Under the New Covenant and Upon
the Birth of the Church, the Biblical Way of Commemorating The Death of Jesus
Christ IS NOT Good Friday & Easter Sunday Celebrations....And wait a minute....IT
IS NOT even by observing The Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread as the
Jews used to observe.....RATHER, IT IS THROUGH THE LORD'S SUPPER THAT WE
COMMEMORATE THE DEATH OF CHRIST. And this Lord's Supper is not the Roman Catholics'
version in which they believe they're sacrificing Jesus over and over. And of
course, it is not the Jehovah's Witnesses' version where they believe only the
144,000 are supposed to eat the bread and drink from the cup. NO. I am talking
about The Biblical Lord's Supper that Christ Instituted on the Night that He
was to be betrayed, and which the Early Church also Observed in their meetings,
even after Jesus had gone back to Heaven.
The PassOver & Feast of the Unleavened Bread: The Feast of Unleavened
Bread and the Passover are often used interchangeably. When you read Luke 22:1,
it reads ''Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the
Passover.'' But a careful study
of these two events in the Old Testament will show us clearly that, the Passover was a sub-set of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That is, the
Passover was one of the events within the Feast of Unleavened Bread. What is
the justification? In the Old Testament, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread was
7 Days (i.e. 1 Week) Feast whereby the Israelites were to remove every
Leaven/Yeast from their homes and the food that they were to eat FOR THE 7
days, be it bread or whatever, MUST NOT CONTAIN LEAVEN/YEAST. And in the night
of the 1st Day of that 7 days festival, they were to observe the Passover.
In sum, as the Feast of Unleavened Bread was for 7 Days (i.e. 1 Week), the
Passover was for only 24hours (1 Day); and as the Israelites were to make sure
that NO LEAVEN/YEAST is found in their homes for that 7 Days, the Passover Lamb
was to be roasted over fire with bitter herbs and eaten in the evening/night on
the 1st Day of the 7 Days observation of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. Now, below are scriptural references....
''Thou shalt eat no leavened
bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the
bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste:
that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of
Egypt all the days of thy life. 4 And
there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days;
neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first
day at even, remain all night until the morning.'' Deuteronomy 16:3&4
‘’And they shall eat the flesh in
that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they
shall eat it.’’ Exodus 12:8
‘’Seven days shall ye eat
unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your
houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the
seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.’’ Exodus 12:15. Same is
said in verses 17, 19 & 20. The following scriptures also talk about same
Feast of Unleavened Bread, on which 1st evening/night the Passover
was to be observed. Exodus 13:3; 34:18; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17 &
Deuteronomy 4:9
Now, get this, God was telling
the Israelites that they were to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread & the Passover
in remembrance of how He (God) delivered them from Egypt through the Final
Plague (the killing of the 1st Born, man and beast, in Egypt, except
the Israelites) and the suffering they went through as they were to rush and
get out of Egypt. So until Jesus Christ came any Jew who celebrated the Feast
of Unleavened Bread & Passover did so just because it was in remembrance of
their deliverance from the Egyptians. This is to the Jews; not to Christians.
The reason is that, THERE IS A BIGGER PICTURE: THE FEAST OF UNLAVENED BREAD
& PASSOVER IN GOD’S PLAN, UNDER THE NEW COVENANT, WERE POINTING TO CHRIST
JESUS WHO WAS TO COME AND SAVE MAN (BE IT A JEW OR GENTILE) FROM SIN AND TO
RECONCILE US TO GOD. Get this: JESUS CHRIST IS THE PASSOVER LAMB. That is why God
chose the time the Jews observed the Passover as the best time to Institute the
Lord’s Supper. Dear Reader, there is no reason for us gentiles or anyone who
has found salvation in Christ to go back and celebrate the Feast of Unleavened
Bread & Passover. Rather, we should observe the Lord’s Supper. Observing the
Feast of Unleavened Bread required 7Days; removing from our homes and not
eating of any food or bread containing Leaven/Yeast; killing of an Unblemish
Lamb (called Passover Lamb) on the 1st Day and using the blood on
our doorpost, roasting the Meat, eating it with our family members and making
sure everything is consumed, etc. God doesn’t require Christians to do these.
