Holidays and Festivals
Shalom in the great name of Jesus our Messiah. The festival of Passover is just around the corner, and the staff of Your Mission to the Jewish People has been presenting a demonstration called Messiah in the Passover at hundreds of churches throughout North America.
I have personally given this presentation perhaps thousands of times in my 40+ years in Jewish ministry, and I never tire of the message.
Maybe it is because of the simplicity of the Good News – Jesus is the Messiah and the Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Pastors often give us the privilege of presenting Messiah in the Passover at their congregations with the added joy of celebrating communion – the Lord’s Supper. To relive the Passover as described in the book of Exodus and then to participate in communion with fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord is one of the most heart-stirring experiences a believer can enjoy.
If you have never had this experience, please ask your pastor to invite Chosen People Ministries to present this wonderful living sermon at your congregation next year. Call 1-888-405-5874 for more information or write to our Church Ministries Department at churches@chosenpeople.com.
Messiah in the Passover and the Story of Redemption
Participation in a Messiah in the Passover presentation is not only a beautiful experience for the believer, but the Messianic seder is also a very powerful way to help Jewish seekers witness the four-dimensional prophetic portrait of redemption portrayed in the presentation. Messiah in the Passover is the Gospel in living color!The Messiah in the Passover enables you and your Jewish friends to sit down in the Upper Room and dine with Jesus and His disciples. Your Jewish friend will recognize the traditions, feel comfortable and will usually be more open to hearing about our Jewish Messiah – so please think about attending one of these presentations and bringing along a Jewish friend. Click here to find out where a Chosen People Ministries representative is presenting Messiah in the Passover near you!
Jesus the Passover Lamb
There
are many references to Passover in the New Testament that affirm the
fulfillment of Passover in the person of our Messiah. Let’s look at one
of the many themes from the Passover and show how it points to Jesus. We
find it in John the Baptist’s words:
The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
In order to properly interpret John’s statement in this passage, we must understand the Old Testament context. In Exodus 12:3-13,
the Lord commands the children of Israel to slay a lamb and smear its
blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. The blood of the lamb
would then cover the home, thus sparing the first-born males from the
Lord’s judgment. This is a type (an Old Testament prophetic picture) of
what Jesus would accomplish through His crucifixion.Atonement through the blood of the innocent, spotless lamb would become a way for the children of Israel to understand the sacrificial system, which would soon be revealed at Mount Sinai, and eventually in the power of the death of the Messiah Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes away OUR sin!
Born Again – and Experiencing the Passover
I
still remember my first Passover as a believer. I came to faith when I
was barely 19 years old. Although I grew up in the New York area, I was
living in California at the time and it was there that I became a
follower of Jesus. I was part of the Jesus movement – at least the
Jewish “wing” of the Jesus movement.I became a believer in November 1970. By the time Passover arrived, I had already left the West Coast and returned home. As you can imagine, my parents did not understand why I had become a believer in Yeshua (Jesus) and they were confused, angry and hurt. They told me that I couldn’t share the good news with my sisters, grandparents or anyone else.
My folks were especially worried I would say something to my religious grandparents at our family Passover seder, which was held every year in Brooklyn. I do not blame them! They should have been worried, because unless they had told me otherwise, I would have preached the Gospel to all of them at the family Passover. This probably would not have been well received! I was honoring my parents (a new trend for me after receiving Yeshua) and told them I would try to keep quiet.
This went well for the first part of the Passover seder, until my grandfather raised the shank bone of the lamb and told the story of Exodus 12. At that moment I could barely restrain myself from jumping up and shouting, “Grandpa… Grandpa – it’s Jesus.” But I didn’t do it.
It actually took a few more years before I was able to share the Gospel with my grandparents, and when I did, they never talked to me again. This was one of the hardest experiences of my life, but understandable, as they had fled Eastern Europe because of religious persecution that they blamed on “Christians.” Other than myself, I do not think my grandparents had ever met a born-again believer – sadly, a common experience among Jewish people.
You can only imagine the misunderstanding my grandparents, my own mother and father and so many of your Jewish friends have about Jesus. But when your Jewish friends witness Messiah in the Passover, they might realize for the first time that Christianity is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises, and that you really can be Jewish and a believer in Jesus!
Reaching Your Jewish Friends During Passover
Please
be sure to send your Jewish friends Passover greeting cards and wish
them a sweet holiday. This is one way to show love to your Jewish
friends and express an appreciation for Christianity’s roots in the
ancient Israelite faith of the Old Testament Scriptures.You can also learn a lot more about Passover, which you can then share with your friends, by visiting www.chosenpeople/passover! You can even download an e-book on Passover and much more – so please take a moment to see the resources we have made available for you.
The sights, smells, tastes and story of the Passover all combine to make a memorable celebration that lifts our spirits. At Passover, we honor our past, give thanks for our present, and look ahead to the glorious future the Lord has promised to those who are found in Him. Truly, Passover offers a wonderful insight into the love, mercy and justice of our God in a way that is like no other.
Thanks again for your faithful prayers and generous financial support. On behalf of our board, staff and ministry team – thank you, happy Passover, and have a blessed Resurrection Day!
Your brother,
Mitch
Reblogged from http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/
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