The Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread popularly known or celebrated as Easter. The importance of Jesus’s last week on earth begun with the triumphant entry to Jerusalem celebrated as Palm Sunday because Jesus was welcome into Jerusalem as King on a colt of a donkey and the people spread palm branches on the ground for Jesus.
The story continues from the triumphant entry and ends in the crucifixion. Four important events took place in the Holy week which cannot be ignored. Keep reading to find out more about these events in our four part series.
The Passover Celebration
What is the Passover and why did Jesus celebrate it?
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.
Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.
Exodus 12: 1-14
The essence of the applying the blood on the door posts was to serve as a sign for the angel of death to pass over that house. Without the blood on the door posts the angel of death will enter that house and strike everyone dead Israelite or not. This calls for obedience, being obedient to the instructions God gave them.
It was the first week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Passover lambs were sacrificed for the Passover meal and Jesus and his disciples had to eat the Passover meal as was their tradition. Jesus’s disciples came to ask Jesus where to prepare the Passover meal for them to eat and Jesus instructed Peter and John to go into the city to a certain house and ask the owner of the house where the guest room is where he can eat the Passover with his disciples. Jesus gave specific directions and instructions that Peter and John could not miss. When the entered the city the found everything just as Jesus had said.
Whatever we have is the Lords and he can ask to use it at any time. Jesus knew there was a large furnished guest room upstairs in that house and he wanted to use that room as a guest. The man did not ask any questions according to the bible but allowed the disciples to prepare the Passover meal in that room. Today we read about him in this story though his name was not mentioned. Let us use whatever God has blessed us with to serve his purpose. What do you have today in your possession that can be of help to the body of Christ? Do not hold it back, give it to benefit others and you will be given even more.
One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. .
Proverbs 11:24 ESV
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:38
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Acts 4:32-35
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Super is also known as “The Last Supper” or “Holy Communion”. Jesus told the disciples how he wanted to eat this meal with them before his suffering. He also told them that he would not eat the Passover meal again until in the Kingdom of God.
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. .
Luke 22:17-20
This is the last meal Jesus had with his disciples and he instructed them to continue doing this in remembrance of him. Jesus also emphasised on the fact that this was a new covenant (his own blood) which was to replace the old blood covenant of animal sacrifice. It is very sad that some people are still caught up with the old covenant and its requirements which was too difficult to fulfil hence God in his wisdom sent Jesus to shed his own blood for us so that by accepting him and the sacrifice he made on our behalf, we do not have to bear the burden of all the requirements of the law under the old covenant. Thank you Jesus for a new and better covenant. Newness of life is what Jesus brings to us all. We can not remain under the bondage of the Law but find rest in Jesus.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:28
The next important event following the Passover meal was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Why was this so important? Don’t miss it.
