At the time of publishing this article, It is not very common to hear a Christian say they celebrate or at least acknowledge the Passover. The Passover feast is usually seen as more of a Jewish celebration than a Christian practice. Christians, known as followers of Christ, celebrate his death, burial, and resurrection on what is known as “Easter Sunday”. It is unclear to many Christians today, whether Passover and Easter are one and the same or if these two days differ from each other. Many of these Christians may even ask if Easter was simply a replacement for the Passover feast. The truth is that many biblical customs and traditions that we read about in scripture have been lost to the Christian community since the days of the Apostles.
To many of us Christians, all seems to be in perfect order just the way things are. You may have thought to yourself that at some point there was a new chapter written in the Heavens after the resurrection of Christ and that we are no longer required to acknowledge any of the Jewish feast dates and practices.
I hope this article will answer the following questions: Should we, as Christians celebrate Passover, Easter, or both? Should we keep these traditions separated with the Passover being only for the Jews and Easter for Christians? The answer to these questions lies directly in the Word of God. We should not ignore the passages of scripture nor turn to our own understanding. For our ways of understanding are far from God’s ways. There are seriously a thousand ways that this subject can go but I want to focus primarily on the point at hand and that is to explain that Easter and Passover are not the same. Christians should think twice about the days that we celebrate and the customs that we bring into our homes and into our Church gatherings.
The Passover – Where It Began
Passover, that great and terrific day when God delivered the Hebrews out of the hand of the Angel of Death in Egypt was the turning point for all humanity. God made a decree that he would smite the firstborn of every family in the land, except for those families who had the blood of the lamb spread across the doorpost of their homes. Judgment would pass over them who accepted the sacrifice of the lamb. After this horrific event, which caused a cry all throughout Egypt, God made a declaration that his people should remember the Passover every year for seven days with a feast of unleavened bread. Jews today still celebrate Passover to remember what God did for their people.
The Passover was a shadow of the sacrifice that God would make thousands of years later by sending his Son as the final lamb. Christians today have received the blessings of that sacred sacrifice and have received the blood to be spread across the doorpost of our hearts. Many have failed to see the connection between the historical events of the Old Testament and how they fall so perfectly in line with the life of Jesus Christ. We get wrapped up in the traditions that we have made for ourselves that the things that really matter get left behind. The crucifixion of our Lord fell perfectly on the Passover day, matching in the precise order of the Passover lamb sacrifice to a tee.
Easter Tradition – The New Norm
Easter Sunday, the day that has become the official celebration day for the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ and for the annual Easter Egg hunt. We start the celebration the Friday before Easter Sunday, which is known as Good Friday. Good Friday, as it is taught by the Church, is said to be the day that Christ hung on the cross and died for us. It is also taught that on the third day (Easter Sunday), he rose from the dead. Do your math on these days and try to figure out how from Good Friday to sunrise on Sunday equals three days and three nights.
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonas 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.
Our current math does not add up to what scripture shows us, yet we prepare our Easter celebration by shopping for the annual Easter attire and basket for the kids and without fail, we attend the Good Friday and Sunrise Service followed by the Egg Hunt.
Where We Stand Today
This is as far as most Christians go in their understanding of both Passover and Easter. In my experience of sharing this subject with Christians, I have found that more and more people are beginning to discover the exact origins of Easter, many are surprised at what they find. There are also those who know the truth and continue to celebrate Easter because of reasons that are based on their own understanding and emotions. It seems that childhood memories far outweigh the Word of God.
I can hear some of you thinking, what does it matter if we do or do not acknowledge the Passover? The answer could be long enough to be its own post, however, the question is this: why do we celebrate Easter? Isn’t “Easter” the day that we acknowledge the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Would it not make more logical sense to acknowledge the death, burial, and resurrection on the days they actually happened? If I said that the death of Christ happened on Passover day, the Jewish ritual/tradition, would you rethink your celebration of it on Good Friday? What if I said that Easter Sunday itself has nothing to do with Christ’s resurrection but rather it is the celebration of Pagan deities, would you reconsider the days you acknowledge these events? Instead of going into the Easter background and getting off subject, let’s look at what we do know.
Search The Scriptures
Jesus commanded us to believe on him as the scripture has said and by doing so rivers of living water shall flow out of our belly.
John 5:38
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
If scriptures do tell us when he died, why then do we acknowledge it on another day? Let’s take a quick look at the days that we focus on during Easter and how they do not add up to the number of days Christ said he would be in the grave until His resurrection. From Good Friday 3 pm (the time it is said Christ cried “It is finished”) to Sunday sunrise is about one day and two nights. Christ said:
For as Jonas 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. Matthew 12:40
Was Jesus mistaken on how many nights and days he would be in the heart of the earth? We may ask ourselves, is it even important to dive into this subject seeing how the Church as a whole is celebrating Easter as the official day? After all, if the Church is doing it, It must be okay to do, right?
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
Think about that next time you say to yourself that just because your Church is doing something, it is automatically ok.
I am going to leave you with this thought for now; We cannot keep the Passover as thorough as the Hebrews did (this isn’t the point of this article) but if we are going to separate a day to acknowledge a historical event, should we not do it on the proper day? If God kept the Passover date sacred for thousands of years without fail and gave His only Son for us on the exact day, how much more should we acknowledge that date? There is so much more to explore and with the help of God, we will explore it later.
Last Updated: December 18, 2021
