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Unit
7 - IS THE PASSOVER FOR CHRISTIANS?
Copyright April 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Of all God's holy days, passover is the most significant to the
Jews. It looks back to Israel's release from slavery in Egypt.
The story is well known: Moses was commanded to tell the
Pharaoh to let God's people go. Pharaoh refused time after time until God
told the Israelites to kill a lamb and to smear its blood on the door
posts and lintels. That night, when the death angel passed through Eypt,
the firstborn of every family died, except those in the homes displaying
the blood.
But the Israelites were released from more than physical slavery.
They were released from slavery to Egypt's gods, and were shown God's way
of life. Indeed, they had to be taught who the eternal God is. After
four hundred years, they knew only the gods of the Nile: gods of frogs,
and cattle, and flies. They knew only Pharaoh as the supreme being.
Through the miracles of the plagues, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, showed the Israelites he was supreme, and had supreme
power.
They had a lot to learn. They'd lost track of the sabbath day; God
showed them when it was through the miracle of the manna (Exodus
16:14-26). They'd lost track of God's year; he had to tell them
when it began (Exodus
12:2). They'd lost sight of what was right and wrong; God gave them
his commandments so they would know (Exodus
20:1-17; Deuteronomy
5:7-21). Jews today have a lot to remember through the passover.
NOT JUST FOR THE JEWS
But the passover is not just for the Jews. Christians who
understand and observe God's holy days, realize the passover looked to
something far more important than events of the past. It looked forward to
the death of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites were
released from Egypt's sinful ways through the blood on the door posts, we
are released from our past sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. The
passover lamb of ancient Israel was their saviour. The passover lamb,
Jesus Christ, is the saviour of the entire world (John
3:16).
We've already seen that Jesus was likely born on the feast of
trumpets. Although we have no record of the exact time of his birth, we
know it would be some time after sunset ushering in that special feast (Luke
2:6-16 especially vs 8).
Thirty years later Jesus Christ began his ministry. After only 3
1/2 years his work was cut short by the Jewish leaders who wouldn't kill
him (John
19:6), but who persuaded the Romans to do the dirty work (vss
12-18).
Although it's not germane to this bible study, it's well to
realize not all the Jews were calling for Jesus' death. The mob who called
for Barabbas' release was a few Jews in Jerusalem, incited by the
religious leaders (Mark
15:6-14).
JESUS' LAST MEAL
Prior to his arrest, Jesus met with his disciples for their last
meal together.
"Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the
disciples came to Jesus saying unto him, 'Where will you that we prepare
for you to eat the passover?' And he said, 'Go into the city to such a
man, and say unto him, The master says, My time is at hand. I will keep
the passover at your house with my disciples.' And the disciples did as
Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the passover. Now when the
evening was come, he sat down with the twelve (Matthew
26:17-20)."
Verse 17 might seem confusing, as Leviticus
23:5-6 states, "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even
is the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the
feast of unleavened bread to the Lord...." Yet Matthew 26:17 makes it
appear the passover was the beginning of the feast.
Things become clearer when we read Mark
14:12, "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed
the passover...."
To complete the time frame we must return to Exodus
12:1-8, "And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, saying, 'Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the
tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb...And you
shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And
they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened
bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.'"
The passover lamb was to be killed in the evening of the 14th
of Abib. The New International Version says, "at twilight,"
indicating the time of diffused light from the sky when the sun is setting
below the horizon. That night when it was dark (Abib 14) they were to eat
the lamb with unleavened bread.
Let's re-read Leviticus
23:5-6, "In the fourteenth day of the first month [Abib] at
evening is the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month
is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord...."
Since the Israelites were to eat the lamb with unleavened
bread on Abib 14, that day became traditionally known as "the first
day of the feast of unleavened bread." However, the first day
actually was the following day, Abib 15, as Leviticus 23:6 shows.
It's important to understand this, else you might think Jesus was
crucified on the first holy day of unleavened bread, when he was actually
crucified the day before, the day we know as passover.
John 13-17 are some of the most beautiful
chapters in the new testament. Chapter 13 gives us instructions for an
important part of the passover worship service.
"Now before the feast of the
passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out
of this world unto the Father...and supper being ended...he rose from
supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples'
feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded (John
13:1-5)."
NOTE: The King James Version and the New King James Version give
the wrong impression of the time frame. At least twelve other versions say
Jesus' example was given during the supper, not after.
"So after he had washed their feet, and
had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Do you
know what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord: and you say
well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an
example, that you should do as I have done to you (John 13:12-15).'"
