Passover!
An exiting time of the year, especially this
year, as the 14th of the first month (Aviv), YHVH's
Passover, occurs again in the middle of the week, just as
it did on the week of Yeshua's execution. The Passover
(actually the Feast of Matzot, or Unleavened Bread) is
the first of the seven mo'adim, fixed appointments with
YHVH.
What is so important about these fixed appointments, their
time and place, and are they relevant for today's
redeemed Israelite community?
In Colossians 2:16-17 Shaul says: ''So let no one judge
you in food or drink, or regarding a festival or a new
moon or Sabbaths, which are a mere shadow of things to
come, but the substance is of Messiah.'' Many use
this mistranslated scripture portion to disqualify the
feasts of YHVH. However, the literal translation of these
verses is: ''Let no one be your judge in regards to
food, drink, feasts, new moons or Sabbaths, but the Body
of Messiah, for these are shadows of things yet to
come.''
Thus, these Torah observances are prophetic, and by keeping
them we are proclaiming something that is yet to be
revealed in YHVH's plan. For this reason the Body of
Messiah is ''to judge'' and discern these
matters, as the verse points out. To those who would
argue that the Torah laws were nailed to the cross, and
that Yeshua has fulfilled them all, we would say that the
apostle wrote this after the death of the Messiah. In
other words, yes, they are shadows. of things yet to
come, and therefore are prophetic in nature!
Let us walk with Yeshua this Passover, starting today,
Friday, the ninth of the month of Aviv (Nissan). Each day
will be much more meaningful as we ponder the mo'ed ahead
of us, focusing on Yeshua's last Passover. Being the lamb
of Elohim, Yeshua would have had to fulfill all the
requirements of this mo'ed. In addition, there were also
prophetic words that had been written about Him, and of
course those that He prophesied about Himself. Here are
some of the relevant scripture texts; looking at a Hebrew
calendar, as you read, will help. In case you do not have
one, today is Friday the fourteenth of April, but on the
Hebrew calendar it is the ninth of Nissan or Aviv (the
latter being the more ancient name, the former is a name
''picked up'' by the Judeans in Babylon).
IT IS WRITTEN:
''Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or
the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass
away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass
from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matt. 5:17-1 .
'' Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of
heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Ought not the Messiah to have suffered these things and
to enter into His glory?' So beginning at Moses and all
the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures
(Tanach) the things concerning Himself'' (Luke
24:25-27).
''Then I (Yeshua) said, `Behold, I have come----In the volume of
the book it is written of Me----To do Your will, O YHVH´'' (Heb.10:7).
''Then Yeshua said to them, 'all of you will be made to stumble
because of Me this night, for it is written: `I will
strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be
scattered´'': (Zech 13:7).
'' 'Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and
He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of
angels? ''How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled,
that it must happen thus?' In that hour Yeshua said to
the multitudes, 'Have you come out, as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you,
teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all
this was done that the
Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all
the disciples forsook Him and fled'' (Matt. 26:31,
53-56).
YESHUA'S PROPHECIES
The Sign of Jonah:
''Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered,
saying, 'teacher, we want to see a sign from You'. But He
answered and said to them, 'an evil and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given
to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of the great
fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth''' (Matt:12:38-40).
'' 'A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and
no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the
prophet Jonah.' And He left them and departed''
(Matt.16:4)
''And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began
to say, 'this is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and
no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the
prophet''' (Luke 11:29).
The Sign of the Temple
''So the Jews answered and said to Him, 'what sign do
You show to us, since You do these things? 'Yeshua
answered and said to them, 'destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up'. Then the Jews said, 'it
has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will
You raise it up in three days?' But He was speaking of
the temple of His body'' (John 2:18-21).
''Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought
false testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death but
found none. Even though many false witnesses came
forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses
came forward and said, 'this fellow said: `I am able to
destroy the temple of YHVH and to build it in three
days´'' (Matt. 26:59-61; Mark 14:58-62).
(Were these last two really false witnesses? Did not Yeshua say
that He would destroy the temple? Read John 2:18-21
again.)
''And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging
their heads and saying:
'you who destroy the temple and build it in three days,
save Yourself!
If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross
'''(Matt. 27:39-40; Mark 15:29-30).
These
signs were fulfilled, and there were witnesses to verify
it. Because Yehsua proclaimed that these signs were to
corroborate His Messiahship, it was in the interest of
the priests to ensure, in every way possible, that those
declarations of His would prove false. That is why they
placed soldier-guards around the tomb and sealed the
stone that covered the entrance. This, however, backfired
on them. As a matter of fact, the soldiers became the
first eye witnesses to the fulfillment of the signs.
''Now while they were going, behold, some of the
guards came into the city and reported to the chief
priests all the things that had happened. When they had
assembled with the elders and consulted together, they
gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, 'tell
them, `his disciples came at night and stole Him away
while we slept.´ ''And if this comes to the
governor´s ears, we will appease him and make you
secure.'' So they took the money and did as they were
instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among
the Jews until this day'' (Matt. 28:11-15).
