
“Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19, NASU).
Shabbat Parah
Ezekiel 36:16-38
The third of these special Sabbaths to prepare the heart for Passover, Shabbat Parah (Red Heifer/Lots), is celebrated on the week immediately following Purim. The two readings that are considered are Numbers 19:1-22, which deal specifically with the admonitions about the purification required by the ashes of the red heifer, and Ezekiel 36:16-38, which touches on the issues of a clean heart of flesh washed by the waters of purification. Once again, preparation for the upcoming Passover season is in mind, as these passages prepare the hearts of the faithful for the specific requirements of Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Here, just after the Purim reminder, the focus is personal purification, and yet, the entire red heifer ceremony is something inexplicable to human reasoning. It is simply required by the Lord for the Tabernacle/Temple service, obeyed by faith in order to comply with His Instruction.
Interestingly, much of this particular ordinance has to deal with the problems associated with handling dead people. Of course, this can be a delicate subject when you consider comments from Yeshua that described the dead in this manner: “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:22, NASU). Is it possible He was stating that those without eternal life are essentially dead? And if so, does that mean that as we deal with people without spiritual life, we are handling the dead, and hence are in constant need of purification? When you complement this consideration with the words of Ezekiel 36, some other thoughts come to mind. Here, the Prophet Ezekiel begins a discussion about our need to be cleansed by the waters of purification, by likening Israel to a woman in her menstrual cycle, or a period of continual uncleanness:
“Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. Therefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them” (Ezekiel 36:17-19, NASU).
When we approach the Passover season, we can contemplate the possibility that due to such a state of impurity, we might not be ready to be fully one with our Messiah. As Ezekiel continues prophesying, the waters of purification—sprinkled on a heart of flesh—brings the required state into being:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness” (Ezekiel 36:25-29a NASU).
Shabbat HaChodesh
Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Finally, the Sabbath that precedes the New Moon of Aviv/Nisan is the fourth and last special week, called Shabbat HaChodesh. This Sabbath actually commemorates the first commandment given to the Israelites to begin the countdown to the fourteenth of Aviv/Nisan and the Passover season. Consequently, this Sabbath’s reading goes back to Exodus 12:1-20 and recalls the Angel of Death. The Haftarah portion which compliments it comes from Ezekiel 45:16-46:18. Here, the concurrent theme appears to be the New Moon and the need to acknowledge it. We may be reminded of how the Seleucids attempted to stop this remembrance when they were temporarily in power over Jerusalem (cf. 1 Maccabees 10:34). By stopping this annual rite, the momentum of following the rest of the moedim or appointed times of the Lord could be stopped.
So once again, the hearts of God’s people are being prepared for the coming of the Passover season. The additional reminder that the first of Aviv/Nisan has arrived now puts one on notice that the night of remembrance is approaching. As you can see, each of these special Sabbaths creates an atmosphere of expectation that is carried forward into the celebration of Passover.
Passover Restored
It is difficult to ascertain how many Messianic communities of faith incorporate these additional readings into their weekly examination of the Torah as the Passover season approaches. Certainly, as the celebration of the Biblical holidays continues to grow through time and our faith community expands, many will employ some of these traditions to prepare hearts for a more meaningful time of remembrance. Eventually, as the Prophet Jeremiah declares, the commemoration of the Exodus will be altered as a greater Exodus will occur at some future time. We get our first glimpse of what Jeremiah is referring to when he admonishes God’s people for their lack of observance of the Passover, and other basic commandments:
“Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘For what reason has the LORD declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against the LORD our God?’ Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your forefathers have forsaken Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and have followed other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me. So I will hurl you out of this land into the land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor. Therefore behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when it will no longer be said, “As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,” but, “As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.” For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,’ declares the LORD, ‘and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes’” (Jeremiah 16:10-17, NASU).
Jeremiah rebukes his listeners for not obeying God’s Torah, and as a result, the people will be scattered into the nations. But note that he declares how one day they will no longer talk about the Exodus out of Egypt, but will recall a gathering when the banished return from all the countries of the world. Today, this is occurring as many Jewish people are returning from Russia and the lands to the north, in partial fulfillment of this prophecy. But he further states that others, various fishers and hunters, will go out and seek the last remnants of Israel as well.
If we are in the Last Days, or are at least approaching them, then a clarity of understanding needs to come forth, as these prophecies are probably beginning to come to pass in some way. It is beneficial to consider some of the practices that have been employed over the years to encourage a more serious focus during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We need to become more serious about remembering the Exodus from Egypt. Perhaps when we sit in God’s Kingdom one day in the future and talk about the work He has done, we will not be completely ignorant as we have learned what the Greater Exodus was through our commemoration of Passover.
NOTES
[1] 2 Kings 12:1-12:17; 1 Samuel 15:2-15:34; Ezekiel 36:16-36:38; Ezekiel 45:16-46:18.
[2] Consult Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz, eds., Complete ArtScroll Siddur, Nusach Ashkenaz (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1984), pp 870-911, for a summary of some traditional Orthodox Jewish liturgy employed during this time.
[3] Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz, eds., ArtScroll Tanach (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1996), 680.