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More about Jesus' example in your next study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit
8 - HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE OBSERVE THE LORD'S SUPPER?
Copyright April 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
If you've read Leviticus
23 you must be wondering why I started with the feast of trumpets,
skipped the day of atonement and the feast of tabernacles, and am now
discussing passover.
There's a sequence to this study: Jesus' birth, his death and
resurrection, and events yet to come in our future.
So according to our study we find ourselves just hours away
from the crucifixion of the one who was to become our saviour. We'll
consider the statement, "the one who was to become our saviour,"
in the next study unit.
Jesus and his disciples were eating the passover meal. He rose from
the table, wrapped a towel around his waist, and proceeded to wash his
disciples' feet.
When he came to Peter, the impetuous disciple, "Peter
said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet (John
13:8).'"
Peter recognized something the others may have missed. Jesus
was taking the part of a lowly servant, the one whose job it was to wash
the road dust from the master's feet when he came into his house. Peter
realized Jesus was the master and should not be washing people's feet.
But Jesus asked, "Do you know what I have done to you (John
13:12)?"
Then he answered, verses 13-15 "You call me Master and
Lord, and you say well for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have
washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have
given you an example that you should do as I have done to you."
Jesus' next words are vital. "Verily, verily, I say to
you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent
greater than he that sent him. (John
13:16)."
Yet Jesus, who is the master, had stooped to wash the
servants' feet. Was this a reversal of roles? Or was it an equalizing of
roles?
The master had stooped to the role of servant. He was telling
each one they had to take the position of servants, to be willing to do
the most menial tasks in God's service.
This is the only reference to foot washing in regards the
Christian duty, but it is important enough to be the first part of the
passover worship service for Christians.
WHAT DOES "AS OFTEN AS" MEAN?
The passover service has become known among many congregations as
the Lord's supper, as in 1
Corinthians 11:20. Some call it the communion service.
Regardless of the name it poses a problem. Paul said, regards
eating the unleavened bread and drinking the wine, "For as often as
you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till
he come [return] (vs
26)." How did "as often as" become changed to Do this
often? That's what most churches do. They hold the Lord's supper on a
monthly basis; some even on a weekly basis. Why?
For this study unit I will only say the reason is anti-something.
You will discover that reason in the unit 12.
But how often is the passover to be observed? Leviticus
23:5 gives the answer. "In the fourteenth day of the first month
at even is the Lord's passover." How often does the fourteenth day of
the first month occur? Just as often as your birthday.
In a previous paragraph I specified unleavened bread. This is a
departure from most protestant churches who make the bakeries happy once a
month, or more frequently.
You'll discover in a future study unit the meaning of
unleavened bread as it applies to the passover service. For now, I'm going
to relate my own feelings as I take the passover bread.
In Matthew
26:26 and Mark
14:22, we're told "Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body." In Luke
22:19 he's recorded as saying, "This is my body which is given
for you. This do in remembrance of me."
Obviously the bread was not Jesus' actual body, but simply
represented his body. This is evident through the dietary laws of Leviticus
11:2-8 and Deuteronomy
14:4-8, which describe the characteristics of animals which may be
eaten, and those which may not. The human body has none of the
characteristics of a clean animal, thus showing it is not to be eaten.
Corinthians
11:24 adds another thought regards the bread. Paul relates that Jesus
said, "Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you."
Jesus' body was given for us through his death on the cross.
But it was broken for us through Pilate's scourging (John
19:1).
At the passover service, as our congregation performs it, a
full sheet of brittle unleavened bread is placed on the table, to be
broken into bite-sized pieces by whomever is conducting the service. As
the bread is broken I hear the crack of the scourge as it slashes into
Jesus' flesh. Leavened bread, being soft, wouldn't have the same effect.
The passover wine is similar. It merely represents Jesus blood, as Leviticus
17:12 states, "No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any
stranger that sojourns among you eat blood." In Deuteronomy
12:16 it says, "Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour
it upon the earth as water."
Jesus blood was poured out on the earth for us as recorded in
John
19:34, "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side,
and forthwith came there out blood and water."
Anyone who has scraped a knuckle and licked it clean, knows
blood is not sweet. Wine is available in various degrees of sweetness. At
the passover service we use a dry red wine. In consideration of those who
may have a problem with alcohol, we also provide red grape juice, but the
representation of Christ's blood is somehow missing.
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What time did Jesus die? This important information will be reviewed in
your next study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit 9 - WHAT
TIME DID JESUS DIE?