Other than that, Jesus Christ would have also followed the same way the Jews
used to observe it. But he seized that opportunity (i.e. the time that the Jews
observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread & the Passover) to introduce The Lord’s Supper, which anyone who
would want to follow Him must also observe. Now let’s look at the Lord’s Supper
briefly below;
The Lord’s Supper: Now read carefully the institution or
introduction of the Lord’s Supper ‘’And
when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And
he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you
before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until
it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks,
and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I
will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying,
This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my
blood, which is shed for you.’’ Luke 22:14-20
It is abundantly clear that under
the Old Covenant, which God had with the Israelites, they were required to
observe the Passover but under the New Covenant, Christians are NOT required to
observe the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread but rather, The Lord’s
Supper. The reason is simple: the Passover and Feast of Unleavened bread, were pointing
to Jesus Christ who was to come and fulfil it through His Death. So Jesus
Christ’s is the Passover Lamb and, by His Atonement on the Cross and His
resurrection, has the power to remove from our homes (i.e. our lives) any Yeast/Leaven
(any false way, doctrine, character or any sin) and deliver us from the bondage
in Egypt (darkness) into the Promised Land (Light, New Heaven & New Earth)
prepared for Christ and those who will have their names written in the Book of
Life. And as we read, we’ve seen that in the Lord’s Supper, the Bread
represents Christ’s Body and the Wine in the Cup represents His Blood to be shared
for us under the new covenant. And get
this, He said we should do this in remembrance of Him. Thus, the way Christ
wanted us to remember His death is through The Lord’s Supper (i.e. Eating
the Bread that represents His Body & Drinking the Wine that represents His
Blood with Christian brethren) and NOT through the Passover & Feast
of Unleavened Bread (i.e. removing from our homes and not eating of any food or
bread containing Leaven/Yeast; killing of an Unblemished/Passover Lamb on the 1st
Day and using the blood on our doorpost, roasting the Meat, eating it with our
family members and making sure everything is consumed). Let’s now see whether after Jesus has gone back, and after the
Church has been born, the early believers observed the Passover or the Lord’s
Supper.
‘’For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,
That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner
also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament
in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death
till he come.’’ 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Without any iota of doubt, you
could see the early Church rather observed the Lord’s Supper and NOT the
Passover. That is why when the
Church in Corinthian was not doing it well and also allowed sexual immorality
to spread among them, Paul had to write to rebuke them on their failure to
expose sin and to tell them the importance of the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, if
we want to remember the Death of Jesus Christ, it should be done through the Lord’s Supper and NOT observing the Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread.
As for Easter, it is even a
non-starter because it is of pagan origin, re-invented by the Church of Rome
(i.e. the Roman Catholic Church) to remember the Death of Christ and other
denominations surprisingly copied it. Easter was not instituted by Christ.
Nowhere in the Bible did Christ ask His followers to observe His Death through
Easter; And nowhere did Paul or any of the apostles or the Early Church observe
Easter. What do the Easter Bunny/rabbits and eggs got to do with the Death of
Christ? Yet so many Christians observe Easter without questioning its origin.
DO YOU WANT TO REMEMBER THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE? THEN IT IS NOT THROUGH
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD OR THE PASSOVER...IT IS NOT THROUGH EASTER...BUT
THROUGH THE LORD’S SUPPER (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
‘’Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’’ 1 Corinthians 5:8
‘’Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’’ 1 Corinthians 5:8
Leaven/Yeast was physical under
the Old Covenant but it is almost always used as a metaphorical reference to
doctrine/way/lifestyle/belief (which leads to SIN) under the New Covenant, and
this is something that many people professing to be brethren in Christ seem not
to understand. The Church of Corinth needed to purge out the doctrines which
allowed wickedness to enter into the Body of Christ, and live in the doctrines
that would cause them to purge out the wickedness, living in unleavened
righteousness. Well, some years back, the disciples of Christ were confused on
this issue at first, but then it was revealed to them.
‘’And when his disciples were
come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto
them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no
bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why
reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet
understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many
baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to
you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the
leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matthew
16:5-12. Of course there was the leaven/yeast of Herod too (Mark 8:15).
Therefore, as God required that the Israelites removed every leavened/Yeasted
bread from their homes under the Old Covenant, Christians are required to do
away with any doctrine/belief/lifestyle/teachings that produce sin in our lives
and in the Body of Christ. And likewise, just as the leaven is not referring to
literal bread, we are not commanded to keep the Passover feast as the Jews
traditional kept, because Christ is our Passover. The entire purpose of the
Passover & the Feast of Unleavened Bread was prophetic; pointing to the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the continuance of keeping that feast is putting
people back under the old bondage of the law.
There's nothing wrong with
learning about the feasts of the Jews, and why God commanded them to observe
them, but once the purpose of those feasts have been fulfilled, we need to put
them away and focus on the fulfillment, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. That is
why Paul wrote to the Colossians that ‘’ Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the
sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body/substance
is Christ.’’ Colossians 2:16&17. So, the Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread were shadows of (the were pointing to) Christ Jesus who was to
come and die for us and because He was fulfilling this process, the night
before His death, He instituted something that we were to use to remember Him
and that was ‘’The Lord’s Supper.’’
WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THE LORD’S SUPPER?: This is where Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ members get it wrong. I have attended one of their night programme
before and I was surprised to hear the leader say (and in fact, it is their
doctrine) a lot of falsehoods on that night. The “Jehovah’s Witnesses” have
almost no concept of the distinction between the literal and the figurative
language in the Bible. And so, they literalize the number 144,000 in Revelations
Chapters 7 & 14 and ridiculously argue that only 144,000 people will gain
heaven. A Watchtower publication states that “the final number of the heavenly
church will be 144,000, according to God’s decree” (Let God Be True, p.
113). The balance of saved humanity, they contend, will live on God’s glorified
earth. And for that matter, Nobody is supposed to partake in the Lord’s Supper
except those who, after soul-searching, realize that they are part of the
144,000 people. On that night, not a single soul in the meeting drank from the
cup or ate the bread. It was pass it on galore. When I asked the person who
invited me there, the response was that none of those who were in that assembly
qualified to be a member of the 144,000 people but some few persons in other Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ assemblies in Ghana are part of the 144,000 so they eat the Bread
and drink from the cup in their respective assemblies when observing it. I shook my head in disagreement. Truth is, the
Jehovah’s Witnesses got it wrong. Let’s continue apostle Paul’s admonition when
it comes to partaking in the Lord’s Super.
‘’Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.’’ 1 Corinthians 11:27-34
‘’Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.’’ 1 Corinthians 11:27-34
The above scriptures clear show
that Paul was talking to the Church in Corinth; believed to be Christians/believers/born
again. Again, a careful studying of the scriptures will clearly show you that
Paul was not saying they should search themselves to see if they are part of
the 144,000 people. In any case, the 144,000 spoken of in Revelation Chapters 7
& 14 are Israelites, 12,000 from each of the 12 Tribes of Israel. So if we
are going by the bench mark of the JWs, then no Ghanaian should qualify to
take part in their Lord’s Supper because (i) No Ghanaian is an Israelite in the
first place, and (ii) Let alone knowing that you are from the Tribe of Simeone
or Benjamin or any of the Tribes so as to take part in the Supper.
Contrary to what the JWs teach, Any truly saved (i.e. truly born again)
person can take part in the Lord’s Supper. But you see, Leader might not
always know, whether Brother A or Sister C is truly saved or not – until the
Holy Spirit reveals. Because of this, it behoves on the individual Christian to examine himself/herself before
taking part in the Lord’s Supper. If you assess yourself and realize you
have fallen (Maybe only you and God know), please repent first. If sinning
secretly, please, don’t venture. If you are practicing any form of sin, please don’t,
try to take part. Don’t think you’ll be disgraced when people see you not
taking part so you are going to take part even when you know very well that you
are living in sin. This means that we must pray, confess and repent from any
sin before taking the Lord’s Supper. If the person thinks it is any other Bread
and Wine so irrespective of the way he is living his life he can still take it,
he is bringing judgement upon himself. Judas Iscariot took part in the Lord’s
Supper when even at that very hour, the love of money has stolen him and was
perfecting his tactics to betray Jesus Christ. The Church in Corinth that Paul
was addressing was not made up of only Israelites; Gentiles were included. If
the Lord’s Supper was reserved for only the 144,000 people (which was the
summation of 12,000 people from each of the 12 Tribes of Israel), apostle Paul
would have cautioned the Church in Corinth. Without any shred of doubt, we can
see that only Sin can prevent a person from taking part in the Lord’s Supper
that is why apostle Paul warned them to examine themselves (Not to see if they
are part of the 144,0000 but rather to see if any
leaven/doctrine/lifestyle/belief which produces sin or any unrepented sin is
still in their lives).
We can’t draw curtins to this
topic without making mention of the Catholics’ version of the Lord’s Supper;
they called theirs the ‘’Mass,’’ ‘’Communion’’
or ‘’Eucharist.’’ A little
background checks from http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/eucha1a.htm
confirmed the fact that the Roman Catholic Church does have quite different
view regarding the Lord’s Supper. Essentially, they believe that their priests
have the power to convert the Bread & Wine to actual Body & Blood of
Christ, respectively. So, to them, it is not symbolic but exact Body and Blood
of Christ. It is no surprising that they believe on their altars, they
sacrifice Jesus, eat His Body and drink is Blood directly. And that is false. Study these statements carefully. John the Baptist said Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away
the Sin of the World (John 1:29), was John referring to physical Lamb or figurative Lamb?
