In my eagerness to live a life which is pleasing to God, my Creator I’m discovering spiritual insights which drastically change my worship to God.
One of these insights concerns PASSOVER, known among Christians as the time to commemorate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, institutionalized in the Holy Communion ritual. As you know my spiritual journey took a turn around march 2014 as my eyes opened to the fact that Yeshua didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. As Yeshua was fulfilling the Law He became the Lamb that was slaughtered for our sins. This means that the sin-offering as instructed by God (Lev. 4) was fulfilled in Yeshua, who offered himself for our deliverance.
In seeing that, I immediately remembered God’s promise to write His law on the tables of our hearts in the new covenant – Jer.31:33, Hebr.8:10. So if God promised to write His law on the tables of our hearts that means that they are still valid and if they are still valid they cannot be abolished at the same time and as they cannot be abolished they need to be treasured as our standard for life.
In the early-history of the Christian Church the Last Supper of Yeshua was institutionalized and ordained as a holy sacrament separated from the Pesach Seder and Feast of the Unleavened Bread. But as the Bible writes the ‘Last Supper’ was simply part of the ‘Seder Diner’ which the Lord-God has instructed for His people at the appointed time (mikra kodesh) – Lev. 23. As being the Messiah Yeshua was not only devoted to the will of the Father, but He definitely was accustomed to the Jewish traditions of celebrating the appointed feasts which were ordained by God (Lev. 23). So actually Yeshua was celebrating the Pesach Seder and Feast of the Unleavened Bread with His disciples to commemorate how God had powerfully delivered his people out of bondage in Egypt. And it was during the procedures of this ritual that Yeshua took wine and unleavened bread and related them to His blood that would be shed and His body that would be broken for our deliverance from sin – Mat.26:17-28 (KJV).
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Question is, does this intervention of Yeshua as He took wine and unleavened bread the so-called Holy Communion be a substitute for the Pesach Seder? I don’t belief it is. Yeshua does not instruct us to stop celebrating Pesach Seder. Now He wants us to remember Him as the Passover Lamb as we celebrate the appointed Feast of Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread – Lev.23. So, this intervention of Yeshua was institutionalized and ordained as holy Communion and separated from the appointed Feasts of the Lord – Lev.23 – due to the belief that the appointed feasts were not te be celebrated any longer since these feasts were part of the Law and the Law was fulfilled in Yeshua the Messiah. Since I believe that Yeshua did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it I am joyfully preparing for the upcoming feasts of Pesach en the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Wonna join me? You’re definitely welcome, I can assure you that you will experience your Creator-God as never before.
We will commemorate and exercize feetwashing, seder-meal and a mikra kodesh. If you really feel the urge to get to know God during Pesach and Feast of Unleavened bread or if you have questions concerning PESACH, feel free to email me at denise@denisesumter.com
Denise Sumter
Cowerker bij Kodesh L’Adonai, een Messiaans-Joodse Community
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