Copyright May 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Ask any Christian what Jesus' sacrifice was and he'll tell you it
was his crucifixion. But that's missing the mark. Because Jesus' sacrifice
began before he ever came to earth.
Consider what Jesus had in heaven: eternal life in a perfect
world; angels to attend to his every desire; not a problem; not a care.
But he sacrificed it all for our welfare.
As a human child he had to learn perfect respect, perfect
obedience, because if he failed once and sinned he could have not been our
saviour. And he would not have been able to return to heaven.
As the hours drew near for his betrayal and capture he prayed
fervently saying, "Father, if you be willing remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but yours be done (Luke
22:42)." No doubt he had witnessed scourgings and crucifixions,
and knew the humiliation, the torture, the pain he was soon to endure. He
could have avoided it all by simply saying he made a big mistake; he never
should have done those miracles on the sabbath, nor said those things
about the pharisees. But if he did he could have not been our saviour. And
he would not have been able to return to heaven.
Even for Jesus it seemed too much to bear. But his whole life
had been a sacrifice for us, and he didn't want to risk failing us now.
Hence, the statement in your previous study unit, "the
one who was to become our saviour." Until his last heartbeat, his
last breath, his last thought, he was Jesus. Only when he had lived a
perfect life from his first thought 'til his last, did he become our
saviour.
WHEN DID JESUS DIE?
Before we begin to answer that let's go to Exodus
12:6 to see when the passover lamb in Egypt was killed. "And you
shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."
As you read in study unit 7, "The passover lamb was to
be killed in the evening of the 14th of Abib. The New International
Version says, 'at twilight,' indicating the time of diffused light from
the sky when the sun is setting below the horizon."
If the gospel accounts seem to disagree regarding time, it's
because Mathew, Mark, and Luke recorded events in Hebrew time; John
recorded them in Roman. In Hebrew time the springtime day ended about the
twelfth hour, or the sixth hour Roman time.
Jesus was crucified about the third hour Hebrew time (approximately
10 a.m. using our system of time). Darkness covered the land from the
sixth hour (noon) to the ninth hour (3 p.m.). About the tenth hour (4:30
p.m.) a soldier discovered Jesus was dead so didn't break his legs as was
common. But to make sure he was dead the soldier rammed a spear into
Jesus' side.
About the eleventh hour (6 p.m.) Joseph obtained Jesus' body,
and worked with Nicodemus to wrap it in linen and spices. A stone was
rolled to the door of the tomb about the twelfth hour (7:30 p.m.) at
sunset, the same time the passover lamb in Egypt was killed.
All this information is recorded in Matthew
27:33-60, Mark
15:22-47, Luke
23:33-54, and John
19:18-42.
To help you better understand the times involved it's important to
know one Hebrew day was from sunset to sunset, whenever sunset came. In
the winter it would be early (5 p.m. modern time). In mid-summer it would
be much later (9 or 10 p.m.). At the time of Jesus' crucifixion it would
be about 7:30 p.m. The following chart gives an approximate comparison of
Hebrew time (second row) in hours beginning at sunrise, and Roman time
(bottom row) with modern time:
Sunrise
Sunset
0 1 2
3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10
11 12 hrs
am 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 1
2 3 4 5
6 7 pm
6 7 8
9 10 11 12
1 2 3 4
5 6 hrs
The discrepancy between our time and the Hebrew and Roman results
from the modern hour being precisely sixty minutes, and the other two
being judged by the movement of the sun. Dr. William Smith notes the
Hebrew hours "perpetually vary in length, so as to be very different
at different times of the year (Smith's Bible Dictionary)."
Additionally, Michael D Coogan, professor of religious studies,
Stonehill College, North Easton, MA states, "Generally in the bible
the term 'hour' is used in a nonspecific sense."
Returning now to Leviticus
23:5-8 we read, "In the fourteenth day of the first month at
evening is the [beginning of the] Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth
day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord:
seven days you must eat unleavened bread. In the first day you shall have
a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein. But you shall
offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days. In the seventh
day is a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein."
It's vital to understand that Abib 14, the passover day, was not a
holy day. Regular work could be done. Had it been a holy day the Jews
would have had Jesus crucified the day before or the day following. But
once he was dead it was important to have his body taken off the cross
before the holy day of Abib 15 began.
"And so, because of the need for
haste before the sabbath, and because the tomb was close at hand, they
laid him there (John 19:42 Living Bible)."