Again, Jesus Christ said He was the Bread of Life (John 6:35), Living Waters (John 4:10), The Way Truth & Life (John 14:6), The Light of the World (John 8:12),
The Door (John 10;9), The Good Shephered(John 10:11) etc. Clearly, Jesus was not saying was physical Lamb, Bread, Water, Way, Truth & Life, Light, Door or Shephered. He meant He was all those things, Spiritually. So He was using a literally device called Metaphor. Another typical example is when we read from Revelation 5:5 that Jesus is The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Did that mean Jesus was a physical animal called Lion? Of course Not. He was imploring a literary device we call Metaphor in
those statements.....Same as when He said during the Lord’s Supper that the
Bread and Wine represented His Body & Blood, respectively. Yet Catholics
believe that in their version of the Lord’s Supper (which they call Holy Communion or Eucharist),
they are actually eating the Body of Christ and Drinking His Blood. For them, the Bread and the Wine are not representing, but actual, Body and Blood of Christ. That is why their so-called Mass is unbiblical. U can read some of the Falsehoods propagated by the Roman Catholic Church from
http://warningchurchgetprepared.blogspot.com/2014/12/dangers-of-roman-catholicism-message-2.html
And something on Christmas & the Lord's Supper from http://warningchurchgetprepared.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-christ-commanded-disciples-to-use.html
http://warningchurchgetprepared.blogspot.com/2014/12/dangers-of-roman-catholicism-message-2.html
And something on Christmas & the Lord's Supper from http://warningchurchgetprepared.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-christ-commanded-disciples-to-use.html
Having refuted the Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ & the Roman Catholic’s versions of remembering the Death of
Christ Jesus as well as Easter, let’s see how grievous it is, for a Christian
to observe the Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread. The information below
is not mine; brother Christopher J.E. Johnson wrote it and I found it very
helpful to include it in this exercise.
The 15-Steps of The Jewish Passover
1. Kadesh (meaning "sanctified") This is named after a city called Kadesh which is mentioned many times in the Jews journey in the desert. (See Gen 14:7, Num 13:26, etc) It's symbolic of their freedom from Egypt. They recite a related saying at the beginning of the ritual. 2. Urchatz (meaning "washing") They wash their right and left hands three times each, based on Jewish tradition. (See Mat 15:2) 3. Karpas (meaning "vegetable greens") They take a small piece of vegetable greens, dip it in salt, and eat it to bring tears to the eyes, remembering the tears the Jews shed as slaves in Egypt. (Prayers: Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam Borei Pri Ha’Adama. Translates: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the land.")
(Unleavened bread is like a
saltine cracker without the salt, and much bigger in size depending on how
it's baked.)
5. Maggid (meaning "teacher") This is a reading of the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. 6. Roachtzah (meaning "wash") They wash their hands again, and this time a blessing is said over it. (Prayers: Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam Asher Ki-d’shanu Be-mitzvotav Vetzivanu al Netilat Yadayim. Translates: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to wash our hands.") 7. Motzi (first blessing) Eating unleavened bread with a blessing. (Prayers: Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam Hamotzi Lechem Min Ha’Aretz. Translates: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.") 8. Matzah (second blessing) Eating unleavened bread again with another blessing. (Prayers: Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam, Asher Ki-d’shanu Be-mitzvotav Vetzivanu al Achilat Matzah. Translates: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of unleavened bread.") 9. Maror (meaning "bitter") Bitter herbs are eaten and traditionally dipped in Charoset, which is a mixture of apples, nuts, and juice to resemble the clay the Hebrews would make in Egypt. This is a rememberance of the bitter days of slavery, and when bitter herbs are not available, they will sometimes use a bitter dip, like horseradish. (Prayers: Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam Asher Ki-d’shanu Be-mitzvotav Vetzivanu al Achilat Maror. Translates: "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of Maror.") 10. Korech (meaning "wrap") They make a sandwich out of unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and romaine lettuce, representing the brick manufacturing of the Hebrews in Egypt. 11. Shulchan Orech (meaning "set table") The full meal is enjoyed. 12. Tzafun (meaning "hidden") Everyone takes a piece of the Afikoman and eats it. 13. Berach (meaning "bless") They thank God after the meal is eaten. (The Jews did not pray before a meal as traditionally done by Americans; they prayed after the meal.) 14. Hallel (meaning "praise") While drinking an after-dinner cup of grape juice, they sing songs of God's performed miracles. 15. Nirtzah (meaning "accepted") They finish with a solemn prayer to God for the coming Moshiach (Messiah). |
There is a serious problem with a Christian participating in this ritual: the Messiah has already come! When a Christian family participates in this event, it is participating in traditions that were given specifically to the Jew by the Lord God in order to keep sharp in the memory the prophecy of the coming Messiah, but after the Messiah has come, we no longer recognize it, because recognizing it denies the Lord Jesus Christ has come, and puts people in a state of mind to keep looking for Him, as the Jews still do.
