Notes of Faith April 15, 2025
Passover
When we celebrate Passover or when we take communion, we’re not there to learn new things. We are there to remember the things that were done. You know, if there’s one thing that is interesting in regard to Passover it is that the Jewish people did not have any calendar until the day they left Egypt. The Lord said to Moses, “Moses, I want you, from now on,” in Exodus 12:2, “this month shall be your beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.” In other words, “From now on, the history of the Jewish people will be recorded in a calendar. And this event will mark the beginning. And I want you to celebrate it every year. Every year, you must remind your children and all of you as a nation remember the day I took you out of Egypt.”
And then came 2000 years later and Passover in the upper room, and Jesus is telling the disciples, “This thing do in remembrance of Me.” Yes, remembrance. We’re here to remember and not to forget because if there’s one thing that God always warned the people around the world and the people of Israel, “Do not forget. I’m the one who took you out of Egypt. I’m the one who led you through the desert. I’m the one who had you entering into the promised land. I’m the one who fought for you. I’m the one who sustained you. Do not forget.”
The Power of Remembrance
As we enter the Passion Week there are a myriad of things we ought to remember. The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Olivet discourse which was taught during this week. Jesus’ arrest, mock trial, beating, and finally His death on the cross are all things to remember this week and always.
There is also another reminder birthed from the Passover Celebration. Just as the slain lamb allowed the death angel to pass over all who marked the doorposts and lintels of their homes with blood, so too the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God has allowed for the second death to pass over all who accept the blood of Jesus for the atonement for their sins.
The Jews marking the start of a new year at Passover is not without meaning either. A new year for them brings about a new beginning. For all of those who are in Christ, the last Passover, when the Son of man gave His life for the sins of the world, made the following passage possible:
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
When someone surrenders their life to Christ “from now on”, they are new creations. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and no longer ruled by the flesh. All things are new, like the start of a new year. Because of this, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, which is the telling to others how they can be reconciled to God.
During this week of remembrance, let’s not forget that our “new life” began when we came to Christ. We became a new creation in Him, and, from now on, we can live the “free indeed life” Jesus died to bring us.
In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul mentioned that the Lord had revealed to him the details of the last supper, or the Passover meal. He mentioned that the bread and the cup were to be received in remembrance of Him.
1 Corinthians 11:26-29
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
It is important to note that Jesus didn’t say, “Do this often.” He said, “As often as you do it, do this in remembrance of Me.” This proclamation of the Lord’s death is not to be taken flippantly or casually like some kind of ritual. It is sacred and to be done in sincere remembrance of Him.
This week we will remember the great cost Jesus paid which allows the second death to pass over us, giving us new life in Christ. This is the life we proclaim through communion, until He comes.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus
This coming Friday, “Good Friday”, we will be celebrating a Passover Seder with teaching by a dear friend. It is good for us to learn from the Scriptures and the celebrations that God ordained to understand why we believe what we believe. What an exciting time to be alive, recognizing Scripture fulfilled in the past and having a confident hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises yet to come!
Pastor Dale