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Beware of bibles that say this took place on Friday. You'll discover why
in the next study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit 10 - WHAT
DAY DID JESUS DIE?
Copyright May 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Ask any school kid how many days and nights there are between
Friday night and Sunday morning and he'll tell you Friday night is one
night, Saturday is one day, and Saturday night is another night. One day
and two nights.
Now turn to Matthew
12:40 to see how long Jesus said he would be in the grave. He said,
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth."
Pam Clark wrote, "Any time you are seeking God for a new
thing, the old order in your life will stand up for its authority.
Tradition will shout loudly, 'This is the way we have always done it! This
is the way that is right!'"
Most Christians present all sorts of mental gyrations to
prove Friday night to Sunday morning meets the criteria Jesus gave: three
days and three nights. Why? Because tradition says it's right; that's the
way it's always been.
Are you willing to cast aside tradition -- the way it's always been
-- to discover the truth? If you are prepare to be amazed. Your life will
never be the same.
Let's do some arithmetic.
We've already learned that Jesus died in the late afternoon
(Matthew 27:46/Mark 15:34/Luke 23:44-46), and was put into the tomb
shortly before sunset (Matthew 27:57/Mark 15:42-46/Luke 23:54/John 19:42)
so as not to infringe on the sabbath (Unit 9). But which sabbath? You'll
soon find out.
Jesus said he would be in the grave three days and three nights (Matthew
12:38-40). The accounts show he was already resurrected when the two
Marys arrived early the first day of the week [Sunday] (Matthew
28:1-6/Mark 16:1-6/Luke 24:1-7/John 20:1-16).
Our school kids have shown us we can't get three days and
three nights out of Friday sunset 'til Sunday morning. But suppose we back
up to Thursday. Does this work? Let's see:
Thursday afternoon - Jesus is crucified, and interred just before sunset.
Thursday sunset to Friday morning Night 1.
Friday morning to Friday sunset
Day 1.
Friday sunset to Saturday morning Night 2 (Weekly
sabbath begins at
sunset).
Saturday morning to Saturday sunset Day 2 (Weekly
sabbath ends at
sunset).
Saturday sunset to Sunday morning Night 3.
Whoops! We've got three nights, but we're still missing one day.
Where did it go?
What if there were two sabbaths the week Jesus died? The first day
of unleavened bread, also called the feast of the passover (John
13:1) is a holy day, an annual sabbath. We know Jesus died on passover
day, and was buried before the holy day began at sunset (John 19:31).
We also know the two Marys came to the sepulchre early the
first day of the week [Sunday] (Matthew 28:1/Mark 16:1-2/Luke 24:1/John
20:1), and the tomb was empty. Jesus was already resurrected.
Since a Thursday crucifixion doesn't work let's back up to
Wednesday to see if the pieces fit the puzzle. Using this calculation
Jesus would have died late Wednesday, and would be interred just before
sunset. He was buried in haste because sunset would usher in the annual
holy day and the work had to be completed before the holy day began.
Now, let's go through the same exercise we did before:
Wednesday afternoon - Jesus is crucified and buried at
sunset on the preparation day for the annual sabbath. (Annual holy day
begins Wednesday at sunset.)
Wednesday sunset to Thursday morning Night 1.
Thursday morning to Thursday sunset Day 1
(Annual holy day ends
at sunset).
Thursday sunset to Friday morning Night 2.
Friday morning to Friday sunset
Day 2. (Preparation for the
weekly sabbath. Women prepared
their spices [Mark 16:1/Luke 23:56]).
Friday sunset to Saturday morning Night 3
(Weekly sabbath begins
at sunset Friday).
Saturday morning to Saturday sunset Day 3
(Weekly sabbath ends
at sunset).
Saturday sunset to Sunday morning Night 4.
Now what? We have three days and three nights, but there's a night
left over.
When Jesus said he'd be in the grave three days and three nights he
didn't mean about three days and three nights, but exactly three days and
three nights. Since Jesus was interred very close to sunset he had to rise
at the same time to keep his prophecy accurate.
If we delete the last line of our calculations (Saturday
sunset to Sunday morning) we end up with exactly three days and three
nights.
Despite man's misguided tradition Jesus our passover (1
Corinthians 5:7) was not resurrected Sunday morning but at sunset
Saturday. The tomb remained empty for the fourth night, Jesus, now
glorified had risen and was gone, and when the women arrived early the
first day of the week they discovered the stone had been already rolled
away.
Make sense? It should, because that's what your bible says.