Go back and review step #4: This unleavened bread in this tradition represents God sending his own son to live in the flesh, and that's why it is wrapped in linen cloth and hidden, just as Christ was wrapped in linen and buried, and the children are supposed to look for him, meaning that he is returning soon after being killed.
And when Joseph had taken the
[Christ's] body,
he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
-Matthew 27:59
he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
-Matthew 27:59
The Napkin Was Folded
In Jewish tradition, if someone was to get up from the table, the host or hostess would look for their napkin before cleaning their place from the table. If the person left the napkin wadded up on their plate, it was a sign they were finished, but if they folded the napkin and laid it on the table, it was a sign temporary absense, but he/she was coming back. In Scripture, Christ had a napkin about his face when he was put in the tomb:
Then cometh Simon Peter
following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes,
but wrapped together in a
place by itself.
-John 20:6-7
Anyone familiar with Jewish custom would know immediately
what this meant: that He was only gone temporarily, but He's coming back.
|
The large piece of unleavened bread is called the Afikoman, which surprisingly is a Greek word, not a Hebrew word, which is more prophecy of the coming shift from Jew to Gentile. Afikomanmeans "He has come." This was not always a tradition of the Jews; it used to be that a lamb was consumed, but after the temple was destroyed, they used the Afikoman.
Thus, there are some Christians out there performing these traditions, not as a lesson for children, but instructing them in the ways of the Jews in the Old Testament, which teaches them to look for the coming Messiah, instead of observing the bread and cup of Christ, which is done in remembrance of Christ's coming and sacrifice. Christ called the taking of the bread and the cup together the "passover."
And when the hour was come, he
sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
-Luke 22:14-15
-Luke 22:14-15
Because Christ has come to this world, died, and risen from
the dead, Christians should not observe the OLD PASSOVER, but the NEW PASSOVER,
which is THE LORD’S SUPPER.
So when someone asks you if they
should celebrate Passover, ask them which passover they're talking about. As for
the Old Covenant Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Jews still observe because they don't believe Christ has come to fulfil it, we (Christians) are
commanded not to turn back into the old bondage of the law because Christ has come to fulfil it:
But now, after that ye have known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again
to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I
have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
-Galatians 4:9-11
-Galatians 4:9-11
Paul
would have wasted his time in preaching to Galatia if they were to reject the
liberty we have been given in Christ. We should live in according to the New
Covenant, not the Old Covenant, because our lives set an example for the world,
and that's why, Paul told Galatia:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage.
-Galatians 5:1
-Galatians 5:1
There is nothing wrong with learning about the
traditions of the Jews, but to adopt and practice them is a rejection of Christ's finished
work on the cross, and worse still, to teach that Christians (especially
children) should observe the traditions of bondage is offense to the Gospel.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were
drowned in the depth of the sea.
-Matthew 18:6
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered [i.e. taught to the people]: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8
-Matthew 18:6
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered [i.e. taught to the people]: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8
You want to observe the Death of Jesus Christ the Way Christ Himself instituted and which was followed by the Peter, Paul and the early Church? Then it is NOT through Easter; it is NOT Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread; Rather, it is through the Lord's Supper (i.e. Take the Bread which represents Christ's Body & Drinking the Wine from the Cup, which represents the Blood of Christ under the New Covenant). It is only through this that we remember and proclaim the Death of Jesus Christ till He comes again. It is Not Easter.
If You are truly born again, you can partake in the Lord's Supper. When you are to partake in it, please sincerely asssess yourself, confess and repent from any sin in your life, if you need to make restitution with some people, please do it before taking part else you bring judgement upon yourself.
It is my prayer that God liberates His people from any form of bondage. And may He answer each and everyone genuinely searching for the Truth regarding how to serve God in liberty as taught under the New Covenant. In Jesus Mighty Name I ask all these, Amen!
If You are truly born again, you can partake in the Lord's Supper. When you are to partake in it, please sincerely asssess yourself, confess and repent from any sin in your life, if you need to make restitution with some people, please do it before taking part else you bring judgement upon yourself.
It is my prayer that God liberates His people from any form of bondage. And may He answer each and everyone genuinely searching for the Truth regarding how to serve God in liberty as taught under the New Covenant. In Jesus Mighty Name I ask all these, Amen!