''After
His resurrection, the disciples also recalled what Yeshua
had said about the destruction of the ''temple''
and about raising it in three
days'' (John 2:22).
YHVH'S APPOINTED TIMES
''And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 'speak to the
children of Israel, and say to them: `The feasts of YHVH,
which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these
are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the
seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy
convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the
Sabbath of YHVH in all your dwellings´'' (Lev.
23:1-3). Each feast day, regardless of the day of the
week it happens to occur on, is patterned after the
Shabbat and is called a Shabbaton. This is why Yeshua had
to be taken off the cross and buried before the evening
of the coming in of the ''Shabbat''.
''Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day [the 14th] that the
bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for
that Sabbath was a high day [the 15th] ) the Jews asked
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they
might be taken away (John 19:31; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54).
The fifteenth was and still is the Feast of Matzot -
Unleavened Bread. It is a Shabbat-like day (a Shabbton).
''These are the feasts of YHVH, holy convocations
which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the
fourteenth day of the first month between the evenings
[the entire twenty four hour period of the fourteenth] is
YHVH's Passover''
(Lev.23: 4-5).
Please note that the fourteenth is not spoken of as a
rest day or a holy convocation (see John 19:31). It was
the day on which they were busy sacrificing and cutting
up the lambs; from evening to evening, a day of
preparation for the Shabbaton that was to follow (the
fifteenth was the first day of the Feast of Matzot).
''And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the
Feast of Unleavened Bread to YHVH; seven days you must
eat unleavened bread. On the first day [the fifteenth of
the Month of Aviv] you shall have a holy convocation; you
shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an
offering made by fire to YHVH for seven days. The seventh
day [the 21st of the month of Aviv, April 26th this year]
shall be a holy convocation
[a Shabbat-like day]; you shall do no customary work on
it''
(Lev. 23:6-8; ref. Deut. 16:1-3).
Within the week of the Feast of Matzot it is possible to
have three Shabbats; the fifteenth, which could fall on
any day of the week, the regular seventh day of the week,
and the seventh day feast which again may occur on any
day of the week.
''And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 'speak to the children of
Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land
which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall
bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the
priest. He shall wave the sheaf before YHVH, to be
accepted on your behalf''' (Lev.23:9-10). Literally
it says, ''for your acceptance'', or ''that
you may be accepted'', in other words, you and I can
only go before YHVH if this wave offering qualifies us.
''On
the day after the Sabbath (the weekly Shabbat that falls
between the two Shabbatons) the first day of the week
[the 18th of Aviv. In Hebrew, one and eight are
equivalent to the letters that make up the word
''life''), the priest shall wave it. And you
shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male
lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt
offering to YHVH.'' (Lev. 23: 9-12). Yeshua was
raised on this day and presented Himself before the
Father, this is why He told Miryam of Magdala not to
touch Him, for He had not yet been to the Father. He was
that first fruit wave offering that you and I may be
accepted.
''And you shall count for yourselves from the day
after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the
sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be
completed'' (Lev. 23:15). (Not forgetting to count
the Sabbath of the 21st of Aviv).
LAMB FOR THE SACRIFICE
''Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying:
`On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for
himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a
lamb for a household. `And if the household is too small
for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house
take it according to the number of the persons; according
to each man´s need you shall make your count for the
lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the
first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the
goats. `Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of
the same month. Then the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight [between
the evenings]´''
(Ex. 12:3-6).
Yeshua
the Lamb
''And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and
wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out
in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by
night'' (Luke 2:7- .
The
Lamb was born in a stable, in a feed troth, among the
animals.
Significantly
it was shepherds pasturing their sheep, that heard the
message of the angles. ''And this will be the sign to
you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths,
lying in a manger.'' (Luke 2:12).
Later
in the Lamb's life, John the Immerser exclaimed:
''Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world'' (John 1:29).
An
Ethiopian eunuch, who came to Jerusalem to worship, was
sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah.
''He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a
lamb before it's sheerer is silent, so He opened not His
mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and
who will declare His generation? For His life is taken
from the earth'''
(Isa. 53:7-8; Acts 8:32-33).
''But
with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you'' (1Pet.1:19-20).
''And
I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of
the four living creatures, and in the midst of the
elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having
seven horns and seven eyes, which are the
seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He
came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who
sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the
four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden
bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints. They sang a new song, saying:
'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its
seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by
Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and
nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God;
and we shall reign on the earth''' (Rev. 5:6-10).
''After
these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude
which no one could number, of all nations, tribes,
peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud
voice, saying:
'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and
to the Lamb'''
(Rev. 7:9-17).
''They
sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song
of the Lamb, saying: 'Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just
and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall
not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You
alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship
before You, For Your judgments have been
manifested'''
(Rev. 15:3-4).