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The Christian passover service will be described in your next study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit
11 - THE CHRISTIAN PASSOVER SERVICE IN CENTURY 21
Copyright May 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
The passover service is the most solemn worship service of the
Christian year. It pictures the time of Jesus' death on a Roman cross,
possibly the most torturous form of execution contrived by man.
Yet it is a joyous occasion as it pictures the time when
Jesus, having taken his last breath and having thought his last thought,
became our saviour from the penalty of our sins, eternal death.
The passover service also reminds us of our duty to serve
even as Jesus Christ stooped to serve.
PREPARATIONS
(NOTE: The following arrangements have become traditional in many
congregations. The setting may be altered as required or desired.)
Prior to the worship service the passover table is set. The decor
is kept simple, a white table cloth, perhaps a couple white candles, or a
low bouquet of flowers.
A simple plate with a white napkin is placed on the table
toward one end. The napkin covers a few sheets of unleavened bread, also
known as matzoh. A tray with small glasses filled with dry red wine is
placed toward the other end of the table. The number of sheets of matzoh,
and the number of glasses of wine (see unit 8 regarding grape juice), will
be governed by the number of persons expected to take part in the passover
service.
Two chairs are placed at the table for the men who will
conduct the service. Chairs are set up, theatre style, for the rest of the
congregation.
Those attending the service arrive fifteen to twenty minutes early, and
bring their bible, a towel, and a basin for the foot-washing service. A
supply of warm water is made available, generally at the back of the room.
THE FOOTWASHING SERVICE
At sunset, one of the men conducting the service gives a short welcome
message and a brief talk about the meaning of passover to Christians. He
introduces the reading of scriptures relating to the washing of feet (John
13:1-17). At the end of the reading, everyone is encouraged to wash
each others' feet, and to dry them with the individual's towels.
Considering propriety, the women wash the other women's feet,
and the men wash only the other men's feet. It's also desirable, if
possible to separate the men and women into two rooms.
If two rooms are not available an acceptable system is to
have the back row of chairs turned toward the back of the room. Some of
the women sit on the chairs while the others wash their feet -- one woman
washes and dries one woman's feet. The washers and the washed then trade
places, and the process continues until all the women's feet have been
washed. When the women are finished, the men repeat the process.
This is not a time of fellowship and chatter. It provides an
opportunity for everyone to review the scriptures just read, and consider
the meaning of the foot-washing in the individual's lives. That meaning
is, of course, we must be ready at all times to serve, both within and out
of the congregation.
THE BREAD SERVICE
Servitude is not limited to baptized members of the church. Since anyone
can serve -- even children -- all present may take part in the
foot-washing service.
The rest of the passover service, however, is generally
limited to baptized members, with the rest remaining as observers.
However, the decision for non-baptized persons to participate is between
them and God, and should not be governed by the church.
The bread portion of the service is conducted by one of the men at the
passover table. He reads the scriptures relating to bread as
representations of Jesus' body, broken and crucified for us. These may
include the following, yet not necessarily all: Matthew
26:26; Mark
14:22; Luke
22:19; John
6:47-56; John
19:30-37; 1
Corinthians 11:23-29.
Following the readings he uncovers the matzoh and breaks it
into bite-sized pieces. He, or the other man at the table, asks a short
blessing on the bread, and an usher then distributes it to the
congregation. Each participant takes a piece and eats it, taking time to
consider the reason for Jesus sacrifice. The unused bread is returned to
the table, and covered with the napkin.
THE WINE SERVICE
The wine portion of the service is generally conducted by the other man at
the passover table. He reads the scriptures relating to wine as
representations of Jesus' blood shed for us. Again, these may include the
following, yet not necessarily all:
Matthew 26:27-29;
Mark 14:23-25;
Luke
22:20; John 6:47-56;
John 19:30-37;
1 Corinthians 11:25-29. (See
above for Passage Link Selection)
Following the readings, he uncovers the wine and he, or the
other man at the table, asks a short blessing on the wine, and the usher
then distributes it to the congregation. Each participant takes a glass
and drinks the wine, again taking time to consider the reason for Jesus
sacrifice. The unused wine is returned to the table, and covered with the
napkin.
Regards drinking of wine, whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans
14:23). If you believe the use of alcoholic wine is sin to you, then
use red grape juice. The decision is between you and God.
THE READINGS
The two men conducting the service take turns reading various scriptures
relating to the passover service. They may include a brief review of the
Exodus account, but mainly consist of readings from the new testament.
