What is Pesach or Passover?

Pesach is one of Israel’s 3 Pilgrim festivals (Deut 16: 16-17). It is connected to and followed by Hag HaMatzah (Unleavened Bread) for 7 days. Pesach commemorates the Israelites' protection from the death angel, which was the 10^th Egyptian plague (Ex 12: 26-27), as well as their release from Pharaoh and his bondage. It is a festival where men cannot appear before their God empty-handed, as they will not leave empty-handed.

Why do we celebrate Pesach as Christians?

We celebrate Pesach as Messianic Christians (i.e. spiritual Jews) because this festival reveals intimate details of the Father’s plan in Yeshua’s past work securing salvation for fallen men. It vividly portrays mankind’s bondage to sin, death, and Satan (the metaphorical Pharaoh) and the specific way in which the sacrificial shedding of Yeshua’s blood confirms Him as the true Pesach Lamb.  Through Yeshua's salvation, men begin a new life of freedom as His spiritual people via the escape of the curses of sin, death and Satan. Pesach opens the eyes of blind men by enabling them to see in the forefront of the present, what the Father did for His people in the past, and what He will do for them in the future.

Why do we observe Pesach instead of Easter?

We observe Pesach instead of Easter because Pesach is a divine festival instituted by the Father to help men properly worship Him via the gore of Yeshua’s suffering and glory of His resurrection. Easter is a pagan festival instituted by men to help them worship the false god of Eostre (the Saxon goddess of fertility and spring aka Ishtar and Astarte).

We observe Pesach because natural Israelites observed it prior to their departure from Egypt and still do today; Yeshua and His disciples observed Pesach prior to His crucifixion (Luke 22:7-8); the first century Church observed Pesach with new significance and understanding following His resurrection (1 Cor 5:7) and still do today; and non-Messianic Christians observed Pesach until the middle of the second century.

What is involved in a typical Pesach service?

Since Pesach is an ordained time (along with the other 6 festivals) for families, friends and neighbors to gather together as one in Yeshua, the Day is to be consecrated as a special Shabbat. We refrain from working in employment where we earn an income. We collectively pray, worship in song, receive the Father’s Word, partake in the spiritually significant seder (which means "order," as the meal and service occur in a prescribed sequence), give a special offering (which may include a financial and/or personal offering or vow), and we conclude with thanksgiving.

What do the fundamental elements of the Seder meal symbolize about Yeshua?

The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness Yeshua experienced in becoming the Father's peace offering and delivering men from the bitterness of a life without Him.  It also symbolizes the  inhumane rejection by the very same people He delivered from Pharaoh.

The roasted lamb without blemish or deformity symbolizes the fiery ordeal Yeshua endured at the hands of the Jewish leaders in becoming the Father’s burnt offering; Yeshua was beaten until bloody, His hair was plucked out, His soul roasted until fully consumed, and He had  the sins of the world transferred onto Him.

The striped, yeast-free matzah symbolizes the manner of undeserved death Yeshua experienced becoming the Father’s meal offering; Whipped physically until His skin was punctured and striped by Roman soldiers, so that the One who had no sin became sin for His creation.

Pouring of the wine symbolizes the outflowing of  Yeshua's blood,  which was poured out for the forgiveness of sin and giving of new life as the Father's acceptable drink offering.

What is Hag HaMatzah or Unleavened Bread?

Hag HaMatzah is a seven-day feast that begins on Aviv 15 (the day after Pesach) and ends 7 days later, in which Yahweh instructs His people to remove leaven from their houses and eat bread without leaven (Leviticus 23:5-6).

Historically, Hag HaMatzah is a reminder of Israel’s hasty exodus from Egypt and the unleavened matzah bread they were forced to eat because they didn’t have the time to leaven their bread and allow it to rise before leaving as they normally would. The matzah or unleavened bread also came to symbolize the “man” (aka manna) or supernatural bread Yahweh provided for them later in the wilderness after their matzah ran out.

What is leaven and what does it symbolize?

Leaven is a baking agent used to make dough lighter and softer (and better tasting) via the rise of the batter. Some common examples of leaven are yeast, baking soda, and baking powder. Since Scripture repeatedly typifies leaven as a symbol of sin, bread without leaven or matzah signifies life without sin.

Why do we observe Hag HaMatzah or Unleavened Bread as Christians?

Just as the Israelites observe Hag HaMatzah to commemorate their powerful and supernatural deliverance from Pharaoh, slavery, and Egypt (Exodus 13:14). We celebrate Hag HaMatzah as Messianic Christians (i.e. spiritual Jews) because this festival commemorates our supernatural deliverance from Satan, the slavery of sin, and eternal death via Yeshua's sinless life sacrifice. Its primary element reminds us of Yeshua's sinless life and incorruptible nature, which encourages us to search for and eliminate personal sin through repentance.

We celebrate this festival by refraining from consuming food or substances that contain yeast or other leavening agents for the 7 days. It reinforces the reality that we have the same ability Yeshua had regarding the issue of sin via the empowerment of the Spirit. We can rid our lives of transgression via the Spirit’s sanctification and our submission to Yeshua’s righteousness (1 Cor 5:7-8). As He lived an unleavened life pleasing to the Father and sinless in all his ways, so should we.

We also observe Hag HaMatzah as Messianic Christians out of love for Him. We are profoundly appreciative of the benefits of repentance and forgiveness of sin and through this festival we gain a deeper appreciation for Yeshua and how he lived life on earth as a man without sin. We thank Yahweh that through self-examination and searching for personal sin. He helps us avoid the final outcome of sin, which is death and separation from Him . (James 1:14-15).

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What is the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah?

It is the first of the three fall festivals and a "day of shouting or blasting." It is observed on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) on the Jewish religious calendar in lieu of New Moon 7. It later came to be known as Rosh Hashanah or "head of the year" because it originally was the beginning of Israel’s year before Yahweh changed this first day to when the children of Israel exited Egypt on Abib 1 or Nisan 1. The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah, however, is still the beginning of the civil year on most Jewish calendars.

How do we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah?

In the past, the saints celebrated this day as a holy sabbath with the blowing of the shofar or ram's horn throughout the day to gather Yahweh's people and remind them of their personal responsibilities concerning the approaching Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (the holiest day of the year). They were to take the next 10 days (commonly known as the Days of Awe) to repent of their transgressions against Yahweh, seek forgiveness from those they offended, and grant forgiveness to those who have trespassed against them.

Leviticus 23:23-25 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar. Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI.'" (CJB)

Today, we as saints observe the Feast of Trumpets the same way. We treat this day as a holy sabbath and refrain from working at our secular jobs. We approach Him in prayer and ask for forgiveness of our sin. We repent of our transgression against Him as our God, and we grant forgiveness to those who have offended us or trespassed against us. We congregate as a community with our brethren with grateful hearts to worship and present Him with a free will offering.

Matt 6:15 “but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours” (CJB)

What does the Feast of Trumpets have to do with Christianity and true worship?

In conjunction with the Days of Awe, the Feast of Trumpets is the Father’s appointed time to examine ourselves, repent of our sin, and prepare to honor Yeshua’s work.  We approach our Father on Yom Kippur to ask for His mercy and grace. We examine ourselves and repent because of the heavenly work Yeshua performed on our behalf as our sinless High Priest. We praise and honor Him for His covenant enacting work that enables us to draw closer to our Father in worship with no impediment. Yeshua's work also allows us to look forward to the Day of Atonement in trust and not fear with joyful anticipation of the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) later that same month.

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