Passover
Lamb's Journey
''Now it came to pass, when Yeshua had finished these
sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the
region of Judea beyond the Jordan''
(Matt. 19:1; Mark 10:1; John 1:2 .
''Now
they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua
was going before them; and they were amazed.
And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the
twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that
would happen to Him:
'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes;
and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the
Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and
spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise
again''' (Mark 10:33).
Please
note the pronoun being used, it
is as if the Son of God 'aspect' of Yeshua is speaking
about the Son of Man 'aspect' of Him.
''Now
they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His
disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the
son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he
heard that it was Yeshua of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, 'Yeshua, Son of David, have mercy on me!'''
(Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35; 19:1 Matt. 20:29; Luke 19:2 .
Interestingly,
YHVH used a blind man to declare that Yeshua was the
Messiah Son of David.
''Now
when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at
the Mount of Olives, then Yeshua sent two disciples,
saying to them, 'go into the village opposite you, and
immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with
her. Loose them and bring them to Me''' (Matt.
21:1-2; Luke 19:28-29).
''Then,
six days before the Passover [the ninth of Aviv], Yeshua
came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead,
whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a
supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those
who sat at the table with Him. Then Miryam took a pound
of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of
Yeshua, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house
was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Mary took
a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the
feet of Yeshua, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the
house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then one
of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would
betray Him, said, 'why was this fragrant oil not sold for
three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' This he
said not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a
thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what
was put in it. But Yeshua said, 'let her alone; she has
kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have
with you always, but Me you do not have always'''
(John 12:1- .
On
Erev Shabbat, when you sit to have your meal, think about
what had taken place on this very night so many years
ago. Maybe find some perfume to scent the air.(fragrance
of Messiah).
''The
next day [Shabbat the tenth of Aviv], a great multitude
that had come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua
was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet Him, and cried out:
'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
YHVH! The King of Israel!' Then Yeshua, when He had found
a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 'Fear not,
daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on
a donkey's colt''' (John 12:12-16).
The
Feast of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) was and still is
celebrated on the fifteenth. This year that day happens
to fall on Thursday, April 20th. If we count six days
before the fifteenth of Aviv, we arrive at
Friday the ninth (today, April 14th), this was the day on
which Yeshua came up to Beit-Onya (Bethany) and had an
Erev Shabbat meal with El'azar(Lazarus), Martha, and
Miryam. Yochanan (John) tells us that the following day,
which would have been Shabbat the tenth of Aviv, Yeshua
rode the colt of an ass into Jerusalem. It was not Palm
Sunday, but ''Palm Saturday'' that year.
On
the tenth the priests carried the lambs for the Passover
sacrifices into the Temple, as commanded by YHVH (see Ex.
12:3).
The
lambs were examined for four days, and if no blemish or
defect could be found, they qualified for the sacrifice,
and were killed on the fourteenth. Yeshua went up to
Jerusalem on the tenth, and for four days he was
questioned and examined and in the end no fault could be
found in Him. He was the perfect sacrifice. He celebrated
the Passover meal the night before the rest of the nation
celebrated it, as He knew He would not be around for the
occasion. ''Now before the feast of the Passover,
when Yeshua knew that His hour had come that He should
depart from this world to the Father, having loved His
own who were in the world, He loved them to the end''
(John 13:1).
''When
the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles
with Him. Then He said to them, 'with fervent desire I
have desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it
until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God''' (Luke
22:14-16).
He
was then crucified on the fourteenth, which is Wednesday,
the middle of the week. On the day of preparation Yeshua
was put into the grave, just before the Shabbaton of the
fifteenth, the eve of Thursday (please keep in mind that
the night comes first and then the day). He was in the
grave that night (1st night), all day Thursday (1st day,
the fifteenth); the night of Friday (2nd night) all day,
Friday (2nd day the sixteenth); Saturday night (3rd
night) and all day, Saturday (3rd day the seventeenth).
Then sometime after the Shabbat went out Yeshua rose from
the dead. He was exactly 3 days and 3 nights in the
grave. The religious leaders were looking for a reason to
denounce him as a liar. Indeed, if He would not have
stayed in that grave for three nights and three days they
would have proven their point beyond a shadow of a doubt,
and
Yeshua could not have been the Messiah of Israel. The
Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations only come to
the aid of those who would declare Yeshua a liar. The
sign of Jonah is Yeshua's answer to an evil and wicked
generation.
Let
us be as those who have understanding and join Yeshua's
disciples and remember all that has been written.
''Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His
disciples remembered that He had said this to them;
and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua
had spoken''
(John 2:22). Hag Same'ach,
Shevet
Achim
''Great and marvelous are Your works, YHVH Elohim
Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the
saints! Who shall not fear You, O YHVH, and
glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all
nations shall come and worship before You, For Your
judgments have been manifested''(Rev.15:3-4).