It has become traditional to read the entirety the great
chapters of hope, John
14, 15,
16,
and the true Lord's prayer, John
17.
THE HYMN
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives (Matthew
26:30; Mark
14:26). The reading of this simple verse introduces the singing of a
hymn which completes the passover service.
THE PASSOVER SERVICE IN CENTURY 21
The passover service in the year 2001 will begin at sunset, April 6.
Passover day continues until sunset April 7. The two holy days are from
sunset April 7 to sunset April 8, and from sunset April 13 until sunset
April 14.
No leavened products should be in your homes from sunset
April 7 until sunset April 14.
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Welcome happy morning. Next study unit you'll learn how one church
perpetuated a pagan ceremony.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Unit 12 -
WELCOME, HAPPY MORNING
Copyright May 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
In Study Unit 10 you learned that Jesus Christ was not resurrected at
sunrise, but at sunset just as it was getting dark. How does this affect
the traditional Easter sunrise service?
I recall many Easter mornings when our Baptist congregation
spread our blankets on the hillside of our local park overlooking Lake
Erie. We'd arrive in the chill of the pre-dawn and shiver there until the
first sliver of the sun appeared in the east. As it rose we'd sing the
hymn "Welcome, Happy Morning," until the sun was above the
horizon.
The worship that followed focussed on the sun's rising as the
representation of the son of God being risen from the dead. Many years
later I learned something different.
Ezekiel tells of a vision in which the Lord showed him a series of
abominations committed by ancient Israel. Three times Ezekiel was told he
would see greater abominations than the ones before. At last he sees the
greatest abomination of all. "And he brought me into the inner court
of the Lord's house and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord,
between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their
backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and
they worshipped the sun toward the east (Ezekiel
8:16)."
How like our Easter sunrise service in the park. God calls
such worship an abomination.
HISTORY OF EASTER
The name Easter appears in the King James Version only once. But Easter
does not appear in the early manuscripts. Alexander Cruden, in his
Complete Concordance of the Bible, properly identifies the Greek word
"pasca" in Acts
12:4 as passover. The notation continues, "The name Easter was
given later to the Christian celebration of this season. Dr. William Smith
(Smith's Bible Dictionary) agrees.
Everywhere else in the KJV the word "pasca" is
correctly translated passover. And my dozen or so translations agree with
passover in Acts 12.
Professor A.R.C. Leaney (Christian Theology, Nottingham University,
England) identifies Easter as being derived from Oestre, a Saxon goddess
celebrated at the spring equinox (Oxford Companion to the Bible).
The Encarta 97 Encyclopedia (based on Funk and Wagnalls New
Encyclopedia) shows Oestre's name as Eastre, and identifies her as an
Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility (hence the Easter bunny, a symbol of
fertility, and the coloured eggs representing the human ova).
The same volume states the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great, convoked
the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. The council unanimously ruled the Easter
festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first
Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox; and if the full
moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover
festival, Easter should be commemorated on the Sunday following.
Coincidence of the feasts of Easter and Passover was thus avoided.
The Roman church attempted to erase passover from
Christianity so decreed, through Constantine, that Easter must never be
held on the same day as passover. It was an anti-Semitic exercise to
separate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from anything having to do with
the passover. But, as you learned in Units 7 and 9 Jesus was crucified on
the day of passover. In Unit 11 you discovered passover the year of Jesus'
crucifixion, was on the day we call Wednesday. So there was no reason for
the introduction of the name Easter for the first day of the week.
Now that you understand the anti-Semitic aspect of Easter, return to study
unit 8 where it asks why churches hold the Lord's supper (also called the
communion service, and in the Roman Catholic church, the mass) as
frequently as they do. Study unit 8 says, "the reason is
anti-something." Now you know what the "something" is.
There's considerable published evidence available in your local library,
describing how the Roman church of the second and third centuries
integrated the customs and traditions of their pagan converts into their
worship, and called them Christian.
What did Jesus say about traditions? "in vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the
commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men (Mark
7:7-8)." And "Thus have you made the commandment of God of
none effect by your tradition (Matthew
15:6)."
Two thousand years ago Jesus criticized the pharisees for
making their traditions more important than the commandments of God. Today
he would, no doubt, criticize the churches for making the traditions of
the ancient pagan religions more important than the teachings of God's
word.
One must ask why, with all the background information available about
Easter, do the churches continue to observe it today. It certainly belies
the perception we have of ourselves as an enlightened society.
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What is the meaning of unleavened bread? You'll find out in your next
study unit.
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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