Pesach: Passover

Name:

Pesach, meaning "Passover." Also spelled pessach, pesah, pessah, pesakh, pessakh
Also called Chag ha-Matzot, meaning "Feast of Unleavened Bread" and Yom ha-Bikkurim, "Day of First Fruits."

Date:

15th of the Jewish month Nisan (called Abib in the Bible), which corresponds to March or April. The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with Passover and lasts eight days, and the Day of First Fruits is celebrated on the 16th of Nisan.

Purpose:

To remember Israel's deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

References in the Tanakh (Old Testament):

Exodus 12-13; Leviticus 23:4-14; Numbers 9:1-14, 28:16-31; Deuteronomy 16:1-8

References in the New Testament:

Matthew 26:2,17, 27:17, Mark 14:1,2,12, 15:6, Luke 2:41-3, 22:1,15-16, John 2:13, 6:4, 11:55, 12:1, 18:28,39, Acts 12:3, 20:6, I Corinthians 5:7-8

Observance:

In biblical times, observance included the sacrifice of a lamb which was eaten along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs as Scripture instructs. Today, since there is no temple, the holiday is observed without the lamb sacrifice. Additional elements and traditions have developed over the centuries, including four cups of wine, a mixture of nuts and apples called charoset, eggs, green vegetables, etc. A place is set for Elijah, who is to come as a forerunner to the Messiah, since he is traditionally expected to come during Passover.

Fulfillment:

1 Corinthians 5:7 states, "Messiah our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Let us keep the Festival... with the bread of sincerity and truth." Yeshua is represented by the passover lamb who protected the Israelites from the Angel of Death, the plague which led to their freedom from slavery. In the same way, Yeshua's death set us free from slavery to sin, and its punishment, which is death.

The feast of First Fruits presents a picture of Messiah's resurrection, since he is called the "first fruits" of those who have died, and of those who will rise again.